John Erwin and Jane Rainey

[L.Erwin]

I am new to this site so I here goes....

I have John Erwin (b1860 Ballyeaston?-d1934 Ballymena) married to Jane Rainey (b1866 Location? – d1954 Coatbridge Scotland) – they married in Kirkinrolia in 1886 and had 13 children, 11 of whom lived.

Twin1 Erwin   b: ? D:?
Twin2 Erwin   b: ? D:?
Hugh M[ackay] Erwin   b: 1887 in Ballymena, Antrim,  Ireland
James Erwin   b: 1888 in Ballymena, Antrim,  Ireland
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Erwin   b: 1890 in Ballymena, Antrim,  Ireland
May Margaret Mary Erwin   b: 1892 in Ballymena, Antrim,  Ireland
Edward Simpson Erwin   b: 1894 in (Co Antrim) Boyle, Connaught, Ireland
William "Bill" Raphael Erwin   b: 1895 in (Co Mayo) Enniskillan, Ireland
John "Jack" Erwin   b: 1896 in County, Tyrone, Aughnacloy, Annaclone Parish, Donegal, Northern Ireland
Samuel Joseph Erwin   b: 1898 in County, Tyrone, Aughnacloy, Annaclone Parish, Donegal, Northern Ireland
Joseph Erwin   b: 1900 in County Roscommon, District of Boyle, town of Great Meadow
 [Alfred] George Erwin   b: 1901 in Boyle, Roscommon, Ireland
Thomas Alexander Erwin   b: 1904 in Boyle, Roscommon, Ireland

John was a colporteur (seller of religious books) and they moved around a lot.  They moved back to Ballymena – I have located all the children and their descendents.  Now I am trying to verify Johns birth family and parents etc.  I think he was born in Ballyeaston because it seems he named his children after significant clergy in his life.  Edward Simpson was the minister who married him and by that logic William Raphael would have been the minister who babptised him and that means that would have happened in Ballyeaston. Johns father might have been a James Erwin

Jane Rainey’s mother was Mary Jane Nisbet but that is as far as I can get.  Her father was either Henry or John Rainey.

Jane moved to Scotland to live with her son who moved there as a result of a family connection in Coatbridge so I assume she had Nisbet relatives there.  Alexander Nisbet and Isabella Spence were noted as family witnesses to a wedding.  Also the Little family is a connection as well.

Anyone having any connections or information or guidance as to John or Janes family – your input is most welcome.

[aghadowey]

Here's a link to your earlier thread on Monaghan board-
www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,446442.msg3561524.html

Several of the birthplaces you list don't make much sense-
Edward Simpson Erwin   b: 1894 in (Co Antrim) Boyle, Connaught, Ireland
William "Bill" Raphael Erwin   b: 1895 in (Co Mayo) Enniskillan, Ireland
John "Jack" Erwin   b: 1896 in County, Tyrone, Aughnacloy, Annaclone Parish, Donegal, Northern Ireland
Samuel Joseph Erwin   b: 1898 in County, Tyrone, Aughnacloy, Annaclone Parish, Donegal, Northern Ireland
Boyle, Co. Roscommon nowhere near Co.Antrim
Enniskillen is in Co. Fermanagh
Aughnacloy is in Co. Tyrone but nowhere near Co. Donegal.

[L.Erwin]

John and Jane were born in Antrim - it is listed on the census and that is where he is buried.  The family moved all over as his job of selling religious books took him to different locations as part of the Presbyterian church. As a result, the birth of their latter children was all over the place. The first few children are all born in Ballymena and Baptised in the Presbyterian church.

The family settled back in Ballymena for the last part of their life.  They lived on Princes Street.

I have letters from John to his children and they are all very religious - I am trying to figure out if there was other members of the church along with them in each of the places they lived.  My grandfather referred to his father as a missoinary in some regards.  He remembers living in Boyle and being stoned on his way to school because he was not catholic.  This is the reason that he and his siblings moved to North America.

[L.Erwin]

PS - For the non Antrim people for which I have no baptism records, I put down both locations.
a) The one listed on the census records
b) the one they listed on their immigration. 

They didn't always state where they were born but instead where they remember living. I guess at the time they wrote it down they didn't think about someone like me looking for them and actually caring that it was right.

[scotmum]

Quote: "Jane Rainey’s mother was Mary Jane Nisbet but that is as far as I can get.  Her father was either Henry or John Rainey"
 

The Jane Rainey who married a John Erwin in 1886, is recorded as having a father named John Rainey and John Erwin is recorded as having a father named James.  You can purchase the marriage certificate via GRONI or a transcript via sites such as Ulster Historical Foundation/Ancestry Ireland.  Doing so may give you their respective fathers' occupations too.

[L.Erwin]

thanks for looking that up - I have already purchased that document and compared it to their death certificates, but not any new information to be had. No mother names, no age, no occupation etc.  And there are more than one Irwin/Rainey connections which makes it even harder.

I am stuck at that point and cannot find any documents that verify John's birth, his mother, siblings etc. Same with Janes family.

I have a DNA match to another family but we are both roadbocked trying to fill in the holes.  I am hoping that someone someday recognizes the names and makes a connection.  It has happened 3 times already and have found connections - so my fingers are crossed.