NIBLOCK

Hi Oh Johnny Oh,

Thank you for your message. I have forwarded it onto Ahoghill Antrim for you.

Kind regards,

Genealogy Support

Finding Thomas Niblock and his wife?s parents will be a very difficult task unless you strike lucky with an unexpected source. As I indicated in my first reply the church records that you really need simply don?t go back that far. You might get some information from gravestones or a will or lease but if not you have probably got as far as the records allow. However you should be able to build up a fuller picture of those members of the family who were alive in the mid 1800s from church records. (They are not on-line so if you can?t go yourself, you will need to get someone to look them up for you in PRONI.)

The place that the Mullens lived seems to be Legnacreeve in most sources, but you can expect the spelling to vary in Ireland. Legnacreeve is 286 acres of agricultural land, in the parish of Monaghan (in Co. Monaghan).  It is not the same place as Creeve. In fact there are 3 places named Creeve in Co Monaghan. All unconnected.

Your Legnacreeve is just south of Creeve (but as I say is a different townland). It?s about a mile or so north of Listroar.  None of the roads in Legnacreeve appear to have been named, which is fairly common in rural Ireland, and so the townland alone still suffices as the address. If visiting, you will need a large-scale local map or someone with local knowledge to identify the boundaries. On-line you can view the boundaries on the Griffiths maps. You can then compare them with the images on Googleearth for a modern perspective.

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

Griffiths Valuation for Legnacreeve in 1860 lists a Stewart Mullen (plot 4) with a farmhouse, outbuildings and a total of just over 13 acres; next door on plot 5 was William J. Mullen with a house, outbuildings and 19 acres; nearby on plot 7 was a different William Mullen (nickname Jack) with a farm, outbuildings and c 30 acres; a James Mullen had some land only (plot 8); Christopher Mullen had a house (plot 8a) on James Mullen?s land; William Mullen senior had a farmhouse, outbuildings and 48 acres (plot 10); and finally William Mullen (pensioner) had a farmhouse, outbuildings and 10 acres. That he was described as a pensioner was again to distinguish him from the other Wm Mullens. Pensioner in the 1860s usually meant he had either served in the army, navy or RIC (police). Only they generally got pensions in those days.

By 1901 there were 4 Mollen farms in the townland. In 1911 there were just two (Mullen & Mallan). The spelling of surnames often changed just as much as spelling of the townlands did.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Monaghan/Rockwallace/L…

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Monaghan/Rackwallace/Legnacreeve/

Note that like the Niblocks they were all Presbyterian, so you know which records to search.

There were no Mullen households listed in the tithes for 1830 in the townland (spelled there Lisnagreeve) so it looks as though the family moved there between 1830 and 1860. There was a James Mullin in Drumnail in 1830 as well as John in Tullabuck. Both are nearby in the same parish.

You could search and see if any of your ancestors left a will, post 1858:

http://www.willcalendars.nationalarchives.ie/search/cwa/home.jsp

Since Clontibret 1^st Church was in Legnacreeve, that seems the most likely church for them to have attended. So you could look there for graves. However you should also try the local Church of Ireland graveyard. Many Presbyterians were buried in Church of Ireland graveyards, even though they were not of that faith, for historical reasons going back to the times when Presbyterians didn?t have churches or their own graveyards. Once a family plot was established in a Church of Ireland graveyard, they frequently carried on using it even if a Presbyterian one later became available.

I looked in the modern phonebook for the area but don?t see any Mullen?s listed for Legnacreeve.

I wouldn?t worry about changing the parish for this enquiry. And if you can don?t open new threads once one has been started. Anyone reading this answer doesn?t have easy reference to your original query on 27^th May, or my subsequent response.

Thanks for your reply above.

This morning (31 July 2013, ~ 0900 Pacific Standard Time) I sent a long reply.  I have no idea whether it has arrived for you.  I think I may be being blocked.  I reported this to Mollon (sp?) and have not had any reply yet.  Please advise.  If not, I will try to remember what I wrote and resend.  Tks, John

John,

Yes I have received your e-mail.

Elwyn