McGeowns of Roan, Derrynoose, Keady

[ullswater]

I am trying to find out about the ancestors and descendants of Stephen McGeown and Mary Kirk of the townland of Roan, Derrynoose, near Keady in the County of Armagh.  They had a number of children - John McGeough (baptised 1857), Sarah McGone (1860), Thomas McGone (1862), Ellen McGeon (1865), Margaret McGone (1867), Catherine McGone (1870), Stephen Patrick McGone (1872), Henry McGone (1874) and James McGone (1878), all of whom were baptised at St Patrick's RC Church in Keady.
On birth certificates Stephen was described as a labourer but as a linen mill worker on one certificate; allegedly he had a big funeral that was reported in the newspapers (date uknown) as he allegedly held some position at the cathedral in Armagh.  Nothing is known of Mary Kirk apart from the fact that she was dead in 1906.
Of the children, John moved to Broxburn, West Lothian, Scotland, and never married.  Sarah also moved to Broxburn and married a Donoghue.  Thomas - nicknamed Mowdu (meaning unknown) - also went to Broxburn and married a Mary Jane McArdle; one of their children, Harry, married in Winchburgh, near Broxburn, and emigrated to America.  Catherine also went to Broxburn, marrying a John O'Brien, but dying in childbirth on Christmas day 1905.  James also went to Broxburn.
At the time Broxburn attracted a lot of workers from Ireland due to the oil from shale works; Scotland was a pioneer in the production of petroleum and was, for a short time, dominant in the world production of oil - all centred in West Lothian where Bathgate was the largest manufacturer of coal oil in the world.  Some 10,000 workers, many from Ireland mined the shale, and Paddy Mulhern - the foreman of the Uphall oil plant (Uphall is between Bathgate and Broxburn) - gave preference to Irish workers.
If anyone has any leads or ideas in finding out where Stephen McGeown and Mary Kirk came from (or, indeed, anything about them) I would be most grateful.  Also, the same applies to the surname - as mentioned, the surnames of the children varied from McGeown, to McGone, to McGeon, to McGeough.  Why was this - was it because the parish priest spelled the names phonetically?

[jackmcguk]

Hello, you mention that Sarah moved to Broxburn and married a Donoghue.  Would you happen to know his name and if it was definitely Broxburn that he came from.  I am researching the Donoghue family who came from Ireland originally, but ended up in Niddry (between Broxburn and Winchburgh.) I would be grateful for any information you might have.  Thanks
Jack

[ullswater]

I am sorry, but I cannot help there.  I was given the information minus the Christian name of the spouse, by a now deceased aunt.  Sarah and her husband had five children - Mary, Margaret, Rose, Harry, and John, with John being killed in the Great War.   I beleive that a daughter of one of the children (Agnes?) ended up living in Canada.
I hope that helps.

[Christopher]

Seasons Greetings ullswater,

One of the librarians in Armagh Library may be able to find a record of Stephen's funeral. The NI Libraries have indexes of the notable articles in local newspapers and the dates the articles were published. Stephen's funeral, since it may have been a large one allegedly reported in one of the papers, should be on an index for one of the Armagh papers.

Christopher

Broken Link

[tootsiepie]

http://uk.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?lat=54.2871&lon=-6.7104&scale=25000&icon=x

Roan cottage appears to be in the townland of Roughan. In G.V. for Roughan, Roughan house is the first entry, and then after a few other households,  a Stephen McGowan is at 2a.

Edited a few minutes later.   A William Kirk  and Mary Girvan are immediate lessor to the Owners/Tenants of Roughan House (James R. Girvan) inc offices,papermill, flaxmills and land.  Maybe something or nothing.
In turn, James R.Girvan is immediate lessor to Stephen McGowan.

[mmitchell]

There is a memorial statue in the middle of Keady dedicated to William Kirk who owned a lot of the land in and around Keady.  I believe he also had something to do with the mills.

[MABH]

Hello,
     I have no idea who you are, but you may be inquiring about my grandfather's family.  My grandfather's name is John McGeown.  I know he grew up in Broxburn, Scotland, probably born in 1898 or 1899, and I also know he had a nickname similar to Thomas McGeown's Mowdu.  My grandfather immigrated to America and married Bessie from Winchburgh, Scotland.  They eventually settled in New York City.  My grandfather's parents were Thomas McGeown and Mary Ann McArdle, (not Mary Jane) from Armagh, Ireland.  Thomas' family sold horses in Ireland, and Maryann's family had a funeral home. 
My grandfather had two sisters Jean, and Sarah.  Jean married in Winchburgh and moved to Aberdeen when the shale mines were closing.  As a child visiting in Scotland with my grandparents, I had the fun of climbing the mountain of shale from the mines, and it is know a pretty hill covered with grass (1960S).  Sarah died in 1964? of diabetes.  My grandfather also had a brother named Thomas who moved to London.  I am amazed at the similarities, and the repition of names.   I still have a cousin in Aberdeen, Scotland, and I am still in contact with her.  If you respond to me, I can contact her for information.  I am amazed...are you a distant relative?  My grandfather (and grandmother) was first class, and I adored him!!