Leslie Irwin d. 1872 Philadelphia = Leslie Irwin b. 1836 Ballyness, Dungiven?

[Julie in Ohio]

I am looking for the family of Betty Irvine who married William Kerr about 1831 in the Newtown, Limavady area. She died about 1844. Her four children, b. 1832-1840/1842 (Oliver, Eliza, John, Alexander) emigrated to the U.S. as teens. Two were accompanied by a Leslie Irwine, 18, laborer, arriving in Philadelphia in 1853. They had a cousin in the city, Samuel Hazlett, b. N/L 1803, d. Philadelphia 1867.

I believe I have identified this Leslie in Philadelphia, first at the home of Irish-born Mark and Isabella Scott (1860), then married to Anna ___, with whom he had three children: Samuel, Margaret Eliza, and Sarah J. Leslie initially was a drayman and later a distiller. He died in 1872 but his widow was still at the same address in 1887.

I am continuing to investigate records in the U.S., but for other reasons I have believed Betty Irvine's siblings lived in Drumacarney and Dungiven. I have discovered that Leslie seems to be a family name among some Irwins in Dungiven. And while Leslie's surname went through just about every spelling variation in the U.S., it began as Irwine and stabilized as Irwin, a pattern I also have seen in Dungiven.

In the 1841/1851 census abstracts I find a Leslie of the right age in the family of Samuel and Margaret Irwin in Ballyness. This may be the same Irwin who is occupant in Dungiven in 1859 GV, but I thought I would toss this out to the Londonderry Irwin researchers on this list in case anyone recognizes Leslie from the Dungiven Irwins or elsewhere in Londonderry.

Thanks,

Julie

[kingskerswell]

Hi,
    The 5 year old Leslie Irwin you found in the 1841 census lived in the townland of BALLYNESS
(not Ballyross) in the parish of Dungiven. As you said this seems to have been a family name and I know that Leslie was used by another Irwin family in the area in memory of a Leslie Irwin who died on 18 Nov 1883. See Proni Wills records:- http://applications.proni.gov.uk/DCAL_PRONI_WillsCalendar/WillsSearch.aspx

Regards

[aghadowey]

Hi,
    The 5 year old Leslie Irwin you found in the 1841 census lived in the townland of BALLYNESS
(not Ballyross) in the parish of Dungiven. As you said this seems to have been a family name and I know that Leslie was used by another Irwin family in the area in memory of a Leslie Irwin who died on 18 Nov 1883. See Proni Wills records:- http://applications.proni.gov.uk/DCAL_PRONI_WillsCalendar/WillsSearch.aspx

Regards

The Leslie Irwin who died 1883 was possibly a relative of the Leslie Irwin (c1882-1938) of Ballyness who married Edith Alice Collins and went to New Zealand.

[Julie in Ohio]

Hi,
    The 5 year old Leslie Irwin you found in the 1841 census lived in the townland of BALLYNESS
(not Ballyross) in the parish of Dungiven. As you said this seems to have been a family name and I know that Leslie was used by another Irwin family in the area in memory of a Leslie Irwin who died on 18 Nov 1883. See Proni Wills records:- http://applications.proni.gov.uk/DCAL_PRONI_WillsCalendar/WillsSearch.aspx

Regards

Hi,
    The 5 year old Leslie Irwin you found in the 1841 census lived in the townland of BALLYNESS
(not Ballyross) in the parish of Dungiven. As you said this seems to have been a family name and I know that Leslie was used by another Irwin family in the area in memory of a Leslie Irwin who died on 18 Nov 1883. See Proni Wills records:- http://applications.proni.gov.uk/DCAL_PRONI_WillsCalendar/WillsSearch.aspx

Regards

Thanks for the prompt response!

Not sure where Ballyross came from, as I have been looking especially at the Samuel and Margaret Irwin family of Ballyness. They had several sons who may be the same as occupants listed in GV in 1859. I have wondered whether their son Leslie might in fact have been the author of the will you cite, with his namesake nephew Leslie Irwin being the son of the will-writer's brother John. That would mean the Leslie Irwin in Philadelphia would be from another, although possibly closely related, family.

I defer to your greater knowledge of the families in this area, however. Leslie Irwin d. 1883 seemed to have sisters who married Cassidy and Ross, and I assume if I worked on this enough I might be able to rule this immediate family out as the source of the Philadelphia immigrant.

There also was a Leslie Irwin who died in 1871 (landed estates probate ) but I have no further information about him beyond the names of his executors.

I find it hard to get a grip on these Irwins, who seem to marry cousins and pass land on to nephews!

Why do you think that the will is from another Irwin family?

Thanks again for your helpfulness.

[Julie in Ohio]

Hi,
    The 5 year old Leslie Irwin you found in the 1841 census lived in the townland of BALLYNESS
(not Ballyross) in the parish of Dungiven. As you said this seems to have been a family name and I know that Leslie was used by another Irwin family in the area in memory of a Leslie Irwin who died on 18 Nov 1883. See Proni Wills records:- http://applications.proni.gov.uk/DCAL_PRONI_WillsCalendar/WillsSearch.aspx

Regards

The Leslie Irwin who died 1883 was possibly a relative of the Leslie Irwin (c1882-1938) of Ballyness who married Edith Alice Collins and went to New Zealand.

I think you are correct; thank you for bringing this up. Clearly Leslie was an important name in the Ballyness Irwin line(s). I have not checked the GV revisions to see what happened to the will-writer's land. My interpretation of the will was that he was leaving it to his Cassidy niece and nephew, but there were several other Irwins in GV who could have been grandfather to Leslie b. 1882, or this Nan's land could have stayed in or returned to Irwin hands.

Thanks,

Julie

[aghadowey]

Leslie Irwin born 1882 was the son of Joseph & Jane Irwin.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Londonderry/Gelvin/Ballyness/1524480/
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Londonderry/Gelvin/Ballyress/903975/

[radnor37]

Leslie Irwin born 1882 was the son of Joseph & Jane Irwin.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Londonderry/Gelvin/Ballyness/1524480/
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Londonderry/Gelvin/Ballyress/903975/

Hmm. So we have BallyRess in Gelvin and BallyNess in Dungiven. And Leslie Irwins in both. Gelvin is a new name to me.

I should clarify that I am connecting Leslie Irvine b. Ireland ca. 1837 to Ballyness, Dungiven only through his aunt Betty Irvine Kerr of Newtown Limavady whose siblings seem to have lived in Drumacarney and Dungiven. I have no direct link yet for this Leslie Irvine to a specific locality in Ireland.

Thanks again.

[radnor37]

I think you are correct; thank you for bringing this up. Clearly Leslie was an important name in the Ballyness Irwin line(s). I have not checked the GV revisions to see what happened to the will-writer's land. My interpretation of the will was that he was leaving it to his Cassidy niece and nephew, but there were several other Irwins in GV who could have been grandfather to Leslie b. 1882, or this man's land could have stayed in or returned to Irwin hands.

Thanks,

Julie

[aghadowey]

Hmm. So we have BallyRess in Gelvin and BallyNess in Dungiven. And Leslie Irwins in both. Gelvin is a new name to me.

No, 'Ballyress' is a transcription error- it should read Ballyness. If you look at the scanned image you will see that it does actually say Ballyness-
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002823084/

Gelvin is the D.E.D. (District Electoral Division) in the census.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/help/about19011911census.html#whatcontain