John Gaston & Elizabeth McCartney, Ballymena

[jmartin]

Hi All,

Is anyone working on my Gaston family? John Gaston (1867 Ballymena-1942 Carrickfergus) and Elizabeth McCartney (d. 1939 Carrickfergus) had 11 children, several of whom emigrated to Canada. One of the Irish grandchildren was nicknamed "sweet cheeks." The family is on the 1901 and 1911 census records but I'm not sure how to research before this. The pictures are Elizabeth McCartney and "sweet cheeks."

Cheers,
Jeannie

[kingskerswell]

Hi
   12 Oct 1887 John Gaston married Lizzie McCartney in Ballymena 1st Presbyterian Church.
Fathers names were William Gaston and Stafford Church McCartney.

A Stafford Church McCartney married Elizabeth McDowell on 7 Sept 1853 in Connor Presbyterian Church Ballymena. Fathers  were John McCartney and Matthew Mc Dowell. Some of their children were:-
Mary b 13 Jan 1864 (may have died young)
ELIZABETH b 19 Feb 1865
John 22 Jun 1867
Mary 1 Feb 1870
Stafford 1 Apr 1871
Martha 1 Jan 1877
Stafford McCartney lived in the townland of Slaght in the Parish of Connor where he rented a house and 31 acre farm in 1862

Regards

[scotmum]

Stafford C McCartney is buried at Connor New Cemetery......I visited the graveyard earlier this year to find a Workman/McCartney headstone.

Details of Stafford and other McCartneys buried there can be found at:

http://www.thebraid.com/genealogy.aspx

just enter McCartney and choose Connor New Cemetery from drop down list.

[jmartin]

Thank you so much Scotmum and Kingskerswell. I'm just getting started with the Irish records and don't know a lot about them, other than many were lost to fire. This information really helps!

Kingskerswell, would you mind telling me what source you used to get John and Lizzie's marriage data? That will direct me for future research.

cheers

[kingskerswell]

Hi,
   I will send a personal message, PM, later today.

Regards

[TheWhuttle]

Hi Jeannie,

[c.f. Stafford Gorman WHITTLE of Glenavy, one of the folks who I help to research.]

Not very familiar with CHURCH.

STAFFORD and MACARTNEY are powerful names associated with Ulster history.
[More presently ... ]


Stafford CHURCH is probably NOT an ancestor.
The name is most likely to have been adopted from a friend, church colleague, local political leader/magistrate, etc.

[e.g. James WHITTLE (apparently) named his last 3 sons - Fortescue WHITTLE, Dougherty WHITTLE, Stafford WHITTLE - after the 3 sons, Fortescue GORMAN, Dougherty GORMAN & Stafford GORMAN -  of his co-warden William GORMAN at St. Aidan's CoI in Glenavy.
However, remoter possibilities exist ...]

Capt. Jock

Addendum:

Predict that there will be connections with ...

  Woolen Trading
  Law Enforcement (Sheriffing)
  Orangeism (Brunswick Club)
  (Non?!) Core Protestantism (Low Church Anglicanism or Presbyterianism)

PPS: All the evidence is collected - just need inspiration to avoid it joining the 650 other offerings littering the floor.

[jmartin]

How great to hear from you, Capt Jock!

As far as I know, all my Irish kin were Presbyterian and Orange. Stafford Church McCartney (b 1827, d. 17 Apr 1903) named his youngest son Stafford Churchill McCartney (b. 1 Apr 1877, d. 1946) but there are other Stafford Church McCartneys in the family, as well as a Stafford Church Gaston (b. 1895 Antrim, son of Elizabeth McCartney and John Gaston).

Stafford Church Gaston (brother of my grandmother) served in WWI as did at least one of his brothers. My grandmother Jane Gaston was a WWI warbride, marrying a Canadian soldier she met while on sick leave. Grandpa served in France right from beginning to end. Theirs was a true romance. Grandpa went AWOL to marry Grandma and they were in love all their lives.

I'm interested in tracing any and all aspects of these two families and look forward to seeing what you've collected. If you're interested I have a few military pics I'm keen to identify.

Cheers,

Jeannie

[akanex2]

I have a connection to( the original?) Stafford Church - a merchant in Ballymena who died in 1835.  His parents were Stephen Church (of the Grove, Co Londonderry) and Rose Stafford.  His will is on the National Archives website (E&W) and there is no mention of any children, although a wife, Mary nee Harrison is the main beneficiary.  He seems to have been a man of some property so I reckon some of his tenants/friends may have called their children after him.  A Stafford Church Davison "son of Thomas Davison of Glenarm" is mentioned and Thomas is one of the executors, but no family relationship is mentioned

[HughC]

Stafford Church was a merchant who I think lived at Brocklamont House near Ballymena.  His wife Mary was the 2nd dau. of Hugh Harrison of Churchfield House (Magherintemple) near Ballycastle.  She d. in Dublin 27 Dec. 1847 "aged 80" acc. to the announcement in Freeman's Journal though I think she was just 79.  They had married by 1809: can anyone tell me when?
Yes, I'm fairly sure they were childless.

Thomas Davison of Glenarm was a brother of Alexander of Knockboy, Broughshane, who leased the Raceview mill from Mary's brother Robert Harrison.  There were later a couple of Harrison/Davison marriages, but that was after Stafford Church's death.  Stafford Davison was b. 1823, acc. to a Davison chart in the PRONI.