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John Jordan and Isabella Blackburn briths and children

Donegal

I have information from the Irish Family History Foundation that shows the marriage of John Jordan to Isabella Blackburn on 18 Jan 1806 in Raphoe (Church of Ireland). These are my 3x great grandparents. I also have a Griffiths Valuation of 1858 showing John Jordan as renter of about 16 acres in Ballyboe with Landlord the Marquis of Abercorn. The land is in Taughboyne parish, Union of Strabane, Barony of Raphoe, North, County of Donegal. I do not know the birth dates of John or Isabella or the birth dates and whereabouts of the other children besides theri daughter Sarah. I would like to fill in that information to see if we have some family still there under either the Jordan or Blackburn names.

Their daughter Sarah (my 2x great grandmother moved to the USA in 1871, one year after their oldest son moved. She married James West in Ireland and had their nine children in Ireland, all of whom moved to the USA. One of their children subsequently moved to western Canada.

I know we had some of James West (Sarah's husband)'s neices that stayed in Ireland because my grandfather and his brother received inheritance from those two nieces of James that died in Ireland. Their names were Margaret Jane West (abt 1872-abt 1957) and Mary West (abt 1880-abt 1964) and they both died in Ireland.

Please point me to the right records or let me know if other information would be helpful that I've not provided here. As mentioned, I do not have several vital records but if some other form of information will help the search, let me know. Thanks.

- Jack West

JackWest

6 replies

Jack,

I can see a Margaret Jane West of the right age in Coolaghy, Donegal in the 1901 census, and close by in the same townland is a Mary West of the right age. So I’d guess this is your family.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Donegal/Feddyglass/Coolaghy/1196249/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Donegal/Feddyglass/Coolaghy/1196253/

The 2 sisters are together in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Donegal/Feddyglass/Coolaghy/506081/

Today that farm is north off the R264 between Murlog and Raphoe.

http://griffiths.askaboutireland.ie

Noted this probate abstract:

The Will of John Jordan late of Ballyboe County Donegal Farmer who died 19 March 1893 was proved at Londonderry by the Reverend Alexander G. Lecky of Feddyglass in said County Presbyterian Minister one of the Executors.

The will itself is on the PRONI wills site. He leaves his farm to his nephew Alex Porterfield, and there is mention of his sister Susan Jordan.

https://apps.proni.gov.uk/WillsCalendar_IE/WillsSearchImage.aspx?id=213721

That John Jordan was aged 75 and was a bachelor. His age would allow for him to be a son of John Jordan married to Isabella Blackburn. His sister Susan died 30.1.1894 aged 75. She was a spinster.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1894/05977/4699379.pdf

This may be Alex Porterfield in 1901, in Ballylennan townland:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Donegal/Feddyglass/Ballylennan/1196269/

Families were all Presbyterian and there seems to be a connection with Feddyglass Presbyterian church.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Elwyn,

Thank you so much for the quick reply. I am just now reading this.  I am sorry for the late reply, but I didn't realize that there was a response until just now.  I'll go through the significant information you've sent me and get back with what I else I can share.  Thanks again!

- Jack West

JackWest

The first two resources were a giant YES.  I already knew that Mary and Margaret were both daughters of Robert West and that Robert had a brother Samuel.  The census info for 1901 shows Robert as head of household, home owned by Andrew Lowry and Mary as a daughter of that household and Samuel as a brother of that head of house.  So, exact match.  That house is house 6 of 6 in Coolaghy. 

Further, the Mary and James West servants to Andrew Lowry and living at the Andrew Lowry home which is house 2 of 6 in that grouping of homes in Coolaghy.  Also, I have an article from 24 Feb 1909 in The Derry Standard Newspaper titles Donegal Probate West vs Lytle that tells of a dispute on inheritance between Andrew Lowry's nephew and Mary and James West (and I think James and Mary prevailed as there were several witnesses in court testimony that Andrew Lowry dictated his will to the lawyer with no one else present and that he was of sound mind when he did that.

Thanks again, so much.  I'll post more later as I go through the rest of your research.

JackWest

Elwyn,

The will is also the right one, because the Porterfields were related.  We have several letters from Porterfield in Ireland to James West in the USA.  I noted that Alex Porterfield had 11 outbuildings with his farm, so he was probably doing okay.  Would it make sense that this is the same land as John Jordan had earlier?  The last census info on Alex is very helpful as it has several children who probably have at least grandchildren now alive in Ireland.  I'll track down that line as far as I can to see if we have some relatives still in Ireland.  Thank you again for your help.

JackWest

Jack,

Regarding the land, there’s a series of records called the Valuation Revision books. They are held by the Valuation Office in Dublin. They show who was occupying land from the time of Griffiths Valuation through to around 1929. They should show whether the same land transferred from Jordan to Porterfield.

http://www.valoff.ie/en/Archives_Genealogy_Public_Office/

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Thanks Elwyn.  I'll look at those records.  I did actually make contact with a shirt-tail relative in Ireland for the first time yesterday, and she confirmed that Alex Porterfield (her grandmother's brother) was gifted that land by John Jordan, and that John was a bachelor and his sister Susan remained on the farm until she died.  It is all tying together, and a little bit of work by both of us has put me in touch with relatives in that area!

JackWest

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