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Software upgrades driving modern printing press technology (again)
Begging our readers’ patience, as much as my own, please bear with us while significant software upgrades are rolled out across Arborealis. In keeping with the introduction by WordPress™ of significant developments in its web design interface, appropriately called Gutenberg™, the design theme for Arborealis has changed. This change was necessary to accommodate updated methods… Continue reading
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Marriage settlement of William Stevenson & Elizabeth Fleming (1716)
Just over three hundred years ago, Capt. James Stevenson of Stewartstown and William Fleming of Portadown executed a marriage settlement on behalf of their respective children, William and Elizabeth. The resulting deeds of lease and release, dated 19th October 1716, are lengthy and verge on the turgid. Nevertheless, a careful parsing of the document reveals… Continue reading
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Irish Deeds – Updates re: Indexing & Transcription Projects
The purpose of this blog article is to inform our readers of updates in the Irish Deeds section on Arborealis. At the time of writing, the sub-sections include: Source citation for this page: — Kilpatrick, Alison. “Irish Deeds – Updates re: Indexing & Transcription Projects.” Blog article published to Arborealis by Alison Kilpatrick ©2021; online… Continue reading
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Mary McDonnell in, “The lot of the soldier’s wife” (revisited)
Since writing the first installment of “The lot of the soldier’s wife” in 2015, the recent discovery of a (third) marriage record lifts Mary McDonnell out of the inscrutable murk of family history mystery. Nevertheless, Mary has led us on a merry genealogical chase to learning what was her lot for the twenty-one years between… Continue reading
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Christmas Day at the Poor-house in Armagh, 25th December 1844
Published in the 31st December 1844 edition of The Armagh Guardian: Christmas Day in Armagh. On Wednesday last the annual dinner was given to the inmates of the Armagh Poor-house, by his grace the Lord Primate; the dinner consisted of roast beef and plum pudding, with ale. Same day 100 of the aged and infirm poor… Continue reading
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Birth of Robert Kennedy at Carland, parish of Donaghmore, 22nd December 1683
On this day 337 years ago, the Rev. Thomas Kennedy (1625–1714) and Mary O’Brien (c.1651–1721), his wife, celebrated the birth of Robert Kennedy, their youngest child, at Carland in county Tyrone., During his early life, Robert ran the expected course of education in Glasgow prior to ordination at Benburb Presbyterian in county Tyrone. His life… Continue reading
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Family history mystery: Adam & Robert Kilpatrick of Lislea, parish of Kilrea
The children of one of our nearly related Kilpatrick families of Lislea townland seem to have disappeared from the Irish record, qualifying as another family history mystery. Adam Kilpatrick (IV) was born on 13th December 1834 in Lislea townland in the parish of Kilrea, county Derry, the son of Adam Kilpatrick (III) (d.1837) and Hester… Continue reading
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Rev. Gilbert Alexander Kennedy of Cambusnethan
A research friend, Jonathan Gray of Killeeshil & Clonaneese Historical Society and keen student of all things [Kennedy + Carland], often refers to the “genealogy” of ministerial descendants from the Rev. Thomas Kennedy (1625–1714). This 17th century Rev. Mr. Kennedy was the first minister at Carland c.1646, and what Mr. Gray says is remarkable. Not… Continue reading
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In search of four children of James Huggins, jun., of Glenarb, in the parish of Aghaloo
This blog post is written to highlight a search for the children of James Huggins, jun., who have disappeared from the Irish records. The several children of interest were born in the parish of Aghaloo and county of Tyrone, and baptised in the parish church of St. John (Church of Ireland) in Caledon: Does it… Continue reading
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Portent of the Great Famine in December, 1844
In December, 1844, the Limerick Chronicle† contained a portent of the Great Famine of 1845–1852. In that edition was issued one of the earliest warnings of that looming and terrible visitation of the potato blight, famine, and disease in Ireland. A serious rot had been detected in the potato pits in several districts. At this… Continue reading
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Inaugural edition of The Armagh Guardian, published 3rd September 1844
On 3rd December 1844, John Thompson published the inaugural edition of his new weekly journal, The Armagh Guardian. At this juncture in his publishing career, he kept a general print shop at 63, English-street in Armagh. No matter how much and how loudly they doth protest, then as now the news issues forth from bias.… Continue reading
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Website redesign: Column shift, inline-six :: One more, once!
Website redesign v.3.3:—Early in the New Year, I learnt that the software which had formed the basis for building Arborealis since June, 2014 was no longer supported. This went a long way to explaining why, for several months at least, merely inputting several phrases or switching windows between that software and other programs or webpages… Continue reading
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Family history mystery: Agnes Stevenson and Rev. Mr. Pattison of Edinburgh
This latest family history mystery item involves the Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Pattison (the former Miss Agnes Stevenson), who lived in Edinburgh in the early 1800s. Agnes Stevenson was born c.1733-ish in Stewartstown, county Tyrone. She was the daughter of William Stevenson (c.1691–c.1765) and Ann Stewart. Ann Stewart was a daughter of Andrew Stewart (1672–1715),… Continue reading
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“for the considerations therein mentioned”
or, What a Memorial of an Indented Deed is, and what it isn’t. During the past few months, while transcribing and indexing memorials of Irish deeds, I’ve noticed certain legal terms and turns of phrase. Historic newspapers are the same way: after a time, you begin to recognize patterns in language and style, and to… Continue reading
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Duties of the Irish tenant farmer :: one fatt Unshorne Mutton, one Bole of Barley, &c.
one fatt Unshorne Mutton One Bole of Barley Twelve Fatt Henns Six days work of Man & horse The 21st century reader would be forgiven for thinking that these might have been lines from an ancient verse or folk song. As it happens, these words defined the duties of the Irish tenant farmer to his… Continue reading
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A Huggins thorn in George Washington’s revolutionary side
Like so many other Irishmen from the province of Ulster, young Thomas Huggins ventured out to the American colonies in the early 1770s, to seek his fortune. It seems unlikely that a Revolutionary War was a part of the 18th century American Dream that Thomas sought—but that, indeed, is what he got. Equally, it is… Continue reading
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The Halifax Explosion, 6th December 1917: Epitaph for Merle Huggins, a schoolgirl
On this day, 6th December 2015, a ceremony is underway to commemorate the Halifax Explosion which devastated the north end of the city ninety-eight years ago. Every year, people gather beside the Halifax Explosion Memorial Bell Tower, to mark the wartime marine disaster which killed 2,000 people, injured another 9,000, and left 25,000 homeless. One-third… Continue reading
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The lot of the soldier’s wife was unenviable
So little was etched into the written record about our great-great-great grandmother, Mary McDonnell (1794–1869), the earliest known of our ancestors in this line from the county of Mayo. Of course, the system of record keeping favoured male heads of household, tradesmen, and soldiers. Women tended to fall off the archival radar. While we are… Continue reading
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Unsung Hero: John Burke of Claremorris, regimental tailor, 96th & 39th Regiments of Foot
One evil consequence of the penal laws was, that the Irish being denied the exercise of the honourable profession of arms at home, (as alluded to in the introduction to this section,) the high-mettled youth of the land were driven to take service under foreign banners; and England had often to regret the valour of… Continue reading
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Kilpatrick family history :: Lislea, parish of Kilrea, county Derry
After thirteen years’ study of a wide range of Irish, Canadian, and American records, I’ve decided, finally, that I’m as ready as I’ll ever be to put quill to paper and write the Kilpatrick family history for our branch out of Lislea townland in the parish of Kilrea, county Londonderry. This research commenced in late… Continue reading
Tag Cloud for Blog Posts:
American Revolutionary War Archdall Armagh city Armagh Guardian Begley Benburb Biography Burke Carland Church Claremorris, county Mayo County Fermanagh County Mayo Edinburgh Family history Famine Garvin Glenarb Great War 1914-18 Halifax, Nova Scotia Hamilton Harvest Historical newspapers Huggins Indexing work Irish deeds Kennedy Kilpatrick Lislea, Parish of Kilrea Local history McDonnell McKay Northamptonshire Parish of Aghaloo Pattison Potato blight Potato crop Poverty & the poor law Prescott, Ontario Records Remembrance Stevenson Stewartstown Summit County, Ohio Transcripts Website design
Categories of Blog Posts:
Acknowledgements Emigrants and settlers Family history mystery General news Interesting finds Military service Misfortune and hardship On this day Research methods Themes Women who endured