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McKeown's fro Ireland to New Zealand

ArmaghTartaraghan (Armagh)

Hello from Australia... Looking for Information on William Reid (Reed) McKeown and Eliza Conn (maiden name may have been Love)  married at Tartaraghan Church 1843. Is there a Church named this as I have googled the name and come up with more than one Church? Eliza's death certificate states she was born County Armagh c1820 so maybe she was from Tartarghan? Her father's name was Thomas. On William Reid Mckeown's death certificate (New Zealand) it list his birth place as Tyrone, Armagh? Bit confused about that! Born approx 1816, working backwards from death cert. William' fathers name was Edward and his mother Letitia. William & Eliza had 6 children, Thomas & John Born 1845, Anne b.1851, Eliza Jane b.1852, Ruth b. 1858, William approx 1860 (my great grand father). Not sure if any were born in this Parish? William, Eliza and family sailed to New Zealand arriving May 7 1865, on the Greyhound passenger lists states family from Armagh. Any information, possibly family and or direction to take would be greatly appreciated. Julie McKeown

IrelandXO member

4 replies

The marriage and the births were all before the start of civil registration of births and marriages in Ireland and so you won?t find birth certificates or a civil marriage certificate. The only records will be the church records, assuming they have survived.

You don?t say what denomination the McKeown family were, so it?s difficult at this stage to say which church they may have married in. Tradition was to marry in the bride?s church, and so sometimes the church the children were baptised in is not the same one as the parents married in.

You can see what churches there are in Tartaraghan, and what records survive, on this link (go to page 316). Copies are held in PRONI, Belfast. They are not on-line and a personal visit is require dot access them.

http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/research_and_records_held/catalogues_guides_indexes_and_leaflets/online_guides_and_indexes.htm

There?s no townland named Tyrone in Co Armagh, as I suspect you already know. Tyrone is another county. However there is small town and parish called Tynan. Could it be that?

Griffiths Valuation for 1864 has references to about 11 William McKeown households in Armagh. None in Tartaraghan.

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameS…

Ahoghill AntrimIrelandXO Volunteer

Thankyou for your reply and supply of websites....No I'm not sure what religion. But Eliza when buried in New Zealand was in the Church of England portion -which I thought odd for Ireland, what do you think? However my ggrandfather was married in a Catholic church in Australia. I kind of worked on the assumption that the Church William and Eliza were married in was her home Church - so was hoping this might be the way to find out more. Cheers Julie

IrelandXO member

Though numerically not the biggest denomination in Ireland, there are plenty of followers of the Church of England in Ireland, where it is called the Church of Ireland. So no, it wouldn?t be too surprising to learn that Eliza was buried in the Church of England portion of the cemetery in New Zealand. So I?d search the Church of Ireland records for her first. You may need to employ a researcher to do that, since the records are not on-line.

These links will take you to photos of the church. It was built in 1819 so that?s the same building Eliza may have attended:

http://www.sinton-family-trees.com/church-photos/view.php?pid=133

http://www.geograph.ie/photo/494232

Ahoghill AntrimIrelandXO Volunteer

Did you make any progress in finding out more about William and Eliza McKeown? My wife is a descendant of Thomas McKeown, who is the first child to William and Eliza.

I am interested to hear if you have any further information regarding this family. Please email me: charles.fleur@gmail.com

Regards, Charles Walmsley

Charles Walmsley

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