Irish immigrants

[Elwyn 1]

Many people names modified slightly when the moved from Ireland to Scotland. O’Donnell might become MacDonald, Rainey became Rennie, and McFarland often became McFarlane. So spelling variations like that are pretty common.

I have seen this Minister’s distinctive handwriting before, and it is quite hard to read. However on the positive side I definitely know which was his church! The church is Linenhall St, in the parish of Belfast, in the Co of Antrim. (The church was renamed the Crescent in the 1880s). The Minister was the Rev Robert Knox and he was at one time the Moderator of the Presbyterian church in Ireland. There’s picture of him on this link:

www.the1859revival.org/antrim.php

The groom’s occupation might be a “hackler” which was a common occupation in flax preparation (part of the linen industry, a huge employer in Belfast then). Note sure about the fathers’ occupations. Stoker and teacher?

[crayspond]

Hi Elwyn,

Thanks for that - I would have never got the Linenhall St ! On the birth cert of daughter Ellen in Belfast 1880 his occupation is Caulker - maybe this is another spelling of it. Actually the spelling of the name was always McFarlane in Scotland and even when they returned it was McFarlane on census, death certs etc.
I have just realised the father Dougald's(looks like Dougan ) profession is Baker - that is what he was when he got married in Perth in 1837. Her father James was noted as a Master Tailor on her death cert.
Do you think that Jane Dixon was from Belfast ? I always assumed she was from another County but it may be she lived there with her family and he met her when he moved there from Glasgow.
Anyway i am glad i got the cert -thanks again.

Ailsa

[Elwyn 1]

Ailsa,

Hard to say whether Jane might be from Belfast or not. With the invention of the steam engine, linen making became a huge industry in Belfast, with over 50 linen factories opening in the mid 1800s. It got the nickname Linenopolis. These factories employees were 90% women. This was a huge social change. For the first time in Irish history, instead of working on the farm for nothing more than board and keep, women could suddenly and easily get a job with a pay packet. The employers actually wanted women in preference to men (they were cheaper of course) but the significance is that tens of thousands of young country women went to Belfast for work. There were lodging houses where many stayed en masse. Others stayed with relatives. Jane could have come from somewhere else in Ireland to Belfast for that reason. I think Dundee saw a similar influx of women for the jute mills for similar reasons.

It was traditional to marry in the bride’s church, so we may assume she was Presbyterian. Though there were Presbyterians all over Ireland, the majority were in the Ulster counties, so statistically that is most likely where she originated, if not Belfast itself.

Elwyn

[crayspond]

Hi Elwyn,

Thanks for the detailed reply - I like your snippets of history along with your reply
I have been looking at Familysearch for the births of the other siblings of the McFarlane (d) s and found them all bar one born in either Belfast or just Antrim.
The first child Elizabeth or Lizzie as she came to be known was born in Bangor Down 13/7/1873 - do you think there would be any more info on her birth cert?

Regards
Ailsa

[Elwyn 1]

Ailsa,


Irish birth cert has the date and address where child born, sex, father’s name and address, mother’s name and ms, father’s occupation, informant’s signature, informant’s relationship to child and address, and the date that the birth was registered.

On the face of it, that won’t tell you where she came from, unless she happened to be living with her parents. (Lizzie’s birth seems to be regd Newtownards 1873 Vol 11, page 807).

You could search Linenhall Pres church records around the time of Jane’s birth to see if she was baptised there. Or you could try looking for the couple and Jane’s father in the on-line street directories for Northern Ireland. See:

http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/search_th ... tories.htm


Elwyn

[crayspond]

Thanks Elwyn,

I will spend a bit of time looking at the links you posted.

Regards

Ailsa

[DaveMitchell53]

Hi Guys

After reading your correspondence on Irish immigrants, I decided to join this list forum!

You mention Rev. Robert Knox at Linenhall Street, Belfast ......

He was uncle to my great-grandmother Mary Kerr, wife of Thomas Mitchell of Drumenny. I have her original letter dated "11th Octr 1905" where she writes in her own longhand that

"My mother was Knox of Urney, the same Knox'es as the great reformer, whose brother Revd. Robt. Knox preached in Linenhall St. Church, Belfast 45 years & swayed the Assembly as one man at its Assembly Meeting."

If you would like any more information on him, please do contact me.

Any chance of an image on a certificate showing his signature?

Kind regards

Dave Mitchell
Cape Town
South Africa

[StewL]

Hello Dave

This thread is a few years old, but that should not be a problem, email notifications would be sent to those who originally posted on it.
Hopefully a reply will be forthcoming soon.

[Elwyn 1]

Hi Guys



Any chance of an image on a certificate showing his signature?

Kind regards

Dave Mitchell
Cape Town
South Africa

Follow this link (which Crayspond posted in 2011):

http://tinypic.com/r/11bndw1/7

[DaveMitchell53]

Many thanks!

Uncanningly close to the signature of his nephew Robert Knox Kerr, also of Belfast.

Sincere regards

Dave Mitchell