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Messages - George Gordon

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1
Family History Beginners Board / Re: "Lightbody" family in Bangor, Co.Down, Northern Ireland - any ideas about that?
« on: Saturday 25 January 14 22:20 GMT (UK)  »
I meant to add that if William John Lightbody is the son of John Lightbody and Anne McMillan you can check Griffith Valuation online for John. Type Griffith Valuation into Google and take the option with askaboutireland. The whole valuation for Ireland is there and Down was covered in the early 1860's. You need to put in the name Lightbody with a first name John. Choose County Down and the Parish of Bangor (do not worry about Barony).

You will find there was a John Lighbody living in Fisher's Hill in Bangor. I have no way of being certain that is William John's father but it seems likely. You can also look link this to the original Ordnance Survey used in the survey, although I find it a bit frustrating at times as it seems not always to take you to the right place.

If it does not you have to do it manually. Bangor is on the south side of Belfast Lough to the east of Belfast, and Fisher's Hill runs up from the harbour parallel to Ballymagee Street. You can also find Castle Street at the top of Main Street and the open ground between there and Upper Main Street became Castle Square (there were no houses then). 

All the best again

George Gordon

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Family History Beginners Board / Re: "Lightbody" family in Bangor, Co.Down, Northern Ireland - any ideas about that?
« on: Saturday 25 January 14 21:24 GMT (UK)  »
Many thanks for the information about the marriage. Although the Lightbody family in Bangor and my mothers family from Belfast are different I did at one time think they were connected - mainly because there is a father William John and a son William James in both. It took me a long time to realize they were different.

I am sure my grandfather and your ancestor William John must have known each other. In the 1901 Census John Gordon lived at 26 Castle Street and by 1911 he was in 64 (shortly afterwards he moved round the corner to Castle Square where Frank and I were born). All those houses on the right in Castle Street and all of the Square are now gone.

There were also a Nellie (Ellen) Lightbody in both families. Whilst trying to find out what had happened to my Aunt Nellie (she died in Belfast) I came across the marriage of a Nellie Lighbody and an Andrew Savage. They were married on 16th September 1915 at Bangor Abbey Church. There is a birth of a William Andrew Savage for 26th September 1917 and a death for the mother the next day aged 21.

If I can be of any help in let me know. Ross Davies has a County Down website with a lot of information searchable by surname. I think the name is http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rosdavies  Or just Google ros davies.

All the best

George Gordon

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Family History Beginners Board / Re: "Lightbody" family in Bangor, Co.Down, Northern Ireland - any ideas about that?
« on: Saturday 16 November 13 23:28 GMT (UK)  »
Many thanks. I think the Starrette with the name put me off as William John Lightbody never used that name. I suppose you are under no obligation to use forenames given by your parents.

That is the right birth however. I knew William John and Ellen were buried in Belfast City Cemetery as Belfast City Council has a searchable website. However I had not realised that if you know the plot number you can list all the burials.

There are four burials there. Margaret McConkey on 12th January 1909, William John and Ellen Elizabeth Lightbody in 1912 and Ellen Lightbody on 31st January 1922. Margaret McConkey died at 11 Glencairn Street where William was living so she must have been related to his mother Anna.

It also solved the puzzle of my aunt Nellie. She died at the Abbey, Whiteabbey. The Abbey had been a tuberculosis hydrotherapy centre since 1897 and was to become Whiteabbey Hospital in the 1930's. She would only have been about 24 years old.

Again many thanks for your help.

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Family History Beginners Board / Re: "Lightbody" family in Bangor, Co.Down, Northern Ireland - any ideas about that?
« on: Friday 15 November 13 23:09 GMT (UK)  »
I went back up to the GRO in Belfast this week and tried again, The advice not to be specific about William John was good. I knew he was 41 when he died in 1912 so he was born about 1870 and his marriage and the census give Belfast as his birthplace.

There is a birth for a John Lightbody in Belfast on 15th January 1870 at 47 Boundary Street. His parents were William Lightbody and Anna McConkey. They had been married on 19th May 1864 at Christ Church of Ireland.

 I think when searching at GRO you need to have broad net. Searching for a William will not reveal a Willie unless you use the % wildcard. Ellen can become Nellie etc. I still have a lot to learn but it is is becoming very enjoyable (if frustrating at times).

William John had five children when he died. Four of them I know a lot about. They all ended up in Bangor where I was born. The other (Nellie) I only know from a birth record and a few photographs. I never heard her mentioned in the family and wonder what happened to her. She was 14 when she lost both her parents within six months.

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Family History Beginners Board / Re: "Lightbody" family in Bangor, Co.Down, Northern Ireland - any ideas about that?
« on: Saturday 02 November 13 19:42 GMT (UK)  »
The address he gave on the marriage certificate is hard to read but seems to be 43 Foyle Street (the same is given for Ellen Ward). I presume this only means that is where he was on the day he was married rather than where he actually lived. He was an engraver and I can find him in Belfast Street Directories and the Census Records at Tasmania Street, Larkfield Road, 10 Baden Powell Street, 11 Glencairn Street, 3 Greenmount Terrace (Ballymagarry) and finally 54 Whiterock Road. Greenmount Terrace is now gone unfortunately but 54 Whiterock Road (on the 1911 Census) is still there. I have a family photograph taken outside,  and although the exterior has now been rendered the house is the same.

In 1892 an engraver named S Rainey lived at 43 Foyle Street so I presume he was a friend or work colleague.

The witnesses were William James Gray and Roseanna Lyons.

I understand that it might be hard to find the birth at the GRO because he is under John or William etc but the marriage, death and births of his four children are all under William John Lightbody. That was my first visit to GRO and I am still getting to grips with working through records and the pitfalls. I suppose another trip to GRO is necessary to be absolutely sure. There are not many variations on the name Lightbody but I have seen Leghbody

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Family History Beginners Board / Re: "Lightbody" family in Bangor, Co.Down, Northern Ireland - any ideas about that?
« on: Saturday 02 November 13 11:40 GMT (UK)  »
This has been a source of confusion for me as well. I did believe originally that my grandfather William John Lightbody had been born in Bangor in 1869 and moved to Belfast where he died in 1912 (buried in Belfast City Cemetery). However after a trip up to the GRO in Belfast and a look at the Census (as you have pointed out) there are two Lightbody families in the census for 1901 and 1911 - one in Belfast and one in Bangor with a father William John and a son called William James. To add to the confusion my uncle William James and his brothers and sisters all moved to Bangor at some stage after their parents died.

Although the census states that my grandfather was born in Belfast I can only find one birth record for a William John during the right period. My grandfather was 41 when he died on 2nd October 1912 so he was born about 1871. The William John at the GRO was born on 4th July 1869 and the birth was registered in Newtownards so that is probably the one living in Bangor.

I verified his marriage at the GRO. He was married to Ellen Elizabeth Ward from Leicester at St Anne's in Belfast on 28th December 1891. His father was William, an engineer, and her father was Frank William Ward, a compositer (the Ward family all seem to have come from Leicester so he may have met Ellen there).

I have tried familysearch.org and they have his death right but only an estimate for his birth. So what I am looking for now is a William John Lighbody born about 1870 with a father called William.

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Family History Beginners Board / Re: "Lightbody" family in Bangor, Co.Down, Northern Ireland - any ideas about that?
« on: Friday 01 November 13 20:02 GMT (UK)  »
Betty

Although my mother was a Lightbody and lived in Castle Square in Bangor I do not think we are related. My mother came from Belfast and her father was William John and she had a brother William James. Confusingly there is a family in Bangor with a father William John and a son William James and they both appear in the 1901 and 1911 Census at the same time - so are different. When I first started to take an interest in the family I made the mistake of thinking the two families were the same (it is a rare co-incidence to have the names the same).

I have often wondered where my grandfather came from but I have have not managed to get a birth certificate as yet. All I am pretty certain about is that he was not born in Northern Ireland as there is no record in the GRO in Belfast - only the William John from Bangor.

I took a quick look at the Census for 1901 and 1911 and there are indeed plenty of Lightbodys in Bangor. If you have not looked they are online free from the National Archives in Ireland. Just google "census ireland 1901" and go to the nationalarchives website. You may find names that you know immediately. It took me a while to be sure about some of the relationships but if I can do any more to help let me know.

All the best

George


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Family History Beginners Board / Re: "Lightbody" family in Bangor, Co.Down, Northern Ireland - any ideas about that?
« on: Thursday 19 September 13 20:08 BST (UK)  »
Frank

I tried to reply personally to your message but got an error message. It may be that I have to have so may posts so I am hoping this counts as the third and I will try again tomorrow.

All the best

George

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Family History Beginners Board / Re: "Lightbody" family in Bangor, Co.Down, Northern Ireland - any ideas about that?
« on: Wednesday 18 September 13 19:51 BST (UK)  »
Frank

We are indeed old Castle Square men (I have many happy memories of the place now sadly gone). Walter (another son of William John) lived at Hayford at the Primacy and many times I walked out there from the Square (passing Uncle Bill's house on the Bloomfield road if not calling in).

I will gladly share any information I have about Uncle Bill. I may be wrong however about his father being born in Bangor as there may be two William John Lightbodys in the census. The only way to sort it out would be to go to Belfast and check the birth records. It still seems a coincidence to me that they all ended up in Bangor however.

I have Uncle Bill's war record and if you do not have it (I am sure you have) let me know.

His son Jim is living in England and could fill in a lot of detail for you and Joanie is still in Bangor.

All the best

George

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