gillies drumquin

for reference both the bride and groom list their age as 20, and residence as "Lackaugh" - occupations for all on the RootsIreland transcript are given as Farmer. "Lackaugh" is most likely a reference to the townland of Lackagh in Longfield West civil parish, which is located a very short distance west of the town of Drumquin.

The Valuation Revision Book on PRONI covering this area* start in 1860 and include a possible reference to Charles' father James Gillies at plot 9 in Lackagh townland. I didn't see a separate entry for Charles - it's only possible to search these books by date and location... The Valuation books cover this area up to 1929 so may be possible to work forward..

RootsIreland (pay-website) has some transcripts of Presbyterian records for the area, but these do not look complete. The PRONI Guide to Church records shows that Drumquin Presbyterian Church records are listed as Longfield East and it appears that the records which they have on Microfilm only go back to 1845.

There are two Robb households shown on the 1901 census that could be related to this family - Elizabeth & Jane Robb, and a William Robb with his son Samuel, wife and children, both families Presbyterian.

(*the civil parish of Longfield West is listed as West Longfield on the PRONI Valuation records)

Thanks for the reply  From a page out of Drumquin presbyterian church I found more info # 39 1852 William Gillies m Jane Robb # 50 1853 James Gillies m Eliza Rutlidge and # 84 James Gillies widower m Sarah Johnston  We  may be comming to Ireland this fall  and would like to find gravstones and any other info thanks for the help

I can add another marriage. Susanna Gillese (sic) of Lackagh, daughter of James a farmer, married William Saunderson of Drumenagh on 19.10.1847 at Longfield Lower Church of Ireland. She was 29 and a spinster. He was 65 and a bachelor. Farmer. Witnesses James Alexander & Arthur Johnston.

Tradition was to marry in the bride’s church, after which she’d normally attend her husband’s. So the Gilles family may have been Church of Ireland. Longfield Lower parish graveyard might be worth looking at if you are looking for graves.

Griffiths Valuation for 1859 lists James Gillis’s farm in Lackagh. It was plot 9, a 22 acre farm. Easy enough to locate today should you wish to do so. The Valuation revision records show the farm changing from James Gillis to William around 1864 (suggesting James had died). Then it changes to Elizabeth Gillis in 1874, and then to William Robb in 1879. You can follow through subsequent changes on the PRONI Valuation revision site.

Probate abstract from the PRONI wills site:

Letters of Administration of the personal estate of William Gillis late of Lackagh County Tyrone Farmer deceased who died 22 December 1872 at same place were granted at Londonderry to Elizabeth Gillis of Lackagh (Drumquin) aforesaid the Widow of said deceased.

Elwyn in 1995 my parents met Gladys Braden in Drumquin her g g grandfather was James Gillies my g g g grandfather    She came to Canada some time later with her daughters Marina and Amanda  some time later for a visit we have lost contact with them this adds more names to the mix it may help in the search thanks for now Ron

One more item Gladys  mother I think was Ivy ( Robb ) Linton thanks

Hello. Just happened across this 6-month-old conversation when looking for something else, nothing to do with family history! My wife and I live near Drumquin and own property there., and we are members of Drumquin Presbyterian Church. I recognise some of the names mentioned. In fact my wife is descended from the Robbs of Lackagh. Her family farm in Drumquin consists of the main farm, which is 90+ acres of mainly hillside, and a smaller (22 acres), detached piece of land about half a mile away from the main farm. That detached portion has always been known, and is still known (within the family at least), as "Gillis's" - despite the fact that it apparently came into the possession of the Robb family some 140 years ago!

My wife's g-g grandfather was William Robb (c. 1821-c.1905). He's the William Robb at Lackagh in the 1901 census. Quite likely (but we don't know one way or the other) he could also be the William Robb who was a witness at the wedding of Charles Gillies to Margaret Robb in 1854. He would almost certainly be the William Robb who acquired the 22 acre plot from Elizabeth Gillis in 1879.

If, Gillies Mt Forest, you're still planning to come to Ireland "this fall" (or perhaps you are already here!) we would be very happy to meet up with you. I'm not sure if there's a DM facility on this site (I've only just joined it). If there isn't, just post again into this conversation and we can look for a way to communicate. I'm just about to click on "Follow this conversation" and "Receive updates".

Morning Paul this is great news We are not  coming to Ireland this faii maybe next year  The information from the Drumquin church has been a big help  We have the origional wedding certificate from 1854   Look forward to sharing more info both ways there was a number of Robbs near here  Charles and Margaret had 13 of a family   Of the 13  David was my grandfather Robert my dad my self we have 3 boya and 3 grandsons to carry on the Gillies name thanks for now Ron Gillies

Looking for Gillies family members  From Drumquin Presbyterian church records # 39 William Gillies m Jane Robb Feb 10 1852  fathers were James Gillies and Samuel Robb witness James Gillies and William Robb   # 50 James Gillies m Eliza Rutlidge  sept 20 1853   My g grand parrents  married  April 5  1854  some of this I have posted this before  There may have been a James Gillies tha immigrated to Australia in the 1800s thanks Ron Gillies

I've just been looking at the Drumquin Presbyterian records. There were three Gillies marriages in successive years: (1) William (son of James, farmer of Lackagh) married Jane Robb (daughter of Samuel Robb, farmer of Lackagh) in February 1852; (2) James (also son of James, farmer of Lackagh) married Eliza Rutlidge of Kilmore in September 1853; (3) Charles (also son of James, farmer of Lackagh) married Margaret Robb (daughter of Samuel Robb, farmer of Lackagh) in April 1854. So (1) and (3) were a pair of Gillies brothers marrying a pair of Robb sisters. The respective Gillies and Robb farms were a mile apart, both in Lackagh townland. The Gillies farm was Lot 9 on the Griffiths Valuation records and the Robb farm was Lot 11.

So far as I can see, this is what happened to the three couples. (1) William and Jane are the ones I'm least sure about as we have found little in the way of written records, so some of this is conjecture. It looks as if Jane must have died and William remarried someone called Elizabeth - although I have not found any record, either for Jane's death or William's remarriage, and we don't know who Elizabeth was - perhaps yet another Robb sister? But we do know that after William Gillis [the spelling mainly used at the time] of Lackagh died, in 1872, administration was granted to Elizabeth Gillis, his widow. We know of no other William Gillis of Lackagh, so the likelihood (not certainty) is that it was him. The tenancy of Lot 9 passed from James Gillis (the father) to Elizabeth Gillis (who would have been James' daughter-in-law), and then from her to William Robb. Elwyn earlier in this conversation (February 2019) says that the tenancy passed from James to William before it passed to Elizabeth, but I can't find that on the Valuation records on the PRONI site. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place, and Elwyn has found something I couldn't see. Anyway, the William Robb to whom that farm was passed was a brother of Jane and Margaret, and it remained in the hands of Robbs, in common with Lot 11, until the death of William's grandson, another William Robb, in 2011. My wife, William's niece, inherited a third share in the two farms, and a few months ago we bought out the other two owners. So we are now owners of both areas of land. We are not aware of any children born to William, either by Jane or Elizabeth.

(2) James' wife Eliza did not last long either - although, again, we have no death record to pin down when she died. What we do know is that James Gillies [sic], a widower of Lackagh, married Sarah Johnston in April 1858. We know of no offspring from the first marriage, but James and Sarah had a son Charles in 1865. We currently know nothing more about him, and we know of no siblings. I have not found anything about James emigrating to Australia - but maybe that is what happened to that bit of the family.

(3) Charles and Margaret emigrated to Canada in 1854, the year they married,and they had a large family there. Many of their descendents lived in the same area, Mount Forest, Ontario, that Charles and Margaret originally settled - including Ron, the great grandson of Charles, who started this thread.

So, Ron, you and my wife are both descended from Samuel Robb (c. 1800 - c. 1886): (A) Samuel Robb - Margaret Robb (m Charles Gillies) - David Gillies - Robert Gillies - Ron Gillies. (B) Samuel Robb - William Robb (c. 1821-1905) - Samuel Robb (c. 1854-1924) - William Robb (1876-1940) - Rebecca Robb (m Alfred Alcorn) - Doreen, my wife. I think that makes you 3rd cousins once removed.

We're still working on this, and may yet be able to resolve a few puzzles. This only adds a little to what was already noted in this conversation from you and Elwyn, but hopefully you will find the summary of some use. - Paul