RootsChat.Com
Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Antrim => Topic started by: mona lisa on Sunday 03 January 21 17:35 GMT (UK)
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Wondering about the family of McGuffie, Alexander & McLean, Christina Black McGregor
I have Christina's birth info as well as the 1918 Marriage in Belfast. I have their 2 sons Alexander & John's birth information..... Where did they go? Any descendants?
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correction: Marriage 1917 December 31, Rosemary St. Belfast Ire
MCGUFFIE, Alexander & MCLEAN, Christina Black McGregor
Christina Black McGregor McLean daughter of John McLean occupation: Riveter
92 Lilliput St She was born 1898 July 9 to Catherine McDevitt & John McLean. John is son of Peter McLean, occupation: Mason /listed deceased by the 1892 June 13 Marriage Fountainville Church, Belfast of Kate McDevitt & John McClean. Some births under MacClean/McLean.Mostly Castlereagh
It was important to me to find any children who survived from my great aunt Kate McDevitt McLean
as several children died before aged 5. I was happy to see that Christina survived to marry
1917 December 31 to Alexander McGuffie and to have sons John (1918) & Alexander (1919) Might be more children. Checked 1901/1911 Census Ireland no John/Kate McLean. Solway St, Castlereagh No.4 Belfast . Hoping to find more children. John McLean sometimes MacLean is listed as a Boilermaker/Riveter . His spouse, my great aunt Kate/ Catherine on the Birth Registrations.I was pleased to find my greatgranny Isabella listed as attending a birth as well as my own granny!
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A daughter Christina McGuffie was born in 1921 (Apr-May-Jun Quarter), she went on to marry an Alexander Craig in Strand Presbyterian Church, Holywood, on 20 September 1941. Christina senior died on 2 June 1975 and was buried in Redburn Cemetery, Holywood, the death notices confirm that Alexander senior predeceased her and that Alexander junior was alive and working in the Metal Shop at R.A.F. Sydenham.
If you have access to archive copies of the Belfast Telegraph, there are 1964 and 1974 photos of Christina senior.
McGuffie isn't a common surname in Northern Ireland, so a possible death here:
https://dof.belfastcity.gov.uk/burialsearch/BurialRecordDetails.aspx?RecordID=0.57298
Edited to add: I checked the Belfast Telegraph death notices for Alexander senior (he died on 1 January 1956 and was buried in Redburn Cemetery), there was mention of a son Daniel McGuffie.
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gaffy ...Thank you very much for this information. I had no idea of their existence.That's what happens when families are countries/oceans apart. Is there a Belfast Telegraph Archive that is searchably user friendly ?
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I use the British Newspaper Archive, but it is far from reliable in its character recognition, so searches for information that is actually there, can end up fruitless.
From death notices again, I can also identify a son Norman McGuffie who died on 28 May 1960 and was buried in Redburn Cemetery, tragically it was a few days after a football accident during lunchtime at his work, his reported age at death would indicate birth c. 1933/4, he left a wife and little daughter (named, but won't mention here, in case alive). Lots of family information in the death notices, for example, they indicate that John McGuffie b. 1918 married someone with the forename Phyllis, also that there was another son called Donald McGuffie.
So in no particular order, the tally of children looks like John, Alexander, Christina, Daniel, Donald, and Norman.
Again if you have access to the Belfast Telegraph archive, there are various other mentions of McGuffie which are almost certainly these same folk, eg. references to addresses, where they worked, hobbies, not a huge amount.
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BTW, with the usual health warning about potential inaccuracy, note that there are trees on the 'Ancestry' website that cover this generation of the family and have some additional information, for example, the Christina junior I mentioned (who married Alexander Craig), had a son (named but will withhold it here in case alive) and the family emigrated to South Australia in 1952, Christina Craig died at Port Lincoln in 1976 and is memorialised at Adelaide (husband Alexander predeceased her in 1973 at Virginia).
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/175624422/christina-craig
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/175624163/alexander-craig
Edited to add: This looks like a strong possibility for the son:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/201558751/norman-craig
https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2019/201/UNCEM_2509251_ed184fd1-7580-4be9-96f6-f7838708cf70.jpeg (lots of information on the headstone)
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gaffy Many thanks and appreciation for the additional information.
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gaffy : Thanks for the "heads up". I am sure glad that I looked at the Family Trees last !
I reread my sources ie: Irish certifcates etc and who ever has the McGuffie/McLean MacLean Trees up have somehow gotten their wires extremely crossed. If they looked at the Marriage Registrations/Birth Registrations they would see their errors. Peter M'Clean is John M'Clean's father for example.
Frustrating. I look at the addresses as well as the occupations to get a clearer idea of "who is who".
Now that Irishgenealogy.ie/civil is online... please....please.. people check your sources.
Those hints on some of those sites...check them out first..people will recopy your mistakes.
p.s. I make no claim re: perfection LOL
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Daniel/Donald may turn out to be one chap as the names are interchangeable?
You may also want to consider variants of the surname e.g. McGough & others.
Annie
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There are some howlers out there alright, sometimes whole swathes of a tree covering dozens of folk are predicated on a wrongly identified ancestor. Sometimes, the very same tree can offer up great information as well as awful rubbish, so the advice is always 'caveat lector'.