Hi Dave and Sandra,
Dave, thank you for your replies. I hope I'm not infringing on your time and generosity. If it's more convenient, I can wait until Sandra is back online. It seems like every answer brings about more questions and it is very exciting to speak with two people who are so knowledgeable about the area/history. Nevertheless, I don't want to put you or Sandra on the spot. Let me know when enough is enough!!!!
I must say that it still is not clear if the Illingworth Matthew is the one. According to his attestation papers, Matthew volunteered for the military in January 1795, so he could be the father of Sally and the other four children. On one of the children's birth records, I think it's John's, it's noted in the margin that he is the son of a pauper. Would a weaver's apprentice be considered a pauper or is it possible that he did not succeed in weaving?
The birth date for Matthew's first son in Ireland is not clear due to the destruction of all of the early County Down records in the Dublin fire of 1922. The first Robert that we can document died in 1878 at the age of 51, which means he would have been born in 1827. Some family members feel that the age on the death certificate is not correct and he may have been ten years older, meaning he would have been born in 1817. I'm of the opinion that there is an earlier generation, an earlier child born in the early 1800s. Since the records no longer exist, we'll probably never be able to answer that question.
Interestingly, one of Sandra's gravestones has created another mystery. We know that two weeks after Matthew enlisted, an Isaac signed up for the same regiment. We always assumed it was Matthew's brother, the one born in 1759. However, according to the gravestone, that Isaac died in 1760 at the age of 1. So now we have two mysteries, who is Matthew and is he related to Isaac!
I guess what I need to do is find out whether or not there is a death certificate for the Illingworth Matthew. I've done a lot of research using the BMDs for the non-conformist churches held by the National Archives. Unfortunately, the death records do not seem to be complete. Is there an archive somewhere for the Mt. Zion New Connexion and the South Parade churches? I've checked the purchasing records for the burial ground at Mt Zion but do not see anything there.
Thanks again for all your help. Please let me know if I can do any research for either of you. I'm in the U.S.
Cindy
