Moghrey mie to everyone (Manx Gaelic, hello in the morning),
I thought I should drop a general line to you all, especially those
that have been, and are helping me 'unravel' the Hendersons of
Ballyagan, Garvagh, Co. Londonderry. Especially thanks to Rebecca,
Linde, Scot and Denver. Also a big thanks to Richard Torrens for
making this 'forum facility' available.
As you will know I am 'stuck' at 1820, where the first posative
sighting of John Henderson, and a 'Henderson family' at Ballyagan
appear in the census and other documents. Further back is proving
extremely difficult to trace. I'm sure you all have shared the same
frustrations with the dearth of surviving records.
However, I have a professional researcher working for me as to get
anywhere at all, easy access to PRONI and GRONI is vital. Living on
the Isle of Man makes things very difficult. I might as well be living
in America! As far as this research goes.
Currently a 'mapping excercise' is being undertaken with all known
Hendersons in Ulster, and principally the Bann Valley. We think the
Hendersons of my family may very well have landed at Ballycastle and
migrated down through Ballymoney and finally Garvagh, then close by at
Ballyagan. This excercise may well show this root. My researcher is
also planning a similar excercise to see if we can place 'my
Hendersons' to a location in Scotland.
What I am interested in now, and this may seem a very naive questions,
but is the 'Henderson name definitely from Scotland'? My family being
Presbyterian, and living within the Townland structure would obviously
strongly suggest that they were Scottish immigrants originally. Also,
Henderson would appear to be a very rare name for Ireland, especially
in the mid 1600's. So again, possible evidence that the Hendersons
were Scottish immigrants. Any views on this, or resources / books / on
line info that would 'say for definite' that 'most protestant
Hendersons in Ulster' would be of Scottish origin would be very,
gratefully recieved!
Of especially great interest to me is that I have inherited what I
believe to be a Victorian painting, which is said to be 'our family
coat of arms'. These arms have been in my family for generations. They
are a very unusual form of 'the Henderson of Fordell Arms'. Anyone
with any knowledge of 'Arms'? or where I could go to or look up? I
have had the Lord Lyons office research them, nothing like them
registered. They are of 'Scottish type' not English Henderson Arms.
There doesnt seem to be much on the net for this kind of research? I
can provide a picture if any is able to assist here.
Next question! Is there any resource material out there, accessible
relating to 'pre plantation history of Ulster, when the Earl of Antrim
was Scottish, and earlier still, Scottish mercenaries where hired in
from time to time by the clans. I have also heard of 'the red shanks' -
a band of marauding Scots.
Finally, is there an Ulster DNA project?
Very many thanks
Bill Henderson
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