Looking for ancestors of Elizabeth Esby / William Mason

David:

Can you provide more specific information e.g dates, when they left Ireland etc. Possibly one of our volunteers can assist you with more information on your family.

Roger McDonnell

Elizabeth Esby b 1794 (d 1873 NZ)

William Mason b 1783 (d 1868 NZ)

plus 7 children (Mary Jane b 1820, Samuel b 1822, William b1824, Leonard b 1826, Eliza b 828, John b 1840, daughter b 1833)

Believed to originate from Castle Dawson. Probably Presbyterian.

They immigrated to NZ via Gravesend / London on vessel Martha Ridgway dep 5 Jul 1840. On the same voyage was the Hughey family (William b 1801, Mary Ann or Marianne b 1809 and their 5 children). There is some indication that Mary Ann Hughey was born Mary Ann CAmpbell, and that her parents were Hugh Campbell and Jane Espie, hence it is suspected that the two families travelled together...

Regards

David Mason

David:

You may want to check out Roots Ireland www.rootsireland.ie They have Presbyterian records for the years below. The birth records are on the left and the marriages on the right. Roots is a pay site to view actual records but they currently have a 40% off special thru 1/6. Happy New Year!

Roger McDonnell

Hello David - perhaps we should swap what little info there is .... look up Castle Epsie, and also look in Londonderry. William's father was William Mason, whose father was John Mason, according to Geoffrey Davis, who gives this information for John Mason

• 1789

  Birth

  St Peter The Little, Yorkshire, England

  1789

• 1800

  Age ‎~11‏

  Birth of son:

  William Stanley John Mason

  Castle Dawson, Kerry, Ireland

  1800

• 1822

  Age ‎~33‏

  Death

  Pickering, Yorkshire, England

  1822

Geoffrey has a site on MyHeritage.com

I do not believe that personyou refer to is the same WIlliam Mason as I am researching.

My William Mason was born 1783 (unknown location) and died 1871 in Wellington NZ. I can confirm his age from his death cert. Also, there is no record of him having additional any middle names (including Stanley John). Some genealogists have his birth as 1800-this is because they took his age from the shipping records when he emmigrated to NZ. I believe that he lied to be within the age bar for assisted immigrants.

Also, I have found a number of records of probably this WIlliam Mason placing him in Magherafelt in the 1820s and 1830s.

His son - also William - was born in 1823 in Co Derry (not Kerry) and died in Wellington New Zealand in 1857. His birth date is confirmed both by his NZ death cert and by baptism records from Magherafelt (rather than Castledawson). I've also located index records to two of his siblings baptism records - one of which confirms Elizabeth Espie as his mother and William senior's wife.

None of this appear to align with the facts you supplied, but I'll look further if you can show where the link is. I would like to know where William senior and Elizabeth came from before they settled in Magherafelt - my suspicion is around Cookstown - which is in the next County but actually quite close.

David Mason