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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Down => Topic started by: merrymax on Monday 15 August 11 04:37 BST (UK)
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hi ! I am very new to this ,so please excuse if I am not doing this correctly.
am researching my ggggrand parents JAMES MAXWELL AND ELIZABETH MCGIFFERT/ who lived at corrock/corrog near portaferry co down. I have birth and death dates and their children . I think I have elizabeth mcgifferts siblings ,mary ,anne,isabella,jane william samuel. I cannot find elizabeths parents who I think came from Loughdoo. I have searched the wills but there are multiple names that are the same eg robert elizabeth samuel . I can`t decide if her father is robert, henry or william . any ideas? I have also sent for the death cert for ELIZABETH Maxwell?MCgiffert and see what is on it kindest regards merry
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Hi,
Welcome to Rootschat. Can you give us some idea of dates?
Regards
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Very difficult to help or even suggest where you can search without more information such as dates.
"I have also sent for the death cert for ELIZABETH Maxwell?MCgiffert" if she died in Ireland the death certificate will not list birth date or place or parents' names.
The only Maxwells in Corrog in 1911 are siblings James (age 36) and Annie (age 33)-
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Portaferry/Corrog/241670
But, going by the 1901 census their father was called Thomas- he was 64 in 1901 so born well before the start of birth registration:
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Ards_Upper/Carrog/1232379
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In 1911 and 1901 there are 3 McGiffert brothers- Samuel, Thomas and James:
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Ardkeen/Loughdoo/241082
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Ardkeen/Loughdoo/1231789
Also a Robert McGiffert in 1901-
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Ardkeen/Loughdoo/1231790
"The Will of Henry M'Giffert late of Loughdoo in the County of Down Doctor of Medicine deceased who died 20 November 1864 at same place was proved at Belfast by the oath of James M'Mechan of Thomastown (Portaferry) Farmer and Alexander Bell Filson of Portaferry Esquire Doctor of Medicine both in the said County the Executors." Will mentions niece Jane McGiffert, nephew Samuel's son Thomas McGiffert (Loughdoo), niece Isabella McGiffert (Portaferry), niece Anne Brown (Belfast), niece Eliza Maxwell (Corrock), daughters of late bother William McGiffert as well as bequest to William Maxwell and sister Margaret Anne warnock (Ballygraffon).
"Letters of Administration (with the Will annexed) of the personal estate of Elizabeth M'Giffert formerly of Loughdoo and late of Portaferry both in the County Down Widow deceased who died 14 February 1868 at Portaferry aforesaid were granted at Belfast to Isabella Wilson (Wife of Hugh Wilson of Derry Portaferry aforesaid Gentleman) a Sister and the Residuary Legate." Will mentions late husband Robert McGiffert and Cloughey Burying Ground.
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thank you so much for the time you took in answering my post. Thomas Maxwell is the eldest son of James Maxwell and Elizabeth McGiffert. Annie and James alexander are Elizabeths grandchildren.
I also have the entire transcript of Temple cranny graveyard where most of the Maxwells are buried ,some of the Mcgifferts are buried at Cloughy church yard.The wills callanders are great as they list multiple relatives many of whom I can recognize and place in my family tree.
I hope that Elizabeth Maxwell/Mcgifferts death will at least confirm who her father is thank you regards merry
I forgot to put in the dates again.JAMES MAXWELL BORN CO DOWN 1807 MARRIED ELIZABETH MCGIFFERT 1835, DIED 1873 .ELIZABETH MCGIFFERT BORN 1809 PROBABLY LIVED AT LOUGHDOO AND DIED 1882
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Since Thomas Maxwell (born c1837 according to 1901 census, died 1908) was the eldest son (possibly eldest child?) this means his parents James and Elizabeth are probably born before 1820 or even earlier. Civil registration of deaths started in 1864 so if you don't find them in the index they probably died before 1864.
The Irish BMD Index is available at this link (http://www.rootschat.com/links/0c8o/)
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Ros Davies co Down website use google has some early 1800's mcGiffert and McGiffords
good luck, jim
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hi jim! thanks for your reply re MCGIFFERT/MAXWELL I find ROS DAVIS site invaluable and use it constantly for portaferry research. I also notice at the bottom of your reply to my query the surname GRACEY. is this surname from co down? as on my family tree James MCGIFFERT had a daughter married a GRACEY and she had a daughter joan. maybe that family are still in the area. thanks for your help regards merry
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hi Merrymax, i veered off to see askireland griffiths valuation, the size of the Maxwell holding in Corrog townland, Ballytrustan civil parish is comparatively above average as in the higher thirties. Anyway the homestead is mapped in 1863 as plot number 3 and has a road going through it, which isnt so common. My memory may have seen Maxwell family trees in the Blackwood Family manuscript trees in the Linenhall Library, belfast. My computer has just suffered damage so i cant check that out, also my memory doesnt remember a Gracey-McGiffert marriage so I cant check if Jackson Eagleson's older vyger website contained such a marriage. Anyway thats me trying to say thank you for the information on Joans parents.
Good luck onwards JimG
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thank you jim will check out the griffiths valuation regards merry
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Hi merry. I managed to find an old griffith list of graceys and found a Thomas gracey in Ballyweird and ballyfounder, both in ballytrustan civil parish, possible all the same person as tenant and landlord. Interesting stuff! good luck, Jim
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jim I thank you for your posts. this is what I have on the gracey line. this was sent to me 25 years ago by a person in portaferry,I cant say the name as I respect the policy that protects the privacy of living.
william thomas mcgiffert had a son james mcgiffert whos daughter married a mr gracey ,that person then had a daughter named joan gracey who was a cousin of mr jogn mcgiffert who is now passed away some years ago , it was this john mcgiffert who deposited the mcgiffert letters in PRONI. that is all I know about the gracey connection
was also on a website that has wonderful information re portaferry and have managed to glean quite a bit of information from.
along with the wills callenders I have been able to pick out names and dates from immigrants letters. you probably already have the web address but will include it anyway .
http://ied.dippam.ac.uk/records/53566 great reading regards merry
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thank you Jim
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thanks for the update jim regards merry
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The Local Studies Heritage Gallery in Downpatrick Library has a copy of a book entitled "The McGiffert Letters". Letters written to David McGiffert (b.1823 - d.1900) by his brother William and various other family letters.
You can contact the Heritage Gallery by email: localstudies.down[at]librariesni.org.uk
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:)thank you so much. I have contacted PRONI re those letters some time ago but sadly they are very expensive to copy and send to australia. I will certainly have a try with the connection you sent me as I have an excerpt of one of the letters written my Isabella mcgiffert abput her sister elizabeth mcgiffert/maxwell my gggrandmother . I sabella was a cousin of David mcgiffert and the wrote many times.
this post has greatly helped my research and I am very grateful for your suggestion and will email now thank you merry
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Hi Folks,
New peice of work for me and I dont have a lot to start with!
Looking for a Mary McGiffert, from County Down. She married John Cleland, they had two boys, Joseph (1836) and Robert (1835). Would guess Mary and John would have married 1825 - 1835, therefore Mary could have be born 1800 - 1810, all guess work!
Can anybody assist ?
Many thanks
Tom
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hi tom! I do have mary mcgiffert co down but not sure if she was married .I will check my records. any thing else on this family? town? siblings? will try to help if I can merry
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Many thanks Mary,
Just a PS, have done some more work and it would appear the death cert I was working off is incorrect. Mary's husband was Hugh.
Tom
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Back in the 1980s I corresponded with a gentleman called McGiffert who lived in Toye, Downpatrick, and who was keeper of the Killyleagh Family History Society records. He kindly quoted from some of the Killyleagh records for me. He and I were very distantly related.
Harry
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Harry Hi! thank you for taking the time to post. not sure if it was the same gentleman who sent you quotes from letters ,but I too was given excerpts from the mcgiffert letters from a mr john mcgiffert. I have now all of those letters. kindest regards merry
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hello to everyone and best wishes for the season.
I have been very lucky this past year to have been helped sop much with my genealogy searches all of county down. I have posted these names before,but was unaware that there was such a mucked up connection. james MAXWELL born portaferry 1807 married eliza(beth) MCGIFFERT c 1835 co down I thought she had 3 daughters and 3 sons and couldnt work out why margaret ann Maxwell born 1837 Married to JAMES WARNOCK was not in her father james maxwells will,nor was she mentioned by her aunt ISABELLA MCGIFFERT in letters to usa(MCGIFFERT LETTERS).
I then read henry Mcgifferts will 1864 leaving money to eliza isabella and the rest of the mcgiffert siblings and here is MARGARET ANN WARNOCK and her brother WILLIAM MAXWELL also left goodies from UNcle Henry MCGIFFERT. .I akso see william maxwell married eliza warnockc 1856. very very confusing. almost certain Margaret ann Maxwell and the children from james maxwell and elizabeth mcgiffert are related but i just dont know how. Margaret ann maxwell(warnock) and william maxwells father is named as william. everything seems to be in a huge mixing pot with inter marriages and same names.
can someone help me distinguish between the 2 families and was william and margaret anns father william maxwell a brother of James maxwell ... kindest regards merry
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Margaret Anne Warnock nee Maxwell is my gggrandmother,parents were William Maxwell and Eliza McDonnell,have specked that their father was Thomas Maxwell and Margaret of Corrog/Corrock as on lease for Ballygraffin mentions names of a Thomas and an Andrew Maxwell,though only guess work .On will of Samuel Mcgiffert has a Thomas Mcdonnell of Ballyspurge and William Maxwell of Ballygraffin mentioned.I believe Eliza McDonnell's family came from Ballyspurge as a Thomas Mcdonnell is witness to the marriage of William Maxwell of Ballygraffin.
The tithe leases of the 1820'ies have a William Mcgiffert of Ballytrustan entered,son was James Mcgiffert who married a Rose McKibbin,daughter of Thomas Mckibbin of Killydressy,mother was a Maxwell.
james Mcdonnell of Portaferry married a Rachel Mcgiffert,a daughter Susan died at her aunts house at Corrock Cottage,a Isabella McGiffert as per death notice.
I notice a Henry McGifford maried a Mary Mcdonnell in the igi index just before Henry and Robert and William were born.
Hope this helps abit as I am interested in understanding the family connection with the mcgifferts.
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hi! and thank you so much for your reply ,really appreciate you taking the time to post. I thought I was on the right track but have learnt over the years not to assume anything in genealogy. thank you so much merry
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Hi Merry
You were going to check up on a Mary McGiffert in your family line, any luck ? I was looking for a Mary who married John Cleland (not Hugh) in Co Down C1830s
Thanks
Tom
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hi Tom no sorry no luck but will keep looking. I never give up kindest regards merry
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Thanks merry
There appears to be quite a large group of McGifferts in C Down, do you have an idea of how many families there may be?
Tom
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hi Tom far as I can tell there were 3 main places they came from LOUGHDOO TOYE and KILLYLEAGH , kindest regards merry
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hi again Tom I did a little look around again , the best I can come up with is an arthur cleland born ballynahinch co down 1842 4th sep father john cleland mother mary no surname
also an elizabeth and a margaret cleland appear to be twins born 1841 at moira co down
a mary ann cleland born killinchy co down father john cleland no mother recorded regards merry
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Title: Re: McGiffert Co Down
Post by: seagem on Thursday 29 March 2012
To: merry
Hi, recently I read with interest the postings re McGiffert Co Down
My grandparents were James McGiffert, died 1960 and his wife
Agnes (nee Brown) died 1966
My Mother was Jane (nee McGiffert) (only child) and My Father was
Arthur Gracey, they married in 1940 and had one daughter Joan and lived at Ballytrustan outside Portaferry.
My father had 2 sisters and 2 brothers who were brought up near Portaferry, they later married and lived on farms outside Portaferry with the exception of Jim who emigrated to Canada.
That generation of Graceys are all deceased. My father died in 1983 and
my mother in 2009.
Grandfather James had a sister Jane who married William Young and had
4 sons.
My great grandparents were William Thomas McGiffert died 1931 and his wife
Jane died 1914. They are all buried at Ballymanish Cemetery, Portaferry.
I still live near Portaferry Co Down.
Hope this has helped a little with your research.
M
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Thank you so much .I just love this family tree ,so very difficult for those of us not familiar with the surrounding area or the naming patterns. I did know there were graceys in this tree but not as much as you know. I will put them up on my site before I forget to ,hopefully sometime over the week end. http:downtooz.tribalpages.com/ some letters there you probably like to see . do you have any photos of family members I could use for my tree? I am more that happy to reciprocate wherever I am able to kindest regards merry
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sorry the site I have should read http://downtooz.tribalpages.com/ cheers merry
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I have been studying the Maxwells of Portaferry/Corrog for several years...can we trade information!
Don Maxwell
Maxwell DNA STUDY
www.maxwell-dna.com