The Hearts of Steel Memorials:
The Hearts of Steel was a Protestant Agrarian protest movement set up to fight against the re-letting of farms in Antrim; the agrarian unrest later spread to other counties. Those who opposed the agrarian violence committed by the Hearts of Steel, signed lists of protest known as the Memorials, which were published in the Belfast Telegraph.
On Friday 3rd April 1772, the paper published the memorial of the Moneyrea congregation:
"We whose Names are hereunto subscribed, principal Members of the Presbyterian Congregation of Moneyrea, County of Down...with a few of our good Neighbours of the Establishment, to testify our abhorrence of the numberless Acts of Inhumanity...committed in this neighbourhood...by those deluded Persons called Hearts of Steel...we have entered into an Association that we will oppose Force by Force against all who attempt our Lives...:
The signatories vowed to "...maintain Peace and Order amongst ourselves, and in every respect demean ourselves as Good subjects of the Best government on Earth."
Although it's impossible to isolate which of the following Moneyrea Stewarts we descend from, these were the Stewarts who signed the Memorial, and who were therefore inhabitants of the area in April 1772:
Neven Stewart
John Stewart x 4
Simon Stewart
Alex. Stewart x 2
Arch. Stewart
Sam. Stewart
And. Stewart
Freeholders' Records:
The 40-shilling freeholders either owned or leased land worth more than 40 shillings; this entitled them to vote. They held the lease for either the length of their own life or for the length of three other lives which were named in the lease. I accessed these records for free on the PRONI website.
1769: James Stewart, John Stewart,William Stewart, all of Crossnacreevy. All three of these men appear on headstones in the Moneyreagh graveyard. John Stewart of Crossnacreevy might be one of the four John Stewarts who signed the Hearts of Steel Memorial in 1772.
In the same Freeholders lists, we find the name Robert Stewart of Crossnacreevy mentioned in 1813, 1814 and 1824.
From Moneyreagh Graveyard:
'Here lieth the body of John Stewart of Crossnacreevy who departed this life 27th of August 1795 aged 72 years. Here resteth the remains of the late William Stewart of Crossnacreevy who departed this life the 19th of June 1813 aged 83 years. Also the remains of his wife Elizabeth Stewart alias ALLEN who departed this life the 17th of February 1814 in the 73rd year of her age. Here lieth the body of Ann Hill alias Stewart who departed this life the 27th of June.'
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| Headstone, Moneyreagh Graveyard |
'Underneath is interred the remains of the late James Stewart of Crossnacreevy who departed this life the 7th day of May MDCCCIII, aged 83 years. Also his wife Margaret Anderson who died April 3rd aged 87 years (undated).'
(I scoured the graveyard in Moneyreagh for the previous headstone, but failed to find it - it might have been one of the toppled headstones, or the inscription might merely have become completely eroded by the weather.)
Dates for the above Stewarts of Crossnacreevy:
John Stewart (1723 - 1795)
William Stewart (1730 - 1813) + his wife, Elizabeth Allen (1741 - 1814).
Ann Stewart, née Hill (age unknown.)
James Stewart (1720 - 1803) and his wife, Margaret Anderson (age unknown.)
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| Rudimentary Stewart family tree |
Robert Stewart (b. 1762) and Agnes Wallace of Crossnacreevy:
Born circa 1762, Robert Stewart of Crossnacreevy was noted as a 40 shilling Freeholder in 1813, 1814 and 1824.
The Public Records Office in Belfast holds the surviving census abstracts for 1821 (T3707/1/35 and 36), and these include the Stewarts of Crossnacreevy as follows:
- Robert Stewart, aged 59, was farming 15 acres,and was married to 40-year-old Agnes. They had two children living or visiting on the night of the census, 11-year-old James Stewart, and 8-year-old Francis Stewart. The census doesn't clarify the relationship between the members of the household - the later marriage notice of Francis Stewart named him as the son of an older Francis Stewart. Robert and Agnes Stewart might therefore have been the grandparents of young James and Francis Stewart who were recorded in the Crossnacreevy household in 1821.
- William Stewart, aged in his 50s, a single farmer of 12 acres, was living with his unmarried sisters, Ann aged 48, and Eliza and Ellenor aged 40. A William Stewart of Crossnacreevy died aged 89 on 5th November 1851. ('Belfast Newsletter', 7th November 1851.)
- Joseph and Ann Stewart. In 1821 Joseph Stewart was an innkeeper and a farmer of 5 acres. Both Joseph and his first wife, Ann, were 26, and had a one-year-old son William Stewart. In later records Joseph's wife was recorded as being named 'Agnes'. These were our immediate ancestors.
Robert Stewart of Crossnacreevy, who had been born in about 1762 according to the 1821 census, and was aged 59, was married to Agnes Wallace who was 19 years younger than him.
Robert Stewart of Crosnacreevy (sic) had married Miss Wallace of Moss-side near Moneyreagh in 1809. This from 'Saunders Newsletter' of 27th April 1809.
'The History of Moneyreagh Congregation, 1719 - 1969' named Robert Stewart of Crossnacreevy as one of the collectors of the congregation in 1799 who were charged with collecting contributions from his local townland on behalf of the needy in the area.
(A few Wallace records: in January 1826, flax premiums were paid to G. Wallace of Ballykeel, Comber, and to J. Wallace of Ballybeen, Comber in 1825. On 26th November 1836, Rev. Fletcher Blakely, Unitarian minister of Moneyrea, married Samuel Nelson Junior of Moneyrea and Miss Margaret Wallace of the same place. ['Belfast Commercial Chronicle', 30th Nov. 1836.] In October 1833, Rev. Fletcher Blakely married Mary Wallace, eldest daughter of Francis Wallace of Moneyrea, and Alex Johnston of Belfast. On 7th July 1844, Mr. Francis Wallace, formerly of Moneyrea, died aged 84 at his residence in Belfast. These nuggets were from the papers of the day. I wonder was this Francis Wallace the origin of the name 'Francis' which entered the Stewart family of Crossnacreevy at this time? A Francis Wallace of Moneyrea married Jane McKee of Drumhirk and had Mary, Samuel, William, James, Francis Jr., Jane, Margaret and John.)
When Robert Stewart had married Agnes Wallace in 1809, he had been aged 47, while she had been 28, and I wonder was Agnes, therefore, Robert's second wife?
(A few Wallace records: in January 1826, flax premiums were paid to G. Wallace of Ballykeel, Comber, and to J. Wallace of Ballybeen, Comber in 1825. On 26th November 1836, Rev. Fletcher Blakely, Unitarian minister of Moneyrea, married Samuel Nelson Junior of Moneyrea and Miss Margaret Wallace of the same place. ['Belfast Commercial Chronicle', 30th Nov. 1836.] In October 1833, Rev. Fletcher Blakely married Mary Wallace, eldest daughter of Francis Wallace of Moneyrea, and Alex Johnston of Belfast. On 7th July 1844, Mr. Francis Wallace, formerly of Moneyrea, died aged 84 at his residence in Belfast. These nuggets were from the papers of the day. I wonder was this Francis Wallace the origin of the name 'Francis' which entered the Stewart family of Crossnacreevy at this time? A Francis Wallace of Moneyrea married Jane McKee of Drumhirk and had Mary, Samuel, William, James, Francis Jr., Jane, Margaret and John.)
When Robert Stewart had married Agnes Wallace in 1809, he had been aged 47, while she had been 28, and I wonder was Agnes, therefore, Robert's second wife?
Was our great-great grandfather, Joseph Stewart Snr. of Crossnacreevy, the son of Robert Stewart and of his first wife? Our Joseph had been born in 1793, when Robert Stewart was 31. Another potential son of Robert Stewart and Agnes Wallace of Crossnacreevy was Francis Stewart whose two young sons, James and Francis Stewart, were visiting Robert Stewart and Agnes Wallace in 1821.
Francis (1813-1893) and James Stewart (born 1810) of Crossnacreevy:
As already noted, the 1821 census for Crossnacreevy recorded the family of Robert Stewart, who had been born in about 1762, and wife Agnes Wallace living with two boys, James aged 11 and Francis Stewart aged only 8. Circumstantial evidence points to James and Francis Stewart being the sons of Francis Stewart and grandsons of Robert Stewart and Agnes Wallace of Crossnacreevy.
There were several Francis Stewarts, some associated with Crossnacreevy, and one with neighbouring Gransha.
On 19th January 1841, Francis Stewart of Crossnacreevy married Catherine Anderson, the only daughter of William Anderson of Crossnacreevy. The couple were married by Rev. Henry Haslett who ministered at this time in the Castlereagh Presbyterian Church immediately north of Crossnacreevy. The marriage announcement in the Belfast Newsletter named Francis Stewart of Crossnacreevy as the son of an older Francis Stewart. In 1821, an 8-year-old Francis Stewart had been living - or visiting - in the home of Robert and Agnes Stewart of Crossnacreevy.
It appears that father and son, Francis Snr. and Francis Jr., studied at the local school together. 'The Northern Whig' of June 1832 published the results of the exams held in Moneyreagh school. Amongst the pupils were both Francis B. Stuart (sic) and Francis Stuart Snr. who had come equal first in 6th Class Reading. Francis B. Stuart, Francis Stuart Snr. and William Stuart and come equal first in 6th Class Arithmetic. Francis Stuart also came 2nd in 7th Class Spelling.
In 1863 Francis Stewart of Crossnacreevy was leasing 27 acres, a house and outbuildings, and subletting two houses to James Floyd and William Anderson, William Anderson being a possible relation of his wife's.
The Moneyreagh Marriage Notice Book, held in the Belfast Public Records Office, records the marriage on 29th January 1850 of a William Anderson of Crossnacreevy to Elizabeth Orr Patterson who had been living in Tullyhubbert, Comber, for one year. William Anderson was the son of William Anderson of Crossnacreevy, while Elizabeth Patterson was the daughter of Joseph Patterson of Tullyhubbert - the witnesses to the wedding were an illegible member of the Patterson family and Martha Stewart who was a possible member of the neighbouring Gransha Stewarts.
Francis Stewart, joined the Moneyreagh Masonic Lodge on 24th May 1834, along with (his brother?) James Stewart of Crossnacreevy, who follows, but Francis was excluded, then readmitted in December 1841.
I found a headstone in Moneyreagh Graveyard which was immediately next to the headstone commemorating early members of my own Crossnacreevy Stewarts. This headstone marked the final resting place of two of the daughters of Francis Stewart.
On 5th October 1873 in St. Mary's Church of Ireland in Belfast, Edward Augustus Girvan, 26-year-old carpenter and son of gardener Robert Girvan, married Anne Stewart, aged 21, a stitcher and daughter of farmer Francis Stewart. The witnesses were Andrew Coyle and Eliza Jane Stewart.
James Stewart of Crossnacreevy:
James Stewart of Crossnacreevy might have been the 11-year-old James Stewart who was recorded on the 1821 census living there with 8-year-old, Francis, and with the older Robert and Agnes Stewart. It appears that Francis and James Stewart were brothers, the sons of an older Francis Stewart, and the grandchildren of Robert and Agnes Stewart, all of Crossnacreevy.
James Stewart of Crossnacreevy married, in 1844, Nancy Betty Somersides of Crossnacreevy.
It is interesting to see that, on 27th July 1850, in the Meeting House, Moneyrea, the marriage of the widowed Crossnacreevy schoolmaster, James Floyd, son of James Floyd, to Jane Ellen Somerside, daughter of John Somerside of Crossnacreevy. Francis Stewart was subletting a house to James Floyd of Crossnacreevy, while James Stewart of Crossnacreevy married Nancy Betty Somerside.
The membership registers of the Grand Lodge of the Freemasons of Ireland (1733 - 1923) are now accessible via Ancestry.com, and these record Francis and James Stewart both joining Moneyreagh Lodge No. 556 on the same day, 24th May 1834. This seems to confirm that Francis and James were the two brothers, who had been recorded as living in Crossnacreevy with the older Robert and Agnes Stewart in the 1821 census.
The 'Northern Whig' of 20th July 1844 reported that James Stewart of Crossnacreevy and Hugh Nelson of Gransha had been selected by the 'Society for the Promotion and Improvement of the Growth of Flax in Ireland' to visit neighbouring farmers and instruct them on how best to cultivate flax.
James Stewart and Ann Eliza Somersides (ie, Nancy Betty Somerside) baptised an adopted daughter, Annie Eliza Stewart, in Comber Non-Subscribing/Unitarian Church on 9th October 1861. A note in the margin of the register was added: 'Mrs. Annie E.Boyd of 87 Sidney Street, West Belfast, 1884.' However, whoever had written the note in the margin might have got the wrong Annie Eliza....a quick scroll through the PRONI Street Directories shows up a flaxdresser, James Boyd, living at 87 Sidney Street West in 1884. He appears on the 1901 census living at 16 Sixth Street with wife Annie Eliza and with six children - Grace Boyd aged 18, Martha Jane Beverland Boyd aged 14, William James Boyd aged 11, Agnes Boyd aged 8, James Boyd aged 5 and Edward Brown Boyd aged 2 who would die at 16 Sixth Street on 6th July 1901 and who was buried in Belfast City Cemetery. The civil marriage registration of James Boyd, who married in Belfast on 19th May 1882, reveals that his wife was Annie Eliza Lindsay of 55 Dundee Street, Belfast, the daughter of William Lindsay. Was the note in the Comber Register incorrect, or did Annie Eliza Lindsay keep her original name following her adoption by James Stewart and Ann Eliza Somersides?
The 'Belfast Newsletter' of 8th July 1848 reported that Joseph Stewart and John Somerside, both of Crossnacreevy, were amongst the attendees of a meeting in Comber to discuss the upcoming Landlord and Tenant Bill.
(There are records relating to the children of John Somerside/Sommersides of Crossnacreevy - the family used a variety of spellings of their name.
'The Belfast Newsletter' of 16th November 1838 noted that Rev. Fletcher Blakely of Moneyreagh married Robert Somersides of Crossnacreevy and Elizabeth McCullough of Moneyreagh on 12th November 1838. Robert married again, although perhaps there were two Robert Somersides at this time - on 3rd June 1850, Robert, son of John Somerside, married Catherine, the daughter of Robert Smith. Although the date wasn't noted, Robert Somerside of Crossnacreevy was buried in Moneyreagh by his wife Catherine - this according to the index of mourning cards held by the H.I.F.H. society.
The son of Robert Somerside of Crossnacreevy was Matthew Somerside, who had been born circa 1845 in Ireland, and who married Sarah Jane Polley, the daughter of James Polley of Ballycreely. The wedding took place on 9th June 1873 in York Street Non-Subscribing/Unitarian Church in Belfast, the same church used by two of the children of Joseph Stewart of Crossnacreevy. Matthew and Sarah Jane moved to Glasgow where he worked as a spirit shopman - their children were Sarah Jane born 1875 in Glasgow, Robert J. Somerside born 1877 in Ireland and Elizabeth born in Glasgow in 1879 and who died aged 7 at 9 James Morrison Street, Glasgow, in June 1885. A daughter, Margaret, was born in Glasgow in 1882.
On 27th July 1850 in Moneyreagh by the Unitarian minister Rev. Fletcher Blakely, Jane Ellen Somerside, daughter of John Somerside of Crossnacreevy, married James Floyd of Crossnacreevy National School, son of an older James Floyd. In 1863 Griffiths Valuation showed up Francis Stewart leasing 27 acres, a house and outbuildings, and subletting two houses to James Floyd in Crossnacreevy.
On 1st June 1853, Jane Somerside, daughter of John Somerside, married Francis Aiken/Aicken, son of John Aiken, of Slatady, which is a old townland immediately north of Crossnacreevy on the road leading to Belfast. The Mormon LDS family history site notes the birth of a Francis Aiken on 17th June 1870 to James Aiken and Margaret Somerside, as well as the birth of a James Aicken in Crossnacreevy on 26th July 1877 to John Aiken and Margaret Somersides. On 22nd November 1944 at Bethany Cottage, Castlereagh, the death occurred of an Annie Elizabeth Aiken, the 4th daughter of the late Francis and Jeannie Aiken - she was subsequently buried in Moneyreagh churchyard.
The family tree of David McCullough of Ballycreely, Moneyreagh, who emigrated to New Zealand, and which are viewable online via www.dippam.ac.uk., notes an unnamed member of the Somerside marrying Elizabeth McCullough who had been born in about 1820 in Ballycreely.
John Somerside of Crossnacreevy made a will which was granted on 26th November 1850.
The Northern Ireland Family History index of mourning cards record the burial of Jane Somerside of Crossnacreevy, mother of Arthur Somerside, being buried in Moneyreagh on 15th October 1878. Arthur's sister, Mary Summersides of Crossnacreevy died on 16th June 1885 and was buried in Moneyreagh two days later.
The 'Belfast Morning News' of 9th August 1880 reported the sudden death of 70-year-old Robert Summersides of Crossnacreevy whilst attending the potato market.)
As already noted, the 1821 census for Crossnacreevy recorded the family of Robert Stewart, who had been born in about 1762, and wife Agnes Wallace living with two boys, James aged 11 and Francis Stewart aged only 8. Circumstantial evidence points to James and Francis Stewart being the sons of Francis Stewart and grandsons of Robert Stewart and Agnes Wallace of Crossnacreevy.
There were several Francis Stewarts, some associated with Crossnacreevy, and one with neighbouring Gransha.
The Stewarts of neighbouring Gransha, who are possibly related to the Crossnacreevy Stewarts, are documented here:
http://alison-stewart.blogspot.ie/2011/08/stewarts-of-gransha-comber-co-down.htmlOn 19th January 1841, Francis Stewart of Crossnacreevy married Catherine Anderson, the only daughter of William Anderson of Crossnacreevy. The couple were married by Rev. Henry Haslett who ministered at this time in the Castlereagh Presbyterian Church immediately north of Crossnacreevy. The marriage announcement in the Belfast Newsletter named Francis Stewart of Crossnacreevy as the son of an older Francis Stewart. In 1821, an 8-year-old Francis Stewart had been living - or visiting - in the home of Robert and Agnes Stewart of Crossnacreevy.
It appears that father and son, Francis Snr. and Francis Jr., studied at the local school together. 'The Northern Whig' of June 1832 published the results of the exams held in Moneyreagh school. Amongst the pupils were both Francis B. Stuart (sic) and Francis Stuart Snr. who had come equal first in 6th Class Reading. Francis B. Stuart, Francis Stuart Snr. and William Stuart and come equal first in 6th Class Arithmetic. Francis Stuart also came 2nd in 7th Class Spelling.
The Moneyreagh Marriage Notice Book, held in the Belfast Public Records Office, records the marriage on 29th January 1850 of a William Anderson of Crossnacreevy to Elizabeth Orr Patterson who had been living in Tullyhubbert, Comber, for one year. William Anderson was the son of William Anderson of Crossnacreevy, while Elizabeth Patterson was the daughter of Joseph Patterson of Tullyhubbert - the witnesses to the wedding were an illegible member of the Patterson family and Martha Stewart who was a possible member of the neighbouring Gransha Stewarts.
Francis Stewart, joined the Moneyreagh Masonic Lodge on 24th May 1834, along with (his brother?) James Stewart of Crossnacreevy, who follows, but Francis was excluded, then readmitted in December 1841.
I found a headstone in Moneyreagh Graveyard which was immediately next to the headstone commemorating early members of my own Crossnacreevy Stewarts. This headstone marked the final resting place of two of the daughters of Francis Stewart.
On 5th October 1873 in St. Mary's Church of Ireland in Belfast, Edward Augustus Girvan, 26-year-old carpenter and son of gardener Robert Girvan, married Anne Stewart, aged 21, a stitcher and daughter of farmer Francis Stewart. The witnesses were Andrew Coyle and Eliza Jane Stewart.
Edward Girvan's father, the widowed gardener, Robert Girvan, died aged 79 in the Belfast Charitable Institution on 1st December 1890.
Edward Augustus Girvan died aged 37 at 17 Westmoreland Street, Belfast, of heart disease on 11th January 1888 and was buried in the Stewart family burying ground in Moneyreagh Churchyard.
In 1911 his widow, Annie Girvan, née Stewart, who had been born in about 1850, was living at 73 Woodstock Road in East Belfast with her three children - Edward Augustus Girvan had been born in Scotland in about 1878, while her son Francis had been born at 66 Moira Street, Belfast, on 19th January 1882, and daughter Catherine Annie Girvan, named for her grandmother, Catherine Anderson, had been born in Belfast on 9th May 1885. Catherine Girvan would marry John Cooke in Knockbreda in 1913 and would emigrate to Canada.
The passenger lists, viewable on Ancestry, document Edward Augustus Blair Girvan, coming and going between the USA and Belfast in the 1920s. He arrived in Southampton from New York on 14th June 1927, and was noted as a grain merchant of 43 Duncairne Gardens, Belfast. Later, on 17th August 1929, he arrived home from Montreal on 17th August 1929 aboard the 'Letitia'. A 50-year-old merchant, he was accompanied by his sister, Catherine Cooke, also of 43 Duncairne Gardens, and by 4-year-old James Cooke.
On 19th August 1892, Mary Stewart, who had been born circa 1860, of Castlereagh Street, married the bootmaker John Cowan. The wedding was witnessed by James Ritchie and Agnes Stewart, and Mary Stewart named her father as the carpenter Francis Stewart.
Francis Stewart (1813 - 1893) died aged 80 at 6 Rokeby Street, Belfast, a widowed carpenter, on 20th November 1893, and his death was registered by his daughter Agnes Stewart who would witness her sister's wedding to John Cowan two years later.
Edward Augustus Girvan died aged 37 at 17 Westmoreland Street, Belfast, of heart disease on 11th January 1888 and was buried in the Stewart family burying ground in Moneyreagh Churchyard.
In 1911 his widow, Annie Girvan, née Stewart, who had been born in about 1850, was living at 73 Woodstock Road in East Belfast with her three children - Edward Augustus Girvan had been born in Scotland in about 1878, while her son Francis had been born at 66 Moira Street, Belfast, on 19th January 1882, and daughter Catherine Annie Girvan, named for her grandmother, Catherine Anderson, had been born in Belfast on 9th May 1885. Catherine Girvan would marry John Cooke in Knockbreda in 1913 and would emigrate to Canada.
The passenger lists, viewable on Ancestry, document Edward Augustus Blair Girvan, coming and going between the USA and Belfast in the 1920s. He arrived in Southampton from New York on 14th June 1927, and was noted as a grain merchant of 43 Duncairne Gardens, Belfast. Later, on 17th August 1929, he arrived home from Montreal on 17th August 1929 aboard the 'Letitia'. A 50-year-old merchant, he was accompanied by his sister, Catherine Cooke, also of 43 Duncairne Gardens, and by 4-year-old James Cooke.
On 19th August 1892, Mary Stewart, who had been born circa 1860, of Castlereagh Street, married the bootmaker John Cowan. The wedding was witnessed by James Ritchie and Agnes Stewart, and Mary Stewart named her father as the carpenter Francis Stewart.
Francis Stewart (1813 - 1893) died aged 80 at 6 Rokeby Street, Belfast, a widowed carpenter, on 20th November 1893, and his death was registered by his daughter Agnes Stewart who would witness her sister's wedding to John Cowan two years later.
James Stewart of Crossnacreevy:
James Stewart of Crossnacreevy might have been the 11-year-old James Stewart who was recorded on the 1821 census living there with 8-year-old, Francis, and with the older Robert and Agnes Stewart. It appears that Francis and James Stewart were brothers, the sons of an older Francis Stewart, and the grandchildren of Robert and Agnes Stewart, all of Crossnacreevy.
James Stewart of Crossnacreevy married, in 1844, Nancy Betty Somersides of Crossnacreevy.
It is interesting to see that, on 27th July 1850, in the Meeting House, Moneyrea, the marriage of the widowed Crossnacreevy schoolmaster, James Floyd, son of James Floyd, to Jane Ellen Somerside, daughter of John Somerside of Crossnacreevy. Francis Stewart was subletting a house to James Floyd of Crossnacreevy, while James Stewart of Crossnacreevy married Nancy Betty Somerside.
The membership registers of the Grand Lodge of the Freemasons of Ireland (1733 - 1923) are now accessible via Ancestry.com, and these record Francis and James Stewart both joining Moneyreagh Lodge No. 556 on the same day, 24th May 1834. This seems to confirm that Francis and James were the two brothers, who had been recorded as living in Crossnacreevy with the older Robert and Agnes Stewart in the 1821 census.
The 'Northern Whig' of 20th July 1844 reported that James Stewart of Crossnacreevy and Hugh Nelson of Gransha had been selected by the 'Society for the Promotion and Improvement of the Growth of Flax in Ireland' to visit neighbouring farmers and instruct them on how best to cultivate flax.
James Stewart and Ann Eliza Somersides (ie, Nancy Betty Somerside) baptised an adopted daughter, Annie Eliza Stewart, in Comber Non-Subscribing/Unitarian Church on 9th October 1861. A note in the margin of the register was added: 'Mrs. Annie E.Boyd of 87 Sidney Street, West Belfast, 1884.' However, whoever had written the note in the margin might have got the wrong Annie Eliza....a quick scroll through the PRONI Street Directories shows up a flaxdresser, James Boyd, living at 87 Sidney Street West in 1884. He appears on the 1901 census living at 16 Sixth Street with wife Annie Eliza and with six children - Grace Boyd aged 18, Martha Jane Beverland Boyd aged 14, William James Boyd aged 11, Agnes Boyd aged 8, James Boyd aged 5 and Edward Brown Boyd aged 2 who would die at 16 Sixth Street on 6th July 1901 and who was buried in Belfast City Cemetery. The civil marriage registration of James Boyd, who married in Belfast on 19th May 1882, reveals that his wife was Annie Eliza Lindsay of 55 Dundee Street, Belfast, the daughter of William Lindsay. Was the note in the Comber Register incorrect, or did Annie Eliza Lindsay keep her original name following her adoption by James Stewart and Ann Eliza Somersides?
The 'Belfast Newsletter' of 8th July 1848 reported that Joseph Stewart and John Somerside, both of Crossnacreevy, were amongst the attendees of a meeting in Comber to discuss the upcoming Landlord and Tenant Bill.
(There are records relating to the children of John Somerside/Sommersides of Crossnacreevy - the family used a variety of spellings of their name.
'The Belfast Newsletter' of 16th November 1838 noted that Rev. Fletcher Blakely of Moneyreagh married Robert Somersides of Crossnacreevy and Elizabeth McCullough of Moneyreagh on 12th November 1838. Robert married again, although perhaps there were two Robert Somersides at this time - on 3rd June 1850, Robert, son of John Somerside, married Catherine, the daughter of Robert Smith. Although the date wasn't noted, Robert Somerside of Crossnacreevy was buried in Moneyreagh by his wife Catherine - this according to the index of mourning cards held by the H.I.F.H. society.
The son of Robert Somerside of Crossnacreevy was Matthew Somerside, who had been born circa 1845 in Ireland, and who married Sarah Jane Polley, the daughter of James Polley of Ballycreely. The wedding took place on 9th June 1873 in York Street Non-Subscribing/Unitarian Church in Belfast, the same church used by two of the children of Joseph Stewart of Crossnacreevy. Matthew and Sarah Jane moved to Glasgow where he worked as a spirit shopman - their children were Sarah Jane born 1875 in Glasgow, Robert J. Somerside born 1877 in Ireland and Elizabeth born in Glasgow in 1879 and who died aged 7 at 9 James Morrison Street, Glasgow, in June 1885. A daughter, Margaret, was born in Glasgow in 1882.
On 27th July 1850 in Moneyreagh by the Unitarian minister Rev. Fletcher Blakely, Jane Ellen Somerside, daughter of John Somerside of Crossnacreevy, married James Floyd of Crossnacreevy National School, son of an older James Floyd. In 1863 Griffiths Valuation showed up Francis Stewart leasing 27 acres, a house and outbuildings, and subletting two houses to James Floyd in Crossnacreevy.
On 1st June 1853, Jane Somerside, daughter of John Somerside, married Francis Aiken/Aicken, son of John Aiken, of Slatady, which is a old townland immediately north of Crossnacreevy on the road leading to Belfast. The Mormon LDS family history site notes the birth of a Francis Aiken on 17th June 1870 to James Aiken and Margaret Somerside, as well as the birth of a James Aicken in Crossnacreevy on 26th July 1877 to John Aiken and Margaret Somersides. On 22nd November 1944 at Bethany Cottage, Castlereagh, the death occurred of an Annie Elizabeth Aiken, the 4th daughter of the late Francis and Jeannie Aiken - she was subsequently buried in Moneyreagh churchyard.
The family tree of David McCullough of Ballycreely, Moneyreagh, who emigrated to New Zealand, and which are viewable online via www.dippam.ac.uk., notes an unnamed member of the Somerside marrying Elizabeth McCullough who had been born in about 1820 in Ballycreely.
John Somerside of Crossnacreevy made a will which was granted on 26th November 1850.
The Northern Ireland Family History index of mourning cards record the burial of Jane Somerside of Crossnacreevy, mother of Arthur Somerside, being buried in Moneyreagh on 15th October 1878. Arthur's sister, Mary Summersides of Crossnacreevy died on 16th June 1885 and was buried in Moneyreagh two days later.
The 'Belfast Morning News' of 9th August 1880 reported the sudden death of 70-year-old Robert Summersides of Crossnacreevy whilst attending the potato market.)
Applotment Books for The Parish of Comber, 1835:
Lisleen...................Samuel Stewart, 11 acres
Ballymaglaff..........Alexander Stewart, 18 acres
Moneyreagh...........No Stewarts
Ballykeel................Joseph Stewart and William Madole (McDowell) together, 31 acres
Gransha..................Joseph Stewart 14 + 6 + 15 acres
Francis Stewart, 7 acres
Clontonakelly........Andrew Stewart, 22 acres
The Misses Stewart - 33 acres
Crossnacreevy......Joseph Stewart, 6 acres
William Stewart, 15 acres
Robert Stewart, 23 acres
Joseph Stewart Snr. (1793 - 1876):
Joseph Stewart Snr. (1793 - 1876) of Crossnacreevy was our great-great-great grandfather. He had been born in Crossnacreevy in about 1793, possibly to Robert Stewart (born 1762), although this is purely conjecture on my part
Joseph Stewart Snr. (1793 - 1876) of Crossnacreevy was our great-great-great grandfather. He had been born in Crossnacreevy in about 1793, possibly to Robert Stewart (born 1762), although this is purely conjecture on my part
He had been recorded on the 1821 census as a farmer and inn-keeper in Crossnacreevy; he was initially married to Ann, and had an infant son William Stewart. Fourteen years later he was recorded in the Tithe Books for 1835, farming alongside the older Robert Stewart and the unmarried William Stewart in Crossnacreevy, all of them having already appeared there on the 1821 census.
According to Joseph Stewart Snr's death registration document, he lived from 1793 until April 10th 1876, dying in Crossnacreevy with his son John Stewart present at his death. His second wife, Agnes Stewart, was still alive at this point.
Agnes Stewart (1794 - 1878), widow of Joseph Stewart of Crossnacreevy, died aged 84 on 30th August 1878 ('Belfast Telegraph', 31st August 1878).
Earlier, on 21st November 1871, a Joseph Stewart joined Masonic Lodge No. 556 in Moneyreagh. This was either Joseph Stewart of Crossnacreevy or Joseph Stewart of neighbouring Gransha.
The Northern Ireland Family History Society has published online a list of mourning cards from County Down, some of them written by the Stewarts of Crossnacreevy and of neighbouring Moneyreagh. One of these commemorated the death of our direct ancestor, Joseph Stewart of Crossnacreevy, who died on 10th April 1876, and who was buried in Moneyreagh graveyard on 12th April 1876 - his wife was named as Agnes Stewart.
Joseph's widow, Agnes Stewart of Crossnacreevy, died there on 31st August 1878 and was buried in Moneyreagh burying-ground by her son John Stewart on 1st September 1878. One of the sons of Joseph and Agnes Stewart was Robert McKitterick Stewart which leads me to believe that Agnes, wife of Joseph, might have been a member of the McKitterick family who farmed in neighbouring Lisleen, Moneyreagh, but, as of yet, I have no proof to support this theory other than Robert Stewart's middle name.
Joseph Stewart Snr. of Crossnacreevy not only farmed a couple of acres, but also ran a roadside shop. In 1821 he had been noted as an innkeeper, his house being on the main Crossacreevy road on the current site of the Marylands Nursery. The 'Northern Standard' of 9th February 1847 noted that, along with about thirty other unlucky individuals, Joseph Stewart of Crossnacreevy was fined 2s.6d. for having illegal weights and measurements in his shop.
Griffiths Valuation of 1863 showed Joseph Stewart Snr. leasing a house, shop, outhouses and 7 acres of land in Crossnacreevy, Moneyreagh, on the main Crossnacreevy to Killyleagh road. Closeby his property William McDowell, who might have been the same William McDowell or Madole who had been farming in partnership with a Joseph Stewart in 1835, was leasing 8 acres. Both men can be found in the neighbouring townland of Ballykeel - Joseph was leasing 16 acres of land but no house which seems to suggest that this is the same Joseph Stewart of neighbouring Crossnacreevy. William McDowell was here again in Ballykeel, leasing a caretaker's house and 16 acres of land.
Following Joseph's death in 1876, his son, John Stewart, applied for a temporary transfer of the Excise Licence to sell beer, wine, cider and spirits, which were to be consumed on the premises in Crossnacreevy. The premises in question were at present licensed in John's late father's name, ie Joseph Stewart. ('Belfast Telegraph', 26th May 1876'.)
The children of our Joseph and Ann/Agnes Stewart of Crossnacreevy, Moneyreagh, Co. Down, were:
- William A. Stewart (1820 - 1881). William Stewart appeared on the 1821 Census for Crossnacreevy with his parents.
- Mary Stewart (1824 - 1900.)
- Agnes Stewart (1827 - 1891)
- Lucinda Stewart (1830 - 27th December 1896).
- Robert McKitterick Stewart (1838 - 18th November 1880).
- John Stewart (1839 - 27th March 1892).
- Joseph Stewart Jr., our great-great grandfather (1841 - 12th December 1908).
The 'Northern Whig' of 18th November 1872 reported that a Henry Boyce had been charged with the serious assault of 80 year old Joseph Stewart of Crossnacreevy - Joseph's son, John Stewart, and John's wife, Elizabeth, gave evidence in court.
Joseph Stewart Snr. died in Crossnacreevy on 10th April 1876, aged 84. ('Belfast Newsletter', 11th April 1876 - 'April 10th at his late residence, Crossnacreevy, Joseph Stewart, aged 84.)His wife, Agnes Stewart, maiden name unknown, died a farmer's widow aged 86 in Crossnacreevy on 13th August 1878; her son John Stewart registered the death.
Our great-great grandparents, Joseph Stewart (1841 - 1908) and Elizabeth Madine (March 3rd 1835 - 1901):
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| Joseph Stewart and Elizabeth Madine |
The above photographs of Joseph Stewart Jr. and of his wife,Elizabeth Madine, were kindly shared with me by James May of Belfast who descends from Joseph Stewart Jr.'s sister, Agnes Cornwall.
Joseph Stewart Jr. was born in about 1841 to Joseph and Agnes Stewart of Crossnacreevy.
At some stage in the 1850s, Joseph Stewart Junior moved north to live and work in Belfast city, where he married Elizabeth Madine in St. Anne's Church of Ireland church, Shankill, Belfast, on 14th May 1859. This church was just south of Donegall Square and was demolished in 1903 to make way for Belfast Cathedral. Joseph seems to have converted to the Church of Ireland upon his marriage to Elizabeth, since the Stewart family were primarily Unitarian/Prebyterian, while the Madines of Downpatrick/Killyleagh were primarily Church of Ireland.
At some stage in the 1850s, Joseph Stewart Junior moved north to live and work in Belfast city, where he married Elizabeth Madine in St. Anne's Church of Ireland church, Shankill, Belfast, on 14th May 1859. This church was just south of Donegall Square and was demolished in 1903 to make way for Belfast Cathedral. Joseph seems to have converted to the Church of Ireland upon his marriage to Elizabeth, since the Stewart family were primarily Unitarian/Prebyterian, while the Madines of Downpatrick/Killyleagh were primarily Church of Ireland.
Joseph gave his profession as a writing clerk, but would later work as an ironmonger. Although she was born in 1835, Elizabeth Madine gave her birth year as 1838. Her father was Robert Madine, a butcher of Killyleagh. The witnesses to the marriage were Elizabeth's siblings, John and Margaret Madine.
http://alison-stewart.blogspot.ie/2011/07/madine-family-of-killyleagh.html
The children of Joseph Stewart and Elizabeth Madine were:
Joseph Stewart Jr., ironmonger, may have been in London for the night of the UK 1881 Census - a Joseph Stewart, ironmonger's assistant, was lodging in Hanover Square; he was Irish-born, married, and gave a date of birth of 1841.
Joseph Stewart Jr. and Elizabeth Madine moved south to Dublin; they appear in the Dublin street directories for the first time in 1887 living at 22 Fontenoy Street in Phibsboro, North Dublin. Living next door was a Thomas Stewart, but I doubt he was related - this Thomas Stewart only appears in the directories in 1887.
Joseph Stewart, ironmonger, stayed at 22 Fontenoy Street for two years before taking up permanent residence down the road at 18 Goldsmith Street. He would live there until his death on 12th December 1908.
http://alison-stewart.blogspot.ie/2011/07/madine-family-of-killyleagh.html
The children of Joseph Stewart and Elizabeth Madine were:
- Emily Jane Stewart, born circa 1862, died unmarried in 1924 in Dublin.
- Louisa Helen Stewart, born circa 1863/1864 in Killyleagh, Co. Down, died unmarried in 1951 in Dublin.
- Mary Ann Stewart born 12th February 1865 - this child died at 11 Arnon Street on 5th August 1865 (as announced in the Belfast Morning News).
- Robert Stewart (our great-grandfather), born 26th May 1866 at 11 Arnon Street, Shankill, Belfast. The previous year, Joseph Stewart's sister, Mary Stewart, married Hugh Morrow in York Street Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church closeby, and Joseph acted as witness. Robert Stewart, the eldest son of Joseph Stewart and Elizabeth Madine, married Rebecca Cuthbert on 18th August 1896 in the Church of Ireland church of St. George on Cathal Brugha Street, Dublin. Their first child, Louisa Helen, named after Robert's sister, was born 15th March 1899, and married John Thomas Sibbald in Dublin in 1925 - their children were Hazel Sibbald and Leslie Sibbald. Robert and Rebecca Stewart had a daughter, Vera Maud Stewart, in 1906; Vera Maud Stewart married the tenor, Robert Irwin 1905 - 1983. Robert and Rebecca Stewart also had a son, Cuthbert/Bertie Stewart, our paternal grandfather, in Dublin in 1909; he died in Galway in 1976; he was married to our grandmother, Agnes/Nessie Keating Wilson of Belfast, 23rd November 1905 - 26th March 1965. The two sons of Bertie and Nessie Stewart were our father, Paul Stewart, born 18th June 1935, and Anthony Stewart, born 19th March 1937.
- Joseph Stewart, born 9th February 1868 at 88 Ann Street - this child died; the brother of Joseph Stewart, William A. Stewart, ran a hostelry at this time at 92 Ann Street.
- Mary Elizabeth Stewart was born on 26th August 1870 in Killyleagh where her father, Joseph Stewart, was working as a shop assitant; his brother, Robert Stewart, had married Joseph's sister-in-law, Jane Madine, and may have been working in Killyleagh also at this time. Mary Elizabeth Stewart died unmarried in 1945 in Dublin.
- John Stewart was born on 12th April 1872 at 8 Roundhill Street, East Belfast, where Joseph Stewart was working as an inspector of building works. (An Agnes Stewart, 1844 - 1889, died at this address, 8 Roundhill St., on 27th November 1889, aged 45; she may be a relation.) John Stewart (12th April 1872 - Feb. 27 1954) married Mabel McKenzie (21st January 1878 - March 6 1946) on August 2nd 1905 in Monkstown Church. The couple had Eileen Gladys Stewart on Sept. 17th 1906; Norman Hampton Stewart, was born 26th June 1916; Donald MacKenzie Stewart was born in Rathdown, Dublin, in the latter part of 1912. Norman Stewart (26th June 1916 - June 7th 2001) married, firstly, Olive May Siggins of Sligo on May 9th 1942, and, secondly, Margaret Glynne Bowen (9th March 1921 - 23rd November 2008).
- Catherine Stewart was born on 13th March 1874 in Downpatrick, Co. Down, just south of Killyleagh; Joseph was working as an ironmonger's assistant. Catherine Stewart died unmarried in 1957 in Dublin.
- Joseph Stewart (22nd December 1876 in Saul Street, Downpatrick - 1956). Joseph Stewart married Sarah Kate Barton ( 9th August 1878 -February 9th 1974) in Inishtioge, Co. Kilkenny, on August 5th 1903. They had Lilian Kathleen Emily Stewart in Dublin on May 13th 1906 - she married John Frederick Leahy in Dublin on Sept. 9th 1930. A second daughter was Joyce Audrey Wheeler Stewart, born August 18th 1919; she married Ernest Walter Hall on 25th January 1940.
Joseph Stewart Jr., ironmonger, may have been in London for the night of the UK 1881 Census - a Joseph Stewart, ironmonger's assistant, was lodging in Hanover Square; he was Irish-born, married, and gave a date of birth of 1841.
Joseph Stewart Jr. and Elizabeth Madine moved south to Dublin; they appear in the Dublin street directories for the first time in 1887 living at 22 Fontenoy Street in Phibsboro, North Dublin. Living next door was a Thomas Stewart, but I doubt he was related - this Thomas Stewart only appears in the directories in 1887.
Joseph Stewart, ironmonger, stayed at 22 Fontenoy Street for two years before taking up permanent residence down the road at 18 Goldsmith Street. He would live there until his death on 12th December 1908.
At the time of his death, he was working as a commercial traveller. His wife, Elizabeth, née Madine, died there 7 years earlier to the day, on 12th December 1901.
http://alison-stewart.blogspot.ie/2011/07/children-of-joseph-stewart-and.html
William A. Stewart (1820 - 1881), son of Joseph and Ann/Agnes Stewart of Crossnacreevy:
One of the most prominent farming families in the Moneyreagh/Crossnacreevy area were the Huddlestons. In 1844 Robert Huddleston, a poet, published a volume of his works, 'A Collection of Poems and Songs on Rural Subjects.' Included at the end of the collection was a list of subscribers, and these include Joseph Stewart of Gransha, a neighbour of our ancestor, Joseph Stewart, and William A. Stewart of Crossnacreevy.
William A. Stuart had been recorded on the 1821 census, living with his parents, Joseph and Ann Stewart in Crossnacreevy. He might well be the William Stuart who came equal first in the 6th class Arithmetic exam in Moneyreagh school in June 1832, aged 11.
William A. Stewart married Margaret Burke in Downpatrick Registry Office on 27th December 1851. William, the son of the farmer, Joseph Stewart, was a hosteler living at 29 Prince's Street, Belfast, while Margaret was the daughter of a labourer, John Burke, with an address at the time of her marriage in Downpatrick. The witnesses were William Lascelles, a merchant of Downpatrick, and Agnes Crothers.
William Stewart can be traced through the Belfast street directories. Up until 1865 he was at 29 Prince's Street - 'William A. Stewart - eating-house and stabling yard. In 1880 he made his last appearance as William A. Stewart at 50 New Lodge Road, which is where his daughter, Jane, was living when she married James M. Orr in 1875; Ann Street must have been the business address, while New Lodge Road was the family home.
On 26th October 1871, William A. Stewart witnessed the second wedding of his brother, John Stewart of Crossnacreevy, when John married Elizabeth McGowan of Ballystockart in York Street Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church, the same church where the brothers' sister, Mary Stewart, had married Hugh Morrow in 1865. They had followed their ex-Moneyreagh minister, Rev. John Jellie, to York Street Non-Subscribing/Unitarian Church who had also recently moved to Belfast.
The children of William and Margaret were born prior to official registration, but Jane was born circa 1855 in Belfast, and her sister, Margaret was born circa 1859. There was also a possible sister, Agnes Stewart, who witnessed Jane's wedding to James M. Orr, and also a Joseph Stewart, born in 1877. William's daughter, Jane Stewart, married the Ballymena watchmaker, James Malcolm Orr, and emigrated to Philadelphia - Jane Orr would later be visited by the four daughters of Joseph Stewart and Elizabeth Madine in 1914.
http://alison-stewart.blogspot.ie/2012/08/james-m-orr-watchmaker-and-jane-stewart.html
William A. Stewart died under tragic circumstances on 3rd December 1881 at 50 New Lodge Road; the newspapers recorded that he died from a head wound inflicted with a hammer. An inquest concluded that he'd committed suicide by fracturing his skull while in a state of unsound mind.
From 'The Belfast Telegraph' of Dec.5th 1881: 'An inquest was held on Saturday on the body of Wm. Stewart, who was found dead with his head broken, in the yard of his house in New Lodge Road that morning. Evidence was given that, for the past two months, the deceased talked foolishly. The Coroner described the case as a most extraordinary one. The jury returned a verdict of suicide, while in an unsound state of mind.'
http://alison-stewart.blogspot.ie/2013/10/william-stewart-1829-3rd-october-1881.html
John Stewart (1839 - 27th March 1892), son of Joseph and Ann/Agnes Stewart of Crossnacreevy:
John Stewart was a farmer, who spent his life in Crossnacreevy, Moneyreagh.
He married Mary Mills in Gilnahirk Presbyterian Church, Dundonald, north of Crossnacreevy on July 9th 1859. Mary Mills was the daughter of a farmer, Robert Mills, who lived in Lisleen townland adjacent to Crossnacreevy. The witnesses were a friend, Jane Shannon, and Robert Mills who was either Mary's father or her brother.
The couple had a daughter, Esther Jane Stewart, in 1861. She married James Vincent, an engineer of Belfast in Gilnahirk Presbyterian Church on September 24th 1881. She gave her residence as Mountpottinger in south Belfast. Esther Jane Stewart Vincent died in Jan - March 1897. Esther Jane Stewart and James Vincent had two children - Charles Vincent was born in Belfast in about 1882, and Henry/Harry Vincent in about 1895. Following Esther Jane's death, James Vincent married a woman named Margaret J.
A daughter, Elizabeth Stewart, was born in 1864 to John Stewart and Mary Mills, but neither Elizabeth or her mother, Mary, appear in any records after this.
John Stewart later remarried. His second wife was Eliza Magowan or Elizabeth McGowan. The couple married on 26th October 1871 in York Street Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church in Belfast city centre; Elizabeth was the daughter of John McGowan, a labourer of Ballystockart, Comber, Co. Down. The witnesses were John Stewart's older brother, William A. Stewart, and a Martha Cummings.
The births of four of their children are recorded:
Their first child was born on April 1st 1871. Although he was christened Robert Samuel Stewart, on the census and in his father's will, he is referred to as Robert John Stewart. Robert John Stewart took over the Crossnacreevy farm following his father's death; I doubt he ever married - he appears on both the published Irish censuses. The Masonic membership records note a Robert Johnston Stewart joining Moneyreagh Lodge 556 on 1st April 1893. and this might be Robert John Stewart of Crossnacreevy, since I can find no further record of a Robert Johnston Stewart.
A daughter, Mariah Lamont Stewart, was born to the couple on Dec. 6th 1873.
A son, Joseph Stewart, was born in Crossnacreevy on 3rd December 1877.
A daughter, Mary Annie Stewart - later known simply as Annie - was born in Crossncreevy on June 4th 1880.
Mary Stewart, daughter of Joseph and Ann Stewart of Crossnacreevy:
Mary Stewart, the daughter of Joseph and Ann Stewart of Crossnacreevy, married Hugh Morrow, a labourer, the son of a sailor John Morrow, deceased, on 13th Sept. 1865 in York Street Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church (Unitarian) in the centre of Belfast. The marriage certificate states that both bride and groom were resident in Crossnacreevy at the time of the wedding. They were married by Rev. John Jellie who had previously been posted to the Moneyreagh Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church.
The witnesses to the wedding were Joseph Stewart and Margaret McCullough. This Joseph was either her father or her brother: Joseph Stewart, Mary's brother, and his wife, Elizabeth Madine, were living at the time around the corner from York Street Church at 11 Arnon Street, but their father, also Joseph, may well have travelled north into the city for the wedding.
Mary Stewart and Hugh Morrow had two recorded sons: Joseph John Morrow was born on 25th Oct. 1866 in Lisleen, one of the Moneyreagh townlands adjacent to Crossnacreevy.
Their second son, Hugh, was born 20th Feb. 1868 in Comber but the registration doesn't mention the exact place of birth.
The records for the family are few and far between, and I can find nothing further on Hugh and Mary, but one of their sons, Joseph John Morrow, crops up on the census for both 1901 and 1911.
The second son of Hugh Morrow and Mary Stewart, Joseph John Morrow, a postman, married Minnie J. Allen of Tyrone in 1891 but had no children.
http://alison-stewart.blogspot.ie/2011/07/mary-stewart-and-hugh-morrow.html
Robert McKitterick Stewart, son of Joseph and Ann/Agnes Stewart of Crossnacreevy:
http://alison-stewart.blogspot.ie/2011/07/children-of-joseph-stewart-and.html
William A. Stewart (1820 - 1881), son of Joseph and Ann/Agnes Stewart of Crossnacreevy:
One of the most prominent farming families in the Moneyreagh/Crossnacreevy area were the Huddlestons. In 1844 Robert Huddleston, a poet, published a volume of his works, 'A Collection of Poems and Songs on Rural Subjects.' Included at the end of the collection was a list of subscribers, and these include Joseph Stewart of Gransha, a neighbour of our ancestor, Joseph Stewart, and William A. Stewart of Crossnacreevy.
William A. Stuart had been recorded on the 1821 census, living with his parents, Joseph and Ann Stewart in Crossnacreevy. He might well be the William Stuart who came equal first in the 6th class Arithmetic exam in Moneyreagh school in June 1832, aged 11.
William A. Stewart married Margaret Burke in Downpatrick Registry Office on 27th December 1851. William, the son of the farmer, Joseph Stewart, was a hosteler living at 29 Prince's Street, Belfast, while Margaret was the daughter of a labourer, John Burke, with an address at the time of her marriage in Downpatrick. The witnesses were William Lascelles, a merchant of Downpatrick, and Agnes Crothers.
William Stewart can be traced through the Belfast street directories. Up until 1865 he was at 29 Prince's Street - 'William A. Stewart - eating-house and stabling yard. In 1880 he made his last appearance as William A. Stewart at 50 New Lodge Road, which is where his daughter, Jane, was living when she married James M. Orr in 1875; Ann Street must have been the business address, while New Lodge Road was the family home.
On 26th October 1871, William A. Stewart witnessed the second wedding of his brother, John Stewart of Crossnacreevy, when John married Elizabeth McGowan of Ballystockart in York Street Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church, the same church where the brothers' sister, Mary Stewart, had married Hugh Morrow in 1865. They had followed their ex-Moneyreagh minister, Rev. John Jellie, to York Street Non-Subscribing/Unitarian Church who had also recently moved to Belfast.
The children of William and Margaret were born prior to official registration, but Jane was born circa 1855 in Belfast, and her sister, Margaret was born circa 1859. There was also a possible sister, Agnes Stewart, who witnessed Jane's wedding to James M. Orr, and also a Joseph Stewart, born in 1877. William's daughter, Jane Stewart, married the Ballymena watchmaker, James Malcolm Orr, and emigrated to Philadelphia - Jane Orr would later be visited by the four daughters of Joseph Stewart and Elizabeth Madine in 1914.
http://alison-stewart.blogspot.ie/2012/08/james-m-orr-watchmaker-and-jane-stewart.html
William A. Stewart died under tragic circumstances on 3rd December 1881 at 50 New Lodge Road; the newspapers recorded that he died from a head wound inflicted with a hammer. An inquest concluded that he'd committed suicide by fracturing his skull while in a state of unsound mind.
From 'The Belfast Telegraph' of Dec.5th 1881: 'An inquest was held on Saturday on the body of Wm. Stewart, who was found dead with his head broken, in the yard of his house in New Lodge Road that morning. Evidence was given that, for the past two months, the deceased talked foolishly. The Coroner described the case as a most extraordinary one. The jury returned a verdict of suicide, while in an unsound state of mind.'
http://alison-stewart.blogspot.ie/2013/10/william-stewart-1829-3rd-october-1881.html
John Stewart (1839 - 27th March 1892), son of Joseph and Ann/Agnes Stewart of Crossnacreevy:
John Stewart was a farmer, who spent his life in Crossnacreevy, Moneyreagh.
He married Mary Mills in Gilnahirk Presbyterian Church, Dundonald, north of Crossnacreevy on July 9th 1859. Mary Mills was the daughter of a farmer, Robert Mills, who lived in Lisleen townland adjacent to Crossnacreevy. The witnesses were a friend, Jane Shannon, and Robert Mills who was either Mary's father or her brother.
The couple had a daughter, Esther Jane Stewart, in 1861. She married James Vincent, an engineer of Belfast in Gilnahirk Presbyterian Church on September 24th 1881. She gave her residence as Mountpottinger in south Belfast. Esther Jane Stewart Vincent died in Jan - March 1897. Esther Jane Stewart and James Vincent had two children - Charles Vincent was born in Belfast in about 1882, and Henry/Harry Vincent in about 1895. Following Esther Jane's death, James Vincent married a woman named Margaret J.
A daughter, Elizabeth Stewart, was born in 1864 to John Stewart and Mary Mills, but neither Elizabeth or her mother, Mary, appear in any records after this.
John Stewart later remarried. His second wife was Eliza Magowan or Elizabeth McGowan. The couple married on 26th October 1871 in York Street Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church in Belfast city centre; Elizabeth was the daughter of John McGowan, a labourer of Ballystockart, Comber, Co. Down. The witnesses were John Stewart's older brother, William A. Stewart, and a Martha Cummings.
The births of four of their children are recorded:
Their first child was born on April 1st 1871. Although he was christened Robert Samuel Stewart, on the census and in his father's will, he is referred to as Robert John Stewart. Robert John Stewart took over the Crossnacreevy farm following his father's death; I doubt he ever married - he appears on both the published Irish censuses. The Masonic membership records note a Robert Johnston Stewart joining Moneyreagh Lodge 556 on 1st April 1893. and this might be Robert John Stewart of Crossnacreevy, since I can find no further record of a Robert Johnston Stewart.
A daughter, Mariah Lamont Stewart, was born to the couple on Dec. 6th 1873.
A son, Joseph Stewart, was born in Crossnacreevy on 3rd December 1877.
A daughter, Mary Annie Stewart - later known simply as Annie - was born in Crossncreevy on June 4th 1880.
Mary Stewart, daughter of Joseph and Ann Stewart of Crossnacreevy:
Mary Stewart, the daughter of Joseph and Ann Stewart of Crossnacreevy, married Hugh Morrow, a labourer, the son of a sailor John Morrow, deceased, on 13th Sept. 1865 in York Street Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church (Unitarian) in the centre of Belfast. The marriage certificate states that both bride and groom were resident in Crossnacreevy at the time of the wedding. They were married by Rev. John Jellie who had previously been posted to the Moneyreagh Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church.
The witnesses to the wedding were Joseph Stewart and Margaret McCullough. This Joseph was either her father or her brother: Joseph Stewart, Mary's brother, and his wife, Elizabeth Madine, were living at the time around the corner from York Street Church at 11 Arnon Street, but their father, also Joseph, may well have travelled north into the city for the wedding.
Mary Stewart and Hugh Morrow had two recorded sons: Joseph John Morrow was born on 25th Oct. 1866 in Lisleen, one of the Moneyreagh townlands adjacent to Crossnacreevy.
Their second son, Hugh, was born 20th Feb. 1868 in Comber but the registration doesn't mention the exact place of birth.
The records for the family are few and far between, and I can find nothing further on Hugh and Mary, but one of their sons, Joseph John Morrow, crops up on the census for both 1901 and 1911.
The second son of Hugh Morrow and Mary Stewart, Joseph John Morrow, a postman, married Minnie J. Allen of Tyrone in 1891 but had no children.
http://alison-stewart.blogspot.ie/2011/07/mary-stewart-and-hugh-morrow.html
Robert McKitterick Stewart, son of Joseph and Ann/Agnes Stewart of Crossnacreevy:
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| Robert McKitterick Stewart - photo courtesy of James May |
Robert Stewart, the brother of Joseph Stewart, married his sister-in-law, Jane Madine, the younger sister of Elizabeth Madine, in Killinchy Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church on July 9th 1860. Both bride and groom were living in the Madine's hometown of Killyleagh at the time of the marriage and Robert Stewart gave his profession as a mechanic.
There are two Killyleagh Street Directories - for 1877 and for 1880 - and a Robert Stewart appears in both of them as a grocer/engineer on Front Street, the same street where Robert's father-in-law, Robert Madine, worked as a butcher. Same guy?
The Griffiths Valuation revision books for Killyleagh 1879 - 1884 show Robert Stewart of 41 Front Street crossed out and replaced by Thomas Calvert.
There was also a Robert Stewart mentioned in the lists of Past Masters for the Killyeagh Masonic Lodge 113. The membership registers for the Irish Masonic Lodges note a Robert Stewart joining on 17th March 1862.
In 1873 he appears alongside another Killyleagh mechanic, Arthur Gordon of Back Street. In 1874, Robert Stewart appears beside John Davidson who was a teacher in the Killyleagh Second Presbyterian school.
The Northern Ireland Family History Society's index of mourning cards lists the death in Killyleagh of a Robert McKitterick Stewart who died in Killyleagh and who was subsequently buried by his wife, Jane, in Moneyreagh burying-ground. His death certificate shows that Robert McKitterick Stewart, mechanic of Killyleagh, died of heart disease there on 18th November 1880 - present at his death was a Margaret Stewart (his daughter or perhaps the wife of his brother, William A. Stewart?).
http://alison-stewart.blogspot.ie/2011/07/robert-stewart-and-jane-madine.html
'The Belfast Telegraph' of 9th November 1880 published the death notice of Robert M'Kitterick Stewart of Killyleagh, the son of the late Joseph Stewart of Crossnacreevy, aged 42.
Lucinda Stewart, daughter of Joseph and Ann/Agnes Stewart of Crossnacreevy:
https://alison-stewart.blogspot.com/2023/01/lucinda-stewart-and-james-mccartney.html
Agnes Stewart, daughter of Joseph and Ann/Agnes Stewart of Crossnacreevy:
