RootsChat.Com
Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Antrim => Topic started by: Volvic on Friday 20 July 07 23:13 BST (UK)
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Would anyone know about a graveyard in the vicinity of Donegal Pass.
Three of my Grandfather's sisters died within a very short time of each other in the early 1900's. I think it was TB, not sure, but many other people died around the same time.
Their name was Russell and they lived in Virginia Street, just off Donegal Pass and they are supposed to be buried in a graveyard near to where they lived.
The family, as far as I understand it, had come from Bessbrook to live in Belfast. They went to Berry Street Pb Church.
Any help would be really appreciated.
Thank you,
Brian.
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Belfast’s Donegal Pass’s Church of Ireland church has its own webite www.st-marymagdalene.org.uk but it doesn’t mention a graveyard attached . Donegal Pass Presbyterian Church I didn’t find details of. I had a look at Tombstones from Ulster but didn’t connect to a graveyard
From www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/topics/your_questions/skipton_st.shtml
A Jones - Apr '07
You can see some photos of St Mary Magdalene Church on our website -
www.st-marymagdalene.org.uk
Carol Fulton - Feb '07
I am interested in getting any information or memories of St Mary magdalene Church in Donegal Pass. If anyone has information, photos, stories please contact me.
Someone else will know the area well, I would email www.st-marymagdalene.org.uk
Last thought it could be the Stranmillis Friars Bush cemetry which has been indexed , back to Tombstones from Ulster
Good luck, Jim
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Dear Jim,
Thanks very much for that. I contacted St. Mary Magdalene Church so maybe they will know where the graveyard was.
Best wishes,
Brian.
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Hiya Brian and Jim,
The Belfast City Council site has a page about the History of Cemeteries (http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/citycemetery/history.asp?menuitem=history) in the city. It lists a few that were in existence up to the middle of the nineteenth century. One of these was the Donegall Road Cemetery which was run by the Board of Guardians. I'm not sure, at the moment, of its location but it would qualify as being near to Donegall Pass.
Christopher
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Mary Lennons website for 1907 directory says
Donegall Road
from Dublin Road to Falls Road
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I wonder what they called the Dublin Road in those days. Ah ... the same as today ... Dublin Road ... Bedford Street to University Road. It's a pity the directories don't mention the location of cemeteries.
An article on St Peter's Cathedral refers to Donegall Road being a new road in 1870 and yet there was a cemetery on the Donegall Road prior to the middle of the nineteenth century. I wonder how long a road has to be in existence before it's no longer a new road.
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Hi Volvic / Chris.
I come from the Donegall Road area and as kids we were told that the Donegall Rd., children's playground was built over a mass burial site, related to an epidemic in the 1800's (Christoper may have some info on that). The playground was a couple of hundred yards before Roden Street, on the right going out of town. It's been redeveloped and houses have been built on the site.
Volvic, I think your best bet for their burials has to be the City Cemetery, which would be about 2 miles or so from Donegall Pass.
It's a straight run from Donegall Pass, across Shaftesbury Square, straight up the Donegall Road and cross the Falls Road into the City Cemetery.
Regards,
Dixie
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Hi Christopher, Jim and Dixie Dee,
I am so sorry that I haven't replied before this. My computer has been playing up and I discovered I had a virus which wouldn't allow me to connect to a web page. Everything seems to be all right now.
Thank you very much for all your help with this. I will check the City Cemetery again as I have got another date of a death.
Again, many thanks to you all for your kind help.
Brian.
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Hi Volvic / Chris.
I come from the Donegall Road area and as kids we were told that the Donegall Rd., children's playground was built over a mass burial site, related to an epidemic in the 1800's (Christoper may have some info on that). The playground was a couple of hundred yards before Roden Street, on the right going out of town. It's been redeveloped and houses have been built on the site.
Volvic, I think your best bet for their burials has to be the City Cemetery, which would be about 2 miles or so from Donegall Pass.
It's a straight run from Donegall Pass, across Shaftesbury Square, straight up the Donegall Road and cross the Falls Road into the City Cemetery.
Regards,
Dixie
Dixie,
William Roulston of the UHF was speaking to us at the course on Thursday last. I asked him about the Donegall Road Cemetery and he thought it would have been at the back of the Workhouse. That occupied approximately the area that the City Hospital occupies ... i.e. from the Lisburn Road to the Donegall Road. The playground theory sounds OK.
Christopher
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Hi Volvic.
If you do contact the City Cemetery, ask them to cross-check with Dundonald Cemetery as well.
A relative of mine, died 1913 in the Sandy Row area of Belfast, I had assumed her burial took place in the City Cemetery, she was not there, but the gent in the cemetery office got Dundonald to do a check and that's were she was.
Chis. that's interesting about the cemetery at the back of the old Workhouse. It would be hard now to find out were it had been, with all the changes that have taken place to the hospital since those days. I wonder was it only used for workhouse inmates ?. I suppose we'll never know.
Regards,
Dixie
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Hi Dixie,
Thank you for that info Dixie, I will do that when I get a chance to go up to the City.
It's sad to think that all those graves have been covered over and possibly built on.
Thanks again for all your help.
Brian.
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Chis. that's interesting about the cemetery at the back of the old Workhouse. It would be hard now to find out were it had been, with all the changes that have taken place to the hospital since those days. I wonder was it only used for workhouse inmates ?. I suppose we'll never know.
Regards,
Dixie
Dixie,
If I remember I'll ask William Roulston if it's possible that there may be records somewhere. In the case of a mass grave when people died as a result of an epidemic I doubt there'll be any records but in the case of normal deaths it's possible there may be records.
Chris
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Hi Volvic,
I don't know if you're still using this site but, if you are, my grandfather was George Russell, the youngest son of James Russell, one of the three brothers who came from Bessbrook with their families at the turn of the last century, the other two brothers being Andrew and William.
I'm currently working on my family tree and I was wondering if you had any information on James, Andrew and William's parents?
Kind Regards
Russell
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Welcome to RootsChat, if you could give an idea of dates we may be able to help find the boys births.
Are the deaths Volvic spoke of the daughters of William brother of your James.
This appears to be William and family in 1911
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Cromac/Auburn_Street/158312/
My reasoning is there is a death of a Kathleen Florence 32 Virginia St in 1920 aged 24
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1920/05119/4408169.pdf
and of a Mabel Bluett 32 Virginia St aged 30 in 1920
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1920/05125/4410742.pdf
Mabel Bluett was born in Bessbrook in 1890 mother Martha McIlvee
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1890/02435/1906368.pdf
William and Martha's marriage in 1876 gives William father as James A Russell, Cutter
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1876/11173/8093669.pdf
If this William is your James' brother that he was born before Civil Registration of births so will not have a birth cert you will need baptisms, if his brother's were also born before 1864 they will also not have birth certs although it's likely their parents will have a marriage cert.
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... My reasoning is there is a death of a Kathleen Florence 32 Virginia St in 1920 aged 24
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1920/05119/4408169.pdf
and of a Mabel Bluett 32 Virginia St aged 30 in 1920
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1920/05125/4410742.pdf
And Mary Eveline died the same year as well:
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1920/05119/4408172.pdf
All buried here:
https://dof.belfastcity.gov.uk/burialsearch/BurialSearch.aspx?GraveSection=G&GraveNumber=133&CemeteryName=City%20Cemetery%20-%20Glenalina%20Extension
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Very sad year for that family.
A James A Russell married a Eliza Barr in 1853
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1853/09443/5420831.pdf
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I cannot believe that the City Cemetery would be described as "near Donegall Pass",
but you can search on line for burials there:
https://dof.belfastcity.gov.uk/burialsearch/
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I cannot believe that the City Cemetery would be described as "near Donegall Pass",
but you can search on line for burials there:
https://dof.belfastcity.gov.uk/burialsearch/
It's not really that far away. Berry St. (church) was just south of present Castlecourt shopping centre, Virginia St. is east of City Hospital (about 1/2 mile) and City Cemetery to the west of City Hospital. Virginia St. to City Cemetery is less than 2 miles.
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I cannot believe that the City Cemetery would be described as "near Donegall Pass",
but you can search on line for burials there:
https://dof.belfastcity.gov.uk/burialsearch/
Given the family lore context is that the family 'had come from Bessbrook to live in Belfast' and that 'they are supposed to be buried in a graveyard near to where they lived' [quotes from the original post], then tbh I don't have an issue with the City Cemetery.
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Hi Sinann,
My great-grandfather James, who was married 3 times, was living with his family in College Square , Camlough in 1901 http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Armagh/Camlough/College_Square/1036306/ But in the 1911 census, he and his family were living at 37 Auburn Street, Belfast. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Cromac/Auburn_Street/158330/ James's dob would have been in 1848 or 1849.
In 1901, James's brother Andrew and his family were living at 54 Palestine Street, Belfast http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Cromac/Palestine_Street/970620/ but by 1911 they had moved to 152 Agincourt Avenue, Belfast http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Cromac/Agincourt_Avenue/158217/ Strangely enough Andrew's age is given as 41 in the 1901 census giving him a birth year of 1860, but in the 1911 census, his age is given as 55 making the birth year 1856. Definitely the same person though.
I don't know much about the third brother William, but I'm pretty sure this is him and his family living at 19 Auburn Street, Belfast in 1911. His year of birth would therefore been around 1855. I do know, according to old Belfast street directories that he was living at 32 Virginia Street, Belfast between 1918 and 1932.
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I had looked at that Andrew and found his father was Robert a gardener
Son Andrew's birth
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1893/02308/1865465.pdf
marriage to Rachel
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1878/11116/8069312.pdf
James has the same father
Son George's birth (that is Henry George)
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1896/02154/1817104.pdf
Marriage to Caroline
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1888/10765/5926150.pdf
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That's great work Sinann. Thank you very much :)