Prodger's Scavenger Hunt....Everyone Welcome To Join In

[Tephra]

Welcome to this weeks Scavenger Hunt..... rather a complicated one this week, in Ireland, so you'll need your thinking caps on.

Good Luck and Good Hunting

Barbara

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Here is everything I know about James Graham.

James Graham b abt 1797 d 10 Dec 1882
From Glenavy, Antrim, Ireland
Buried Gloucester, Carleton, Ontario, Canada
emmigrated to Canada before Feb 5 1829

Wife's name Mary Ann Upton b Ireland.

5 Children all born in Canada
James Graham b 1831 d 29 Nov 1911
Mary Ann Graham b 1831 ? no other details may be twin and died young
Eleanor Graham b 27 dec 1834
Hugh Graham b 1836 d 27 Dec 1913
Edward Graham b abt 1845 d 12 jul 1923

James Graham is identified in the McCabe's List. ( a petition dated feb 5 1829 from Bytown, Canada)
Item 281 - states he is from Antrim, Glenarvey, Near Belfast.
States number of applicants family - 2 males, 1 female. All in Canada

A Hugh Graham is also identified in list
Item 279 - states he is from Antrim, Glenarvey, near Belfast.
States number of applicants family - 2 males - 4 females.
Hugh Graham has 2 brothers-in-law, Charles McNally & Jacob May; they have large families and reside at Glennarry near Belfast. they are known to Mr John McKunts of Belfast Falls.

I assume Hugh is James brother/cousin and is the other male identified in item 281.

In the Canadian 1871 census James is identified as Roman Catholic and a farmer. We also know that he purchased farm land in 1830.

I am hoping to get information about James and his family from Ireland.

[akanex2]

With no Irish census returns surviving from the C19th, I would start by trying to find =any family who remained in Ireland in the Griffith Valuation (householder list compiled for taxation purposes in the 1850s).

I found 3 Graham households in Glenavy:- Jeremiah, Arthur and James being the heads.  Do these names recur in the Canadian family?

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

[akanex2]

I also find the household of John Upton in the neighbouring parish of Tullyrusk - he is the only Upton listed in County Antrim.

The beauty of the Griffith site is you can find full details (acreage, value and map) on the website free of charge.  Once you complete a search, click on the "Original page" icon to see a description of a ratepayer's property.  Then use the property number to find it on the maps.  Click on the "Views" icon, use the "Map-Satellite-Hybrid" slider on the top of the map to bring up the modern day map and zoom in (Glenavy is to the west of Belfast, south of the International Airport).  Then slide right, back to the 1850s map and find the number of the property on the appropriate townland.  You can see the field layout, location of houses and other buildings and, using the slider, identify exactly where it is on the modern street map.  Then go to the same location on Google maps and use street view to see how it looks today.

First you have to identify the right family/property, though.....

[toni*]

A lot of Roman Catholic churches still hold their PR’s rather than having submitted them to the local RO, what i would suggest you do is find the nearest RC Church to James p.o.b and write to them and ask if they have his baptisim record or any other records relating tot eh Graham family, tell them what you have and that you want to find James history, the worst they can say is no they cannot help you, also it may be worth contacting a Catholic Family History Society / Group.
There are circa 55 years between James birth and the Griffiths valuation which will just tell you of Grahams living in the area at the time, I do not think it tells you how long they have been there.
I think you need to establish what the area where James was born was used for mining / farming etc. and what was his most likely occupation, I wonder if manorial records (these have different boundaries to the parish) are still around, I would suggest contacting the local records office to where James was born and asking them , maybe you could look for mentions of the name Graham although it would be James parents who most likely would be giving the offering rather than James himself and so he is unlikely to be mentioned and you would need his parents names.
What was the population of Glenavy, Antrim there must be a record somewhere even if it was only a male head count.
You should not as yet assume there is a relationship between James & Hugh.
How do you know James wifes name (surname)? Mary Ann Upton when did they marry and where?
When did James arrive in Canada? And by what means? I see he was there in 1830 where was he before this?

I am not sure about the McCabe's List but if it mentions James and then 2 males and 1 female and then Hugh and 2 males and 4 females this does not add up.

p.s. have you searched the new beta site on familysearch.org? they have a lot more information than the original familysearch site.

[toni*]

http://www.glenavyhistory.com/glenavyParish.html

http://www.lisburn.com/books/glenavy/glenavy-1.html

[toni*]

How old was Mary ? I see she was also of Irish origin which could mean they married in Ireland or Canada which does not help much but her age may give a clue and if there were any children pre 1831.
If James came to Canada when he was a child you would expect his parents also to go with him are there any older Grahams in the same areas as James that could be his parents?
I see James named one of his children Hugh this could be after Hugh you found or could be Hugh because they liked the name.

[toni*]

I see there was also an Andrew Graham b. Belfast in 1826 who died in Ontario  in 1913

i amnot very good outside of England but i am trying 

[akanex2]

Glenavy RC parish records only survive from 1848 so no good for your families (currently available on microfilm, but currently being digitised to be put online).

Tullyrusk is part of the larger RC parish of Derriaghy which has separate records only from 1877, but in earlier times was united with Belfast (records survive there from 1798 - after the parishes were split).

In 1766 the population of Glenavy and Tullyrusk consisted of 441 families, of whom 205 were Roman Catholic (the parish priest then being Rev John McLogan). In 1871 the population of Glenavy alone was 10,944 (of whom 2,600 were RC).

Unfortunately all estate records etc are in PRONI in Belfast which is closed until March 2011 to move to new premises and only microfilmed records are currently available.  Try their website to search the online catalogue (and post 1858 wills calender for family members who remained behind in Ireland).

http://www.proni.gov.uk/

From Griffith it appears Glenavy and Tullyrusk were the estate of the Seymour-Conway family (Marquises of Hertford).  A tenant list for 1729 is in PRONI with a map identifying their holdings and rent rolls for the years 1719-31 are also there - but inaccessible for the next 4 months!

[akanex2]

Only Graham headstone from St Joseph's RC Church, Glenavy

IHS, Here lie the remains of Francis J Graham, the dearly beloved son of Patrick & Leticia Graham, died 7th March, 1862, aged 16 months, also the remains of Margaret Graham, who departed this life 12th March 1865, aged 3 years, and 3 weeks, also the remains of Patrick Graham, his son, who died in infancy, May 1866

There are also a number of Graham graves in the Presbyterian churchyard in Tullyrusk but none look relevant (mostly too modern).