Page 23 Mum’s Family: Hanlons – The Douglas Family of Monzie and Fowlis Wester in Perthshire

John Hanlon and his wife Catherine Reid

I have searched the Roman Catholic baptism registers for the local parishes of Killevy Upper, Killevy Lower and Creggan for 1860 but not found any trace of Harriet Hanlon having been baptised at these places (whether with 2 t’s or 1 t or with an e at the end). Robert Williamson has suggested that Harriet could have been adopted informally by the people we think are her parents, perhaps on behalf of a close family member. Whether that is the case or not, we should still see her name on the baptismal register. This is something that it is going to be very hard to demonstrate but cannot be disproven.

I do have a proposed solution further below but cannot be certain that it is correct. In summary, I believe that Harriet Jane has been misread in the RC baptismal records as Margaret Jane, that she was baptised in February 1857 and that her parents were indeed John Hanlon amd Catherine Hanlon. Certainly this last is claimed on three documents but, of course, documents are not always giving the truth.

Killevy Parish Roman Catholic records of baptisms for the 1840s upwards survive, thankfully, along with marriages from the 1830s.

These show that John Hanlon and his wife Catherine Reid had eight children at least, as shown on Robert Williamson’s Ancestry tree. Unfortunately there is no clearly identifiable Harriet Jane in January 1860, January 1857-59 or apparently at any time between 1857-1860.

Family of John Hanlon and Catherine Reid:

This couple apparently married in Killevy Parish on 28th (or 25th) July 1837. When you look at the microfilmed record it looks a bit like Catherine Rice, however. The witness, John Read, confirms how the writer formed his letter d’s. It also raises the question, was this a brother to Catherine?

The baptismal records photographed by NLI have proven most useful in researching the Hanlon family.

The index to at least two of the baptisms (Margaret, the first born, and John) shows the mother as Rice. This is an understandable mistake when you look at John’s baptismal record particularly.

That the mother’s name is recorded as Rice is pretty clear- the entry above contains the same name, and Rice is written quite boldly in black ink.

Looking closely at the microfilm raises the question of why sponsor names are so much more faint compared to child and parent names on the line above on some pages?

The answer is that all the names were originally recorded in pencil or a lighter ink and then baby and parents’ names were gone over at a different date, though we cannot know how much later. What is discernible when you look closely is that the writer’s distinctive d is there underneath: whoever wrote over with blod ink has misread the name!

Prior to the 1840s famine, the population of Ireland was much greater than it even is now. This means that there could be more than one John Hanlon marrying a Catherine, in theory.

First recorded baptism, daughter Margaret:

Baptism of John Hanlon, 1842. Note the fainter writing for the sponsors compared to the darker entries for baptism names and parents. Looking closely shows that these names had been lighter and then gone over with black ink, raising the possibility of transcription errors.

William Hanlon baptised in 1844. Copyright NLI.

In 1846 came Eliza Hanlon. Note that one sponsor was a Sarah Reid.

The next few years were extremely difficult for much of the population of Ireland due to the grip of the Potato Famine. In Ulster it was not quite as severe, partly due to Ulster Custom. There were no more family baptisms until Catherine Hanlon in May 1849. Read is now spelt with an i. Copyright NLI.

Hugh Hanlon in 1854. Copyright NLI.

Note that one sponsor for Hugh was an Eliza Reid, of whom more below.

The next baptised child was apparently called Margaret, baptised in February 1857, which indicates that the couples’ first daughter of the same name had died. However I shall demonstrate below that the first daughter Margaret had not died which calls into question what the name below says and what it may have said earlier.

The last child baptised was James Hanlon. This was in October 1859. Again, copyright NLI. His sponsors were John Reid and Eliza Reid. This writing is in a different hand and we can see clearly written and correctly spelt a Margaret, in this case Kerr, in the entry above James Hanlon.

We do not know how old James was when his baptism took place but if he were recently born it would make a mockery of the birthdate recorded of mid January 1860 for Harriett Jane Hanlon. Harriett could have been born extremely prematurely but in that case her family would surely have made sure of baptism. Another possibility is that she is missing from the RC records for Lower Killeavey because the family had moved and converted to the Church of Ireland. Even so, it is not recorded within the records of St Mary’s at Drumbanagher.

Harriett is stated to have been born on 15th January 1860 on the 1939 register, conducted in September of that year at the advent of WWII.

One possibility is that the person we know as Harriet was actually given the name Margaret when baptised in or before February 1857. This would be compatible with a January birth date and compatible with her age when she entered Drumbanagher NS in 1864. Even so, why re-use the name Margaret as a first name?

It does seem possible that Harriett had adjusted her age by 3 years in the course of her life. Note that if correct she would have been 16 years older than her husband!

Despite the lack of definitive proof on the baptism record I no longer doubt that Harriett Jane Hanlon was the daughter of John Hanlon and Catherine Reid. Upon marriage she recorded her father as John Hanlon and she registered the deaths of both these people and stated that they were her parents in doing so. Note that she was using her married name, Gibson.

Prior to their marriage, John Hanlon and Catherine Reid were recorded in the RC Killeavy Lower baptismal register as being sponsors for a child named Bridget Tegarty (?) who was baptised on 2nd February 1836.

The 1901 census includes two Roman Catholic sisters named Mary and Eliza Reid, living at Killybodagh. Both were unmarried. It seems likely that these were relatives of Catherine Reid. Mary was said to be 60 years old and Eliza to be 58. Mary said she was a farmer and Eliza was a seamstress. They said they could both read and write.

They were both dead by the next census. Mary died in May 1902, her death registered by Eliza (as Elizabeth). Eliza left a mark on the page, so clearly she could not write. Interestingly, Mary was now said to be 75, a considerable difference from the year before. This would place her birth around 1827, then, making it possible that she was the sister of Catherine Reid.

Eliza died in 1907. She was now said to be 74, giving a birth around 1833. If accurate, this would suggest that the sisters were more likely to be nieces than sisters to Catherine. A Mary McGlaffery registered the death but did not say that she was related.

Family of John Hanlon and Catherine Reid:

1. Margaret Hanlon, baptised 12th January 1840. Mother Catherine Read.

2. John Hanlon, baptised 26th July 1842. Mother Catherine Reid.

3. William Hanlon, baptised 7th July 1844. Mother Catherine Read.

4. Eliza Hanlon, baptised 20th September 1846.

5. Catherine Hanlon, baptised 19th May 1849. Mother Catherine Reid.

6. Hugh Hanlon, baptised 1th March 1854. Mother Catherine Reid.

7. Margaret Jane Hanlon*, baptised February 1857. Mother Catherine Reid.

8. James Hanlon, baptised 25th October 1859. Mother Catherine Reid.

It seems from the baptism records that I cannot tie Harriet in to this “main” family of Hanlons still living in the area in the early 21st century but am certain that she was related because of several reasons, including those stated above:

a) a girl born in 1874 was given her name and our Harriet registered the birth of one of these children. Harriet could not be a sister of the John Hanlon below as she registered the deaths of both her parents in the 1890s. This larger, better documented, branch intermarried with the Gibsons at various stages.

b) A further proof of the family connection comes from the photograph below, thanks to Robert Williamson. Harriet Jane Gibson is seated at the front and wearing dark clothes. The older man at the back is apparently James Hanlon, born 1872, with members of his family and some of Harriet Jane’s family, probably Stanley or Bertie at back left as you look at the image. Her daughter Emily is beside her. James’s wife Kate is probably the person beside him. Fred Hanlon is on the right at the back. Given Fred’s youth, if the identification is correct, the photo may date to the 1920s.

That Harriet is present in a picture of James Hanlon’s family indicates her status as a member of the family, and it is my recommendation that we accept that she was a paternal aunt.

As to “when,” Harriet was surely born in 1857, 1858 or 1860, though January 1860 seems very less likely given that brother James was baptised in October 1859, unless he were several months old when baptised.

Let us examine again the baptism record for “Margaret Jane Hanlon” in 1857. Having found that two other entries were deceptive enough for Find My Past to mis-index them, I thought it worth checking again. At a glance it does seem to say Margaret. But then I was struck by the closeness of the last half of the name to “rriet”- and there does seem to be a slight stroke above the a which is not a mark from the reverse page- it is too dark for that. The g lacks a loop as well, making it not unlike Mary rather than Marg. Could it have said Harriet in fainter ink first and been transcribed over, with an M replacing the H and an r turned into a g?

Another option is that the name does indeed say Margaret Jane but the family simply opted to call her a different name, ie Harriet. This is, of course, conjecture and unsupported by evidence. One complication is the different spellings of her Christian name- Harriet, Harriett and Harriette.

Returning to the issue of whether the first born child, Margaret Hanlon, had died young with that born in 1857 replacing her name, let us consider further information.

A Margaret Hanlon had a relationship with a James Edward Falloon and had a child with him, named after his father. This birth was in December 1876.

The first Margaret having been born in 1840, she would have been 36 at the time. The second Margaret was born in 1857 [unless it was actually Harriet] and she would have been 20. Note that grandmother Catherine Hanlon registered the birth.

Normally I would accept that a second child with the same name as an earlier one meant the first had died, regardless of whether a burial record or death record could be found. However, there is a bit of a complication, shown below.

The 1901 census demonstrates that the Margaret Hanlon born around 1840 and who was mother to James Edward Falloon was still alive. She described herself as a widow but the birth record and church record both show that she had not been married to her son’s father.

There is a burial at St Mary’s Church of Ireland, Drumbanagher of a Margaret Hanlon, buried in 1921 supposedly aged 82, placing her birth around 1839. There is no other burial recorded of a Margaret Hanlon born in the 19th century. The implications is that the Margaret baptised in 1840 did not died young- in which case why would another child be given her name?

John Hanlon and his wife Elizabeth Anne Thompson

This second branch of Hanlons descends from John Hanlon and Elizabeth Anne (Betty) Thompson. This John Hanlon was the son of John Hanlon the labourer and his wife Catherine Reid and thus was the brother of Harriet Jane Hanlon. His baptism, seen above, was on 26th July 1842.

John’s marriage to Betty Thompson occurred at Newry Registry Office in February 1866. John was a farm labourer in Killybodagh and she was also living there.

Photo of John Hanlon in later life, thanks to Robert Williamson and EmmaHanlon1 on Ancestry:

Betty Thompson was to die on 30th November 1898 at Drumbanagher. The family lived on at Killybodagh, as shown on the 1901 census. Children Hugh, Harriet and Mary (aged 20) were in the house. This would place her birth around 1881.

The Hanlons were to have at least 9 children, I believe. These were:

1. Annie Hanlon, b 1867

2. William John Hanlon, b 1/4/1868

3. Catherine Elizabeth Hanlon, 1869 – 1956 (known as Kathleen)

4. James Hanlon, 10/3/1872 – 30/6/1941

5. Harriet Jane Hanlon, 1/4/1874 – 3/1/1955

6. Thomas Hanlon, b 13/5/1876

7. Esther Hanlon, 15/1/1881 – /1881

8. Hugh Hanlon, 17/12/1881 – 3/5/1929

9. Esther Hanlon, 11/2/1886 – 19/2/1886

For 1. Annie, see below, The Whitesides

2. William John Hanlon.

4. James Hanlon was to move to Crumlin where he raised a family. He died on 30th June 1941 at home after being knocked down by a motor bike. He lived at 1 Hill Street. Here is a newspaper clipping from the Belfast Newsletter, courtesy of British Newspaper Library:

Photo of James Hanlon, with thanks to Robert Williamson:

5. Harriet did not marry. She was a seamstress and lived with her father on the 1901 and 1911 censuses.

6. Thomas was a coachman. He married Matilda Field from County Londonderry and they moved to the Ballyedmond area of Co Down. On the 1901 census they had 2 children, Alice and Charles. Below is his birth registration, showing that his parents were living at Killybodagh when he was born on 13th May 1876. Note that Harriette Hanlon registered the birth. This cannot be his sister as she was a small child so it must be be the Harriet Hanlon who married John Gibson. Harriet would have been between 16 and 19 at this time.

Here is the wedding certificate for Thomas and Matilda Field in August 1899, where he describes his father as a ploughman rather than a labourer. Thomas was living at Mullaglass at the time.

I have found via Ancestry that I have DNA in common with three descendants of Thomas Hanlon, which underlies the likelihood that Harriet Hanlon was fairly closely related to John Hanlon, father of Thomas.

7. As can be seen, there were two girls named Esther who died in infancy. The implication is that this was a family name they were anxious to retain.

Esther Hanlon, born in January 1881.

8. Hugh Hanlon was born in Drumbanagher on 17th December 1881. A Catherine Hanlon registered her birth. Was this his elder sister, aged around 12? I do not know if a minor was allowed to make an official record like this at that time. Alternatively, was it Catherine Rice or Catherine Reid?

Hugh married Mary McCreery in Portadown in 1910. He then settled in that area and they had children in Portadown. It is interesting to see that the witnesses were Robert James Gibson and Mary Gibson.

Wedding certificate for Hugh Hanlon, showing that he was an engine driver.

9. Esther Hanlon was the youngest of the family, born in February 1886. Her mother must have been around 44 at this time. Esther died after only a few days. Both birth and death were registered by her eldest sister, Annie.

Emily Hanlon was the daughter of Harriet Jane Hanlon. Emily’s name is mentioned in the Belfast Telegraph of 5th September 1940 on a page listing people who had collected money or contributed money to the Telegraph Spitfire Fund. E Hanlon of Drumbanagher is listed along with Bertie Gibson of Demone who contributed 2 shillings.

Below: death notice for Harriet Jane Hanlon, 1874-1955.

The Whitesides

Annie Hanlon married William Whiteside in December 1890. He was a farmer and a mason. The Whiteside family can be seen on the 1901 and 1911 censuses. Annie’s age as stated suggests she was born around 1866/67. They lived at House 8, Drumbanagher on the 1901 census. An Annabelle Hanlon is recorded in the school register which could be her.

This census excerpt shows the Whiteside family at Killybodagh in 1901. They had 6 children at this time.

The same family in 1911, now 8 children strong. The 9th, Essie, was living elsewhere.

7. As can be seen above there were two girls named Esther who died in infancy. The implication is that this was a family name they were anxious to retain.

Here is the wedding certificate for Thomas and Matilda Field in August 1839, where he describes his father as a ploughman rather than a labourer. Thomas was living at Mullaglass at the time.

Hugh married Mary McCreery in Portadown in 1910. He then settled in that area and they had children in Portadown. It is interesting to see that the witnesses were Robert James Gibson and Mary Gibson.

Wedding certificate for Hugh Hanlon, showing that he was an engine driver.

Family of William John Hanlon

William John Hanlon and his wife Elizabeth Thompson married in January 1892 at Drumbanagher. William was a coachman. They went on to have several children:

1. William John Hanlon, born 23/11/1892 and baptised in February 1893.

2. Joshua Hanlon, born 6/11/1894 at Demone and baptised in February 1895.

3. Alfred Thompson Hanlon, born 15/4/1897 and baptised in June 1897.

4. Florence Eveline Hanlon, born 28/3/1900 and baptised in June that year.

5. Wilhelmina Matilda Hanlon, born 12/7/1902 and baptised in September 1902.

6. Samuel James Hanlon, born 22/12/1904 and baptised in March 1905.

7. Albert Frederick Hanlon, born 24/10/1908 and baptised in January 1909.

8. George Ernest, born 16/5/1911 and baptised in July 1911.

Their first son, William John Hanlon, became a school teacher and lived at 27 Ebrington Gardens in Belfast. He had married a Gibson, Marion Susanna Gibson, in November 1926 at St Mary’s, Drumbanagher. When William died his widow moved back to Hanlon’s Corner in Crumlin. William entered Drumbanagher NS on 9th May 1898. His will left £3865 to Fred Hanlon, merchant.

Second son Joshua entered Drumbanagher NS on 1st May 1899 and left in 1908. Joshua married Betty Whiteside after moving to Australia in October 1926. Joshua served in the Tank Corps in WW1 with service number 304874. He had enlisted in Princess Victoria’s Royal Irish Fusiliers with service number 23920. Joshua became a lance corporal on 28th Feb 1916 and then full corporal on 27th May. This must have reflected leadership skills and resolve apparent during training. He was posted to France in October 1916 so he was not present for the bloody Battle of the Somme. Betty Whiteside was described as a book keeper and Joshua as a mechanic when they travelled to Australia.

The move to the Tank Corps came, apparently, in mid August 1918. This was the time when the Allies had withstood the May German Offensive and then had begun their own offensives, leading to a period of more classic open warfare. Tanks had become more efficient and less liable to breakdown and played a large part in the turning of the tide. He had lost the corporal stripe, howver. When Joshua was demobilised next year he was placed in Class Z, among those who would not be recalled. Joshua had been in hospital with a hernia in July 1916 in Belfast. In the summer of 1917 he suffered badly with impetago and then in August 1918 appears to have sustained shrapnel wounds to his back and thigh. It just says SW, which I presume means shrapnel wound.

According to his service papers Joshua was a groom when he enlisted and was over 5 ft 7 inches tall. He weighed 137 pounds. Given his experience with horses it is surprising that he did not try to enlist in the cavalry. He had a 37 inch chest.

The third child, Alfred, died whilst still a boy. His burial was covered in a local newspaper.

Samuel James Hanlon, having been too young for WW1, enlisted in the RAF on 27th October 1927, giving his mother as next of kin. Later he married a woman named Elizabeth Magee. Samuel died on 2nd January 1966 at the Fever Hospital at Purdysburn, leaving only £39 in his will to his widow. He was buried at U343 at Roselawn Cemetery.

Brother Albert Frederick died a month later, on 2nd February 1966. He is buried at St Mary’s, Drumbanagher.