Sarah Minnie Rea & Nancy Neely

[James18]

Hi all,

Just a couple of Irish loose ends to tie up.

First off is James Brown Hendry's wife Sarah Minnie Rea, who was known as Minnie. I have been told by several people that she was from Ards, Donegal, and was born c1893. She married James in Ards on 25/01/1923 and died in 1985 in Carluke, Lanarkshire (available from SP). I know plenty about James, but not so much about Minnie and her origins.

I don't yet have a copy of their full marriage certificate, but it is available from GRONI, which is where I got the date and place from.

I've not yet been able to locate a record of birth for Minnie, which I'd like to find if possible. I do not believe she was adopted, and she should be registered as Sarah Minnie Rea.

Second is Nancy Neely (surname spellings vary) born c1830 and died c1855 -- both in Ballymena, Antrim. She married Samuel Henry on 10/08/1850 in Ballymena; Samuel then re-married as a widower in 1856, so assuming Nancy was indeed dead, she must have died between 1851 and 1855 as Nancy Henry, but I can find no record of this.

Samuel and Nancy are on the 1851 census in Ballyboggy, where they appear alongside Francis Neely (Nancy's father) and several of - I assume - Nancy's siblings.

Here's the transcript of the marriage:

Date of Marriage: 10-Aug-1850
Parish / District: BALLYMENA
County: Co. Antrim
Husband Name: Samuel Henry
Address: Moneyduff Dunaghy
Denomination: Civil Parish / District
Occupation: WEAVER
Age: 21
Status: Bachelor (Previously unmarried)
Husband's Father Name: John Henry
Occupation: SHOEMAKER
Wife Name: Nancy Neely
Address: Ballybogy Dunaghy
Denomination: Civil Parish / District
Occupation:
Age: 20
Status: Spinster (Previously unmarried)
Wife's Father Name: Francis Neely
Occupation: LABOURER
Witness 1 Name: James Henry White
Witness 2 Name: James Porter
Notes: Church: BALLYMENA REG. OFFICE BY CERTIFICATE J GREER REGTRAR.


Any help in finding details for Minnie and Nancy would be greatly appreciated; I know Irish records can be very patchy, but it seems strange that I've so far been unable to find records of birth for either of these women, or a record of death for Nancy.