I just thought that I would post this (some of my research of my fathers DNA Matches and further investigation/research) on that:
QUANDRY:
Issue One:
A certain person named “George Somerville” was baptised in Kilskeery (Parish) in County Tyrone, on the 3rd June 1839. His parents are recorded as James Somerville and Jane Boyle. AND he was noted on this transcript record (by the compiler George Armstrong ) as being NOT recorded as illegitimate. I have not at this point looked at the microfilm or original record.
Notes: I feel that it seems to be a little unusual that the mother’s MAIDEN name was actually recorded, because generally it appears to be an unusual practice for maiden names to be recorded in this Parish register.
Source:
George Armstrong, "Church: TYRONE, Births recorded in Kilskeery C.of I. 1767-1872," database, Ireland Genealogy Project Archives (http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/tyrone/churches/kilskeery-bap.htm : accessed 3 January 2019), entry for George Somerville, baptised 3 June 1839, parents James Somerville and Jane Boyle, residence Fearney (Ferney?); citing PRONI. MIC/1/6.
Issue Two:
In 1867, an unnamed male child of a George Sommerville and Susan Sommerville nee Doran, was registered on the 17th September 1867. The informant of the birth was a “Jane (her x mark) Boyle | Present at birth | residence Tummery? (no relationship was recorded on this record).
Source:
Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, "Civil Records," database with images, IrishGenealogy.ie (https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/ : accessed 5 November 2018); digital image, birth registration of unnamed male Sommerville, born 10 September 1867, registered 17 September 1867; citing Group Registration ID 8384648; unidentified register, folio 158?, "Page 4," stamped no. 02276549, entry no. 6, recorded 23 October 1867 by John Todd, Registrar of Births and Deaths in the District of Irvinestown in the Union of Irvinestown in the Counties of Tyrone & Fermanagh, certifying that this is a true copy of the Registrar's Book of Births in the said District.
Issue Three:
In 1881, the death registration for a “Jane Boyle” – Spinster, was registered by Susan (her x mark) Somerville, Present at the death, residence Carlghdegen? [Corlaghdergan?]
Source:
Northern Ireland, "Search for a death registration," database with pay-to-view images, General Register Office Northern Ireland (https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk/ : accessed 30 November 2019); digital image, death registration of Jane Boyle, died 26 March 1881, registered 8 April 1881; citing registration no. D/1881/206/1025/3/296, district Omagh.
Issue Four:
In 1879 AND in 1882, the births of two (2) daughters were registered to parents George Somerville and Susan Somerville nee Doran, whose residence was Corlaghdergan, Dromore, County Tyrone, Ireland. (albeit the townland name may have been spelt differently on both records). BUT this the same place that Jane Boyle was living (as per her death registration} when she died in 1881.
Sources:
Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, "Civil Records," database with images, IrishGenealogy.ie (https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/ : accessed 5 November 2018); digital image, birth registration of Mary Somerville, born 26 September 1879, registered 14 October 1879; citing Group Registration ID 11491216; unidentified register, folio 261?, "First Page," stamped no. 02061242, entry no. 17, recorded January 1880 by Joseph Marshall, Registrar of Births and Deaths in the District of Dromore in the Union of Omagh in the County of Tyrone, certifying that this is a true copy of the Registrar's Book of Births in the said District.
Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, "Civil Records," database with images, IrishGenealogy.ie (https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/ : accessed 5 November 2018); digital image, birth registration of Eliza Jane Somerville, born 15 January 1882, registered 27 January 1882; citing Group Registration ID 11559305; unidentified register, folio 282?, "Second Page," page 89, stamped no. 02025577, entry no. 447, recorded 20 April 1882 by Joseph Marshall, Registrar of Births and Deaths in the District of Dromore in the Union of Omagh in the County of Tyrone, certifying that this is a true copy of the Registrar's Book of Births in the said District.
Questions/Observations:
George Somerville and his wife Susan Doran were most probably (and more than likely) living in Corlaghdergan [townland] in Dromore [Parish] in County Tyrone, Ireland in the years of 1879 and 1882, as evidenced by their daughter’s birth registrations.
Why was the death of Jane Boyle (a spinster) who died in 1881 (Corlaghdergan townland) registered by informant Susan Somerville, who is known to have had a residence of the same place, as evidenced by the birth registrations of her daughters Mary (1879) and Eliza Jane (1882).
Who was JANE BOYLE?
Was she the mother of the “George Somerville” who was baptised in Kilskeery (Parish) County Tyrone, on the 3rd June 1839, whose parents were recorded as James Somerville and Jane Boyle.
Robyn, you're off to a good…
Robyn, you're off to a good start with this problem, but you're not yet at the point of being able to make an accurate identification of Jane Boyle. You have now 4 birth/baptism registrations and 1 death record. Reliable decisions can't be made from just b-m-d records. Every kind of record needs to be tested against other types of records, independently created. What other records exist for County Tyrone during her lifetime?
You've also noted a major issue with the alleged legitimacy of George: an unusual assertion made in a derivative source. As you say, you need the original record. If this were my problem, I'd also contact the compiler and ask for the evidence and reasoning behind his annotation. (Incidentally, when I went to the link that you give for George's birth registration, I get a database, rather than a set of record transcriptions, but I don't see any annotation about the legitimacy/illegitimacy. Am I missing something?)
Robyn, check our Facebook…
Robyn, check our Facebook page. A helpful researcher has published several suggestions for you there.
Thank you Elizabeth and Aine…
Thank you Elizabeth and Aine Ni Donnghaile, who has been very helpful. Aine even managed to find the marriage record for George & Susan, that I had tried to locate in the past and hadn't (I know I am not good when looking in those RC registers).
When you look at the database I posted http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/tyrone/churches/kilskeery-bap.htm - if you scroll to the right of the entry, the compiler has made a note "Child not listed as illegitimate". Further down, there is an entry whose mother's name was CURRY, and he had noted "Parents listed as from Cluncandra (Cloncandra?). Child listed as illegitimate". Another one whose mother's maiden name was recorded as Brownlee, has been noted "Parents listed as from Dreigh. Child listed as illegitimate".
I think his reasoning is/was, it was uncommon to see the maiden name's of women - unless the child being baptised was illegitimate. In some entries it was recorded (child being illegitimate), but on some it was not. I guess he wanted to note this on George Somerville's entry, so researchers would not automatically assume he was, just because the mother's maiden name was recorded.
The problem is the lack of records available. Civil marriage records (for non-Catholics) are available from 1845, and from 1864 for all. One pretty much has to rely on church registers between these dates, and many registers did not survive the 1922 fire at the PRO in Dublin during the civil war. I am pretty fortunate, because most of the ones for the churches my ancestors attended, do exist - except one, which is in Dromore and a major loss for those researching in this area.
My late father shares DNA of 118.3 cMs across 5 segments with a great grandson of George Somerville and Susan Doran who is in the US, and of course my maiden name is Somerville and our family lived within the same Parish in Ireland as George and Susan did. My dade also has reasonable size matches, with other descendants of this line (between 38-88 cM).
I have researched 100's of Somerville families in Tyrone (& Fermanagh) over the past 8 years, in an effort to try to construct the different family groups, and hopefully connect one of them to my own one day. The 118.3 cM match to-date, is the best I have (besides known cousins here in Australia), so I would like to try and learn more about George and Susan, and the mysterious Jane Boyle.
It's ongoing research and a work in progress.
A comment WRT to the 1922…
A comment WRT to the 1922 fire - the Roman Catholic registers were not stored at the PROI, so none were not lost in that fire. There are other issues with RC registers, but they weren't burned in 1922.