[Bann Valley] Hendersons at Ballyagan, Garvagh

[brigid272@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Hello Bill,
Have you considered checking the Registry of Deeds for Hendersons in Ballyagan and other townlands close by?  I have had a great deal of success tracing two of my primary lines in the Bellaghy area through lease renewals and sales in the Registry of Deeds.  Some examples of what I was able to find pre-1820:  marriage articles from 1769 registered in 1784 for my probable gggg-grandparents; two wills from 1758 & 1784 for progenitors of another line; a land transfer at marriage of a gggg-grandparent to his son (1807); another similar land transfer in a previous generation from father to son so that I was able to go back another generation from the 1807 land transfer.

I have been surprised that the few professional researchers I have run across in Northern Ireland have not checked the Registry of Deeds for pre-1845 transactions.  My people were lease holders in Ballymacombs and Ballynease townlands--the various landowners were the Vintners Company; Sir Thomas & William Conolly; and Lord Masserene.

I was on a recent trip to PRONI (October 2008) and spent several days looking through a few hundred leases held by Conolly for the lands around Bellaghy.  I was able to see original leases and leases that were not registered in the Registry of Deeds.  Other information that can be in both the original leases and the memorials in the Registry are the lists of lives on perpetual leases that often give the age of individuals and their relationship to a lessee.

Has your researcher checked the Registry of Deeds for Ballyagan and Garvagh?  I don't know the history of the Ironmongers ownership or if estate papers from that group exist, but it's definitely worth a look.

~Linda S.

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