Search for Dowds in Antrim

The three farms are all adjacent to each other (plots 8, 9 & 10) and so in a small townland with just 11 farms, it seems extremely likely that the three men are closely related. There?s no easy way of working out that relationship though. Their dates of birth make it almost certain that any marriage was before 1864 (start of civil registration for RC marriages) and so you are unlikely to get fathers names from marriage certs. The RC church records usually just contain the couples names and the 2 witnesses. No parents or other identifying information.

You could try searching registry of deeds or PRONI?s records for leases, in the hope that this gives a clue. (Their landlord was the O?Neill family of Shane?s Castle. Some of their papers are in PRONI, Belfast.)

Try gravestones. Check Cargin chapel as well as Moneyglass.

There?s one will at PRONI for a Dowd from Annaghmore. (Earlier wills were evidently not probated in that family, and so have been lost.) Here's the abstract (ie a summary):

Full Abstract :

Dowd Elizabeth of Annaghmore Toomebridge county Antrim spinster died 8 May 1939 Administration (with Will) Belfast 26 June to Sarah Devlin married woman. Effects ?65 15s.

I believe the Elizabeth "Betty" Dowd (1863 - 1939) is a distant relative of mine.  And, I think Annaghmore is actually the name of the road she lived on in Toomebridge.  As far as I know, her father's name was Hugh and her mother's name was Ellen, but I do not have proof of this.  She had several brothers & sisters: 

• Moriah/Maria (1853-1887) - emigrated to San Francisco, CA
• Rose Ann (1858 - 1899) - emigrated to San Francisco, CA
• Anne "Annie" (1859 - 1930) - my g-g-grandmother, emigrated to San Francisco, CA
• Hugh (1863 - 1930) - emigrated to San Francisco, CA
• Margaret "Maggie" (1867 - 1930) - stayed in Toomebridge
• William - nothing known about him

Would love to hear from anyone who knows more about any of the above!

Annaghmore is a townland. That’s a uniquely Irish measure of land. Used for administration purposes and it was your address. The individual houses in the townland didn’t have house numbers nor did the roads usually have any names. The townland itself was enough to identify you and get a letter delivered. Everyone knew where everyone else lived. Annaghmore is 220 acres in size and in the 1901 census there were 17 houses and a total population of 66. There were 2 Dowd households there in 1901.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Cargin/Annagh_more/919232/

This might be your family:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Cargin/Annagh_more/919236/

The farm had been in the name of Henry Dowd. He died 26.2.1899 aged 79. Informant was his niece Ellen Jane Dowd, of Portlee. (The Henry who died in 1883, mentioned in the original 2013 post, died in Aghacarnaghan which is close by. But he was a different Henry Dowd). The Annaghmore Henry’s wife Ellen died  28.3.1906 at Annaghmore aged 87. Informant was her daughter Betty. You can view those certificates on this site:

https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/

1911 census has 3 Dowd households in Annaghmore:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Cargin/Annaghmore/110452/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Cargin/Annaghmore/110461/

Henry Dowd’s children in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Cargin/Annaghmore/110465/

Road names and house numbers came to Annaghmore in the 1950s. The 3 main roads that run through it are now named Annaghmore Rd, Shore Rd and Gallagh Rd. Henry Dowd’s farm (plot 10 in Griffiths Valuation) was on the modern Gallagh Rd, down on the Lough Shore. This looks to be daughter Elizabeth (Betty)’s probate abstract. The will itself is in PRONI.  You can view it there free, or PRONI will copy it for you, for a fee.

Dowd Elizabeth of Annaghmore Toomebridge county Antrim spinster died 8 May 1939 Administration (with Will) Belfast 26 June to Sarah Devlin married woman. Effects £65 15s.

You mention William, and that little is known about him. He would seem to be in the 1911 census, single and born c 1845. I can’t find him in the 1911 census. There’s a death registered in Antrim on 17.7.1922 aged 72 that might be him.

You mention a Margaret Dowd who died in Toome in 1930. I can’t find a death that matches that information (assuming she was still single). Nearest is Mary Dowd who died 3.12.1931 aged 71 and Minnie Dowd who died 24.3.1932 aged 67. Both registered in Antrim. You can view the original certificates 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 £2.50 (sterling) to a view a certificate.

I’d expect the Dowd family to be buried in either Cargin, Cranfield or possibly Moneyglass graveyards.

Ellen Jane Dowd of Portlee in 1901:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Cargin/Portlee/…