A couple of years ago RedRover (« Reply #41 on: Tuesday 29 December 2009) responded to a post from Roxanna "...it is not clear from the Freeholder's list I talked about as to whether John and George are children or "other" in relation to Alexander, but I noted there is no female person mentioned in his lives list...
which leaves me confused. Is the "Freeholders List" not an electoral register? If so it would not indicate relationships, would it? When Redrover talks of "lives" would that be the lives associated with a lease? If so then perhaps there is a memorial of it in the Register of Deeds in Dublin, which could be checked if the year of the lease were known; is it known?
He continued "so if John & George are children, the mother is perhaps deceased?...
Do I interpret this correctly that Redrover is speculating that if there were children there must have been a mother? If so, on what basis is the suggestion made that she was perhaps deceased?
The next part I think I understand "...as for potential mothers ...
there is an Alexander Pentland marriage to "Eliza McWatters" 1826, listed in Co Down perhaps a second wife?...
Alexander Pentland who died in 1861 age 58 is buried in a family plot in Kircubbin alongside Eliza Pentland and an Eliza McWatter married an Alexander Pentland in 1826. If i may add my own speculation here - could he be the son of Samuel Pentland of Innishargy who is also buried in that plot? and again by extrapolation the grandson of John Pentland of Ballygarvan?
Is it also perhaps more than a coincidence that the will of Alexander Pentland who died about 1861 had John Finlay of Innishaigne (Innishargy?) and Samuel Harris of Ballygarvin as executors?
The post goes on ...there is (in the Belfast Registry 1810 Volume 4) a reference of a marriage in Banbridge of a Mr Alexander Pentland to a Miss Murney, perhaps the first wife?...
A first wife to who? Could transcription have also reformed her name from Murray?
and
...but although the townlands are close by, I am going to work the the Ballyworkan thing...
may I enquire whether that work produced any positive results?
Redrover than continued
...I don't know why Alexander did not continue in Ballyworkan,...
Perhaps because he was not the first son and an older brother inherited?
...but I noted in the Freeholder's list Proni D/1928/F/99 that his vote for a candidate was rejected because he did not produce a "certificate" for his land - it appears that he was also voting for the "other" candidate (the one who did not win, at least that year)...
I thought I had checked all of the Freeholders on the PRONI website but don't see anything in my notes which matches this. Is it safe to say the rejected vote came as a relt of failure to register as an elector which required proof of qualification as an elector and Redrover's statement suggests he owned a lease which provided this qualification?
I also identify with Redrover's final sentiments "Ah got to love a mystery. Let me know if you find anything else or perhaps we can fly to Drumcree or Seagoe or Mullavilly for that matter and scour the records together for Pentland!" - except that the place to look is likely Dublin rather than the Southern Ulster!
