Sherrard

[hughson]

I started a few months ago trying to trace my Sherrard family in the Ballycastle area as my grandmother Mary Sherrard was born in Bonamargy in 1884. It now seems that the Sherrard connection is in Limavady but my great grandmother Mary McCormick came from the Ballycastle area. Mary McCormick was born in 1863. Her parents were John McCormick ,who was a collier, and Mary Jane Laverty. Mary McCormick was working as a domestic servant in Campbeltown in 1883 where she married James Sherrard (b 1862) in the Episcopal church there. A year later their daughter was born in Bonamargy.
If anyone can shed any further light on my family would love to hear from them.
Thanks

Lynne

[aghadowey]

To start with, I've locked the duplicate post on Argyll board (to avoid confusion) and moved this one from Derry/Londonderry to Ireland-General since it covers more than one county in Ireland.

Sherrard is a very common surname in Limavady area and you'll probably need more details to find records for James Sherrard's family (especially since registration of births didn't start until 1864 and James was born just before that). James' marriage certificate should list names of both parents which will help.

[hughson]

Sorry for any confusion.
The writing on James's marriage certiicate is difficult to read but it looks like his parents were Thomas and Jane & it looks as if Jane's maiden name was also Sherrard so assume they might have been cousins

[aghadowey]

Is there a place (townland) listed or does it just say Limavady or Newtownlimavady?

Can't find a marriage for a Thomas Sherrard to wife Jane or any Thomas Sherrard in Limavady area pre-1864 at the moment.

[hughson]

My grandmothers birth certificate just shows James living in Newtown Limavady with no other address. I couldn't in the family in the 1901 census & could only find my grandmother Mary Sherrard in the 1911 census working as a servant in Belfast but I know that James died in 1907 in Ballycastle area

[aghadowey]

Think this is your Mary Sherrard in 1911 census-
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Cromac/Cromwell_Road/159205

Found the family in 1901 as Sherred (as on original form)-
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/The_Fair_Head/Drumahitt/922156

Also found 4 Sherrard births in Ballycastle registration district-
1. Mary Jane Apr./JUne 1884
2. James Apr./June 1886
3. Matthew July/Sept.1896
4. Daniel Jan./Mar.1900

[aghadowey]

Mary and some of the children in 1911 census- perhaps they moved to Belfast after James died-
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Dock_Ward/Ashton_Street/136211
There a niece Eileen Sherrard, age 1, in the household but she might be a daughter or grand-daughter of Mary's instead. The reason I say this is that Eileen is listed as R.C. (as is the rest of the family) and most of the Sherrards would be Presbyterian. If James was Protestant and Mary R.C. this might be a reason they went to Scotland for a while and then lived in Ballycastle area rather than near his family.

Mary has helpfully, and incorrectly, filled in the census form stating she was married 25 years and had 10 children (all still living) so perhaps Eileen isn't Mary's child.

Eileen Sherrard birth Oct./Dec.1909 Belfast, death Oct./Dec.1911 Belfast.

[hughson]

Thanks for your work on this

The 1911 Mary Sherrard in Cromac is my grandmother

The parents in the 1901 Sherred census look right & the Fair Head is just down the road from Bonamargy & the Mary  aged 49 in the 1911 census is a widow so that too ties in as did the statement that she couldn't write as she made a mark on her marriage entry.

The thing which still puzzles me is the entry as Roman Catholics as my grandmothers entry in 1911 census says Church of Ireland & my great grandparents got married in an Episcopal Church in Scotland. If my great grandmother was Roman Catholic & they brought up the children as Catholics I would have thought that they would have got married in a cathlolic church but perhaps although James was happy to marry a catholic he didn't convert himself & then for some reason my grandmother changed faith.The plot thickens!!
If we could show that Matthew & Daniel's mother was Mary Sherrard (McCormick) then that would clinch it - assume the only way to do this is for me to order a birth certificate for one of them
Thanks again

Lynne

[aghadowey]

Yes, you'd need to order Matthew or Daniel's birth certificate to confirm mother's maiden name but I'm very certain the 1911 family is the correct one. Can't find little Ernest or some of the other chiildren in birth registration index but it's likely a problem with the spelling of the surname.

Have found one other Sherrard family that are R.C. in Co.Derry 1901 census but in the City not Limavady. Will post it just in case-
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Londonderry/No__4_Urban__West_Ward/Fahan_Street/1536864/

Still searching for a few more details but have to go out shortly.