Myles / Miles / McKane Families - Ballymacateer County Down

Here’s your family in 1901. I note that a grand-daughter born in Brisbane is living there.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Magheralin/Ballymacateer/1242541/

Looking at the revaluation records I see that John Miles acquired the tenancy of that small farm in 1888. It consisted of just over 4 acres. It was plot 2a in the revaluation records. It changed to Sarah’s name in 1906.

http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/search_the_archives/val12b.htm

Looking at Griffiths Valuation for 1864 plot 2a was in the name William Miles. It then changed to John Donnan in 1878 (suggesting William may have died around then), then to Sarah Donnan before John acquired it from her. That location today appears to be on the Dromore Rd just after the junction with the Belfast Rd, south of Dollingstown. You can see it using the maps on the Griffiths site:

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

You ask where John would have done his weaving. The answer is at home. It was top up income for small farmers and labourers in Ulster.  Weaving was undertaken at home using hand powered looms (such as are still in use in the Outer Hebrides for making Harris Tweed). The looms were portable and could be packed up when not needed or when moving house. Men and women did the weaving, with women and children spinning thread and other related work. It provided a bit of extra income, and cash (in a society that was largely run on the barter system). As well as purchasing the things that barter can’t buy eg a ticket to Australia, the cash ensured that the lot of the small farmer in Ireland was slightly better than that in of people in other parts of Ireland where linen was not made. (Most Irish linen was made in Ulster).

As the 18th century passed, new inventions led to the building of mechanized weaving factories, powered by water or steam. These could make linen far more quickly and to a higher standard than most hand loom weavers could achieve and so home weaving went into decline.

John’s probate abstract:

Probate of the Will of John Miles late of Ballymacateer County Down Farmer who died 26 October 1903 granted at Belfast to Arthur Kane and Patrick McKane Farmers.

The will itself is on-line on the PRONI wills site:

http://apps.proni.gov.uk/DCAL_PRONI_WillsCalendar_IE/willsSearchResultsDetails.aspx

Can’t help you with the burial site. No formal records are kept of burials in Ireland and so it may just be a question of enquiring locally.

Regarding school records, you would need to check the local area (on the Griffiths maps) for the various schools. If she attended a National School, the attendance records could be in PRONI (in paper format) if they have survived. They are indexed under the SCH series of records, by school name.

Sarah in 1911 (with a change of name):

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Magheralin/Ballym…