Island Magee

[faith1]

Hi J.A.M, Thanks for the info on the Ross's, I can only assume they must be some relation I now have to try and work that out.The information I have is very limited at present as you will see from my post but we hope to make atrip to Island Magee when we are in Ireland in October so hopefully we may be able to find out more then. Every bit of help I get is appreciated. Faith

[alistairgiffin]

Hi,
I have a lot of information about the McGiffin/ens. I have researched all the Giffin/Giffen families in Ireland and have collected a lot about the 'Mc's but have not yet processed it. Islandmagee seems to be a prolific area for them and there are 9 old headstones for them in Ballycarry (Templecorran old graveyard) with dates of death from the 1840s onwards. There are plenty of Williams and Francis but no-one with both names. There are no Wilhelminas either, even in the birth records so she must have been registered as Ross. I can look into it but I may need more information. On Wilhelmina's wedding certificate does it give her father's name as William Francis McGiffin?
Alistair Giffin McCartney
Belfast, Northern Ireland

[faith1]

Hi Alistair
Thanks for getting back to me. I am really interested in finding out more about the McGiffen's but unfortunately so far I have very little to go on. I do not have a copy of my Grandparents wedding certificate but do know that their marriage took place in Carrickfergus Methodist Church 27/10/1905 they were Robert Thompson and Wilhelmina McGiffen.
My husband and I have recently returned from a three week ancestry trail of Ireland and spent our first week in Co Antrim as my father came from Larne. I have found researching this side of my family quite difficult.
I know that on the LDS site my Granny's birth name is recorded as Wilhelmina Ross however on my Dad's wedding certificate she is down as Wilhelmina Thompson/ McGiffen.
It was information gathered from a late Aunt ( my Dad's sister ) that told me about how Elizabeth Ross ( my G Granny from Island Magee ) and William Francis McGiffen were to be married but there had been a dissagreement with his sisters? and it did not go ahead but it was agreed that the baby they were expecting ( my Granny ) would take his name. I also know that she is on the 1911 Larne Town Census as Wilhelmina Thompson? McGiffen.
I have it from two sources that he was a schoolmaster. I wonder if he did not come from Island Magee but just taught there and met my G Granny there. There again he may have come from there but after this happened felt the need to move away. I am in the process of trying to see if the church records would give the parents names. I would be delighted to get any information on the McGiffen's that may be relevant. Between the Ross's and the McGiffen's I am still a long way from cracking this side of my family. Thanks again Alistair for getting back and I look forward to hearing from you. Faith Butler/Thompson

[aghadowey]

Marriage certificates list the fathers' names and occupations but don't list mothers of bride or groom.
An illegitimate child would have almost always been registered with the mother's surname (her surname at the time of the child's birth) although baptism records often record the name of the child's father. Other sources, like school registers, often use whichever name the child was known by in the community.

[helenar]

Faith

There are these marriage records on Emerald Ancestors, maybe someone can fill in more details

1905 robert  THOMPSON   wilhelmina    Antrim
1905 robert     wilhelmina  MCGIFFIN  Antrim

http://www.emeraldancestors.com/

Helena

[helenar]

Faith 

I don’t know if this will mean anything to you, there are a few McGiffen Gravestones in Templecorran from the book Gravestone inscriptions Co. Antrim Vol. 2

One of them is as follows:
mounted same plinth as Rev. Alexander McGiffen. In memory of Francis McGiffen d. 21/02/1878 aged 36 and his brother William McGiffin d. 16/07/1929 aged 84.

The next gravestone on the page also mentions a Francis John MacGiffen.

[alistairgiffin]

Faith,

I think I have found him in the GRO deaths:

William McGiffin
died 16 July 1929
Carnbrock R.D. Ballycarry
bachelor 84 years
School Master (Retired)
Apoplexy certified
reg by Annie E Johnston, Niece, present at death, Carnbrock

This will be him and 2 brothers mentioned in the gravestones in Ballycarry:

[pair sandstone on plinth - south of south transept of old church]
Erected
to
the memory of
FRANCIS McGIFFIN
who died 21st February 1878
aged 36 years
and his Brother
WILLIAM McGIFFIN
who died 16th July 1929
aged 84 years

Erected
By his Brothers in memory of the
Rev. Alexander McGiffin, Minister
of the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian
Congregation of Ballymena
who died on the 24th October 1867,
only a few weeks after his Ordination
aged 30 years

If you want to contact me on

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I can send you some photos I took of these headstones earlier this year.

He seems to be one of the last McGiffins in Ballycarry and his sister may be Margaret McGiffin d.16 Mar 1925 at Ballycarry, spinster, 79 years, daughter of a farmer, senile decay certified, reg by A J McConnell, cousin, present at death, Ballycarry. I can tell you my ideas about how these all fit into the other McG families.

Alistair McCartney

[helenar]

Hi

There is also this will abstract on the PRONI site

Full Abstract:
Probate of the Will of Margaret Downey late of Carnbrock Templecorran Ballycarry County Antrim Widow who died 10 March 1913 granted at Belfast to William McGiffen Schoolmaster (Retired)

Helena

[Christopher]

If you search on LDS sit (www.familysearch.org) for 'McGiffin' and 'Ireland' loads of them in Country Antrim (including Larne & Carrickfergus) come up. Might be worth going through the entries.

P.S. here's some earier directories to try:
http://proni.aetopia.com/scripts/WebObjects.dll/StreetDirectories

The PRONI street directory link is no longer available for public viewing