Susan,

 

That 1876 death certificate has Isabella’s occupation as “farmer’s daughter” 
and her marital status as “spinster.” You would expect to see “farmer’s widow” 
. There doesn’t seem much doubt that Sarah Kee, the informant, viewed the 
deceased as a single woman. If Isabella was her mother, that would be a 
surprising mistake to make. A mistake over age would be understandable and 
common, but not over marital status if it was your mother. I am doubtful this 
1876 Isabella is the lady who married John Johnston.

 

Sarah Kee, in the 1901 census:

 

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Tyrone/Meenagh/Lisnastrane/1736674/

 

Sarah’s husband was William Kee (father of Thomas who married Mgt Jane 
Abernethy in 1886).

 

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1886/10834/5951815.pdf

 

William died 1891:

 

Irish Genealogy


| 
| 
|  | 
Irish Genealogy

This Irish Government supported, official web site, is dedicated to helping you 
in your search for records of fa...
 |

 |

 |






 

Your tree on Ancestry does not list any more children after Arabella was born 
in 1834 when Isabella would have been around 34.  That was young to stop having 
children. Could she have died around then? (In the 1800s 1 in 8 women of 
childbearing age died in childbirth or from post-natal complications).

 

Have you searched Clonoe Church of Ireland burial records for Isabella’s death 
say 1834 - 1863? They start in 1824 and continue to 1957. Copy in PRONI.

 

Probate abstract for John Johnston:

 

Letters of Administration of the personal estate of John Johnston late of 
Derrytresk in the Barony of Dungannon and County of Tyrone Farmer deceased who 
died 8 July 1863 at same place were granted at Armagh to James Johnston of 
Derrytresk aforesaid Farmer the Son and one of the next of kin of said deceased.

 

No mention of a widow in the abstract and I note from the Valuation Revision 
records on the PRONI website that the farm went straight from John Johnston to 
his son James in 1865 (which is when Griffiths learned of the change).  So no 
widow mentioned there either.  I suspect that’s because she was already dead.

 

 

 
Elwyn





    On Friday, 28 April 2023, 07:32:35 BST, Susan Elliott via CoTyroneList 
<[email protected]> wrote:  
 
  
I have possibly located another piece to the puzzle of my brick wall couple 
John Johnston and Belle Rainey.  The first record I have of them is the baptism 
of their daughter Sally/Sarah in 1818/1819 at Stewartstown First Presbyterian 
Church.  Subsequent children were also baptized there.  Despite exhaustive 
decades of work I have not been able to locate any verifiable records of the 
previous  location of  this couple or their parents.  I have made DNA 
connections (including in CoTyrone)  to one of their sons but frustratingly it 
is always me who is providing the information!!
 
  
 
I have recently decided that Belle’s full Christian name is probably Isabella.  
On the second marriage of the second daughter Arabella in Geelong in 1875 
Isabella Johnston is stated to be the mother of the bride.
 
  
 
I have obtained a copy of the full death certificate of an Isabella Johnston 
who died in 1876 aged 76 which puts her in the correct range to be the mother 
of Sally/Sarah.  The death took place at Lisnestrain and the witness is Sarah 
Kee who I definitely know is the Sarah baptized 1818/1819 above.  John Johnston 
died in 1863 at Derrytresk -  (John was a Bailiff for William Blacker).  My 
dilemma is that Isabella is stated to  be a Spinster and a Farmer’s daughter on 
the Death Certificate. 
 
  
 
I am attempting to establish where John Johnston is buried so maybe Isabella 
would be there also.  I am not hopeful of any success.
 
  
 
I would be grateful for any opinion on whether or not I take the information on 
the Death Certificate as being correct or has there been some assumptions made 
because it was 13 years since John’s death.  Sarah Kee signed with a mark.  
 
  
 
The only other thought I had was that this Isabella Johnston was an aunt of 
Sarah Kee’s (nee Johnston).  Maybe Sarah’s mother died some time around the 
birth of the last child that I have a record of ie 1834 and this aunt helped 
bring up the younger children .  
 
  
 
I have obtained a copy of the Marriage Certificates of two of the children of 
John and Belle but they only show the Father’s names not the Mother’s.
 
  
 
Thank you for any assistance that may be provided.
 
  
 
Susan Elliott
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
Sent from Mail for Windows

  
 =================================
Send a Message to the List - [email protected]
List Archive - 
https://list.cotyroneireland.com/empathy/list/cotyronelist.list.cotyroneireland.com
Join the list by sending an email to -  
[email protected]
To receive the Digest version, send an email to - 
[email protected]
Unsubscribe by sending an email to -  
[email protected]
=================================  
=================================
Send a Message to the List - [email protected]
List Archive - 
https://list.cotyroneireland.com/empathy/list/cotyronelist.list.cotyroneireland.com
Join the list by sending an email to -  
[email protected]
To receive the Digest version, send an email to - 
[email protected]
Unsubscribe by sending an email to -  
[email protected]
=================================

Reply via email to