Margaret (Irwin) Dinsmore (abt. 1847 - 1919)

Born about 1847 in Ballyleighery, County Londonderry, Ireland

Ancestors

Wife of Matthew Creelman — married 23 Nov 1869 in Ballyclabber Reformed Presbyterian Church, Co. Londonderry, N. Ireland

Wife of James Dinsmore — married 23 Feb 1892 in Ballyclabber Reformed Presbyterian Church, Co. Londonderry, N. Ireland

Descendants

Died 4 Oct 1919 at about age 72 in Church Street, Ballymoney, County Londonderry, Ireland

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Margaret (Irwin) Dinsmore was born in Ireland.

Biography

Margaret was born about 1847.^[1][2] She was the daughter of John Irwin and Lavinia Forsythe.^[3]She first married Matthew Creelman at Ballyclabber Reformed Presbyterian Church on 23 November 1869, her father John a witness. ^[4]She next married James Dinsmore 23 February 1892 at Ballyclabber Reformed Presbyterian Chruch. ^[5]In the 1901 census, she was the head of the household at 19 Abbey Street in Coleraine, County Londonderry, living with her daughter Maggie (Margaret) Irvine Creelman, and lodger John Donald.^[6]In 1911, she is aged 66 and living with her daughter Maggie and her son in law William Hugh McAfee, as well as her three grandchildren in Ballymoney, Antrim. ^[7]Four years later, Margaret Irwin Dinsmore was claiming her old age pension at age 70.^[8] Regarding the old age pension claims: "She was born in 1847, so before civil registration of 1864, therefore she had no birth certificate and in order to prove her age, government clerks checked the family in the 1851 census based on their address. If they found the family and the claimant was recorded this was accepted as proof of age. The claimants submitted their applications on "Form 37"which were referred to simply as 'the green forms.' The original 1851 census was lost between 1916 and 1922, but a few {only a few}of the green forms survived. Details of the census returns were 'scribbled' in pencil on the back of these forms." You can see Margaret’s survives as a copy and her family was eventually found as the names of her parents were scribbled on it in addition to her siblings( they spelled her mother Robina then Labina - I wonder if Margaret had a hard time spelling the name Lavina) ^[9] Margaret passed away 4 October 1919 on Church Street in Ballymoney Antrim (like her mother had some connection to Ballymoney) ^[10] The original claim form was found on 22 August 2016 by Micheal Gallagher who went to a family history center on my behalf to get it (I am in an isolated area right now). The original form seems to generate more questions as Margaret's mother is called both "Robina" and "Labina" on the form ^[11]. The words "John and....not found" appear under the observations column, it then above the scribbled family names it says “Fd family of” then lists the names. Of course it is lucky the form survived at all. Because Margaret may have been telling the agent what would have been on the 1851 census from memory, thus helping the agent locate the right family, it is possible she made a mistake with the marriage date of 1845 (but if the 1851 census record was found 1845 is correct). Since the Presbyterian Balteagh registers have all been checked (and they start in 1845), it is possible her parents were married earlier than this date. But Because Margaret made the claim for her pension in 1916 there is a chance the clerk actually made the notes about her family that appear on the form based on what he actually saw in the original census of 1851, as the fire had not yet burned the 1851 census in 1916 (it happened in 1922) and it was the 19th century censuses after 1871 that were pulped for WWI.

Plot 8/4 at CAMUS JUXTA BANN CI graveyard in Coleraine, Londonderry has a Margaret Irwin Creelman, wife of Matthew, who died 7 Oct 1920 (this is probably her grave) ^[12] Unsure why she was not buried with the name Dinsmore as he was her last husband.

Margaret is the only one of John and Lavinia's children to remain in Ireland; all of her siblings went to Scotland. Margaret was also a reformed Presbyterian like Samuel Irwin, mentioned in the notes of William John Irwin, she too was at a Gospel Hall. Her daughter Margaret Irwin Creelman McAfee cared for her in her dotage.

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Sources

1. ↑ Census of Ireland 1901/1911. The National Archives of Ireland. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/: accessed 31 May 2013.
2. ↑ Masterson, Josephine. Ireland: 1841/1851 Census Abstracts (Northern Ireland). Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1999.
3. ↑ Masterson, Josephine. Ireland: 1841/1851 Census Abstracts (Northern Ireland). Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1999.
4. ↑ Church Marriage Record for Matthew Creelman and Margaret Irwin, http://www.rootsireland.ie, accessed 2014.
5. ↑ Church Marriage Record for James Dinsmore and Margaret Creelman, http://www.rootsireland.ie, accessed 2014.
6. ↑ Census of Ireland 1901/1911. The National Archives of Ireland. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/: accessed 31 May 2013.
7. ↑ Census of Ireland 1901/1911. The National Archives of Ireland. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/: accessed 31 May 2013.
8. ↑ Extract from the Old Age Pension Claims 1908 to 1922, claimant Margaret Dinsmore, FHL film number 0258539, http://www.emraldancestors.com, accessed 2014.
9. ↑ Author's personal correspondance with Robert, researcher at Ulster Ancestry Genealogy, 24 July 2014.
10. ↑ Death Registration Margaret Dinsmore number D/1919/27/1005/22/82, Ballymoney 4 Oct 1919, GRONI https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk/ accessed 8 November 2015
11. ↑ LDS family History Center: Old Age Pension Claims, 1908-1922, from 1841/1851 census abstracts and miscellaneous sources. Northern Ireland. Public Record office of Northern Ireland (Belfast) Vol. 25 Londonderry, barony of Keenaght." Film ID is 0993098 Film Number: 258539.
12. ↑ Graveyard Inscription for Margaret Irwin Greelman, Roots ie, accessed 5 July 2021, https://rootsireland.ie/ifhf/view_detail.php?recordid=1022557&type=gr&recordCentre=derry&page=1

See also:

• "Death Record, Matilda Jane Kinsella and Lavinia Forsythe, born 1849, died 25 Oct 1925, Leeds Ontario Canada. Parents are John Irwin and Lavinia Forsythe of Ireland. Archives of Ontario. Registrations of Deaths, 1869-1938. MS 935, reels 1-615. Archives of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada."

• "Marriage Record, Matilda Jane Irwin and Lavinia Forsythe and Richard Kinsella, 08 April 1880, Manhatten, New York, New York. Parents of Matilda are John Irwin and Lavinia Forsythe. Indexing Project (Batch) number M00135-4, GS Film Number 1562358."

• "Marriage Record, Samuel Irwin and Martha Jane Ferguson, 25 June 1869, Old Monkland (middle District), Lanarkshire, Scotland. Parents of Samuel are JJohn Irwin and Lavinia Forsythe. Statutory Marriages 652/02 0069. Drawn from Scotland's People, http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/, accessed 2014."

• "Marriage Record, John Irwin and Annie Pollock, 16 May 1887,Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Parents of John are John Irwin and Lavinia Forsythe. Statutory Marriages 644/09 0158. Drawn from Scotland's People, http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/, accessed 14 June 2014. Certified copy in author's possession."

• "Death Record, Elizabeth Caldwell, 15 June 1926,Dalziel, Motherwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Statutory Deaths 639/00 0333. Drawn from Scotland's People, http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/, accessed 30 August 2015. "

• "Church Birth Record for Eliza Irwin, http://www.rootsireland.ie, accessed 30 August 2015"