Belfast Newsletter

My references in this blog to The Belfast Newsletter have come from an Index with abbreviated items, published by an American University. I have for the past couple of days had access to a digitised version of the newspaper on the Ancestry website which amplifies some of the clan references and indeed corrects what I have been able to write before.

My first reference was on 27 Sep 2010, to a list of Island Magee tenants on 13 Feb 1770. There is nothing to be added to this. My second reference was on 1 Sep 2011, first to Port News on 4-8 August 1786. I now know this was a ship that had been 'cleared outwards', though from where I'm not sure, probably Belfast. The ship was called 'Mary' and her captain 'McIlhago'. What I now know is that she was destined for Malaga, with butter, cloth, &c. on board.

Second, on 6 Dec 1797, we have a reference to a shipwreck. The full paragraph reads as follows:

The Industry, of Irvine, Robert McElhago, master, is the vessel that was wrecked on Friday last, between Drogheda Bar and Clogher Head, and not the sloop Jenny, as mentioned through mistake in our list. Sunday last, the remains of the crew, five in number, belonging to the above sloop, which were taken up drowned near Clogher Head, were conveyed to town, attended by many respectable persons, and decently interred in St.Peter's Church yard.

Wallop Brabazon, Esq. of Rath, deserves every praise for his humane exertions to save the unfortunate sufferers of the above vessel. The elements were too strong for human powers.

The mistaken reference to the sloop Jenny may imply that a ship of that name was associated with the name McElhago. She could have been an earlier vessel sailed by Robert McElhago or possibly a vessel sailed by his father. Unfortunately the papers for 1787 are missing, which contain a reference to another 'clan' ship. I have written to Ancestry to ask why.

I have two references to marriages, which I will detail next time, but the reference here to Irvine in Ayrshire reminds me that I have also recently discovered that one can access the full text of the Laing Charters on the website of the Scottish Genealogical Society in Edinburgh. I have therefore added to my blog of 7 January last an accurate version of the entry for 17 August 1527 which mentions Michael Macylhaggow, the earliest member of our clan documented in Ayrshire, Scotland.

Children's Fiction

Some time ago (2 Nov 2011) I wrote about Andrew McIlhagga who appeared in a historical book about IslandMagee. In 1798 Andrew had joined up with the 'United Irishmen' to fight at the 'Battle of Antrim'. I'm afraid I do not know what happened to Andrew on that fateful occasion, unlike the ancestor of one of my USA correspondents, Don Milligan who knows that his ancestor, Samuel Millikin, was killed in 1798. In the remote chance of finding Andrew, but with the positive aim of understanding more about the United Irishmen I recently bought and read a book by Tom McCaughren called 'In Search of the Liberty tree'. This turned out to be a story told from the point of view of two young boys living in Ballymena who were friends though apparently from families on different sides of the conflict, for and against British Rule in Ireland.

It was an enjoyable read and though clearly written for children I looked forward to reading another of Tom McCaughren's books, 'The Legend of the Golden Key', not least because the tale is set in County Antrim and concerns treasure which was said to have been buried just before the 1798 Rebellion. Again, it is a children's adventure for two boys, Tapser and Cowlick and their friends. Apparently the treasure had been buried on a 'landed estate' with its inevitable castle. They decided to take a look. Imagine my surprise when on page 43 I read "We climbed up round the quarry dump and cut across Big Hughie McIlhagga's land...".

We learn a little more about Hughie on page 52. A man called Craig was caught ill treating a horse on the estate. "He lost his job with Big Hughie McIlhagga on the farm beyond for the very same thing" - shades of a story I told on 18 Sep 2009! And on page 56, "Leaving the river, we began climbing up towards the trees at the back of Big Hughie McIlhagga's place". On pages 73, 76, 86 and 90 we learn that Big Hughie has a bull in a field next to the estate and that his cowsheds play a significant part later on. On page 99 a thug is mistaken for Big Hughie. There are other references to Big Hughie's farm on pages 103, 112, 174 and 175. Although there are a dozen or so references in the book to Big Hughie, with we have to say, no dialogue, it is almost at the end of the book he appears to be a little more than a very minor character, for it is his farm which turns out to be key to the story. On page 178f we read "...he showed me a spade guinea which he had found.. in Mr. McIlhagga's field while ploughing". and on page 180, "I don't know how the guinea.. came to be over there in Mr. McIlhagga's field."

It's intriguing to think where a contemporary author finds the names of his characters. There are only two 'Hugh McIlhaggas' known to me. In fact they were father and son and both were William Hugh McIlhagga. W.H. junior was born in 1911 in Belfast and his father in 1870, also in Belfast. He married a Margaret Boyd. W.H. senior's father was George McIlhagga, a Merchant in Connor Parish, County Antrim, who married Elizabeth Ann Robinson. George's father was William, like his son also born in the Townland of Maxwell's Walls. He was a farmer born I think about 1810. It is possible that we can take this family line back two more generations to another William, to the first half of the 18th Century. Was it this family that was known to the author of 'The Legend of the Golden Key'?

Miscellanea

1. My last blog asked who the 'J. McIlhagga' was who is named on the St. Matthew's Church WW1 Memorial in Shankill, Belfast. I'm delighted to say that I had a reply 'by return' from one of my Australian correspondents to say she thought my suggestion of Sgt. John McElhagga was probably right. For his own good reason John varied his surname from McIlhagga to McElhagga and then to McFarlane. As John McElhagga he won the Military Medal in the First World War after which he was remembered by his birth name of John McIlhagga. He was a son of Robert McIlhagga and Margaret Craig of Ballee, County Antrim, one of their ten children. This is a family that can probably be traced back to about 1770.

2. Someone has left a comment with no content on my blog of 26th October 2011 on 'Land Tenure'. As this 'comment' could be spam I have deleted it. If the author wishes to make a positive comment which contributes to our clan knowledge he or she will be most welcome to return and do so.

3. I have been having an interesting email correspondence with a lady in the USA who is I believe a descendant of the McIlhaggo - Forbes marriage in Island Magee, County Antrim, in the 1830s. In a Family Tree in which it is extremely difficult to find 'facts' two probable relationships have come from things remembered as family stories. One concerns 'Old Samuel' being the lady's great grandfather and one is related to a Napier family. In addition I have learned who it was who emigrated to the USA. The moral is never discount even vague memories of conversations you had years ago with your elderly relatives!

St. Matthew's, Shankill

St. Matthew's Parish Church, Shankill has three brass tablets mounted on the pulpit. The centre tablet reads, 'This pulpit is erected to the Glory of God and in honour of 800 men of this parish who nobly responded to the call of duty and fought for king and country in the Great War 1914 - 1919. Also in loving memory of those of their number who sacrificed their lives in the sacred cause of freedom and humanity. Their names are inscribed on the adjoining tablets. "They were a wall unto us by night, and day" 1 Sam 25. 16.'

Tablet 1 has 55 names. Tablet two shown above has 58 names including that of J. McIlhagga. The only 'J' from Belfast known to me was James McIlhagga who died at sea in the Second World War, and unless he was John McElhagga of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers who died in 1916, I am at a loss to know to whom this refers. If any reader can enlighten us, we would be most grateful.

'Strays' in US Censuses?

Any of the following eleven people may possibly be 'strays' from clan families. If anyone has any clues to where any fit in, do please get in touch:

1840 Census:

James McElhagon, Ohio, Wood County, Troy Township;

1850 Census:

Bridget McHaggart, 23 (born 1827) Maine, Penobost County;

Maria McEllagan, 17 (b 1833) Ohio, Summit Co, Akron Twp;

1880 Census:

Edward McHago, 21 (b 1859) Iowa, Cass Co, Washington Twp;

Maggie McElagin, 16 (b 1866) New York, Franklin Co, Malone Twp;

1910 Census:

Hanna McElhaegg, 40 (b 1870) Pensylvania, Lawrence Co, New Castle, Ward 2;

Wm. E. McElage, 44 (b 1866) Ohio, Buller Co, Middletown, Ward 1;

1930 Census:

Roy McHaggart, 48 (b 1882) Oregon, Klanath Indian Reservation;

Baba McHa?go, 64 (b 1865) Indiana, Parke Co, Recoon Twp;

Mary McAllagay, 68 (b 1862) Illinois, Cook Co, Chicago City;

Mary McAllagay, 17 (b 1913) Illinois, Cook Co, Chicago City.

Jamestown and Greenville

Following on from my last blog - previously I had the ages of the Pennsylvania families (see blogs 09: 22 Jun, 13 Aug; 10: 23 May, 8 Jun, 17 Nov, 22 Nov; 11: 13 Feb, 16 Feb, 1 Jul, 7 Jul and 18 Oct.) from the records at the Jamestown Cemetery. The evidence of the Census is that people in the 19th Century were ofter quite uncertain of their age. These are the families that emigrated from Newtowncromelin, Limavallagan and Lisnacrogher in County Antrim, the older generation of which was born back in the 18th Century. Somehow in the move the spelling of their surname was changed from McIlhago and McIlhaggar to McElhager. The eight from Jamestown in the 1880 USA Census are:

Jane McElhager 87 (born 1793) [1790 in Cemetery];

Eliza McElhager 50 (born 1830);

James McElhager 42 (born 1833) [1836 in Baptism Register];

Eliza McElhager 36 (born 1844) [1842 in Cemetery];

Augustine McElhager 20 (born 1860) [Augusta in Cemetery];

Mary McElhager 19 (born 1861) [1856 in Cemetery];

Sarah J. McElhager 18 (born 1862);

William D. McElhager 16 (born 1864) [Wm. B. in Cemetery].

Apart from dates, we have two significant changes. It look as if Augustine was male, not female Augusta and William's middle name possibly began with D not B, maybe as his uncle was David. Eliza clearly doesn't fit into this nuclear family. She was in fact a single cousin, daughter of David senior and sister of David in Greenville below. She was a Linen Weaver who had stayed in Jamestown.

The younger family in Greenville were cousins of the Jamestown lot and were:

David McElhager 39 (born 1841) [1834 in 1851 Irish Census];

Mariah McElhager 38 (born 1842) [1838 Maria in Cemetery];

Minnie McElhager 14 (born 1866) [1864 in Cemetery];

Annie McElhager 12 (born 1868) [1866 in Cemetery];

Dollie McElhager 10 (born 1870) [1868 in Cemetery].

USA Censuses

Many of us have family who emigrated to the USA and a very valuable new Internet site will help us trace their lives. It is http://censusrecords.com. It is in its 'beta' stage so is still developing and as yet has only some census years, but others are on their way. You can search by name and use wild cards (*) which is very useful.

I first put in 'McIlhagga' and got the nuclear family (part of my own) in Buffalo, Erie, New York in 1930, James and Jean both 32 (born 1898) and their son James aged 4. No new information there. I wondered where Ina (Alexandrina) McIlhagga was, but she appeared, also in Buffalo age 27, but at a different address, when I put in 'MacIlhagga'. It's always worth being creative with our surname!

That encouraged me to experiment with wild cards and first tried 'McElhag*'. I was hoping for at least one McElhago, but none! Sad, because I know there was an early one, and there is still one today. However there was one result from the 1840 Census, John McElhagin, of whom I have never heard. He was in New York, Ward 14. And there were the 13 people I hoped to find in Pensylvania. I thought they were all in Jamestown, but five were in Greenville, a town a few miles away, and like Jamestown also in Mercer County. I will list them next time and mention the new things I learned.