Margaret Taggart Donaldson, born County Antrim, Ireland

[PhotoFamily]

I'm looking for the ancestors of Margaret Taggart Donaldson.
https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?t...&errcode=saved

Specifically, her Taggart line.

In her 1892 marriage to Campbell Dixon Donaldson, Maggie Stewart Taggart, Spinster, indicates her father is James Taggart, Farmer. Darned if I can read her residence at time of marriage.

Their family appears in the 1901 and 1911 censuses, so it appears she was born around 1874 in Co Antrim.

I've played around this morning and last night to find her birth registration. Should be straightforward, but I'm not succeeding.
Please note variations on Taggart include Tagert, Taggert, Tagyrt. and probably more.

Witnesses to the marriage were James Hill Donaldson and Bella Taggart. I also have looked a bit for Bella without anything conclusive.

Thanks for looking!

[teasie]

There is a death in 1900 of James Taggart aged 80 where the place of death looks similar to Maggie's marriage. Death notified by James A Taggart of the same place.

In 1901 there is a James A Taggart in the census born c1855 Derry/Londonderry, and with him is a sister named Isabella born Derry c1870 - Bella perhaps? Also Fannie born c1874

The townland is Culbrime Upper, which seems to be otherwise recorded as Culbrim Upper.

The 1911 census has him as James Alexander Taggart, and Isabella & Fannie are both still with him.

[PhotoFamily]

oh, teasie that looks good. I wonder why I can’t find her birth registration? Blotch of ink probably in the wrong place.

Elwyn hope you can have a look - do the places look about right?

I’m trying to tie these Taggarts to my own line.

[GallowayLass]

Been at this ages and though I’d maybe cracked it but no. Started off with looking at PRONI for births of a Margaret and variants Taggart and variants 1871 - 1876 in case marriage and census were not exact. Got 21 results. Narrowed them down to Co. Antrim and other out of county registration districts that some websites imply were neighbouring the border. Then I went off to irishgenealogy to see if could match up any marriages of a James Taggart to any of the mother’s maiden surnames. I found only 1. 1856 James Taggart (farmer) to Jane McKeige in the district of Ballycastle, Co. Antrim. Sadly this birth which had looked likely U/1874/29/1005/3/474 Margaret Taggart 18th April 1874 Female mms McKeag Ballymoney(pre-1973 Q4) was not a match. Father Daniel Taggart (labourer) and mother Rose Ann McKeag

Maggie’s residence on marriage was Culbrim.

Just in case the marriage for James does turn out to be correct in the end here’s the link.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....02/5443765.pdf

UPDATE I see others have beaten me to it on other facts. Maybe the marriage in 1856 is not correct as James’ age on marriage doesn’t fit with 1900 death that teasie found. It’s about a decade out as the James in the marriage would only have been 72. What a bummer!

Here’s the link to the 1900 death. Place of death is definitely Culbrim.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1900/05755/4625485.pdf

[teasie]

If we have the right family then I think James's wife was Margaret (maiden name currently unknown!)

There is a death in Ballymoney in 1888 of Margaret Taggart of Culbrim aged 65, wife of James Taggart, a farmer. Death again registered by James A Taggart, son, present at death.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1888/06179/4766456.pdf

[teasie]

Since Margaret Jr's middle name was Stewart, a possibility might be the 1848 marriage in Coleraine, Londonderry of James Taggart to Peggy Stewart (Peggy being a pet name for Margaret).

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....46/5384033.pdf

ADDED: Going through the births in Coleraine, James & Margaret appear to have registered some without first names, eg this from 1871:
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....14/2214633.pdf

FURTHER ADDED: Their Margaret was born 1869:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1869/03377/2237803.pdf

[GallowayLass]

I’ve since come up with this one to a Margaret Martin 1864.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....96/8267599.pdf

It’s a fit for the birth of of a girl 1873 called Martha and twin boys John and James in 1875. Could he be the James who is the informant of death for his parents? Maybe not given a middle name till baptism?

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....13/2178119.pdf

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....93/2134013.pdf

Still not finding a Margaret / Maggie or an Isabella or any other children from marriage onwards till Martha

[GallowayLass]

Since Margaret Jr's middle name was Stewart, a possibility might be the 1848 marriage in Coleraine, Londonderry of James Taggart to Peggy Stewart (Peggy being a pet name for Margaret).

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....46/5384033.pdf

ADDED: Going through the births in Coleraine, James & Margaret appear to have registered some without first names, eg this from 1871:
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....14/2214633.pdf

FURTHER ADDED: Their Margaret was born 1869:
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....77/2237803.pdf

Sounds good. Have found a map showing Turnakibbock townland is between Coleraine and Ballymoney.

https://www.townlands.ie/londonderry.../turnakibbock/

This one’s a wee bit better in that I could pin another place so that you can see Turnakibbock in relation to Culbrim Upper. The former is right underneath the point of the white marker box and the latter is the purple diamond to the south of it


28301FAC-403B-4F4E-8539-E29B01BBEF51.jpg

[GallowayLass]

Here’s Isabella

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1866/03522/2295647.pdf

Need sustenance and a heat up. Will be back later to see if there’s been a breakthrough.

[teasie]

A possible death for Isabella is reported in the Northern Whig 25 March 1940, giving her address as Macfin Cottage, Ballymoney. The death registration on GRONI gives her age as 74, so born c1866, making her older than the census suggest (although death registrations are frequently inaccurate).

Also an interesting newspaper article in the Ballymoney Free Press and Northern Counties Advertiser 10 Nov 1910 where James A Taggart of Macfin brought a civil case against Robert Crowe of Ballyrock for probate of the will of Jane Crowe otherwise Taggart, wife of Robert, who died 6 Dec 1907.

The article states that James was the guardian of Jane's daughter, Bella Stewart Crowe, and that Jane's will bequeathed £60 to her daughters - Bella Stewart Crowe & Fannie H Crowe

Jane's marriage in 1889 - her address is Culbrim, father James, a farmer, and again witnessed by Bella Taggart:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....47/5919097.pdf


ADDED: Looks like Bella's age at death is more accurate than the census - born 1866:
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....22/2295647.pdf

[teasie]

James Alexander Taggart died 5th January 1934 aged 79. He left a will leaving £100 to St James Presbyterian Church and £50 to the foreign mission, but no details are given about any other beneficiaries.

ADDED: The above was from the newspaper, and this is the extract from PRONI:
Taggart James Alexander of Macfin Ballymoney county Antrim farmer died 5 January 1934 Probate Belfast 24 April to Charles Taggart retired merchant and Isabella Taggart spinster. Effects £1377 12s. 5d

[Karamazov]

Page hadn’t refreshed with replies for me, so I hadn’t see that Teasie had already posted much of the same same info that I found - I’ll post everything I’ve drafted even though it repeats some of what Teasie has already said but there are a couple of extras, mainly info about will of James Taggart who died 1900.


Following on from Teasie’s post 3 above, I started looking for a James Taggart marriage in county Derry, as possible siblings of Margaret were born there. There are loads, but the one that caught my eye was this 1848 one in Coleraine for James Taggart and Peggy Stewart (because of your Margaret Taggart’s Stewart middle name.)

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1848/09346/5384033.pdf

There wouldn’t have been civil registration of any births from this marriage until 1864, so used GENI to find Tagg*rt / Stewart post-1864 births and then found them on Irish genealogy.ie for full details. There were three in Coleraine (I didn’t look in other Reg districts) as below:

Birth of Isabella Taggart 4th July 1866
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....22/2295647.pdf

Birth Margaret Taggert (sic) 30th October 1869. This would fit better with full age recorded in marriage, rather than the 1874 suggested by census records.
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....77/2237803.pdf

Unknown female Taggart1871 - could be Fanny? 13th March 1871
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....14/2214633.pdf

As the James who died 1900 was a widower, I then looked for a suitable death pre1900 for a Margaret/Peggy Taggart and found this
Death of Margaret Taggart in 1888
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy....79/4766456.pdf note place and informant

James Alexander Taggart, Isabella and Fannie in 1901
http://www.census.nationalarchives.i.../nai000291435/
James Alexander, Isabella and Fannie in 1911
http://www.census.nationalarchives.i.../nai001378958/

The James Taggart of Culbrim who died 1900 left a will, mentioning several children. You’re in luck as the will has been digitised on PRONI. The writing isn’t the best and I haven’t had time to go through it yet for all the details but hopefully someone else has the time/inclination to transcribe or summarise the key info.
I can’t link directly to results, but you can find them for yourself if you search here:
https://apps.proni.gov.uk/WillsCalen...llsSearch.aspx

The son James Alexander Taggart died 1934 but only the abstract of his will is available:
Taggart James Alexander of Macfin Ballymoney county Antrim farmer died 5 January 1934 Probate Belfast 24 April to Charles Taggart retired merchant and Isabella Taggart spinster. Effects £1377 12s. 5d.

Not definitive, but all the above hangs together and offers more people (ie children mentioned in James Taggarts will) to follow up on to determine whether these Taggarts are connected to you.
As for places - birthplace of children and later residence of Culbrim straddle the county borders between Derry and Antrim. I see GL has posted info re townland locations.
James and his father William are in relevant townlands mentioned in marriage and births in Griffiths Valuation. You can search for free on askaboutireland.
You could check out the Griffith revision books which are digitised on PRONI to get an idea of when the move to Antrim might have happened.

[PhotoFamily]

Oh, wow - teasie & GallowayLass you have been busy while I"ve been sleeping! Thank you so much.

Now I've got to digest it all!!

Karamazov - we cross posted - thank you for looking up these additions!

[Karamazov]

A possible death for Isabella is reported in the Northern Whig 25 March 1940, giving her address as Macfin Cottage, Ballymoney. The death registration on GRONI gives her age as 74, so born c1866, making her older than the census suggest (although death registrations are frequently inaccurate).

info re Isabella Taggarts will:

Taggart Isabella of Macfin Ballymoney county Antrim spinster died 23 March 1940 Probate Belfast 28 June to Robert Archibald Warnock excise officer and Robert O'Neill solicitor. Effects £1306 9s. 6d.

[Karamazov]

Abstract of Fannie’s will

Taggart Fannie of Macfin Ballymoney county Antrim spinster died 21 April 1939 Probate Belfast 16 June to Robert Archibald Warnock excise official and Robert O'Neill solicitor. Effects £697 11s. 6d.

[PhotoFamily]

OK, teammates -
I've added Margaret/Peggy as a wife of James Taggart - keep me honest, please check the updates to the profiles on wikitree? I have so many pages open right now that it's hard to keep it all straight.
I find it helpful to look at a map, and the distances that people were traversing. Unfortunately, google maps doesn't know about Culbrim.
And these people moved around.
It bothers me that the census listing Birthplace lists Co Antrim, but I think it's safe to say that is incorrect?

I would like to grow James' ancestor tree, but I doubt we'll be able to make a connection to my peeps. Records from early 1800s and before are few and far between on this side of my tree.

[Karamazov]

Irish townland names are recorded with all sorts of different variants - I think Culbrim is Colebreen on townlands.ie - it’s in the DED of Seacon as per the Taggarts in 1901 and 1911 censuses, plus Macfin townlands are adjacent.
https://www.townlands.ie/antrim/dunl...con/colebreen/

https://www.townlands.ie/antrim/dunl...ebreene-lower/

I followed up on the above - Despite what it says on the townlands page, it is on logainm.ie as Colebreene - which also records it as Culbrim.

https://www.logainm.ie/en/62179

[PhotoFamily]

It also must be sitting on a shifting boundary between Derry and Antrim.
James in the 1848 marriage says he lives in Ballywillin. Marriage is in Derry, but there are Ballywillins in Derry and Antrim.

[PhotoFamily]

Seacon, Balleymoney is ~6miles from Coleraine.

[Karamazov]

This is the best I can do re distances.
They were still in Turnakibbock when the last child I found is born there in 1871
They had moved to Culbrim/Colebreene Lower by 1888 when Margaret Stewart Taggart died there.

Open this link to see Colebreene townland https://www.openstreetmap.org/relati...5.1043/-6.5954 - then zoom in until you can see Damhead Miniature railway almost directly due north - that is effectively Turnakibbock/Turnakibeck townland where the children were born (Turnakibeck https://www.logainm.ie/en/58557)
There is a scale bottom left. Judging by eye they are two or three miles apart.
I think this is James’s father William Taggart leasing a tenement of just over 21 acres in Turnakibbock as of 1859 when the Griffiths Valuation for county Derry was completed.
https://griffiths.askaboutireland.ie...width=&height=

Christine