Exploring Your Roots Booklet
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Mid-Antrim Museums Service Exploring Your Roots Family History Exhibition Order Of Contents Exploring Your Roots Introduction 4 A Sense of Place 6 Emigration 10 Earning a Living 12 Education 16 World Wars 18 Municipal Records 22 Exploring Graveyards 24 Treasures at Home 26 Where to go next? 30 Useful Addresses 34 3 This exploration can take many This exhibition has been forms. Many museums hold designed to offer a flavour 6 records that can be of help to of the diverse collections the researcher such as rate held within the Mid-Antrim Introduction books, and business ledgers. Museums Service. The These records usually relate service contains: Mid-Antrim Exploring to the local area and contain Museum, Ballymena; Larne Your Roots useful information such as the Museum and Arts Centre; names of those who owned Carrickfergus Museum; The land or worked in a particular Museum at The Mill and industry. While it is exciting Sentry Hill House, both in to discover the name of an Newtownabbey Borough 7 Museums can be a treasure ancestor in museum records, Council. The material held trove for people who are it can be equally interesting in these collections can exploring their family history. just to explore the world in offer a rich resource for Tracing ancestors is like which people lived in the past. researchers and much of taking a step back in time. This can be done through the material highlighted here Trying to discover details of photographs, drawings, maps can be consulted by prior lives from the past can often and documents. Artefacts appointment. lead people into new and on display in museums are 8 fascinating worlds. Museums also invaluable in showing us There are a great many are an excellent place to objects that were familiar to other institutions, groups explore these past worlds. people in earlier times. and organisations that have very useful sources, some of which can be explored 4 online. No matter where the researcher chooses to look, there is always more to discover about our ancestors 1-2. The Dunlop family, and the lives that they lived. Ahoghill. 1 3. Victorian photo album from 3 Larne Museum collection. 4. Reconstruction of Mossley Mill c. 1840. 5. Louie Mckinney’s diary, 1910. Sentry Hill Collection 6. Aerial view of Carrickfergus showing St. Nicholas Church. 7. View of Curran spit, Larne 1872. 8. McKinney Family, Sentry Hill 1910. 9. Ballymena town, 1905. 9 5 2 4 5 1 In exploring family history, of change: old buildings are subtle, such as in the names sometimes an interesting replaced by new structures, of streets or other locations. 2 place to start is by looking modern roads snake through For example, Fairhill Shopping at the landscape. While the countryside, towns and Centre in Ballymena stands documents can contain villages expand into former on the site of a once busy fair important details about our fields and new industrial zones or market, while Joymount A Sense of Place ancestors, much are constructed. in Carrickfergus recalls the can be learned fine mansion built by Arthur Exploring Your by examining the Despite all these changes, Chichester who was Lord Roots surroundings in there is much to be seen that Deputy of Ireland from 1605- which they lived. reveals fascinating views into 1615. 3 Landscapes are in a the past. These glimpses constant state help us to understand the Prominent buildings or other world in which our ancestors structures all have stories lived. History is all around us. to tell. The tall chimney Sometimes it is very obvious, at Mossley Mill forms an such as Carrickfergus Castle a important landmark as well fortress dating back over 800 as being a reminder of the years standing on the shores important flax spinning of Belfast Lough, mill that operated until 4 while at other 1995. In Larne the times history harbour was vital in is more the development of the town, something that can be traced through the years using maps and historic photographs. 5 1-2 Mill Street, Ballymena. These photographs show a century of change in town. 3. Aerial view of Carrickfergus, before the construction of the Marine Highway began in the 1970s. 4. Aerial photograph of Mossley Mill site, a flax spinning factory in Newtownabbey, 1934. 5. Larne Harbour, 1970s. 6 7 Elsewhere in Larne the Links between the local and were undertaken. The role of Museum and Arts Centre is wider worlds can also be the hearth, the importance of 7 housed in the attractive red explored in historic visitor the wooden dresser, settle bed, brick building that opened in attractions. The Andrew milk churn and tilley lamp can 1906 as the Carnegie Free Jackson Cottage near all be explored at the cottage. Library. Its name shows its Carrickfergus shows the kind In Newtownabbey, the dwelling links to Scottish-born American of household that would house and farm buildings at millionaire and philanthropist have been familiar to U.S. Sentry Hill, near Carnmoney, Andrew Carnegie who funded President Andrew Jackson’s recall two centuries of farming over 2,500 libraries all over parents when they emigrated life in east Antrim. The property the world. So as well as being to America in 1765. Arthur was associated with the an important resource for the Cottage at Dreen, near McKinney family for generations local community for over a Cullybackey, commemorates and their possessions allow century, the centre is part of a the family of Chester Alan visitors to follow their lives, world-wide network of Carnegie Arthur who was President of interests, joys and sorrows buildings. the United States from 1881 to over the years. These and other 1884. The cottage also allows historic attractions are an ideal 11 12 visitors to experience life in the way to experience and explore 8 9 nineteenth century by learning life, culture and traditions in how day-to-day activities earlier times. Maps, drawings, paintings and photographs are of great help when exploring historic landscapes and capture a scene in a moment in time. Examining them closely can show how today’s landscape has changed 10 over time and often can explain interesting features or buildings. 6 13 6. Fairhill, Ballymena. Once a busy market, now the site of Fairhill Shopping Centre. 7-8. Scotch Quarter, Carrickfergus, once the site of Arthur Chichester’s mansion, Joymount Palace. 9-10. Arthur Cottage at Dreen, near Cullybackey, Ballymena, commemorates the family of Chester Alan Arthur who was President of the United States from 1881 to 1884. 11. Larne Museum and Arts Centre, originally named Carnegie Free Library after Scottish-born American millionaire and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie who funded over 2,500 libraries all over the world. 12. Sentry Hill, Newtownabbey was home to the McKinney family for over two centuries. 13. Larne Main Street c. 1900. 8 9 1 2 8 Emigration 3 4 Exploring Your Roots Travel is an integral part of life Emigration had an impact on Emigrant correspondence not 9 today, whether for work, for those who were left behind in only provides enormously leisure or perhaps to emigrate Ireland. Many families kept valuable family information, to another land. Travel was also letters and photographs sent but it also shows how 6 important in the past, although by relatives who had moved emigrants viewed new lands 5 only the wealthy could afford to distant lands. Sometimes and cultures. While some to journey long distances for they received money from letters have been preserved 10 purely pleasure purposes. The abroad, not only to help others in museums and other long voyages made by many to emigrate, but also to fund institutions, many remain people were intended to be one- everyday life in Ireland such in private hands. They are a way, as they emigrated with as rent and education. Such wonderful source for tracing the aim of settling down and was the impact of emigration family emigrant stories and raising their families in distant in Ireland that there were are well worth seeking out countries. The reasons behind few families unaffected by from other family members, 1-2. The Andrew Jackson Cottage near emigration were complex and it. William McKinney (1832- in attics or amongst old Carrickfergus celebrates the life and often were a combination of 1917) of Sentry Hill saw four correspondence. The world career of the seventh President of the poor prospects at home and siblings and four of his own of the emigrant can also be United States from 1829 until 1837. encouraging reports from earlier children emigrate. His brother- explored in other ways such travellers. in-law, Joseph McGaw, had as in visits to museums and 3-4. Jim McKinney and his wife Effie emigrated to Australia in 1890, a successful sheep farming other exhibitions and viewing where they joined Jim’s two brothers Many of those who emigrated business in Australia. Three memorials such as that and uncle in running the family’s settled down well in their of McKinney’s sons went to commemorating the 1717 successful sheep farming business. new country, forming part join him, including Jim who emigrant ship Friends Goodwill Sentry Hill Collection of communities whether in settled with his wife Effie in Curran Park, Larne. 5-8. Hugh McKinney served in the towns or rural areas. Some at a family sheep station Nigerian Medical Service. His wife 11 made important contributions named Nangus. Much of the Louie, did not join him there for to their new land: in 1767, family’s correspondence is still another eight years. Throughout Andrew Jackson was born in preserved at Sentry Hill house, their long separation they regularly South Carolina to Andrew and thanks to William McKinney.