Ferguson Best Armagh line 1820c

[kopkirsty]

Totally stumped going back any further with my tree.  Going off marriage and death certificates i verified parents names and location of descendants but im really hoping soneone might have a missing link or a nudge.  Ive scrawled through hours of microfilm.  Used both ancestry and my heritage memberships.   

Tried census.nationalarchives.ie , parish registers at the NLI, irishgenealogy.ie

This is what i have

Thomas Ferguson (unknown b)  daughter Jane Ferguson b.1828 m. William J Best 1825-1898 Lurgan father Richard Best unknown birth

Jane ferguson married WJ Best 22 sep 1851 Drumbo, Down.  Had John Best 1845-1903 Lurgan.  Who married Mary Duffy Or Diffin (1850-) 8 Jan 1867 Mullaghglass...  kids Mary Ann 1867, James 1870, Catherine 1871, David 1876, Margaret 1877, John 1880.

If anyone knows how i can get further back with Jane fergusons father, i.e. find her mum, his wife., his date of birth and death, etc.  The same with William James Best.  Im totally stumped.

[Jon_ni]

for Jane who was residing Purdysburn, Drumbo Parish https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1851/09412/5409644.pdf
PRONI show both the C of I records exist for that parish whilst the Presbyterian ones have gaps eg no baptisms 1803-1826 https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/Guide-to-Church-Records-October-2019.pdf in theory based on her age at marriage she was born after that.
NLI images are of Catholic registers and it was a Presbyterian marriage.
Richard Best was a Butler so may have moved around hence Malone, Belfast & Lurgan.

[eileenwilson]

Jane married 1851 to Wm. Best but had son John Best born 1845? Marriage record says she was 23 in 1851 so would have been 17 when John was born so perhaps an illegitimate birth with him taking the Best surname upon his mother's marriage?

[Kiltaglassan]

Who married Mary Duffy Or Diffin (1850-) 8 Jan 1867 Mullaghglass...  kids Mary Ann 1867, James 1870, Catherine 1871, David 1876, Margaret 1877, John 1880.

Links-

Marriage 1867
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1867/11483/8220968.pdf

Mary Ann 1867 at Crankey.    MMN Duffy
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1867/03478/2278192.pdf

Catherine 1871 at Cloughrea.   MMN Duffy
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1871/03278/2201364.pdf

[eileenwilson]

Based on Jon's reply, you may or may not find Jane's baptism in 1827, but you should find John's in 1845 in which case you will be able to determine if he was legitimate or not.

[Jon_ni]

John Best married Mary Duffin 1867 with father James Best on his 1867 marriage and had 4 children in Crankey & Cloghreagh townlands in the Mullaglass sub-district of Newry. I don't follow how you established the link to the Drumbo marriage.

I would want to revisit John Best of Crankey in the parish of Killevy https://www.townlands.ie/armagh/orior-lower/killevy-lower-orior-portion/tullyhappy/crankey/ and satisfy myself that James = the William James who married in Drumbo especially when there are other deaths in Newry & Belfast under the same names of a suitable age.

Additionally the children of John Best and Mary [Jane] Duffy were
Mary Ann Best  18 Aug 1867
Catharine Best  14 Nov 1871
John Best         15 Feb 1874
Robert Best      25 July 1876
William Best      31 July 1881

John Best, aged 54, born Ireland, Newry, Labourer in oil work, was in Glasgow with his wife Mary + 2 youngest Robert & William 1901 census at 30, David Street, Camlachie Registration District [Findmypast's transcription makes more sense and shows grandson Robert Traynor as aged 0 rather than 48] https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/1777441:1101 and died there 1903 aged 58 with mother's maiden surname DICKSON according to informant. His death registration on ScotlandsPeople will list both parents.
son John Best aged 25 (1876) is nearby at 84 East John Street, Camlachie, Glasgow with wife Sarah & family. Charles Trainor married Mary Ann Best 1901 in Camlachie. A John Best married a Sarah Trainer 1895 in Calton (Glasgow).

No James Best birth was registered 1870 or David 1876. Margaret 1877 in Lurgan had different parents.

Catherine think married Joseph Fowler 15 Apr 1895 in Newry though was a RC marriage https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1898/10434/5799243.pdf

[kopkirsty]

Jon_ni
I appear to have made a leap you think, between John Best 1845 and his father James William in 1826?  Its very possible as it was an ancestry hint.  I'll try researching further into that area you specified for births of John Best 1845 and look for possible parents.

In regards to James Best  the son, the one you've said you couldn't see birth records of.  Neither could I.  However, I found both Marriage and death lines from Scotlands People with John Best and Mary Best nee Duffy on them, thats why I added him onto my tree.

[kopkirsty]

Further to this.  I have a copy of John Best death cert listing Ann Dickson as mother too.  See below.  I have created a backup tree with her as mother to see what fits. May seem confusing to most but I want to get to the bottom of it someway.  Ill start digging on the background of John Best from the Crankey parish.  I just hit a wall but you've definitely given me a new angle to work on.  Its very much appreciated.  I researched Robert and William and sure enough got their parents and put them in. It might slowly come together.  I wish the Irish records were more complete but it seems the further you go back the more obscure it becomes, or maybe thats because I'm a novice.

[Jon_ni]

interesting that James also married a Trainer, so now 3 Best-Trainer marriages and that it was a RC marriage 1892 same as Catherine's whereas the 1867 was C of I.

yes, basically think you made a leap. I did look for deaths for James Best senior and whilst there was one in Mullaghglass area and one in Newry workhouse there was insufficient residence and informant info to confirm a link, and could even have died pre 1864 as marriages are often not annotated as to whether father is deceased, parties are asked their father's names and occupations.
Researching parents pre-civil registration is difficult as you say, only a fraction of protestant parish records are on RootsIreland, about half the old C of I were lost forever 1922 and many RC registers dont start till 1st to 2nd quarter of 1800's and there are no census to use.