ardmoulin Sent as pm although I don’t like doing this normally as the more people who see the more chance of abetter answer
1944 Newsletter obituary, death notice or just a report. As far as I know there isn’t an index as such to the several newspapers that existed.
My memory is that the LinenHall Library, Belfast had cutting books filled with chopped up entries from the Belfast Newsletter for BMD’s I worked in the library and my boss Jimmy Vitty took them home to do the pasting in monthly. he was doing this in 1960 but I cant remember when they started. They exist on the reference floor beside the Books relating to Ireland section. Much more recently on a rare visit to NI, I remember there is recently a large card index of something like BMDs also nearby. You could ask them ie Linen Hall Library,17 Donegall Square North, Belfast BT15GB, Northern Ireland, Telephone: +44 (0)28 9032 1707, Fax: +44 (0)28 9043 8586, Email: <irish.reference[at]linenhall.com>.
The Belfast Telegraph has index called Eddies extracts
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~econnolly/miscellaneous.html but Eddies extracts are missing for 1944 you could write a letter to the Editor
The Irish News now has an indexing system but I dont think its started until1996 you could write a letter to the Editor. Most likely if Margaret Jane Rafferty was a catholic.
Lets think about Hill Street see
www.lennonwylie.co.uk/belfast.htm Mary Lennon is very approachable, ask her or study first her look up system, she has a 1944 street directory might be wise to ask that 1943 is also looked up/ You can get the flavour if you look the 1910 directory. What I suggest is you get the entire entry for Hill Street 1944 and see if any of the commercial companies had a connection to say Ballyclare or who would be wealthy enough to have servants if that is the correct description for her appointment… Would that employer have put a death notice in the paper?
in 1910 see Hill Street Waring Street to Talbot Street
Lets think about the Belfast Jubilee hospital records war time more likely to be kept in some ways rather than in peacetime. Ask for help on Belfast Forum for whereabouts of recorda 1944 and earlier Has your husband got a full copy of his berth certificate
I noticed you had another query re Fr Maguire and wondered if he had connections to Rafferty as such. If you know the chapel where he worked, records might exist. Now must stop , I wish you luck onwards, Jim
