Author Archives: Bobbie Edes

Andrew Gilmore Irvine: A bootmaker from Killyleagh.

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The fourth pregnancy of Sarah Irvine in the farming community of Ballytrim townland was no doubt a difficult time for her with three surviving children aged eight, four and two around her feet as this time her pregnancy felt different.[1] Husband James was a bootmaker in the nearby village of Killyleagh on the shores of Strangford Lough in Co Down and when Sarah gave birth to twins on 31 March 1849 it would have called on all the strength and … Continue reading

Precious items evoke precious memories.

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Not all our heirlooms are photos, china, jewellery etc.  This is the story of one of my precious items, a piece of furniture lovingly crafted by my father for his future family home, just prior to my parents’ marriage in 1939. Some of the items Dad made included a sideboard, a china cabinet, a dining room suite, telephone table with attached seat (almost retro style), a lovely double bed suite with matching duchess[1] and stool. In many of the items … Continue reading

Francis Irvine – Immigrant, Bootmaker, Shopkeeper & Baptist elder.

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By Rod Irvine. Edited by Bobbie Edes Within our Killyleagh siblings, the eldest two brothers John (b 1841) and Francis (aka Frank, b 1844) were likely responsible for the Irvine family coming to Queensland; they were the ‘trend-setters’.[1]&[2] On Saturday 13 May 1865, just as the American Civil War was in its final convulsions, they departed Liverpool on the modern clipper Melmerby arriving at Brisbane in September of that year.[3] It is not unlikely that John and Francis heard directly … Continue reading

Remember to Accentuate the Positive – 2020.

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Jill Ball has set a January challenge on GeniAus for a yearly blog to Accentuate the Positive. This is my 2021 effort reflecting on my 2020 year.  The challenge has 20 set points to cover. Remember to Accentuate the Positive An elusive ancestor I found was – Someone I had been searching many years for, an adopted baby. I finally cracked the mystery and managed to track who she had married, when she died and what children she had. A great … Continue reading

Killyleagh Siblings – Alexander and Sarah Irvine.

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Alexander Irvine Alexander son of James & Sarah Irvine of Ballytrim was the couple’s 11th and final child born on 4 April 1859 according to the family bible. The two-week-old baby was baptised on 19th April 1859 at 1st Presbyterian Church, Killyleagh, Down and noted as being 14 days old.[1] Alexander travelled to Australia with his aged parents and older brother John Irvine, who had returned to Killyleagh to escort the party on the long journey to Australia in 1888. … Continue reading