Sarah Minnie Rea & Nancy Neely - Genealogists' Forum

James18 · #1 10-03-17, 10:04

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.

kiterunner · #2 10-03-17, 10:06

Civil registration of deaths in Ireland didn't start until 1864, so that's why there is no death record for Nancy.

kiterunner · #3 10-03-17, 10:21

Also, Minnie's marriage comes up on GRONI as Minnie Rea / James Hendry 25 Jan 1923, civil registration district Ards. So this will not be Ards, Co Donegal, as that would be in the Republic of Ireland. As far as I can make out, Ards civil registration district was in County Down.

If people have told you where and when Minnie was born, they may not be right, unless they have actually found her birth record! So I would say your best bet is to get the marriage cert and then you should have more info so we know what to look for.

James18 · #4 10-03-17, 10:38

Hmm, that's interesting, Kate; yes, I was told Ards, but I cannot remember if Donegal was specified, and so it's possible I've just put 2 and 2 together and made 5. I must confess to not knowing there was an area of the same name in Northern Ireland.

I knew they were married in Ards as I found the marriage record on GRONI, and I searched both GRONI and the Irish records (the ones uploaded last year) for a birth record, but to no avail.

I'll have to get some more GRONI credits and try again, but this time narrowing my search to County Down.

Thank you.

kiterunner · #5 10-03-17, 11:55

I still think it would be best to view the marriage record before looking for her birth again, as it will give you her father's name and then we can look at the 1901 and 1911 censuses for the family and hopefully get her birthplace that way and then look again for the birth reg. It could be that her birth registration just says Sarah and the Minnie was added later, or something like that.