Ireland XO
Back to Message Board

ARMSTRONG family, Augher, 1800s

TyroneClogher (Tyrone)

My great-grandmother's ARMSTRONG family may have lived in Augher, as she had her first child, my grandfather, William John "Jack" GILLESPIE in 1876 in Augher. His birth registration shows the informant was a 'Marjerie' Armstrong, perhaps mother?

My great-grandmother was Catherine ARMSTRONG, born before 3 May 1853 in Clogher Parish, Tyrone. In 1875 shemarried George GILLESPIE (b. 1851 Newtown, Tyrone), in the Clogher Registration District, according to the Index of marriages in the county.

An elderly relative of mine (now long deceased) told me Catherine ARMSTRONGhad three brothers: George, Samuel, and an unnamed brother who was disabled; she also had two sisters, Susan and Bessie. All but the disabled brother apparently married and had children.

On the 1901 England Census, anephew, John Armstrong (aged 19 yrs, 'nephew') waslivingwith the Gillespie family, inBarrow in Furness; the Gillespie family moved therearound 1879. John would most likely have been the son of one of Catherine's brothers.

I would love to find more details of Catherine and her family in County Tyrone. My grandfather moved to Vancouver BC Canada in 1911, where we've lived ever since. Women do get lost in history, and I wish I could know more about the Armstrongs. You may reply to this question on IrelandXO, or directly to: celia dot winky at gmail dot com

Cheers from the wet west coast of Canada, - Celia

celia37

4 replies

Marjerie Armstrong might be Catherine’s mother, or a cousin or sister in law perhaps.

I’d start by looking at the couple’s marriage certificate. The marriage was registered on 25.11.1875 in Dungannon registration area. Groom is Geo. Gilespie and bride C. Armstrong. You can view the original certificate on-line on the GRONI website, using the “search registrations” option:

https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk

You will need to open an account and buy some credits. It costs £2 (sterling) to a view a certificate.

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. If you post a copy of the certificate (or full details from it) including townlands, fathers names and occupations, details of the church, parish and denomination, I’ll advise where the records are kept - assuming they still exist.

I had a look in the revaluation records for Augher to see if I could locate where the Gillespie family were living c 1876, in Augher. They are not shown. However numerous properties are marked “lodgers” so they could well have been staying in one of those, or with relatives. I also looked for any Armstrong households but did not see any. I suspect the families were labourers. They are hard to trace as they tended to move about a lot, and often lived below officialdom’s radar, only appearing in leases and rent records fairly infrequently.

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

 

 

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Thanks so much, Elwyn - I do get the offices mixed up sometimes!  I appreciate your note that the registration was in the Dungannon district - I didn't know that and was getting nowhere.  I've now ordered the certificate, and it should come flying eventually, across the pond and the continent.   
As for Augher... it's possible the Armstrong family were only there for a while, and I need to be thinking much more broadly about where to find this family.  As it is, my GILLESPIE family seem to have roved from Belfast, over to Omagh, Newtown-Stewart, Augher, and by 1880 they're all (3 generations) over to Barrow in Furness!  Following jobs, I suspect, as you do as well.  Ah well, they were certainly hard-working people.  

Thanks for your help - much appreciated.  I'll keep on digging, and once the certificate comes, perhaps there will be another bread crumb clue to follow. 
- Celia
Vancouver BC Canada

 

celia37

Celia,

You don't need to buy the certificate (unless you specially want to). That's rather expensive. There is the option to view it on-line immediately for 2 pounds sterling. Use the NI direct site and choose the search marriages option.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Thanks again, Elwyn.  I was so certain this was correct I ordered the certificate... right names, right time, close enough place (the church was close to Augher)... 

And now that I'm looking at the certificate, I'm a bit dumfounded.  
It says that George Gillespie's father was William Gillespie... But I have an 1880 England Census (and later ones too) showing the entire Gillespie family from Ireland living in Barrow, all together in one home.  And George's parents are listed on the Censuses:  as JAMES & Eliza(beth) Gillespie, not William Gillespie.

Oh dear... I've walked back up the line so carefully, proving each step as I went.  But this contradiction is stopping me in my tracks.

It is slightly possible that George's father's name is legally "William James" and he went by James.  My grandpa, William John went by "Jack" [from John].  And Grandpa's brother Robert James was known as "Jim".  So there is some slight possibility there, but still...  

Back to the drawing board.  I'll have to dig through the Barrow deaths - James Gillespie b. abt 1821, seems to have died in Barrow around 1895 or so, while his wife lived at least another decade.  I'm going to have to reconcile this information, or start once more.  And over in England, Catherine Armstrong Gillespie died in 1923 in Barrow, George in 1941.  I might have to save more shekels for death certificates, if they are willing to release them to me. 

Well, there are always a few stumbling blocks to challenge us in genealogy research, aren't there?!  One has to love the ups and downs.  

Cheers again,
- Celia

 

celia37

Reply

Reply
One image file up to 2 MB.