From Bohillion, Newtoncunningham to Lewis Street, Londonderry…
Ferris Row was located just off Bishop Street in Londonderry and was the birthplace of my great grand aunt, Mary Wilson. Known as Minnie, she was born on 7 Jan 1865 to Thomas Wilson, a carpenter; and Margaret Norry. Minnie was the eldest of thirteen children and sister to Thomas Wilson, my great grandfather.
On 20 Dec 1870 in the First Derry Presbyterian Church Minnie was married to John Alexander Hunter of Toulette, Burt, Co. Donegal. Thomas Godfrey and Amelia Short witnessed their union. The marriage record revealed that John Alexander’s father was also John, a labourer. With further research I discovered that his mother was Matilda McDonald, she too was from Donegal.
John was born on 7 May 1857 in Bohillion, Newtoncunningham, Co. Donegal, and baptized in the Newtoncunningham Presbyterian Church. He was one of at least six children that I’ve discovered so far. The Newtoncunningham Presbyterian Church Communicants’ Roll book revealed that John Alexander attended the Church. On 21 Oct 1883 it showed that he had left the Church and was a parishioner at the Greenock Presbyterian Church in Greenock, Scotland. I can only assume that he went to Scotland to find work. The Communicants’ Roll Book also revealed that he became a member of Derry First Presbyterian Church in Jun 1887, shortly after his marriage to Minnie.
The newlyweds took up residence in Londonderry, initially living in Marlborough Park; where their first son William was born in 1888. By 1890 and the birth of their second son David the family was living on Lewis Street. Lewis Street is where many of my Wilson, Beattie’s and extended family lived for over a century. With the birth of their third son the family is found living on Creggan Road; another street in Londonderry where many of my ancestors lived.
John and Minnie had several more children; six of which I have been able to find. As there is a “gap” in births between 1890 and 1897, I believe there are more children to be found on this particular Twisted Limb of my family tree.
The 1901 Census showed that the family was still living on Creggan Road and John was working as a “Dock Labourer”. At this point in time their house was full; as his sister in laws, Maggie Wilson and Elizabeth Diver, along with Elizabeth’s two children were living with the family. By 1911 the family was once again living on Lewis Street; where they remained until their deaths.
In 1918 at the age of sixty one with his daughter Mary by his side John, a “Watchman on the Quay”; passed away from “Rheumatic Paraplegia”; three years certified. He, like many of my family; is interred at the Derry City Cemetery on Lone Moor Road, Londonderry.
“In the end, we’ll all become stories” Margaret Attwood.
TWISTED LIMBS & CROOKED BRANCHES 
Love the photo collages!
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Thanks Andrew; I love compiling them. Thanks for reading!
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I will try and find out if Ken Hunter is any way related but I think he is
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Hi Hilary that would be great. I’ve been “chatting” with Margaret on my Facebook page and we are quite sure it’s the same family. They were all connected to 20 Messines Park! It seems I may have found more cousins! Thanks for any help you can offer. Colleen
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Love your quote….perfect for genealogy!
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Thanks Rachelle, it is so true!
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I also love the collages. Very interesting.
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Thanks Amy, they are all done on free software! 🙂
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Coleen, I am joining my New England genealogy group for a week of research in Belfast next June and as I am trying to get my research and documentation ready, I found a few pages from a book I had copied in Salt Lake City a few years ago. This book is on line now and WOW! Google—“James Orr and Janet McClement” and the familysearch site will pop up. They came into Northern Ireland from Scotland Ca. 1607 and one of the early Orrs wrote the papers and genealogy while a Ray A. Jones wrote this book. Go to page 6 of the genealogy part and you will see the first Patrick Murdock————————————-my first McConnell is on page 7. I still can’t connect to my documentation but this sure helps. Good Luck! Sylvia Barrett slmbarrett@tds.net
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Sylvia, thank you so much. I’ve scanned through the first 30 pages or so and their are a variety of Murdoch/k’s. I will be printing all 163 pages off and going through it with a fine tooth comb! 🙂 What’s already interesting are the Murdoch/k Christian names. They are names that repeat through generations of my family. I would love to get back as far as the 1600’s! Are you traveling to Belfast in June 2015 or 2016? It looks like I’ll be flying back for two weeks in July this year again! Thanks again for the information; keep me posted on your research.
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I have a site on facebook history from headstones derry-londonderry , join up and share.
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Thanks Seamus, I’ll apply to join! Colleen
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Hi Colleen
How strange reading that John was a church member at Newtowncunningham Presbyterian Church. This is where my research into my mother’s family has lead me. Though not connected by family, a connection through the church family as they would also have attended this church around the same time.
Whereas my father’s side is linked to the Chambers family as you know.
It is indeed a small world!
Cathy
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Hi Cathy, thanks for reading. I really must find more time to write again. You should email me the information on your mother’s family… you just never know what connections might pop up! xx Colleen
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