McMullan family

Hello.  I am looking for information about my paternal great grandmother.  Her maiden name was Mary Jane McMullan.  She married William Bell Carson in 1896 in Ballymoney parish, county Antrim.  She listed her residence at the time of marriage as Ballycregagh.  She also listed a Charles McMullan as her father.  I have not been able to find any information at all on her birth or death but from census information her birth year would be approx. 1872.  I also have been unable to find any information about Charles McMullan other than some conflicting information on spouses.  A Charles McMullan was listed as being married to Mary Venney who did have a daughter named Mary according to Ancestry.com..  There is also a Charles McMullan listed as a spouse of Lavinia Thompson. I have also come across conflicting spellings of the McMullan name.. It has also been spelled McMullen and McMillan so that has further complicated things.. According to census information, Charles McMullan(en) would have been born approx. 1846. If anyone does know anything about my family members I would love to find out about them.. Thank you in advance.

Hello Andi,

You certainly seem to have started well with your research into your paternal great-grandmother!

As you have also found, there are many variations in spellings of surnames and that it was always popular to name your children after their parents and other family members to continue the family line of names used. This does indeed lead to a few confusing moments when trying to trace farther back in time.

Before 1864 records were kept in the form of church and parish records; while some of these have regrettably been lost over the years, all the surviving records have been sorted into county-based genealogical centers.  For Country Antrim, this would be Ancestry Ireland through the Ulster Historical Foundation. 

In 1864 civil registration was introduced in Ireland, which is when we started seeing the formal registration of births, marriages, adoptions, and deaths. These records have been kept at the General Register Office of Ireland (GRO), to this day.  

We have several posts on the forum that may be of interest, including Tracing your Irish ancestors: A three-step guide by Brian Mitchell.

I'm sure our Industry partners and fellow members will have some advice also. We hope this helps with some additional resource information.

Speak soon,

Martin

Hi Andi

If you haven't already done so, make sure you check the County Antrim database at www.rootsireland.ie as it records the birth of a Mary Jane Mullan in 1872 to a father Charles. In 19th historical records there are many instances were Scottish McMullan and Irish O'Mullan have been shortened to Mullan/Mullen etc.

Hi Andi,
If you would like to contact Natalie from Roots Revealed I'm sure she would help you find the information you need.
Both my parents where from the Ballymoney area.  Would it be ok to post your information on my facebook page to see if anyone locally could also help in your search.

Kind Regards
Frances

Thank you all for the information.
I will look into all the sites that have been suggested. Yes Frances, feel free to share my family information.
My grandparents were Samuel Wilson (1899) and Tillie (Matilda) Carson (1902) from the Ballymoney/ Dervock-Stroan area. His father was Robert Wilson (about 1873) and Martha Anderson (about 1874).
And Tillie Carson Wilson's parents were the previously mentioned William Bell Carson (about 1857) and Mary Jane McMullan (about 1872).

Hello Andi, 

We hope the shared information will lead to some new discoveries! Keep us posted on your findings, and we're always here if you have any questions. :)

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, 

Melin

Hi Andi,

I had a quick look at the marriages of children of Charles McMullan on www.rootsireland.ie and found the marriage of an Elizabeth McMullan in 1900 in 1st Ballymoney Presbyterian Church, the same church your ancestors married in. One of her witnesses was a Mary Jane Carson and I believe it likely that Elizabeth was your ancestor's sister. 

Searching the townland of Knocknahinch (where Elizabeth was living when she married in 1900), we find a Charles McMullan living with his family there on the 1901 census: www.census.nationalarchives.ie.

We would be delighted to carry out research into your ancestors for you - we offer a range of research services: www.ancestryireland.com/research-services/. 

Best wishes, 

Gillian

Gillian Hunt
Research Officer
Ulster Historical Foundation

Hello Gillian,
Thank you so very much for the information you found and sent me recently.  Yes, it definitely appears that Elizabeth and Mary Jane McMullan were sisters.  At this time finances are tight so I will just continue to research myself..  There may be a time in the future that I will use your research services.
Again thank you.
Best Wishes
Andi Wilson

Hi Andi, Glad the information was useful - all the best with your research and don't hesitate to contact us if we can be of any further assistance.

Best wishes, 

Gillian