Griffin family County Antrim

[charlotteuk]

Can anyone help me please as I am completely stuck?

I am looking for information on James Griffin born 1885 County Antrim.  His parents were Charles Griffin and Jane Darroch and he possibly had a brother, Frank.  James moved to Scotland but some family remained in County Antrim, as my father, James Griffin's son visited Ireland as a young boy (c1912-1920))

I need to find a location  before I can send for James Griffin's birth certificate.  Information suggests that Griffin is not a common name in County Antrim and also this family was Roman Catholic.  Charles Griffin was an agricultural labourer so I presume they lived in a rural location.

Can anyone suggest the next step,  without visiting Ireland or commissioning research? (neither of these are an option at present) I have found a few Griffin names on valuation records but no Charles Griffin as I think these are too early to show him as head of household given his son's date of birth.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Charlotte

[Christopher]

http://scripts.ireland.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm

The above site shows distribution of the name Griffin throughout Ireland between 1848 & 1864. It may help if you are able to find the Co. Antrim townlands where families by the name of Griffin lived. Someone may then be able to have a look at the appropriate church records.
 

[saz1401]

I have checked BIVRI but can find no names / dates that fit

Sorry
saz

[charlotteuk]

Thanks Christopher and Saz for your help.

My original message was posted some months ago and I now know that I am looking for the Griffin family form Ahoghill. 

Does anyone know if it is possible to obtain a certificate without the full address and date of birth?  Or does anyone have any information on Griffins from this area around the 1880's?

Charlotte

[samanthairish]

Hello Charlotte,

I just found out that my great-great grandmother was Jane Griffin, who married Readius Matthew Simpson and they lived in Portglenone, County Antrim in the late 1800's, according to their immigration records.  Possible we are related.   

I am still digging, and don't have much more than that at this point.  Hope you were able to get the birth certificate you were looking for.

[kingskerswell]

Samanthairish,
                     I note that the Civil Registration Index has your GGGrandmother's name as GIFFEN. It is in the Ballymena Registrars Volume 1 Page 129 for the quarter Oct-Dec 1888.

Regards

[samanthairish]

Wow!!  Thank you!!  So far we'd been going off of the immigration records, so I'm sure misspellings are probably common.

[kingskerswell]

Hi,
   The fathers' of the couple were William Giffen and Joseph Simpson. I have also found that a Jane Giffen's birth was registered in Portglenone on 15 Aug 1867 and her parents were William Giffen and Jane Kenney. Her siblings were:-
William Giffen 23 Apr 1865
David Giffen 11 Apr 1870
David Kenney Giffen 26 Jun 1872
Thomas Hugh Adams Giffen 26 Jun 1875

Regards

[alistairgiffin]

The Giffens you mention which are really Giffin and were Presbyterian. William Giffin & Jane Kenny married in High Kirk Ballymena 1853. They had 11 children with only 3 surviving to marry. They all emmigrated to USA on the State of Indiana arriving in New York on 17 Dec 1888 but all seem to have returned to Ireland except daughter Jane Simpson who stayed in Tennessee. This is the last record we have of William. By 1901 census wife Jane is recorded as a widow living back in Ballymena and as there is no death recorded of William in Ireland we can only assume he died in the USA. Jane Giffin nee Kenny died at Kells in 1907.