Joesph Ferguson McNeilly born 20-7-1859I

John,

Drumballyroney and Clonduff are adjacent. Map here:

http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rosdavies/genealogy/MAPS/CoDownParishes.htm

Statutory registration of births began in Ireland on 1.1.1864, so you should find civil birth certificates for those born after that but prior to that date, all there will be are baptism records. Sometimes those can be incomplete, but also labouring/weaving families moved around and so, as you have apparently found, different baptisms may be in different churches. The records for Joseph’s baptism may be in a church whose records are either lost or are not yet on-line.

I suspect your couple may have married on 22.8.1858, in Drumballyroney Church of Ireland. It’s in the GRONI indexes as John McNeight & Sarah Thompson. That marriage is not viewable free yet, and so if you want to see the original certificate, you will need to pay, on the GRONI site. Looking at a transcript on rootsireland the groom was John McNeight, weaver but his father was John McNeilly, farmer. Groom lived in Tirygorey. Bride was from Drumdreenagh. Her father was John Thompson, farmer. Witnesses were Thomas McNeilly & Sarah Ann Thompson. (The bride couldn't be her own witness so that has to be a different lady).

I can see 4 children in the statutory records, all born in Drumdreenagh (which is where the bride’s family lived).

Mary McNeely 10.7.1865

John McNeely 28.5.1867

William McNeilly 8.6.1869. Probably died 23.1.1870, aged 0 (I haven’t checked the certificate).

William McNeilly 14.6.1873.

It was common practice to use a deceased child’s name again. They liked to keep the name alive, literally. Hence the 2 Williams.

There is a John Thompson in Drumdreenagh listed in Griffiths Valuation in 1863. He doesn’t have a farm though. He has plot 15e which is a house and small garden (ie a labourer/weaver’s house) on David Martin’s farm. So whether that’s Sarah Ann’s father or not I can’t say for certain. (She may have "promoted" her father from labourer to farmer).

I looked in Tirygory in Griffiths. I did not find a John McNeilly but there was a James and a Matthew. Matthew had plot 3 which was a 5 acre farm and James had plot 8 which was another 5 acre farm. These may be relations.

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

Tradition was to marry in the bride’s church (assuming he couple used different churches). So Drumballyroney may be the place to look for Sarah’s baptism and that of any siblings. There was one Thompson family in Drumdreenagh in the 1901 census. However they were Presbyterian so perhaps they may not be related to Sarah:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Tierkelly/Drumdreenagh/1201239/

On the other hand this looks to be Sarah Anne McNeilly (nee Thompson) in the 1901 census, in which case the family has evidently changed denomination to Presbyterian:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Tierkelly/Drumdreenagh/1201239/

McNeilly household in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Tirkelly/Drumdreenagh/205114/

You should find the relevant deaths on the irishgenealogy site.

The Valuation revision records on the PRONI website show that Sarah Ann McNeilly’s cottage was plot 3b in Drumdreenagh. It was a labourer’s cottage with 20 perches of land, on James Moffatt’s farm. The Moffatt farm today is on the modern Drumdreenagh Rd, a few hundred yards south of the junction with Tirkally Rd.

Thank you so much! 

I did find 2 marriage certificates with the name John McNeight, on one the groom witness is not Sarah, but James Ferguson and interestingly enough that was my great grandfathers middle name, which makes me feel that McNeight is just a transcription error.

Again, thank you.