I'm trying to find a birth or christening record for my ancestor, Ralph Maxwell. He claimed to be born in Killaghtee (Killartee), Ireland on Christmas Day - 25 Dec 1794. His family were Scottish workers in the textile mills/factories. He had moved to Carlisle, Cumberland, England by 1823 where he married an Irish girl named Elizabeth Donnelly. Then moved to Kirkfieldbank, Lanarkshire, Scotland by 1829. They moved to Bristol, England for a short time about 1852.He, his wife, and children were all textile workers or weavers in all these locations. He died in Scotland in 1853 sometime between June and September. We do not know the names of his parents, siblings, or other Maxwell relatives in Ireland. We do not know when his family came from Scotland to Ireland. I'd like to find out if there's a Parish register where his birth or christening might be recorded? Any help or information on parish registers would be greatly appreciated!
Friday 21st Nov 2014, 12:44AM
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You don?t say what denomination Ralph was. Looking at the 1901 census for Co. Donegal, there were 140 people of that name in the county. The vast majority were Church of Ireland, though there were a few RC and some Presbyterian.
The Church of Ireland baptism records for the parish of Killaghtee start in 1810. RC in 1845. I don?t know which would be the nearest Presbyterian church, but I doubt it has records for the 1790s. Few do.
I looked in Griffiths Valuation for 1857. There were two Maxwell households in the parish at that time. A John M was living in Killultan where he had a house and small garden. William was in Ballyloughan where he had a house. (Typically agricultural labourers cottages).
You can see a picture of the church and a list of graveyard inscriptions for Killaghtee Church of Ireland on this link. There are no Maxwells listed but that doesn?t mean they are not there. Simply that, like the majority of the population, they couldn?t afford a gravestone.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~donegal/oldkillaghteeGY.htm
There?s a John Maxwell listed in Killaghtee in the Hearth Money records for 1665.
There?s also a Robert Maxwell listed in the Muster Rolls for the area in 1630 or thereabouts. He was on the land of the Earl of Annandale which perhaps gives a hint as to where the family may have originated in Scotland (The first Earl of Annandale, John Murray, came from Wigtownshire). The original Planation settlers often brought tenants from the Scottish and English estates with them.
Ahoghill Antrim
Friday 21st Nov 2014, 10:51AM