Tracking down Boyd family from 1700s

[Irish Lynn]

I am looking for any information on the Thomas  or William Boyd Family that lived in the Ayrshire area in the early to mid 1700s.  They moved to Northern Ireland (Coleraine) during that century and were Stonecutters and Masons.

Eventually my Boyd relatives immigrated to New York City in 1839.  I would love to find the Scottish connection. Thanks!  Irish Lynn

[ColC]

If you have any specific dates I would suggest you look on the pay to view site below.

https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

There were 781 Boys's born Ayrshire between 1700 & 1750.

Colin

[mattfrombann]

It may not be of any direct help but it connects two closely associated Kimarnock families, Bankhead (my ancestral line), and Boyd, to Coleraine. From my personal notes:-

The Registry of Deeds, Dublin, Book 19 p477 No 10608 has a lease dated 12/12/1716 between James Jackson of Dublin and James Bankhead of Coleraine, merchant. Jackson leases to Bankhead 1/6th of the freehold of Glenleary now in tenure of Mr John Boyd for 31 years @ £6-3-4.

You can view this doc for free online via Index to Register of Deeds Ireland Project website and Familysearch. A link at the bottom of the page for the former will take you to the film index files of the latter. There may be other relevant deeds but be advised it is a (very) painstaking job to find them. There is a Grantor index but none for Grantees. There is also a land index where you might find Glenleary deeds listed. You'll need to know which Barony Glenleary is in. I don't have any mention of your particular Boyds in my notes.

Good luck

Matt

[clayton bradley]

There is a Y-DNA project for Boyd on FTDNA. Maybe they have information which can help?

[aghadowey]

Almost all the Aghadowey Boyds descend from a John Boyd of Lismoyle (near Kilrea) who came to the townland of Collins. He married a cousin, Margaret Boyd.

Thomas Boyd, stonemason, was born 1784 (not a son of the above John & Margaret) and married Letitia Wallace (probably from Aghadowey Parish, if not Cullycapple or Mullahinch). Since none of the other early Boyds in Aghadowey were stonemasons he possibly came from outside the Parish. Like the other Boyds here the Scottish connection is probably too far back to trace.

[Irish Lynn]

Thanks all for the tips, etc.  I may look into the y-DNA test via FTDNA.  I just got an updated Ancestry DNA and i am now at 43% Scottish (from 36%)!

As My Thomas Boyd who died in 1865 in NY city had a post in his obituary from the family to share with Coleraine papers, i may try and look into Colereraine papers.  Any idea where to start there?  I know that Thomas Boyd Jr. (born 1820 in NI and died in NYCity in 1885 or so) was also a stone Mason, so maybe a family business?

The Boyd name was passed down for years even via the maternal line.  My grandmother is Ethel Boyd Heaney (Miller) and her first son was named Richard Boyd Miller. 

[aghadowey]

Lynn- the problem is that you would need a Boyd male in the direct line (father-son-grandson, etc.). Unless Thomas & Letitia's son William had a son who had a son, etc. that agrees to do a test you are out of luck.

The Coleraine Chronicle BMDs have been indexed and already checked.

[Irish Lynn]

Thanks Aghadowey!  There were sons of both William and Thomas Junior, but i dont know any of the lines relatives at this point.  Only Williams sons loved beyond childhood.

Thanks for letting me know about the Chronicle Chronicle and checked B,M and D records.  I wish there was a way to find out more on the Thomas Boyd Sr. Born in 1784 family.

Hope all is well!!!