Sarah Anderson and James Barbour of Derry

Sarah Anderson was the daughter of our great-great-great grandparents, the Antrim-born schoolmaster, John Anderson and his wife, Jane Wilson Blair.  Sarah's brother was William John Anderson, born circa 1858,  who was the grandfather of our paternal grandmother, Agnes Keating Wilson, known to us all as Nessie, who married Bertie Stewart etc.
Sarah's sister, Susan Anderson, was born in Newtownabbey in 1865, but died of scrofula, aged 7, in 1872. At the time of the child's death, the family were living at 57 Hardinge St, Belfast.  A third daughter, named Ellen, was born to John and Jane Anderson in Belfast in 1867, but she may have died young.

Sarah Anderson herself was born to the schoolmaster John Anderson and to Jane Wilson Blair on December 22nd 1862, and married the school teacher, James Barbour, son of Joseph Barbour of Limavady, Derry, on October 20th 1887 in Drumachose Church; the witnesses were Robert McIntyre and Jane Rainey.

By the time of the 1901 census, Sarah's widowed father, John Anderson, was living with the family at Aughansillagh, Derry.

James Barbour, who had been born in Limavady in 1851, was educated as a teacher in Marlborough College, Dublin, and was the principal of Lislane School in Limavady.

The Barber/Barbour Family of Terrydremont, Drumachose, Limavady:

The Flax Growers List of 1796 shows up three members of the Barber family farming in Drumachose - John, Joseph and Robert.

James Barbour's parents were Joseph (1806 - 1873) and Elizabeth Barber of Terrydremon. Another researcher on the LDS site had Joseph Barbour's wife as Elizabeth Laggan or Logan, 1809 - 1886.

Joseph Barbour was himself the son of Edward Barbour and Catherine Scott - I haven't personally confirmed this but later children were named as Scott Barbour which seems to confirm the Edward Barbour/Catherine Scott marriage as a likelihood.

Joseph Barbour's brother was William Barbour (1808 - 1891), farmer of Ardgarvan, Co. Derry, and son of Edward Barbour and Catherine Scott.  William Barbour died at Ardgarvan on 7th December 1891; his will was administered by his grandnephew, John Barbour Mullin.  William Barbour had married a woman by the name of Mary Anne, and had a son, William Barbour, and two daughters, Jane Barbour and Sarah Barbour who died aged 48 of chest disease in Ardgarvan on 13th September 1906.
Another son of William and Mary Anne Barbour was Scott Barbour who married Catherine Beers, the daughter of carpenter James Beers of Terrydrummond, in Drumachose on 19th February 1874; the witnesses were William and Eliza Barbour.  Scott Barbour and Catherine Beers moved to work in Govan, Lanarkshire, Scotland, where the censuses of 1881 and 1891 show them living at 104 King Street with daughters Matilda, Mary Ann and Elizabeth.

Farmer Joseph Barbour and Elizabeth (Laggan?)  had four sons - John Barbour, born circa 1840, Joseph Barbour, born circa 1849, William Barbour,  and the schoolteacher, James, who had been born in 1851, and who would marry Sarah Anderson in 1887.

The children of Joseph Barbour and Elizabeth Laggan of Terrydremont:

1) John Barber, son of Joseph and Elizabeth Barber of Terrydremon/Drumachose, was born in 1840 and married Jane White, the daughter of the shoemaker James White of Terrydremont on 19th June 1860.  The witnesses were Joseph Mullin and Mary White.

2) William Barbour who married Eliza Beers and had children at Lisnagrib, Balteagh, Terrydrummond. William was born 28th February 1876, Joseph was born circa 1877, Alexander was born on 18th March 1881, Catherine was born 3rd February 1883, Eliza Jane was born at Terrydremont on 23rd December 1884 and Scott was born in Lisnagrib on 8th May 1889.   William Barbour died aged 63 at Lisnagrib on 22nd June 1907;  a James Barbour of Lisnagrib was present, and William's will was granted to Robert Stewart and James Irwin, farmers.

3) Brother Joseph never married, and appeared on both the 1901 and 1911 censuses farming still at Terrydrummond.

4) James Barbour, schoolmaster, who would marry Sarah Anderson in 1887.

5) Elizabeth Barbour (1840 - 1880) the daughter of farmer Joseph Barbour and Elizabeth Laggan, married James Mullin/Mullan, a farmer, the son of William Mullin, on 19th March 1868.  Their son was John Barbour Mullin, who was born in Ardgarvan, Drumachose, on 29th March 1870, and who married Effie Black, the daughter of Hugh Black, in Ballykelly, Co. Derry, on 2nd July 1912.  This was witnessed by John Mullan and Margaret MacLaughlin.  Effie Mullin died on 4th August 1929, while her husband, the schoolmaster John Barbour Mullin, died at Main Street, Limavady, on 28th November 1931.  His will was administered by the widowed Mary Elizabeth Black, and by the unmarried Martha Mullan.
James Mullan and Elizabeth Barbour, the parents of John Barbour Mullin, also had Martha Mullan in 1878, Margaret in 1880 and an unnamed child in 1874. By 1901, Elizabeth Mullan, née Barbour, was dead, and the widower James Mullan, aged 55, was living in the Fruithill area Limavady - this townland was very close to Terrydrummond North where the Barbour family came from.  James Mullan's children were living at home - William aged 32, John aged 30, Elizabeth aged 28,  James aged 25, and Martha aged 23.
John Barbour Mullan was a schoolmaster like his cousin, James Barbour.   By 1911, William, John and Lizzie Mullan were still living at home with their father.

A snippet of the 1851 census survived and shows the Barber/Barbour family living at Terrydremont - Joseph Barber was 40 and had married in 1830.  His wife, Elisa, was aged 38. The only child listed was 5-yr-old Joseph, who could spell.  According to the later 1901 census,  Joseph Barbour had been born in 1849, rather than 1846 as stated above, but they generally just guessed their correct ages in this era.

In 1859, Griffiths Valuation showed Joseph Barber farming 10 acres (leased from Hugh Lane) in Terrydremont North.
Elizabeth Barber died on 22nd February 1886 at Terrydremont.  She had made a will 4 years earlier:

 'March 27 1882. I, Elizabeth Barber of Terrydremon, do publish this my last will and testament in way and manner as follows.  I leave the farm and all the chattels to my son Joseph, and James to live here with Joseph as when I was alive, till something occurs to cause separation, and when James leaves, I allow him a cow, and my sun (sic) William one pound sterling, and my sun John one pound sterling, also to James Mulin (ie: Mullin) one pound sterling, and I nominate James Deens as my executor...'
    Elizabeth signed her will with her mark;  neighbours James and Samuel Deens witnessed the document.

The children of Sarah Anderson and James Barbour were as follows:

a) The twins, John Barbour, born at 7.15pm on 7th September 1888 and Joseph, born half an hour later. Joseph Barbour died of TB in Aughansallagh on 25th April 1909; his sister, Jane Wilson Barbour was the informant.
b) Jane Wilson Barbour, known as Jennie, was born at Lislane on 23rd July 1890.
c) Elizabeth/Lizzie was born on 26th December 1892.
d) James, known as Jim A. Barbour, was born on 24th November 1894.
e) Sarah Agnes was born at Aughansillagh on 26th August 1896. Sarah Agnes Barbour married a laundry manager, Thomas George Kane, the son of an engineer Thomas Kane, on 20th July 1921 in Drumachose. Limavady. Francis Kane and Mary Augusta Campbell were the witnesses.
f) William Anderson Barbour was born on 7th February 1898.
g) Louis Victor MacKenzie Barbour was born on 27th October 1899. He died of peritonitis, aged only 11, on 15th June 1911.

The family emigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba - the children seem to have gone first, followed later by their elderly parents.
In 1916,  James/Jim, a checker, was living at 476 Balmoral Street, Winnipeg, with his sister, Jennie, a stenographer.
William Anderson Barbour, their brother, also emigrated - he joined up with the Canadian forces in 1917, giving his address as 14 Camden Court, Young Street, Winnipeg - he had been born on February 7th 1898 to James Barbour of Drummond, Limavady.  William was a stenographer.

In 1921, the records show up their parents' emigration. 'The Declaration of Passengers to Canada' record James Barbour, aged 70, and his wife, Sarah, arriving, with the intention to remain;  they were heading to live with their daughter, Jane Barbour, who had paid for their passage over, and with their sons James and William - it was good to see that William survived WW I.  Jane, James and William were resident at Suite 7, Young Street, Winnipeg.  The closest relative at home in Derry was given as James Barbour's older brother, Joseph Barbour of Terry Drummond, Limavady.

Son William Anderson Barbour emigrated to Chicago in 1923 where he was naturalised on 5th March 1929.  By 1930 he had married a Northern Irish woman, Lydia Linton Gaston, who had emigrated in 1920. The couple had a son, William James Barbour, in Chicago on 25th June 1928.  The LDS records the child as having been born to William Anderson Barbour and to Lydia Linton Gaston - she had been born in Duneany, Co. Antrim on 1st December 1898, emigrated to the US on 17th July 1920, and was naturalised on 6th March 1941;  her address in 1941 was given as 944 Deerfield Road.  She died in September 1977 in Illinois.
By 1940 the family were living at Deerfield Village, Lake, Illinois, and had an 8-year-old daughter, Donnalee Barbour.
William Anderson Barbour died in Illinois in September 1978. 


In 1928 James Barbour and Sarah Anderson  sailed back to Ireland from Canada aboard the 'Minnesoda'.  Their intended address was 3, Main St., Limavady.  Next to them on the list was William Caldwell of 30 Arundel Street, a checker living in Canada.
Later in 1928, the elderly couple reappear on the passenger lists of the 'S.S. Duchess of Bedford', sailing home from Belfast to Quebec.  They stated that they had been living in Canada since 1921, so had been returning home for a visit. James Barbour was a retired teacher, still living at Suite 2, Huntley Apartments, Young St., Winnipieg.  His next-of-kin was his cousin, Mr. J. Mullan of 2 Main St., Limavady.

The same passenger list also recorded Sarah's place of birth as 'Carreagle', Ireland, but I've had no luck finding out where that is.
Also sailing with them was the William Caldwell who had sailed back to Ireland with them earlier in the year. He was aged 44 and the son of R. Caldwell of 30 Arundel St, Belfast;  his wife was named as Lizzie Caldwell of 455 Alexandra Drive, Winnipeg.

James Barbour's cousin, who he went home to visit in 1928, was the schoolmaster, John Barbour Mullin, who had been born in 1870 to the farmer, James Mullin/Mullan, and to Elizabeth Barbour, the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Barbour of Terrydremont, and sister of James Barbour.

James Barbour died at 1320 Rosemount Avenue, Fort Garry, Winnipeg, on October 3rd 1937.
Sarah Barbour, née Anderson, died on February 28th 1948.