Portaferry - ROSS/BOOMER

[damienb]

After any information on Rosses/Boomers of Portaferry. I'm at work at the moment so I've no dates to hand.


Grandfather was Patrick Ross who worked on the Irish Lights (South Rock). Born c1900 and died 1965 (?). He was married to Elizabeth Love (b4/8/1900). He had a sister Mary Bridget (also lived/died in Portaferry) and a brother William who ran (poss still in the family) a taxi firm in Dublin. His father was Willie John Ross who had 2 sisters Susanna (married 'Piebald' Magee) and Sarah Jane (married Matthews) and a brother James (son Andy).

Willie John married Jane Boomer (b 11/11/1865?, d1940). She had 6 siblings - twins Kate (married Johnny Ellison) and Becky (married McMullan) (b18/4/1868), Lisa/Liza (married McGill), Jimmy (went to the US) and 2 others - names not known.

Parents were James Boomer and Eliza Sullivan (1 or both possibly from Newry/Louth?). James had at least one brother Phil who married somebody called McDade.

Early days yet on this branch so any/all help welcome.

Damien

[Christopher]

Hello Damien,

There is a Portaferry Community Website and a Forum where you could post a message. They have not got a genealogy board or a history board on their site at the moment. I have to post them a message requesting a link back as I have created a link to their site on another website where I am a regular poster so I'll ask them about the possibility of a genealogy board. I'm a believer in the potential of local websites and had this point proved when I got a message from someone who told me she had posted on such a site and they had found a living descendent of the ancestor she was seeking. 

If we both tell the Portaferry Forum people about RootsChat in our messages we may get a few members from that part of the world.

Best wishes with your search,

Chris

[damienb]

Thanks Chris.

I'm local to Portaferry (7 miles or so) and still have relatives there so I think I've got most of the 'local' info. I'm trying to get a bit further back. I'm guessing that my g-g-grandfather (Ross side) came to Portaferry, possibly from Scotland but no luck so far. On the Boomer side, the info I have so far seems to point to him coming form Carlingford and surrounds so I'm checking that at the moment.

Having said that, I think a link would be a good idea and will email them.  Apart from what I've learned from family there's a few other names that have surfaced that they don't recognise (Byers and Blaney to name but two!). Both names are still around but I've found no links so far.

Damien

[damienb]

Some additional info following a trip to PRONI;

James Boomer married Eliza Sullivan 10 Aug 1851

Children of James and Eliza
Jane Boomer, 31 May 1852 - witnesses Henry Farringham (?) and Jane Boomer (James' sister?)
James Boomer, 14 May 1854 - witnesses John Dorrian and Annie Sullivan (Eliza's sister?)
Brigid Boomer, 30 May 1856 - witnesses William Magennis and Jane Boomer
Catherine Boomer, 11 Sept 1856 - witnesses John Edmonde and Savage
Roseanne Boomer, 8 Oct 1856 - witness Ann Sullivan
Jane and Catherine, 11 Nov 1865


Brigid, Catherine, Roseanne - all in 1856 doesn't add up. I'm guessing the dates are wrong or it's totally different people. My guess would be that Roseanne is right going by the witness - Ann Sullivan. I know the twins info is right (mother remembers them).

If the earlier Jane is right then I assume she died - was it common to 're-use' names when this happened?

I also found
Philip and Eliza Boomer (nee McDade?) had two children:
Catherine, 18 Sept 1852
Michael 4 may 1855

Maybe ring some new bells :-)

I've found no other Boomers locally - nearest I've found is Donaghadee. Fair way off but maybe connected.

Damien

[ruthstran]

Hi all,
I have been trying to connect my Dickson/Mawhinney family to this one:

1.  Andrew2 Dickson  (David1)  He married Ann Jane Boomer 14 January 1862 in Dromore Unitarian Church, daughter of James Boomer.  She was born in Gervaghy.

Ann Jane BOOMER is also listed as BOWMAN in some documents.  Maybe that is where yours are too.

Hope it helps...
Ruth

[Sunnyhill]

1882 wedding of John Taylor [b 1857, Antrim; father John] of Suffolk married Alice Dixon [b 1866 Antrim; father George] of Upper Falls: Thomas Lunn and Henry Boomer 

[Sunnyhill]

Record Type   Civil Marriage
Date of Marriage   26 Sep 1905
Groom Name   samuel NELSON
Bride Name   elizabeth BOOMER
Church   Saint Annes Church of Ireland
Parish   Shankill
Civil District   Belfast
County   Antrim


Record Type   Civil Marriage
Date of Marriage   27 Aug 1867
Groom Name   james MORROW
Bride Name   henrietta BOOMER
Church   Dunmurry Non Subscribing Presbyterian Church
Parish   Drumbeg
Civil District   Lisburn
County   Antrim


Record Type   Civil Marriage
Date of Marriage   02 May 1885
Groom Name   thomas NESBITT
Bride Name   sarah ann BOOMER
Church   Lisburn Cathedral Church of Ireland
Parish   Blaris
Civil District   Lisburn
County   Antrim / Down


Record Type   Civil Marriage
Date of Marriage   16 Jul 1895
Groom Name   william BOOMER
Bride Name   elizabeth CAMPBELL
Church   Railway Street Second Presbyterian Church
Parish   Blaris
Civil District   Lisburn
County   Antrim / Down

Entry Details
Record Type   Civil Marriage
Date of Marriage   20 Mar 1854
Groom Name   james BOOMER
Bride Name   jane MAWHINNEY
Church   Shore Street Presbyterian Church
Parish   Donaghadee
Civil District   Newtownards
County   Down

[damienb]

Re the Portaferry Boomers I've done a bit more research and it raises some more questions (doesn't it always??!!) which I hope somebody can help with. I've put the questions/comments in red but any other info much appreciated.  What I have is:

James Boomer married Elizabeth (Eliza) Sullivan 10/8/1851. Children were (parents listed as James and Eliza):

1  Jane b 31/5/1852 - ties in with wedding date

2   James b 14/5/1854 I think he went to America/Canada but found nothing so far - seems to have disappeared!

3   Brigid b 30/5/1856 - married Patrick Hughes in Belfast. OK as I knew there was a Hughes tie-in somewhere along the line.

4  Elizabeth b8/5/1859 - Married Magill from Killyleagh. No info on him as yet. In 1901 she was living with family in Portaferry so either widowed or separated

5  Catherine b 1/9/1861

6  Roseanne b 8/10/1863 Story is (I think it's her anyway as she's the only unattached one I have) she married a Protestant and the family disowned her. She wasn't talked about so no information. My mother didn't even know the name, just that the event happened. Thinks he was well to do and may have been a coal merchant, possibly Belfast - any chance of checking?

7  Catherine and Jane, twins, b 11/11/1865 There was already a Jane and a Catherine so I'm thinking perhaps they died and the names used again - is this likely? Was it common or am I looking at 2 different families? Only memory of one in Portaferry and my mother remembers the twins.

8  Rebecca b 26/4/1868

I'm reasonably happy with 2,3,4, 7 and 8.  1 and 5 - OK if names re-used

Now James had a brother Philip and I have him marrying Elizabeth McDade 23/10/1852
I also have an adult baptism Elizabeth McDade (Sponsor Jane Boomer) 21/11/1852

My first thought (as far as I know the Boomers were Catholic, though Protestant at one time as the origin is the French Hugenots) and that Elizabeth McDade converted before marrying Philip and that one of the dates was wrong.  However, when I checked the records I found they were married in the Church of Ireland in Portaferry - any suggestions as to what might have happened here? Two Elizabeth McDades? For Philips marriage the father is listed as 'Rainey Boomer' which I think comes from the French Rene indicating the family roots but I've foudn nothing on him that ties in date wise so I'm no closer to finding where they came from prior to being in Portaferry.

On the Boomer side, going on the sponsors at baptisms it seems that James had a brother Philip and a sister Jane at least.
Ditto on the Sullivan side, it looks like a brother Pat and sister Annie (could be married name I suppose)

Any/all help suggestions as to where I might go next much appreciated

Damien

[clanmawr]

hi might be  able to help with some of the above queries