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DAWSON, 1850s, Magheragall

AntrimMagheragall (Antrim)

Hi all,

My great-great-grandfather Richard DAWSON was a farm labourer from Magheragall and would have been born there in around 1834. He married Mary CROTHERS/CARRUTHERS/CARROTHERS in Annahilt, Co. Down in 1859, then they and their son Thompson DAWSON (born Magheragall abt. 1860) emigrated to New Zealand aboard the "British Empire" in 1864. I found from the civil register of marriage that Richard's father was also a Richard DAWSON from Magheragall, but that's as far as I've been able to trace back. I know that there are a number of DAWSON graves at the Magheragall Parish Church but none of the ones I've managed to find out about line up with my DAWSONs! Any help would be appreciated.

Lhizz Browne, Dunedin NZ

octopusgrrl

7 replies

Dear Lhizz

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out and apologies for the long delay in getting back to you.

I have passed this to an Antrim volunteer who will be in touch shortly

Best wishes

Clare Doyle

Genealogy Support 

IrelandXO member

Lhizz,

If you have the civil marriage certificate from  1859, what occupation does it give for both Richard Dawson senior and junior? Also what’s The Dawson townland (address) on the marriage certificate. If by any chance it is Ballyellough, then the family appears to be listed in Griffiths Valuation for 1862. They had plot 3, a 22 acre farm. (The modern address would be Horse Park, in Magheragall). They are shown in the revaluation records as vacating it between 1863 and 1866 which fits with your information about the date of their emigration.

Tradition was to marry in the bride’s church which should be on the certificate, (unless it was a Registry Office marriage). That church may be the place to look for her baptism and that of any siblings.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Hi Elwyn,

Thanks so much for your reply, and I apologise for not getting back to you sooner! Both Richard Dawsons are recorded on the marriage certificate as "Farmer", and the residence for Richard Dawson (jnr) looks like "Brick Hill" or "Breck Hill" - ? I'm not sure if that would be in Antrim or Down, I'm assuming Down as there's no county beside it but I can't seem to find such a place. Could it be the name of a farm? I've added a picture of the writing in case you are able to decipher it differently!

Thanks, I thought that Annahilt/Loughaghery might be where the Carruthers were from so I'll keep searching the records from that area :-)

Best,

Lhizz

 

octopusgrrl
Well this is rather a late reply, but. The witnesses at the Dawson/Carruthers wedding were a John Moag and a James Ewart. In 1874 a John Moag was married to a Sarah Dawson. Witnesses were a Margaret Ewart and John Bennett. Know that Sarah Dawson's parents were from the Magheragall area of County Antrim, which is just where my Dawson family came from. David
Alegou

Lhizz,

I never saw your 2016 reply, so apologies for the delay in responding. The place that the Dawson family lived looks to be “Brook Hill” on the marriage certificate. It’s part of the townland of Ballyellough, near Magheragall, Co. Antrim so the property I mentioned in my reply of 24th Aug 2015 is the right family home.

The Crothers family lived in Ballymurphy. In Annahilt, Co Down Griffiths Valuation for 1863 lists James Crothers there on plot 14 which was a 25 acre farm.  There were other Crothers living nearby who might be related. Plot 14 today is on the modern Ballynahinch Rd near the junction with Laurel Rd. There’s still a house there though whether it’s still a working farm is hard to tell from Google Earth.

You can see the 2 farms on the maps attached to Griffiths Valuation:

https://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

Tradition was to marry in the bride’s church, which in this case was Loughagery Presbyterian. So that’s probably where Mary was baptised. If you want to find her baptism and that of any siblings etc, that church’s records start in 1801. There’s a copy in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast.

No Dawsons in Ballyellough in the 1901 census but there were 3 Crothers househoilds in Ballymurphy:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Annahilt/Ballymurphy/

The Valuation Revision records (on the PRONI website) show James Crothers on plot 14 being replaced by Hugh in 1875. Hugh is noted as “reps of” in 1885 indicating he had died. He was replaced by Sarah Ann Crothers in 1895, and this is her in the 1901 census.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Annahilt/Ballymurphy/1237480/

Hugh had died in 1875 aged 35. His wife was Sarah Ann Carruthers (maiden name Carruthers). So that’s his widow in 1901. (Her age has not been transcribed accurately).

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1875/020626/7236903.pdf

They married in 1865 (again at Loughagery Presbyterian church) and Hugh’s father was James. So Hugh was a brother to Mary Crothers who married Richard Dawson.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_re…

Daughter Sarah’s birth in 1872:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1872/03227/2182970.pdf

Family in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Annahilt/Ballymurphy/246740/

Sarah Crothers looks to have died on 12.5.1925 aged 80. The farm then passed to Hugh W Crothers.

Alegou has mentioned the Sarah Dawson marriage in 1874. Link here to the certificate. Her father was John Dawson of Ballymacward Upper, in Derriaghy parish. I don’t see an immediate connection with the other Dawson family.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1874/11242/8122601.pdf

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Hi Lhizz, If you look up Dawsons of county Antrim it talks about a Richard and Mary living in Belfast. This could be the ones your looking for?

carolinedawson

Not sure if Lhizz is still searching or linked in to this thread, however, I too have been researching in Magheragall and I've found links with the Ewarts and Dawsons. In fact my Gr Gr Aunt (Ann Ewart) married William Dawson in 1852. He was possibly a brother of Richard. 

The James Ewart mentioned as a witness to the marriage in 1859 between Richard and Mary is likely to be my either my Gr Gr Uncle or possibly my Gr Gr Grandfather. He had the farm directly opposite Richard Dawson in Ballyellough (straddling the railway line), which was initially leased by my Gr Gr Gr Grandfather John Ewart before he leased in Ballymave.

The 1874 marriage of Sarah Dawson with Margaret Ewart as a witness, I'm a little more unsure of as my Gr Gr Aunt Margaret Ewart had previously married a William Creaney in 1867, but I believe William died in 1869 and I wonder whether Margaret went back to using her maiden name??

If anyone else has any information on the Ewarts of Magheragall, I do have a thread on here and I'd welcome any comments.

Lhizz, if you are still monitoring, I do have a number of other Dawson ancestors within my tree, that also emigrated to NZ and would be happy to share and discuss to see if any link into your family tree.

Tony

 

 

tonyewart

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