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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Antrim => Topic started by: IanM on Monday 18 April 05 12:29 BST (UK)
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Trying to find any information on the MUIR family in County Antrim prior to 1860.
Particularly looking for info on ALEXANDER MUIR, his wife ANN and their son JOHN (born c.1827).
Thanks,
Ian
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Now discovered that the family left County Antrim for Scotland between 1830 and 1834.
Also found that another son, ALEXANDER, was born in County Antrim c.1830.
The maiden name of ANN was probably McILROY.
Ian
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Just bumping this back up to the top - still hoping someone can help.
Ian
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Another year passed and I've still stalled :'( Anyone able to help yet?
Ian
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Hello
Sorry, nothing new for you but just wanted to comment that the name does not seem to have been overly common in Ireland in that timescale. PRONI Freeholders List of pre1840 contains no Muir surnames. At the following link, type in Muir, search will then show that the name was not that common Surname distribution 1848-64. (http://www.ireland.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID=) It also shows some possible variations of the name that may have been in use in the timescale. Interestingly, when the search is complete, if you type McIlroy in the second surname box on the results page, it then shows that in 1848 - 64 these two names only appeared together in Belfast (after your timescale, I know, but may help focus in on one part of Antrim as it were).
Have you had a look at www.ancestryireland.com 1821 birth of an Alexander Muir just in case there is any connection to yours? Perhaps an earlier born child that died.
Finally, which part of Scotland did they end up in (I have recently been looking at a Muir link on one of my lines in Scotland)?
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There are two sad Muir entries in the Clifton St Cemetry Register see home.glenravel.com/
Good Luck onwards, Jim
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Thank you scotmum, I feel the reason I am having so much of a problem getting any information is because the name is so rare in the area - on the plus side, any mention of the name is probably a relation of some sort!
The family moved to Renfrewshire, ending up just south of Paisley.
Thanks also to Jim. Had a look at the 2 entries but sadly can see no obvious link to my family.
Ian
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The surname MUIR is found in Northern Ireland but would certainly be more common in Scotland. Are you sure they used the spelling MUIR in Northern Ireland and not Moor/Moore?
McIlroy is more common in Ulster and found in both (although not exclusively) Co. Antrim & Co, Londonderry.
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Thanks aghadowey,
The earliest data I currently have is the 1841 census that states that Alexander (Snr & Jnr), Ann and John all have the spelling MUIR.
Alexander was born c1830 in Co. Antrim (from his marriage record) and the next child was born in Renfrewshire c1833, meaning the family must have moved (back?) to Scotland around that time. My theory is that the Muir family originally moved from Scotland to Ireland and worked in the mills in Co. Antrim. Then for some reason in the early 1830's they returned to Scotland to continue working in the mills near Paisley. In fact my Grandfather was also a mill worker in Paisley until about 1970.
I have a copy of the marriage of John in 1855 with the spelling still MUIR. This is also where I get the first indication of the maiden name of McILROY for Ann. I then have a second marriage for John in 1867 giving the same details.
Unfortunately I don't currently have any data before 1841, and no data at all from Ireland. I suppose the most logical path would be to try and find the marriage of Ann McILROY to an Alexander MUIR/MOOR/MOORE around 1825-1830 in Co. Antrim.
Ian
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Finding a marriage that early could be a problem since civil registration of marriages in Ireland began 1845 (Protestant) & 1864 (Catholic). You don't mention what relgion the family might have been in Ireland but many church records do not survive for that period.
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Not sure if this is going to be of any help
I have an Alexander Moore married to Elizabeth Jane Porter Berry street on the 20/03/1846
no other information
it was some information I took down from the linen hall library....just in case..so to speak
Steve
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Thanks again aghadowey,
I appreciate there are great difficulties getting much pre 1920's data from the Irish archives. The further back you go the harder it gets (true of all countries sadly).
As far as the religion of the family I don't know for certain. However at a guess I would say Protestant, for a couple of reasons...
First, with the name Muir I assumed the family were amongst the British Protestants that 'went' to populate that region of Ireland as a result of the settlement of Antrim in the later half of the 1500's , the Ulster Plantation of 1610 or they went to the area later. However, a lot of Scottish Protestants were in that region.
Secondly, the family has been Protestant for as long as anyone can remember, so it is likely that it was Protestant 200 years ago also.
Steve,
Thanks for the information, unfortunately I can see no obvious link at this time.
Ian
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I appreciate there are great difficulties getting much pre 1920's data from the Irish archives. The further back you go the harder it gets (true of all countries sadly).
It not difficult to get information from start of civil registration although there are records which no longer exist. However, the information you are looking for is well before 1840s.
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Hiya Ian,
You've not mentioned the townland in which the Muir family lived. Griffiths Valuation of Co. Antrim which was conducted in 1861-2 lists the following in the Parish of Shankill in Belfast ...
William Muir, St. Ann's Ward, Townparks, Thompson's Court
William Muir, St. George's Ward, Townparks, Lemon Street
Spears Muir, St. Ann's Ward, Townparks, Townsend Street
William Muir, St. Ann's Ward, Townparks, Thompson's Court
William Muir, St. George's Ward, Townparks, Lemon Street
Spears Muir, St. Ann's Ward, Townparks, Townsend Street
There were a large number of McIlroys in the Parish of Shankill.
The Belfast section of the 1852 Directory of Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory lists ...
Speirs Muir, bookbinder, 18, Boundary Street
There are ten listings for McIlroy in the 1852 Directory. There'd be no harm looking at earlier directories.
Christopher
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Thank you Christopher.
Unfortunately the only information I have is that in the Census returns for 1841 (and later) Alexander, Ann, John and Alexander (Jnr) are all listed as being born in simply "Ireland". From the marriage records of John I narrowed Ireland down to Co. Antrim and discovered the maiden name for his mother, Ann, to be McIlroy.
I am afraid that that is the extent of my knowledge on the family before they moved to Scotland sometime between 1830 and 1833. I know nothing of any possible relations left behind in Ireland, no details of parents or siblings for Alexander or Ann and nothing about exactly where they lived. This is what I am trying to discover. I was shocked to discover that my immediate family line came from Ireland (I thought we were routed firmly in the Muir lands of SW Scotland) and would love to know more.
Ian