Earlier in my research I found a record for John Moak (alternate spelling) who appeared in the Freeholder Records in the townland of Carr, Parish of Drumbo, in 1786. Drumbo adjoins Saintfield (the location listed in the baptismal records of 1st Boardmills where John Moak and Mary Petticrew baptized Stewart and Margaret, their 4th and 5th children in 1783 and 1786). My theory was that this was the John Moag who later appeared in Ballymurphy in 1800 (at will) and signed a lease in 1805 for his life. Using the records I had, I wrote a proof argument to support the theory. Remember that your theories are always open to reinterpretation if additional evidence becomes available.
This month as I was reading and filing the Estate records of the Downshire Estate (which I had photographed at PRONI in 2019) I found a lease for lives for John Moak of Carr in the Lease Book which covered the leases on the Castlereagh Estate from 1730-1800.
Periodically, the estate manager would check on the status of the lives assigned on the lease, and make notations. The notations on the lease of John Moak, for the three lives (Hill Wilson, Jno Moak and Jno Shanks) stated “Mr Wilson…died many years ago - Jno Moak died in 1790 - Jno Shanks, a Printer in London is the only life in being he was heard of 3 or 4 years ago - The Lease is so defaced that it cannot be read.”
If this John Moak died in 1790, he is not the John Moak who appeared in Ballymurphy until about 1828 when his son, Stewart, took over the lease. Could this John Moak of Carr be the father of John Moak of Ballymurphy?
The date of the lease (above) was not written in. The lease on the property above John Moak is David and Geo. Shannon and their lease was signed in 1759 (also with Hill Wilson as one of the lives). Other leases on the page range from 1773 to 1781. John of Ballymurphy was born about 1747 based on his age (58) when he signed a lease for the property in Ballymurphy in 1805. This was on the Downshire Estate of Kilwarlin. The lease in Carr was on the Downshire Estate of Castlereagh. Not all the leases include the origin date, but it appeared that the blanks referenced the lease above, even without the “do” (ditto). If this is the case, John Moak of Carr signed the lease in 1759, and the John of Ballymurphy who signed a lease in 1805 (born about 1747) would not have been old enough to sign a lease in 1759. Are you confused yet? This is my second re-do as I discovered an earlier error on this family back in 2014. (I'm confused! Separating John Moags)
John Moak was living in Ballymurphy as early as 1800 when he is listed as living "at will" on property 29.
In 1805, John Moak signed a lease for lives (for his own life) age 58 and the lease passed to Stewart Moag with a new lease in 1830.
One of the things that has always seemed strange to me is that I can identify only one Moak/Moag family. I can tie most of the individuals back to John of 1st Boardmills, later of Ballymurphy. Where did he come from? Now I have a possibility of a father of this John, but it just moves the question back another generation with fewer records. Where did John Moak of Carr come from and where are other members of his family? Did he only have one child? Unlikely. Were his other children daughters who have been lost to their married names. I’m now back to a timeframe where few records exist with the possible exception of Estate records. I need to get back to PRONI!
I frequently get the question…there are multiple (fill in the blank with your ancestor’s name). How can I tell which is mine? My case is a little different in that I have an uncommon surname which for generations has used the same given names. Understanding the Irish naming patterns, that is not surprising.
If you know at least the County where your ancestor lived and have a common surname, look at Griffith’s Valuation and plot the location of your surname on a map. If the given names in your family are Bernard, Francis and Patrick, and you’re researching the Dollaghans of Antrim, you would begin by focusing your research in Newtonhamilton Parish (25) and Kilclooney Parish (13) on the map below. Also notice that these two Parishes adjoin each other. You wouldn’t start with the parishes with Peter, Laurence or Andrew. Also, if you know the maiden name of the wife of a couple married in Ireland, you can again limit your search to those parishes where both names occur.
Once you can isolate a parish, research each of the individuals as if they were your ancestor. If your ancestor emigrated in 1840 and the name appears in Griffith’s in 1858, it’s likely not your ancestor (although it could be the father). You then want to determine the name of the ultimate landlord, which is not always the name of the Immediate Lessor in Griffith’s. Look for the name of the Immediate Lessor as an Occupier and see who his Immediate Lessor was. You want to find the person who is listed as “In Fee” who will typically be the owner of the property. Then you can search for the existence of estate records. The good news is, as you can see above, these can be very beneficial in moving your research back. The bad news is that in most cases, if they exist, you’re going to have to travel to Ireland (not all that bad!)
Happy Hunting!
Note: My website is currently under construction as I've added a section on my Personal Research. The software I use only allows one Blog with the ability to add Categories to display the blogs on various pages. I wrote a blog on the Daly Family last week that appears under "All Posts" and also in the dropdown menu under Personal Research. If you don't want to see the Personal Blogs, click on "Irish Genealogy" and you will only see those that apply to generic Irish Research.
I've updated the "Ireland Quick Reference Guides" as PDF's.
You can order them on my Store.
Boy have you been busy, Donna! I appreciate how you explain the steps you’ve gone through. I’m hoping to get back to Ireland in October, mainly to revisit cousins I met last year!