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https://irishconstabulary.com/researching-harbour-constable-samuel-rea-t4140.html

Not sure if this is you or not ?

Yes, that was me 

William was Samuel's best man so they were obviously very close.

I think the same! Before becoming Harbour Constable, Samuel was a labourer. His father and William were farmers. I found a Samuel and William Rea in the Griffith's Valuation for the parish of Saintfield, although I don't quite know what to do with that information yet.

https://griffiths.askaboutireland.ie/gv4/z/zoomifyDynamicViewer.php?file=083164&path=./pix/083/&rs=35&showpage=1&mysession=3000040331588&width=&height=

Thanks everyone for taking some time to look at this.

I am sure you have done this, but is this the death of William Rea to begin with?
https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/deaths_returns/deaths_1906/05549/4556951.pdf

And William in 1901
https://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Ballynahinch/Mourne_View_Street/1224899/

Have you found all the people mentioned?

Yes, those refer to the same William!

As for the others, this is what I've pieced together from a few letters of administration and death notices from the Registrar's District of Lisburn.

Samuel Rea (the cousin) still unknown, although the Samuel Rea's (from top of gravestone) father was also Samuel, hmm...
William Rea b. 1820, d. 1906
Eliza Rea b. 1821, d. 1895
David Rea b. 1824, d. 1894
John Rea b. 1830, d. 1894

Eliza and David both left their belongings to William, David was present at John's death and died ~9 months later. William left his belongings to Samuel (from top of gravestone), even though he was staying with the Patterson family (linked above by heywood). Patterson's wife Eliza was the daughter of John McIlhone and Jane Rea (b. 1843, d. 1919).

Jane's relation is still unknown, although with her dates I think it would make sense to be Samuel's (b. 1841, d. 1908) sister. On both their marriage registrations, father is marked as Samuel (farmer). But it's all I have for now.

This is all very confusing to summarize with recurring names   At present, I see 2 loose ends with William seemingly the key between both of them. What would William's relation to Samuel be, and how does Jane fit in the picture?

I'm sorry for the necropost, but I'm hoping to reach other's who've previously posted in this thread.

I believe my family to be related to Jane Rea and John McIlhone in some way. My working theory as of now is that my earliest known ancestor (Samuel Rea born ~1841, Harbour Constable) might have been Jane Rea's brother. There is a tombstone in Saintfield Parish Church, County Down that reads:

Erected by
Samuel Rea and his son David J. Rea
to the memory of their cousins
William Rea,
who died 24th Oct. 1906, aged 86 years.
Also his brothers and sister
Samuel Rea, Eliza Rea,
David Rea, John Rea,
of Ballygreen Ballynahinch
---
The above Samuel Rea,
who died 15th Sept 1908.
Also his wife Mary Robb,
who died 28th Nov. 1915.
Also their daughter Eliza Rea,
who died 11th March 1899, aged 19 years.

I was able to find the above William Rea in the 1901 census records, where he lived with John Beattie Patterson and Eliza Rea McIlhone (sister of Samuel Rea McIlhone and William James McIlhone discussed above). William was a farmer, never married or had any kids. Upon his death, he left his effects to Samuel Rea.

Samuel (married to Mary Robb) and his son David John (married to Sara Jane Ferguson) lived in Belfast, with David eventually moving to Canada with his family.

Samuel Rea is currently our brick wall, all we know from his marriage record is his father was a farmer also named Samuel Rea.

I'd love to be able to confirm the relation between Samuel and Jane Rea as it'd be a significant addition to our family tree.