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Searching for birthplace of Joshua Cooper who established his family in Ballyculter Area in 1830s

DownBallyculter (Down)

Joshua Cooper (according to his 1891 death certificate of Tregarva, Sasktchewan, Canada) was born Jan./Feb 1811 in Antrim.) However all information I can verify is from his life in Down. He married Mary Ann Coulter of Craigoful Feb 19, 1831. There are at least 3 gravestones in the Ballyculter cemetery for their children.

Another child William was born 1831 at Ballintlieve, Co. Down. He is my gggrandfather. he was quite a traveler and I have traced his voyage from Ireland to New Zealand. According to family lore he was following the gold rush discoveries in Australia, California and Canada. He eventually arrived in Canada about 1850-60, settling in the Ottawa region which is where I have most information about my family. His sister Isabella b. 1835 at Ballintlieve also immigrated to Canada and with her husband Alexander Seed settled at Tregarva (near Regina) Saskatchewan. 

William's 2 wives Ellen Maria Seed and Eliza Jane Porter are both from families whose names are common in the Ballyculter area.

Joshua's wife Mary Ann died in 1856 and he married Susan Miller Jan 13, 1859. Their first child was Mary Cooper. Their second child was a son John b May 23, 1865 at Strangford. I have been unable to trace John further.  Mary married Robert Crilly and after a brief try at homesteading in Canada they returned to Ireland & inherited Joshua's farm at Ballintlieve after Joshua left to live with his daughter Isabella in Tregarva, Sask. 

My "brick wall" is the information that Joshua was born in Antrim. From family lore there may be a connection to a member of the gentry Russel(l) family and to the area of Ballymena (in Antrim?). 

On Joshua's registration for his marriage to Susan Miller he gives his father's name as Joshua but this may be a registrar error. 

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5 replies

I have a transcribe of the BMDs for Ballyculter and found most of your records in it.

19th February 1830 marriage, Josua Cooper of Ballinagross, Ballee parish to Mary Coulter of Raholp.

Witnesses William Coulter, Richard Keown, James McDowell?

 

4th December 1831 baptism Mary Ann, parents Josua  and Mary Ann Cooper of Raholp.

Not found birth records for William or Isabella Cooper in Ballyculter.  Raholp and Ballintlieve are beside each other and closer to Saul, so they may have gone there for worship.

 

11th August 1811 baptism Mary Anne, parents Bernard and Mary Coulter of Raholp.

3rd October 1856 burial of Mary Ann Cooper of Ballintlieve aged 53.

15th August 1919 burial of Mrs Mary Crilly, Ballyculter aged 68.

 

Not found marriage or birth records for childre of Susan Millar and Josua.

 

Josua may be born in Belfast as the north end of it is Co Antrim. Belfast is only 25 or 30 miles away from Raholp.  It might be worth pursuing what might have brought him to Ballee parish.

I am intrigqued with your Russell (gentry) connection. This family is very old in the Lecale region. Barons of Killough and connected to Rathmullan, Ballystrew and Coniamstown. But I am not aware of their connection with Ballymena.

IrelandXO member

Thank you for your information - I have not been on site since Nov 2013 and just now read your reply - do the BMD for Ballyculter come from church records? Of course much of the info that I have is from my great uncle's memoirs. Family lore has it that the first Joshua Cooper was a gardener working for the Russells and that he eloped with a Russell. The second Joshua was my gggrandfather, born in Antrim. He is listed in Griffin's valuation in the Ballintlieve area. From your information his daughter Mary Ann, born in 1831 may have been a twin with William Cooper, my ggrandfather who I think was also born 1831.

I have also been working on the Crilly family - particularly Gilbert who it seems took over Joshua's farm in Ballintlieve and went bankrupt there.

I really appreciate the effort you have made to help me fill in some of the blanks. 

IrelandXO member

Thank you for your information - I have not been on site since Nov 2013 and just now read your reply - do the BMD for Ballyculter come from church records? Of course much of the info that I have is from my great uncle's memoirs. Family lore has it that the first Joshua Cooper was a gardener working for the Russells and that he eloped with a Russell. The second Joshua was my gggrandfather, born in Antrim. He is listed in Griffin's valuation in the Ballintlieve area. From your information his daughter Mary Ann, born in 1831 may have been a twin with William Cooper, my ggrandfather who I think was also born 1831.

I have also been working on the Crilly family - particularly Gilbert who it seems took over Joshua's farm in Ballintlieve and went bankrupt there.

I really appreciate the effort you have made to help me fill in some of the blanks. 

IrelandXO member

Thank you for your information - I have not been on site since Nov 2013 and just now read your reply - do the BMD for Ballyculter come from church records? Of course much of the info that I have is from my great uncle's memoirs. Family lore has it that the first Joshua Cooper was a gardener working for the Russells and that he eloped with a Russell. The second Joshua was my gggrandfather, born in Antrim. He is listed in Griffin's valuation in the Ballintlieve area. From your information his daughter Mary Ann, born in 1831 may have been a twin with William Cooper, my ggrandfather who I think was also born 1831.

I have also been working on the Crilly family - particularly Gilbert who it seems took over Joshua's farm in Ballintlieve and went bankrupt there.

I really appreciate the effort you have made to help me fill in some of the blanks. 

IrelandXO member

Yes, the record are from Ballyculter church records, they are baptisms and burial dates, not to be confused with birth and death dates, so they will only be out by a few days.

IrelandXO member

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