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Thank you for the quick reply. I did not know of the James Orr damask weaver. That seems a better fit than a shoemaker for my James. Did that come from the 1901 census?
I don't have any other information other than that James II married to Margaret Geddes had a father named James and that he listed his home as Ballmagin. So that seems to be a possibility that this is his father James. I am not sure about the other family.
I think the only way this will be unraveled is a trip to Lurgan and a visit to the individual churches. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a great fare this winter sometime!
I appreciate all the help especially at this time of year. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.


Cindy

Hi Kat
That would be so generous.
I am trying to unravel a joint mystery with another researcher. I hope church records may be of some help.
A James Orr married Margaret Geddes Nov 6 1857 in Moira Co Down. James father was a James Orr as well, wife unknown at this point. James and Margaret had 9 children among whom were:
James b about 1858 presumed in Lurgan.
David Henry married to Dorothy Bell. David was borh in Lurgan and was the youngest of the family.
Records have a James Orr married to an Elizabeth Cranston Nov 27 1879 in the Parish Church in Lurgan. I think this may have been the Presbyterian church as in the 1901 census he lists himself as Presbyterian.
In the 1901 census for Lurgan James and Elizabeth are living in Lurgan and his father James is living with him. His brother (?) David is living nearby with his family.
What I am trying to determine is if the father of David and the father of James is the same man. I know that David Henry's mother was named Margaret Geddes. I do not know if the mother of James (married to Elizabeth) is Margaret Geddes as well. There were many Orr families in Lurgan at the same time and a great number were named the same! So it gets confusing.
We don't have a birthdate for the James married to Elizabeth or parent names other than the father. That shows up on his marriage certificate. What I am trying to do is link David Henry Orr and James Orr married to Elizabeth to see if they were brothers or unrelated. The link is that both had a father named James Orr.
David Henry Orr is COI and I am pretty sure was a member of the Shankill Parish Church. I am hoping that church records from there might help with a birth record or baptism record for James married to Elizabeth that would list his mother and father. That would tell me if he and David Henry were siblings.

If the record is not at Shankill Parish church then perhaps the Lurgan Presbyterian would have that record. Those are the two churches that show up in records.

I hope this is not too tangled.
I am very appreciative and hope you might have some idea of how to untangle this mystery. The key is who were the parents of the James Orr married to Elizabeth Cranston?

All the best
Cindy

Hello Cameron

Thank you for writing! I am interested in the family of Halliday Russell and Elizabeth Orr. They had children Kathleen, Molly, Fred and Cecil. I don't have dates of birth or marriages for the children and am wondering if they emigrated or have descendants still in the Lurgan area.

Thanks Cindy

hi Dixie
Thank you for the tip about Emerald Ancestors, I didn't know about it. Maybe James was an older brother?
Thank you for the information on William and Mary Jane.
Cindy