James Taggart 1785

Sauntag,

PRONI has the following document: MIC/68

It’s a set of title deeds & testamentary papers relating to property at Glenwhirry. Graham, Taggart & Killen families. Dated 1725. Might be worth looking at.

Also I see in their names index that an Archibald Taggart of Glenwherry had a will probated in 1695; John in 1791 & Grisell Taggart alias Bell, of Glenwherry had one in probated in 1718. (She was likely a widow). All of those 3 will were destroyed in the 1922 fire. All that remains is the probate information given here.

You are up against what genealogists refer to the 1800 barrier in Irish research. It can often prove very difficult to get back much earlier than 1800 due to the absence of sufficient records.  Did this Taggart family live in Glenwhirry townland, or Glenwhirry parish? If it was the parish do you know which townland. (I see 3 Taggart properties in Glenwhirry parish in Griffiths in 1862, in Glenhead, Jockeysquarter and Glenwhirry itself, so it’s important to identify the right family.)

What was James senior’s occupation, do you know?

Have you searched local graveyards for the family? If they were farmers, you may get a gravestone. If they were weavers or labourers you mostly won’t.

PRONI tend to be quite expensive, and they won't do trawling requests. So if you want a copy of a baptism or marriage with a reasonably acurate date, or a copy of a lease or something like that, they will do it, but if you need to go through a whole microfilm (the prefix MIC = microfilm) looking for possible references to a family, they tend not to do that as it just takes too long. You might need to employ a local researcher, in the Belfast area, who will probably do it quicker too.

Sauntag,

If PRONI agree to do the work, they will quote you a price, and then if its acceptable you pay in advance. Their rates tend to be around £18.50 per 15 minutes work. Most researchers are less than that. Researchers in the PRONI area: http://sgni.net

Or, if you want, I can do the research for you next time I am in PRONI.  If so, e-mail me on Ahoghill@irelandxo.com

Regarding the townland name, today there is simply one townland called Glenwhirry. At 1243 acres, it’s a fair size and so it wouldn’t be surprising if locally it was divided into 2 halves. But I don’t see that on the Griffiths map. There’s areas called Whitehaw, Brae Hill, Reddale and Grahamston, but I don’t see any Upper & Lower. Asking locally might produce more information though.

PRONI have a couple of maps that might help.  T1853/1 is dated 1831 and T2971/1/19A & B are dated 1720. Both may show more detail.