RootsChat.Com
Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Antrim => Topic started by: carlotta on Tuesday 06 March 18 19:53 GMT (UK)
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Hello
I am actually from and living in Co Antrim however I have a big stumbling block that I have researched for 8 years now with no luck.
I have been trying to ascertain the final resting place of my aunt who died when she was nearly 2 in 1917.
Hester Cooper born 25/2/1916 to Archibald and Sarah Cooper living at 95 Glenwood Street.
Hester died 4/12/1917 at the above address due to Tubercular Meningitis and I do have the death certificate.
She is not in the cemeteries that Belfast City Council manage and as far as I can ascertain is not in Millfield.
She 'may' be in Shankill Graveyard as that is where they are from but again searching the fragments I cannot find her. I don't want to give up as she was the first child of my Grandfather and he never really got over her death. He was a religious man if that helps. Are there any church graveyards about the Shankill that are not covered by Belfast City Council?
Any hints even would be great as I feel I must solve this one.
Thanks in advance for any help.
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I am not sure if this will help but if you are looking for a grave rather than a burial that may be the stumbling block.
Often people of modest means could not afford a grave,babies and small children were often buried with other people not related to them.A communal grave.
My mother`s two baby brothers were buried in such graves with twenty and twenty two people respectively. Both are properly recorded but are on top of a lot of other people.Then more on top of them.
You may have explored this avenue and if so I apologise.Viktoria.
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Thanks for the info. The problem is there are no burial records I can find. Belfast City Council do not have any records of her. If she was in a communal grave then surely there would still be a record.
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I see your point,there should be a record somewhere.
Could church records help? I realise you don`t know which church.
Hope you make a break through.Viktoria.
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Infants and small children were some sometimes buried with grandparents or other relatives. Do you know what religion the family were and where they attended church? In Ireland it's usually only the Church of Ireland that kept burial records so it may be difficult to find an unmarked grave.
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According to census they were Presbyterian.
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So she would be buried in the "Non Com"----non conformist part of any public cemetery and not in a church cemetery as she was not Church of England (or Ireland).
So in a chapel burial place or the Non Com part of any public burial place.
So narrowed down a bit. Best of luck.
Viktoria.
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Some people take a few photos when they visit a Cemetery that might be of help to others, and put them on the likes of IGP
Have you tried http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ and searched "Headstones" in whatever County is for Belfast?
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So she would be buried in the "Non Com"----non conformist part of any public cemetery and not in a church cemetery as she was not Church of England (or Ireland).
So in a chapel burial place or the Non Com part of any public burial place.
So narrowed down a bit. Best of luck.
Viktoria.
Things are a bit different here in Northern Ireland. Presbyterians would normally be buried in -
1) Presbyterian burying-ground, or
2) Church of Ireland graveyard (if family had a plot there), or
3) cemetery
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Perhaps I did not make it really clear.
Non Conformists are:-Methodists,Baptists,Presbyterians ( and Quakers but they usually have their own burial grounds.)
Many chapels had their own burial grounds around the chapel but if not there were specific areas designated as Non Conformist in public cemeteries. Also of course Church of England (or Ireland)
I was trying to say it will be better if you search in Non Com cemeteries belonging to chapels or the Non Com parts of public cemeteries.Hope this helps and best of luck with your searches.
Viktoria.
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All good suggestions I am going down the route of buried with other relatives.
Thanks
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Perhaps I did not make it really clear.
Non Conformists are:-Methodists,Baptists,Presbyterians ( and Quakers but they usually have their own burial grounds.)
Many chapels had their own burial grounds around the chapel but if not there were specific areas designated as Non Conformist in public cemeteries. Also of course Church of England (or Ireland)
I was trying to say it will be better if you search in Non Com cemeteries belonging to chapels or the Non Com parts of public cemeteries.Hope this helps and best of luck with your searches.
Viktoria.
I did understand what you originally posted but the situation in Northern Ireland is different. Here a 'chapel' usually refers to a Catholic Church. The Church of Ireland was the State or Established Church but because others (Presbyterians in particular) had to pay tithes to the local church they had the right to be buried in the graveyard. The Irish Church Act (1869) separated church and state so tithes were no longer paid. However, many Presbyterian families continued to keep using the same family plots in the COI graveyards. In addition, many Presbyterian Churches (and indeed others in towns and cities) didn't have their own burying ground (or space for such). Thus the increase of municipal cemeteries where all denominations were buried.
Therefore, as I posted above, there are generally 3 places that Presbyterians might be buried.
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Excellent info about why presbyterians can be buried in 3 places - thanks. I had ruled out some of those.
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That is a complex set of circumstances.
Thank you for making it clear to me.
I never thought that people used the cemeteries of other denominations.
I do hope you find out what you want to know.
Viktoria.
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I could be wrong but I believe that Carnmoney Cemetery is a possibility. Burials (as far as I know) aren’t online as yet but you may be able to get the information from the cemetery office or Newtownabbey Borough council.
The only reason this occurred to me is because I have family, who originated from the Shankill/Woodvale, area buried there.
Sorry I can’t be more specific but I’m sure someone could elucidate further. Good luck in your searches :)
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Most often I found that babies were buried back with other family members so, if not done already, could go back to where your grandfather or grandmother's parents were buried if they died before the baby . Families made the trip back to the townlands to these family burial areas. Once in a while, was lucky to find a death notice in one of the two Belfast newspapers at the Central Library which gave the burying ground (or area) where burial was occurred. Best wishes with your search.