Margaret, I've been searching for Armstrongs, too - Northern Ireland to
Canada.My bunch ended up in the Halton area (west of Toronto) and includes more
than a few Samuels and Williams.
Just by chance, is that where your Samuel and William ended up?
Jacquelyn
On Monday, December 3, 2018 9:24 PM, Katie Green via CoTyroneList
<[email protected]> wrote:
Yes, my Armstrongs are Dublin to Quebec. Lots of those Armstrongs in Ireland.
Katie Green
On Dec 3, 2018, at 5:40 PM, Elwyn Soutter via CoTyroneList
<[email protected]> wrote:
Margaret, I echo what Boyd has said. Armstrong is a very common name in
Ireland.In the 1901 census there are 6122. 545 in Co Tyrone, 6 named Samuel
and41 named William. The names would have been even more common in the mid
1800s asthe population was considerably greater then. (It was 8 million in 1841
and it’sonly 6 million today). There’s 42 parishes in the county, and
probably250 – 300 churches. Not all the churches have records back to the mid
1800s letalone 1811 when William was born, and of those that do, many are not
on-line.Only the RC records are fairly comprehensively on-line. For all other
denominationsit’s very patchy. A lot have been copied and are in PRONI, but
there are somesmall churches where the Minister still has the only copy of the
records.No-one has copied them at all, and the only way of checking them is to
contacthim/her. Searching all the various church records for Tyrone is a
mammoth task.Researchers need to be able to reduce the search by knowing the
exact denomination(s)of the families they are looking at. And we need some
reasonably reliableinformation on where they might have lived to keep the
research withinreasonable bounds. Searching the church records for the whole
county forArmstrong would be a huge task. But even then, there’s no getting
away from thefact that the Church of Ireland lost a significant portion of its
records inthe 1922 fire, and that other denominations didn’t always keep
records, or ifthey did, they have been lost or damaged. So no certainty of
success at all. It’s worth bearing in mind that noteveryone is listed in
Griffiths. Servants, people lodging with others and folkwith very low value
properties were all excluded. Labourers who moved aroundregularly to follow
available work often slipped through the Griffiths clerks net.There are other
examples. Also it was compiled for Tyrone around 1860, so if afamily had left
by that year, they won't be in it. With your Samuel and William, I wouldsearch
all possible records in Canada, or wherever else they ended up. Marriageand
death certificates sometimes give places of birth, as well as parentsnames.
Military records, obituaries, wills etc can all throw up informationabout
someone’s origins. Because it’ssuch a common name, to trace William Armstrong
born c1852, we’d need hismother’s full name, to be sure of finding the right
family. Presumably you knowthat, though it isn’t in your post. The
researcher’s expertise is obviouslyimportant but equally we can’t magic up
records that don’t exist anymore, and themore accurate your information and the
narrower the search area, the better thechances of success. Elwyn
From: Boyd Gray via CoTyroneList <[email protected]>
To: CoTyroneIreland.com Mailing List <[email protected]>
Cc: Boyd Gray <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, 3 December 2018, 22:31
Subject: Re: [CoTyroneMailingList] Using a researcher
Hi Margaret,
I am a "researcher" currently working on a project very similar to the one you
describe. And after weeks of research, I have not found that magical "smoking
gun" which you seem to desire. Thankfully, I am not being expected to do so
and I made that clear at the start when I offered to help. It is as simple as
this. If the records do not exist, no amount of research, by anyone other than
a magic fairy, is ever going to find that definitive link for which you seek.
In the end, it will all come down to probabilities. If you have researched
every birth, marriage and death, every land record from the Tithe Applotment
Books, through the Griffiths Valuation AND beyond through the Griffiths
Valuation Revision Books, through their overlap with the censuses and right
through to their end circa 1930, then you will have sufficient sense of the
family in that area to know whether they are your folks, to withing 80% or 90%
degree of certainty. But you can not expect even a professional researcher to
magic up a record which does not exist.
Just like you, we found a Christopher Irwin, but not the Christopher Irwin who
emigrated to Ontario in 1850 because this Christopher Irwin was still in Co
Tyrone when he died in 1906. But, we have done enough work on this branch of
the Irwins, compared to other Irwins from County Tyrone, which was the only
clue given by Canadian records, to be reasonably sure we have the right Irwins.
But no smoking gun. No family bible. No record from a list of sources which
simply does not exist. No researcher with a magic wand. If you need to know
what sources are actually available, have a look here at the helpful hints,
workshop videos, sources and links:https://www.facebook.com/westulstergenealogy/
That is the reality.
Keep researching, do not give up, but do not look for the impossible....
though, who knows.... you may strike lucky and find that mythicak family bible.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Boyd
https://www.westulstergenealogy.com/
https://www.facebook.com/westulstergenealogy/
http://familytrees.genopro.com/boydgray26/Boyd/
On Mon, 3 Dec 2018 at 21:42, margaret marion via CoTyroneList
<[email protected]> wrote:
I have grown more and more frustrated with my research in Northern Ireland.
Has anyone ever used a researcher? Was it a good experience? Can anyone
recommend someone?I have done my research for Samuel Armstrong born 1811 and
his son William born 1852, Tyrone, Northern Ireland.I have done Griffith's
Valuation and the census from 1901 and 1911. I centered on the Armstrong's of
Sixmilecross. I went there because in Griffith's Valuation, they had a Samuel
Armstrong.I now know that it is not my Samuel Armstrong. I figure he came to
Canada in 1860 - 1862.The Samuel Armstrong of Sixmilecross is present right
into the late 1800's. this is what frustrated me to the most.I have done the
family tree for the Armstrong's of Sixmilecross back to 1797 with Isaac
Armstrong, father Francis, I believe, but not lots of proof.My own guess is
Samuel is a younger brother of Isaac. But absolutely no proof.Hence the reason
I am thinking of getting a researcher for a bit.Any advice would be
appreciated.Margaret MarionOshawa, Ontario,
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