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« on: Sunday 26 September 10 00:27 BST (UK) »
Hi Maggie
Hope I'm getting through to you - been fiddling about with activations and all sorts for ages now! Daniel Ballentine and Agnes Ferris, I believe, were my great-grandparents. My mother, their granddaughter, is still alive and kicking at the ripe old age of 82. Just happened to mention to her today as we were on our way to put flowers on the family grave that I would be interested in researching the Ferris side of the family. The grave (Belfast) is eternal home to my grandfather, Charles Ferris Ballentine (joiner), his wife Mary and my very late uncle John Ferris Ballentine. I have a younger cousin named Ian Ferris xxx! My mum had a brother who died in infancy - his name was Ferris Ballentine. As per family folklore, my mum's interpretation of family history is that the Ferris side of the family hailed from France. Three brothers arrived in Larne in order to escape persecution - they were Huguenots They set up mills in the area - their offspring went into the building trade. Ferris Park bears their name. All sorts of little snippets of family history filter through - my mum remembers her grandmother referring to 'the bastinet' which is French for pram. The Ballentines did hail from Co Antrim - Bushmills has been mentioned as the homeplace of my great-grandfather. If, in fact, the French thread of the family is neither myth nor legend, the spelling would have been 'Ferres'. J'ai etudie la langue francaise a l'ecole. Je parle assez bien mais j'ai oublie presque tous! I'm going to hit the button now and hope it works!