John McCahon

[burrowsgene]

I am seeking any information of a John McCahon who was born c1842 in Londonderry to William and (?). Place/townlnd names that have turned up in my search are Kilrae, Ballymoney and Destoghil. John apparently worked as a strapper/horseman for a prominent land owner in the area about Ballymoney.
John came to Sydney in 1859 and lived in Sydney until 1881.
There are several McCahon families in Australia but so far I have not made any connection.
John Burrows

[aghadowey]

Welcome to Rootschat. McCahon (and lots of variants) is a very common surname in this area and unfortunately civil registration of births started in 1864 so it's usually a matter of searching for church records for earlier years. To do so you need to know what religion the family were and where they lived.
In case you aren't familiar with the geography of the area- Kilrea is a small town on the west side of the River Bann in Co. Londonderry and Ballymoney's a bit larger town on the east side of the Bann in Co. Antrim. Your 'Destoghil' must be the parish of Desertoghill in Co. Londonderry which runs roughly from the town of Garvagh east towards Kilrea.
Do the place names you've listed come from various records in Australia for your John McCahon? any idea what religion John's family would have been? Any further clues as to his parents on marriage or death certificates?

[microbe]

Dear John,
I am interested in making contact with others who are  pursuing Mccahon genealogy and especially of family originating in the Kilrea area of Londonderry. My family came from Culnaman, a townland between Kilrea and Garvagh and I have fairly complete detail back to 1861 which I am willing to share.  Have you made any progress yourself?
microbe