Tandragee, County Armagh

[Researcher371]

Kia ora everyone,

I am looking for relatives of my x3 great grandfather Benjamin Hearse, born approx 1827 in Tandragee. He enlisted in Banbridge aged 18 with the 65th regiment arriving in Auckland New Zealand on the 27/11/1846.

He was discharged to Wanganui in 1860, married and then died in Halcombe NZ in 1906.

We have only just discovered this information regarding his place of birth via this amazing platform but unfortunately do not have anything further on him or his parents/family.

I've tried looking for records of other Hearse family members in the district around that time period (1820-1850's) but as I have no definitive information on his parents, I'm floundering!

Various members of my family have mentioned he may have had a brother called Thomas Hearse and his father may have been James Hearse or the other way around but that has never been verified.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Merry Christmas.

Thanks,
Eunice.

[Alan of Kaslo]

I found a Mary Jane Hearse born in about 1830 in Armagh to a Benjamin Hearse... this could be a sister or possibly an aunt to Benjamin you mentioned...

Here's her wedding in 1852:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1852/09420/5412685.pdf

There is also alt-spellings such as Hurst , Harst , Herst to explore.

[Alan of Kaslo]

Guessing you may have already seen this ?

Wellington District Land Claims 1860s. Benjamin Hearse

http://www.nzpictures.co.nz/pandoraresearchANZ-LS-W32-1-1.pdf

[Researcher371]

Hi Alan,

Thank you, yes I have the land information. Benjamin was born around 1827 so it could be possible that Mary was a sister. It's just difficult to confirm without census information to confirm they were in the area as I understand census records prior to 1841 were lost??

[Alan of Kaslo]

I have not been able to find a single record from Banbridge  for anyone named Hearse. Not to say they don't exist of course...

There are so few Hearse's about in Ireland at the time that I would wager to guess your Benjamin Hearse would be related the Benjamin Hearse on the wedding cert. Proving it could take some work. I could not find a James or a Thomas at the time.

[Jon_ni]

Eunice
Many Parish records are simply not online you won't find them on Ancestry or Findmypast. Generally the only source is https://rootsireland.ie/armagh/online-sources.php pre civil registration
You do not mention his religious denomination which would be useful.

Tandragee R.C records do not start till 1830. Tandragee Presbyterian start 1835 and Methosist 1819.
Tandragee town [Ballymore Townland] is in the Civil Parish of Ballymore and it is that we need for Church of Ireland records https://www.townlands.ie/armagh/ballymore/
The good news is they survive and were not lost in the 1922 Dublin Record Office fire & destruction so run from 1783; bad news they are only accessible in PRONI on microfilm - see Guide to Church Records pdf https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/guide-church-records
or https://www.johngrenham.com/records/church.php?civilparishid=363&civilparish=Ballymore&search_type=full

your NZ post was https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=80510.216 replies 223 to 225.

A useful guide to Irish research is https://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/ under the Genealogy tab and some background on Tandragee https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/irl/ARM/Tandragee

[Jon_ni]

as Alan says Hearse is an uncommon surname in fact only 30 BMD in Ireland https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-search.jsp
Births Deaths & Marriages for all start 1864, Protestant Marriages 1845.
Mary Jane's marriage 1852 shows her to be of https://www.townlands.ie/armagh/grange-oneilland-west-portion/
Suggest you search for H*rse as there are Hurse, Horse, Harse even Hierse

[Elwyn Soutter]

Families were sometimes very faithful to using the same names, generation after generation. I spotted this young Benjamin Hearse in Co Armagh in the 1901 census. I wonder if there might be a distant connection?

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Armagh/Portadown_Urban/Fox_Lane/1029636/

Their son Benjamin’s birth which tells us the mother’s maiden name was Knox:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1896/02176/1824164.pdf

They married in 1895 and William’s father was another Benjamin:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1895/10534/5836780.pdf


Regarding Irish censuses, all the pre 1901 censuses were destroyed save for a few fragments, so in general we don’t have them to rely on.

As Jon has said, many Irish records are not on-line. My guide to Church of Ireland records says that the rootsireland site has coverage of Ballymore (the parish including Tandragee) for “some years.”  It doesn’t say which years. You could try it (subscription required) or you probably need to get a researcher to go through the church baptism records in PRONI for your Benjamin’s baptism, and that of any siblings. The Portadown family were Church of Ireland, so I’d probably start with that denomination.

[Jon_ni]

Elwyn
I posted the link to the Co Armagh source list on Roots as updated few months ago. As it is only the red ticks that they have coverage of [red text is just records existing somewhere] they only have civil era marriages transcribed for Ballymore C of I.

I saw that Knox birth and marriage but not sure really aids progress.
As all are in Portadown William John Herse may, or may not, be a brother of this Benjamin Hurst died 1898 aged 38 https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1898/05816/4646661.pdf and both possibly sons of Ben Hurst who died Portadown 1887 aged 54 https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1887/06200/4773370.pdf so born 1833 which means he is possibly a cousin of the Benjamin who went to NZ being the son of a John Hurst on his 1856 Marriage in Tartaraghan https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1856/09514/5448455.pdf
Ben & and Elizabeth possibly had a daughter Mary who had an illegitimate son Benjamin https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1883/02752/2010868.pdf but that is in Armagh town so though not a great distance the BMD are then becoming unusually scattered within Co Armagh when include the Tartaraghan townlands.
On Griffiths 1864 all I find is Sarah Herse Cornascreeb, Kilmore and Robert Hurst of Derrinraw, Tartaraghan.

Church of Ireland seems likely but given the only ref. to Tandragee is the military transcription rather fearful if pay a researcher to check they may not find anything.