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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Derry (Londonderry) => Topic started by: splinter40 on Tuesday 13 September 11 13:38 BST (UK)
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Hello,
I am currently tracing my family tree. I have managed to go back to about 1811 when my GGG grandmother Mary McCONACHY was born. She a married a John SMALLWOOD at Cumber, County Derry Northern IRELAND then had three children, Thomas, Jjohn and Mary. Mary and her three children came to australia in 1854. No mention of her husband John SMALLWOOD though. There is a comprehensive tree from then on created by themcconachyclan. I would like to know a little more about the John SMALLWOOD Mary mcConachy married. He would be be my great great great grandfather. The Mary SMALLWOOD (nee McCONACHY) tree and her story is on the web at www.themcconachyclan.com/Main.asp?_=Downloads.
It would be greatly appreciated if I could get any information about John SMALLWOOD or the SMALLWOOD's of Londonderry around the late 1700's.
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The 1831 census for Co. Londonderry has 2 entries for a John Smallwood, both in Cumber Lower parish. One lived in Lettermire townland, the other in Legacurry. This spreadsheet only has the heads of household. Possibly someone else may be able to help you with who else lived there. Or the originals are on microfilm at PRONI, Belfast.
www.billmacafee.com/1766religiouscensus.htm
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Elwyn,
Thanks for your reply. I wasn't really interseted in my ancestors until I got a call from a gentleman here in Australia Stewart McConachy who was working on the Mary SMALLWOOD, nee McConachy tree. I was pretty impressed and now I'm interested in tracing back the SMALLWOOD side.
I don't know much about the John SMALLWOOD that is my GGG grandfather other than he married a Mary McConachy at Cumber. There's no record of him coming to Australia with is family so it may be the case that he died before 1854. I hope someone else may shed some light. It's a little difficult searching from here in Australia.
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Hello splinter
What a coincidence that you popped into chatterbox whilst I was there.
As you now know, I have undrtaken Smallwood/s research in County Londonderry.
Having viewed the Lower Cumber records and checked my notes from same, I have confirmed to you that a John Smallwood of Lettermire townland was noted as father of a John and Mary, who do indeed seem to match with the children you have listed in your first post.
I have given you some map links to explore the townland location and another link to help you understand what a 'townland' was.
As promised, I shall have another look through my manual records to see if I can gleen any further info for you and hopefully some of the other Smallwood/s researchers on the forum will pop onto this thread and add to it too.
I have noticed that this Rootsweb member also seems to have researched a Smallwood family migrating from Lettermire to Australia:
http://rsl.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/rslsql.cgi?op=user&user=cemac
so it may be worth your while contacting them too.
ps
think Elwyn above meant to give you this link:
http://www.billmacafee.com/1831census.htm
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And this page would seem to be the same researcher who is noted on Rootsweb:
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10421/20041220-0000/www.firstfamilies2001.net.au/firstfamilyb325.html?id=McCOMB108593536
and either same or closely linked:
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10421/20041220-0000/www.firstfamilies2001.net.au/firstfamily3b1f.html?id=SMALLWOOD%20%28WOOD%29108593459
And again, to help you see where Lettermire was:
http://www.geograph.ie/photo/420553
or
http://www.geograph.ie/photo/420552
go to bottom of above page and click on google map link, where you will then see a map noting Lettermire townland in relation to the modern day A6 Foreglen road.
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Thank you very much scotmum,
Did you get a chance to look at themcconachyclan website and the Mary Smallwood story. That's what got me interested in the Smallwood's of Ireland. You said that your records show a John SMALLWOOD being the father of John and Mary. Good chance he may be my GGG Grandfather although there is no mention of his eldest son Thomas.
How would I go about finding out what happened to him. I have no idea if he died in Ireland or England. Possibly England. Mary and her children sailed from Liverpool in 1854 on the ship, Birmingham, so there is a chance that they moved from Ireland to England before Mary sailed. Is there record of deaths in Ireland or England around that time on the web. I've looked but can't find anything.
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Civil registration of deaths in Ireland didn't start until 1864. Registration began earlier in England (1837) and you can search on Free BMD website-
http://www.freebmd.org.uk/
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Belated reply, I somehow must have overlooked the email alert informing me of your September post, splinter.
Whilst Mary and the children sailed from Liverpool, it is not necessarily the case that they had moved there. Unfortunately, no passenger lists exist for that timescale for journeys between Ireland and England.
The closest census to 1854 would be the 1851. Only fragments survive for Ireland, but certainly there is no sign of John, Mary and the children in England at that time.
John's death, if it happened in Ireland, and as aghadowey has said, would not be on any civil index if it occured before Mary and the children emigrated, as none existed then. It may appear in a church record, but that depends on the individual church concerned, and again, what survives of their records.
It was interesting to read Mary's story, especially as it suggests her mother was a McComb to her maiden name. In 1849, a Thomas McComb married an Elis(z)a Smallwoods. To quote from another researcher:
"...Thomas was baptised at the Lower Cumber Church of Ireland on 14th August 1829. He was married there on November 28th 1849 to Elizabeth Smallwoods. Thomas and Jane had a daughter Jane on 22nd August 1850.
Thomas, Eliza known as Betsy and baby Jane emigrated first, when they sailed from Birkenhead. England, aboard the Mangerton on 27th January 1852. The ship arrived at Point Henry, Corio Bay, Geelong. Australia on June 5th 1852. Thomas and Eliza had another 12 children after arriving in Australia."
This quote and more of the McComb research can be read about at:
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/MCCOMB/2003-06/1054901696
and
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=%2Dmy%2Dtree%2D&id=I1084
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It was mainly the Church of Ireland that kept death records in the form of burial registers. However, many of these do not survive pre-1870s.
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Thanks Scotmun and Aghadowey,
It looks like it going to be very difficult if not impossible to find out more about the John SMALLWOOD I'm looking for since it appears that the Ireland death records don't go back far enough. I'm lucky though that someone else has managed to go back to 1811 with the Mary McConachy story.
regards, Splinter.
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There is a book called “One Man’s Family” (Thomas McConachy and His Descendants.) the attachment is an extraction from the book. Mary was a widow when she and her 3 children, Thomas, John and Mary came to Australia in 1854 on the Birmingham
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Thanks neergj,
I'm aware of that book. Hopefully one day I'll get a chance to read it.
Cheers, splinter.
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Hi
Just wondering if you found any further into on John Smallwood?
I am one of his descendants too and the last Smallwood in my line.
I think John Smallwood was my 4th Great Grandfather, l wonder what happened to him?