Hughes family in Antrim
 

I'm trying to pull together the threads of this Hughes family. Instead, I end up tying myself up in knots! Hoping someone can look at this lot with fresh eyes to see if there is anything I'm missing.

Matilda Hughes was born on 14 April 1874 at Skerrywhirry, Glenwhirry, Antrim. Her father, James Hughes, was recorded as a grocer when he registered the birth on 25 April 1874, but I have other notes which say he was a labourer. Matilda's mother was Susan(na) McCarten (usually transcribed as McCartney) from Downpatrick, Co Down.

Thread here on Matilda Hughes: http://www.genealogistsforum.co.uk/f...matilda+hughes

The witnesses at Matilda's baptism in Ballyclare on 31 May 1874 were Bernard McIlvenny and Elizabeth Hughes.

On ancestryireland, there is a marriage between James Hughes and Susanna McCartney at the Catholic church in Ballyclare on 1 April 1872. The witnesses were Sarah Hughes and Elizabeth Hughes (again). In the addresses part of the transcription, there are a whole lot of places listed - Raloo, Ballynure, Ballylinny, Ballycor, Glenwhirry.

Family Search has a birth of a Margaret Hughes on 28 February 1872 in Glenwhirry - parents James Hughes and Susan McCartney.

I can't find this birth on other sites, though. Can anyone else spot it?

The Griffiths Valuation records have a James Hughes at Skerrywhirry, Glenwhirry. Goodness knows if this is Matilda's father, grandfather or uncle. Any ideas? There's also a Thomas Hughes at Douglas, Glenwhirry.

The 1901 census has just one Hughes household in Skerrywhirry:

- Maria Hughes, head, RC, can't read, 80, seamstress, not married, b Antrim
- Frances Hughes, daughter, RC, can't read, 30, ditto, ditto, ditto

I have tried and failed to link Maria and Frances (above) to Hugh, Susanna and Matilda.

Using Ancestry, a Susan Hughes died in Belfast during the second quarter of 1886 at the age of 34. There is also a death for a Susanna Hughes, age 0, in Belfast, for the final quarter of 1886. Do people think this may be the death of mother following the birth of baby Susanna? I can't find a birth for baby Susanna to check which quarter she was born in.

I would have thought James and Susan Hughes would have had more children - there is a 12-year gap in births between 1874 and 1886 (if baby Susanna is one of theirs).

I can't find those two 1886 deaths of Susan Hughes and Susanna Hughes on any other site other than Ancestry. The death of the adult Susan Hughes in 1886 is the right one as there is an inscription on a headstone in Down Cathedral cemetery which says Susanna Hughes died on 28 April 1886.

They both come up on FamilySearch in the Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes. Also there is the birth of a Susannah Hughes Oct-Dec 1885 Belfast.

Thank you for that. Will get death cert for the older Susan.

According to a thread on Rootschat, the civil registration district for Glenwhirry would have been Ballymena at that time. There is a Margaret Hughes birth registered Ballymena in 1872, vol 1, p 157. This comes up on both FamilySearch and ancestry. There is also the death of a Margaret Hughes, Ballymena, 1872, age 0, vol 6, p 103.

There is a James Hughes death in 1876 in Ballymena registration district, age 50. Also quite a few possible deaths for him in Belfast.

Thanks for looking, Kate. Hadn't thought of searching in Ballymena.

Matilda Hughes was orphaned young and raised by an aunt in Belfast. Hopefully, the death cert for the older Susan(na) Hughes will say if she was a widow or not.

I hadn't realised how common the name Hughes is in Ireland.

I've had a look at some of those records on the PRONI website.

Summary:

Susan Hughes, died on 28 April 1886, 41 York Lane, Belfast, female, widow, 34., tow sorter, asthma/bronchitis 8 days, informant Hugh Magee nephew.

Margaret Hughes was born on 26 February 1872 at Skerrywhirry in Glenwhirry parish. Father named as James Hughes, grocer. Mother Susan Hughes, formerly McArtney.

Margaret Hughes died on 23 March 1872 at Skerrywhirry. On this she is described as a labourer's child and the death was registered by Susan Hughes, who made her mark.

The 1876 death for James Hughes in Ballymena registration district provides the following information:

James Hughes of Lowtown, Glenwhirry, married, died aged 50 on 15 December 1876, cancer of the face, Maria Hughes present, she made her mark.

This could be the Maria Hughes recorded on the 1901 census because there is a death of a Maria Hughes of Glenwhirry on 24 May 1903, age 80. The informant was a James Gardiner of Lowtown Glenwhirry. The death record state she was single and the 1901 census says Maria was unmarried.

This Rootsweb thread says that Lowtown is close to Skerrywhirry:
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.co...-04/0923656954

Does the James Hughes death registration give his occupation, Shona? Or would you have to get an actual copy certificate to see that?

The death registration for James Hughes who died in 1876 records his occupation as a labourer.