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John Devlin, b. c. 1820 in Moneyglass

AntrimDuneane (Antrim)

I am seeking records for our immigrant ancestor, John Devlin, b. 1821.   He said he was born in Londonderry, as did his sister, but we have not been able to locate them.  Today I found a personal ad in the Boston Pilot dated 1 Feb. 1845 - it was placed by a James Devlin, Kensington, Philadelphia County, PA and he was seeking information about his brother John Devlin from Moneyglass, Dunean parish.    So I wonder if there is record of John Devlin born, he said on 20 Dec 1821 to Patrick Devlin and Bridget Henry.  I know his sister was Bridget Devlin, born on , she said, 19 Nov 1831.   John said he arrived in Maryland in 1841 and we have not found record of that; he married Margaret Monaghan in Baltimore in 1844 and I have verified that; he then went to Philadelphia and worked on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, then went on to "work the Mississippi River" as a woodman on boats, living in both New Orleans and St. Louis before settling in Guttenberg, Clayton Co., Iowa in 1855.  We have a copy of an old letter that indicates that he had more siblings than we know about.       So with the new information from this ad, I'm now searching for the family of John Devlin  with brother James Devlin, and possibly more siblings.  I would like to know about the John Devlin from Dunean Parish and hoping it's out guy.   Any help will be appreciated.   See copy of ad attached.  Kathy Devlin

KayDee

10 replies

The name Devlin is a pretty common name in the parish of Duneane. Unfortunately the local parish records only start in 1834 so it won’t be possible to search for an 1821 baptism (or for Bridget in 1831).

I searched Griffiths Valuation for Moneyglass (1862). There were around 40 homes there then but none inhabited by a Devlin. Plenty of Devlins farming in the parish in the tithes of 1833 but none in Moneyglass:

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/antrim/tithe-applotments/duneane-parish.php

It’s probably going to be hard to find anything on the family from Moneyglass.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Hi, 

When you say 'Londonderry', do you mean "Derry/ Londonderry City', or 'County Derry/ Londonderry' ?- Duneane parish borders Co Derry/ Londonderry.

I'm interested in the other name you mention - Henry. My great-grandfather (James Henry, 1845 - 1824) was from Duneane (and one of his daughters, my grandmother, was Briegena - a form of Bridget). Seemingly, he gave 'Londonderry' as his place of birth, though he came from Duneane.

The Duneane Catholic parish registers are online at the 'Catholic Registers at the NLI (National Library of ireland' - baptisms from 1834, marriages a year or two later. There are a number of Devlins and Henry's in these. If your John's sister Bridget is the youngest one, though, it may be that any relevant names appear as baptismal sponsors. However, it's maybe worth scrolling through these in case there are names you recognise. 

Another long shot - some of my Henry ancestors moved to Belfast, there are records for them in St Peter's parish, Belfast (Down and Connor) - same website (Catholic Registers at the NLI) - my great-grandparents church marraige record names both sets of parents. If some of their Duneane 'relatives/ connections' moved there as well, who knows, they may have gone to the same area/ parish? Website (enter name of the parish, or click on the map):  https://registers.nli.ie ;

cheers, Maureen

MaureenN

Hello Maureen! My great grandfather Henry Griffin came from the parish of Duneane, Moneyglass and as with your ancestor moved to the parish of St. Peter's on the Falls Road in Belfast. I presume to work in the linen mills. I have some photos of the parish church and graveyard if anyone is interested in seeing them I would be happy to pass them on.

Hello Elwyn. You very kindly helped me to tour the area a number of years ago. I still haven't been able to find the name of Henry's mother and so have not made much progress in finding out which Griffin family he belonged to, but I keep hoping! Thank you for the time you took to guide me around. Much appreciated.

Geraldine Griffin

 

ggriffin@talkt…

Hello Maureen! My great grandfather Henry Griffin came from the parish of Duneane, Moneyglass and as with your ancestor moved to the parish of St. Peter's on the Falls Road in Belfast. I presume to work in the linen mills. I have some photos of the parish church and graveyard if anyone is interested in seeing them I would be happy to pass them on.

Hello Elwyn. You very kindly helped me to tour the area a number of years ago. I still haven't been able to find the name of Henry's mother and so have not made much progress in finding out which Griffin family he belonged to, but I keep hoping! Thank you for the time you took to guide me around. Much appreciated.

Geraldine Griffin

 

ggriffin@talkt…

Geraldine,

Lovely to hear from you. I remember our wee tour and our coffee in the Lock-keeper's cottage very well. A lovely day.

 

 

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

 Hello Kathy: I am from Philadelphia, PA; my wife's family was from Duneane, Antrim. She was born in Kensington, where James Devlin lived in 1945. Kensington was a natural fit for immigrants from Northern Ireland due to the many textile mills there. I know that Elwyn mentioned that there were no Devlins in the Duneane area at the time of Griffith's valuation (appx. 1950). In the 1901 census, however, there is a Devlin family in Gallagh, Cargin, Antrim. Cargin Chapel and Moneyglass Church are 2 of the 3 Catholic Churches in Duneane. What is most interesting is that in 1901, a grandchild of the Devlins, Edward Agnew, is listed among that family as being born in Philadelphia. Could the reason the Devlins are not listed in Griffith's valuation be that they had emigrated to Philadelphia in the 1840's and returned to the homeland by 1901. Even if this family is connected to James Devlin. There is no guarantee that your John Devlin is connected to them.

Thanks again, Elwyn, for your hospitality to my wife, Maureen, and myself, in 2017 when we visited the ground that Maureen's great grandmother, Mary McElroy, trod upon. We hope the above information furthers Kathy's research.

 

 

 

Dublinwoods

One more question, in the link Elwyn supplied to the tithing records, there is "Devolin, Pat. Townland: Annaghmore Year: 1833"

I think it unlikely that our John Devlin would have used the name of DEVLIN, rather than the iteration "Devolin" if the father used DEVOLIN.   Do you agree?

Thanks,  Kathy

 

KayDee

and thank you again - I have considered that the family, or some of it, returned to Ireland, or moved on to say, Australia, for that Gold Rush, especially. Our John was a woodman on the train, then the steamboats, until he bought the land in Iowa, and sold the wood to passing steamboats as he cleared it for farming. There is no mention of having worked in the textile industry in any of our family records or stories, but who knows? I'm sure he took whatever work he could find.  The path to Philadelphia was walked by many an Irishman, as you say.  I feel like our John must have known someone who got here before him.

 

I will check out what I can from your above suggestions, and keep it all in mind.

Thanks again, 

Kathy

 

KayDee

Dublinwoods,

I didn’t say there were no Devlins in Duneane parish in Griffiths (1862). (There were 21 households so probably over 100 of them). What I said was that there were none in the townland of Moneyglass which is where the John Devlin Kathy is interested in, was reported to have come from.

I wouldn’t worry about the spelling of Devlin in the tithes. Devolin & Devlin are the same name. The idea of a single or correct spelling for a surname or a place name in Ireland is very much a recent phenomenon designed to meet the needs of modern officialdom. Before that there was no consistency. Names were spelled phonetically and each variation was down to the whim of the particular person recording the information. You will often see the spelling change as the records go back. This rarely indicates a deliberate decision to alter the name, nor even a mistake. Not everyone was literate, but even when they were, exact and consistent spelling simply wasn’t something they bothered about. In addition to varying the actual spelling, O’ or Mac prefixes were optional and were often omitted. 

In 1899, the Rev Smith reviewed the early records of Antrim 1st Presbyterian church (covering the years 1674 to c 1736). He noted: “Even the same word is not always spelled alike by the same hand. Indeed spelling with most of the recording officials (and they must have been fairly numerous) was a matter of the most sublime indifference. The name William, for instance, is spelled 3 different ways in as many lines; while Donegore, a neighbouring parish, is spelled 10 different ways; but these extend over a good number of years. Many families names are spelled phonetically, while others are given in the most round-about fashion.”

So expect spelling to vary. That was the norm. 

I recall meeting you in 2017. I am glad you enjoyed your visit. If you decide to return, do get in touch and I’ll be glad to meet up. Likewise Kathy, if you come to Duneane, let me know and I'll happily meet you. I live about a mile from Moneyglass.

 

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Kathy: In the nli marriage record for Duneane parish, a John Devlin married Sarah McCann on 17 Oct 1844. One of the witnesses was another John Devlin. Again this is confirmation that Devlins were present in the area in the 1840's. Do not know how that would connect to your John Devlin. 

Bob Brett

Dublinwoods

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