This page is about the family tree of the Mulhollands at Hill House in Eden – near Portglenone in County Londonderry, Ireland. They worshipped and are buried at Tamlaght O’Crilly Lower Church of Ireland (near Innisrush). This page is a work in progress. It will be updated if, and when, additional information comes to light. Notably, I am still searching for Mulholland-related birth, marriage and death certificates from the 1800s.
Richard Mulholland & Mary Barnes
It was 1775. The US Revolution had just begun. And in Europe, nine old women in Poland were burnt as witches, for supposedly causing a bad harvest. Another lady was similarly labelled a witch in Germany and put to death. In this same year, near Tamlaght O’Crilly, Richard Mulholland was born. He married Mary Barnes (born 1785). Richard was only 50 when he died on the 20 August 1825. Mary survived her husband by another fifty years, and was 90 years old, when she died on 15 June 1875. There appears to be conflicting data as to Richard’s birth and death records, and some other anomalies as well. I am still trying to verify this top level of our tree. But given that records are so sparse – e.g. the law did not require weddings to be recorded back then – it is rather difficult.
Richard Mulholland Gravestone in Tamlaght Lower
In the graveyard in Innisrush, there is an interesting old weathered gravestone. It lies flat. Presumably it fell a long time ago. Andy Mulholland, of Brisbane Australia, says that the headstone was transcribed in 1939, by his uncle, as follows:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“The Burying Ground of Beresford Mulhollands
Here lieth the body of Richard Mulholland
of the County Beg. W.I. and late of the 4th Kings Own Reg.
who departed this life Oct.the 20th AD1822 aged 46 years,
Also his son Henry Mulholland who departed this life
17th March 1847 aged 50 years.
And his wife Maria Mulholland, who
departed this life 28th October 1859 aged 52 years.
Also his son-in-law Bernard Mulholland
who departed this life 12th May 1875 aged 86 years
And his wife Mary Mulholland who departed this life
15th June 1875 aged 90 years.”[/perfectpullquote]
The headstone has been laying flat for many generations, and is now badly weathered. In 2008, Denver Boyd tried to transcribe the headstone, and was only able to determine the following:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“The burying ????????
Here lie the body of
Mulholland ?the w??
and lne of the 4th orhing ow
who depd this life Oct the
AD 1822 aged ?0 years
Also his Son Henry Mulholland
who departed this life 17th D
1847, aged 50 years
And his Wife Maria Mulholland
who departed this life 28th Oct
1859 aged 52 years
Also his Son-in-law Bernard Mulholland
who departed this life 12th
aged 86 years
And his Wife Mary Mulholland
who departed this life 15th June
Aged 90 years”[/perfectpullquote]
He married Judith (Julia), maiden name unknown, about 1815/16. Regimental depot was in Belfast. He was discharged in 1831 and shown in the 1831 Derry Census to be in Eden with Judith. He emigrated to Canada between 1831 and 1837, where he had been with the 68th from 1818-1829. In between those years he would travel to Leeds to recruit. In later years he claimed to be a Waterloo veteran, although he was not at Waterloo but I know that his brother or cousin Richard (married to Mary Barnes), who died in 1822, was a Lieutenant with the Kings Own Regiment at Waterloo. Medals weren’t issued until 1848. I believe Henry claimed Richard’s medal to enhance his prospects in Canada. Thompson & Ellen Mulholland It is unclear Thompson’s relationship to Richard Mulholland. Perhaps Richard was a father, or an uncle, to the younger man. Anyways, Thompson Mulholland was born in 1822. To date I have been unable to recover a birth or marriage certificate. And unfortunately the Ireland Census data from 1841 and 1851 was lost in Dublin. But 79 year old Thompson does appear, as a farmer and head of the household, in the Ireland census of 1901. His house and land are also referred to in an earlier property tax audit of the Eden area during the 1800s. The 1831 Census indicates that Hill House, Eden was owned by an Andrew O’Neil, with 9 people living in the house (6 males and 3 females). Therefore the Mulhollands must have, at some point after 1831 bought the property. Modern family members do recall Tommy Mulholland often referring to an Andrew O’Neil. Thompson appears to have been relatively well off. In the 1901 census, it is noted that he employs two live-in servants, namely a 45 year old farm servant called Henry Dougherty, and a 17 year old house servant called Margret McPeak. Thompson’s wife Ellen Mulholland (in the absence of a marriage certificate, there is no maiden name available) is listed in one government document as a “house keeper”. Ellen was born in 1818. Given the year their son was born, one imagines that Ellen and Thompson were probably married relatively late in life. They had at least one child, James Richardson Mulholland. There is some confusion as to what year their son was born. One record suggests 1860 (derived from his gravestone), while another suggests 1865 (Ireland census, 1901). 1860 is probably the most likely, given that his mother Ellen would have been 47 years old by 1865. Ellen Mulholland died at Hill House, Eden, on the 25 October 1896. She was 78 years old. The death certificate lists “cardiac disease” as the cause of death. She had been suffering from this ailment for the previous two years. James Richardson Mulholland, was by his mother’s bedside when she passed on. And he notified the authorities at Bellaghy, and signed her death certificate, some two weeks later, on 9 November. Ellen never got to see her grandson, Tommy, who was born some 7 weeks after her death. Thompson survived his wife for almost a further ten years. He was 84 years old, when he died at home (Hill House, Eden) on the 29 May 1906. James Richardson, his son, was present when he passed on. The death certificate indicates that he died of cardiac failure. Probate was granted to his son, James Richardson, on the 2nd August 1906. His effects came to the value of some 463 pounds. On the 3rd October 1895, James Richardson Mulholland married Charlotte McGaw Smyth. Between 1896 and 1906, they had four boys and a girl (Thompson, John, Charlotte, James and William). Charlotte McGaw Mulholland was only middle-aged when she died on the 31 March 1913. Her death certificate lists her cause of death as being “pernicious anemia.” She had been certified as having this ailment for some three months prior to her passing. Pernicious anemia is an auto-immune condition. It is a vitamin B-12 deficiency anemia, and is caused by the victim’s inability to absorb the necessary B-12 vitamin, that is needed to make sufficient healthy red blood cells. If left untreated, potential complications of the illness include brain and nerve damage, heart problems, chronic anemia, and stomach cancer. It is a very rare condition. This type of anemia is called “pernicious” because it was, at one time, considered a deadly disease. This was due to the lack of readily available treatment. In modern times, the illness is straightforward to treat with the use of B-12 injections or supplements. It is probably worth noting that Charlotte’s second child, John, was given B12 injections, as an adult, for the same condition (pernicious anemia). Perhaps the ailment ran in her side of the family. Charlotte’s husband, James Richardson Mulholland, was with her when she passed on, at home (Hill House, Eden). There is some confusion about her age. Her gravestone in Innisrush churchyard indicates that she was 45 years old. Her death certificate, completed in Bellaghy, and signed by her husband, says she was 40 years old. The Ireland Census of 1901 lists Charlotte as 26 years old (on 31 March 1901), and the Ireland Census of 1911 (early April 1911), lists her as being 48 years old. None of these ages match up. We do know that she was middle-aged when she died, and left a young family behind. The youngest of her five children (William) was only seven years old when his mother passed on. Probate was granted to John Smyth (farmer, and brother) for her estate on the 19 December 1913. Her effects came to £210, 8 shillings and 9d James Richardson Mulholland raised his young family alone. He survived his wife Charlotte for some ten additional years. He was 62 years old when he died on 11 November 1923. Some seven months later, probate was granted to his son, Thompson Mulholland, on the 4 June 1924. The effects of his estate amounted to £149, 0 shillings, 0 d. His effects, surprisingly, were much smaller than those of his father (or indeed his wife). This was possibly due to a fire that destroyed the house in the early 1900s, and the cost of the subsequent rebuild. His children would often speak of these being very hard times. The early 1900’s were not easy times. In Eden, like everywhere else, times were hard, and money was very tight. In his later years, Tommy would chasten society’s over-confidence, or folk getting ahead of themselves, by often referring back to “the roaring 20s, and the hungry 30s.” Tommy, born in 1896, was the oldest child. Along with his younger siblings, he farmed the land. The early deaths of his parents, put tremendous pressure on his young shoulders. By his late 20s, on free evenings, he would ride his push-bicycle to nearby Moyagney, to date Isabella Burnside Armstrong. Isabella was ten years younger than Tommy. She was only twenty years old, when they got married on 6 July 1927. Between 1928 and 1936, they had four children – Charlotte, Richard, Samuel and Stanley. 
James Richardson Mulholland & Charlotte McGaw Smyth
Thompson Mulholland & Isabella Armstrong
Can you please email me on how to register to your forum. My 3xgreatgrandfather James Mulholland immigrated to Canada in 1833. His townland listed as Eden, Londonderry, Ireland. He was accompanied by Hugh Mulholland. Hw would have been born around 1810.
Thank you,
Debbie Hovis
I believe that my great, grand grandfather was Hugh Mulholland.
I am the oldest Mulholland at this time in my family.
Hi Debbie and Edward,
It would be great to receive what information you have about your Mulholland ancestors from Eden. We know of some who were numbered in the 1831 Census, who were not included in the Griffith’s Valuations and 1901 / 1911 Censuses. The likelihood is these emigrated, although some of the girls might well have married, but all this would have been before records were required.
Barry Mulholland
Hi Debbie.
Great to get your message. I replied the next day. Hope you got my email.
Great Work Will – I am heading back to Ireland in July with my Mum …can’t wait . Sarah (Brisbane )
Great that you and your mum will get the chance to see N. Ireland, Sarah.
So many important things are close to each other – the churchyard, orange hall, old family house wallsteads, etc.
Since you were last there, the churches at Tamlaght Lower, Tamlaght Upper and Kilrea now share a preacher.
PS – I belatedly realised that the contact form script was not working. If anyone wrote in recent months and did not get a reply, please write again (email is on contact page).
I just read the comment by Debbie Hovis…that date lines up with Richard Mulholland in my family tree who I found on the Barque Hawsbury, leaving Londonderry to New York, arriving Aug 9, 1833. He ended up settling in Ontario, Canada after marrying my 4th great aunt Lavinia Glasgow in Virginia. I’m wondering if the men Debbie mentions are brothers?
Good day……trying to link together my “Stewart” family w/ the Mulholland family in the same area.
Would like to have dialogue with you on this further, if willing.
Thanks,
Andrew
Andrew – I can connect Mary Mulholland to John (also known as Jack the Sailor).
Hello, my name is Linda Mulholland and I am from New Zealand, my great grandfather is Richardson Mulholland and he is the son of Bernard Mulholland and Jane Mulholland (Nee McGowan). Beresford is also a name given to my great great uncle. I believe there is a connection with your information and would like to know if our ancestry is linked.
Linda,
Just reading through William’s forum.
A Vickie Mulholland, in Australia, has an extensive list of family history, which I have collated into a diagram.
Your ancestry do appear, but stop at your parents and uncles/aunts.
It would be great to extend your branch of the tree.
Perhaps William can pass on our emails.
Regards.
Hi Andrew.
I responded to your forum post in July.
And I sent you an email in August.
I have never received any replies. I don’t know what else that I can do to connect with you.
William
Hi Linda, wonderful to get your comment.
I have sent you an email.
Researching my John Mulholland. He had a son William in about 1830 who then married Elizabeth Logan in 1852 in Faughanvale, Co. Derry. William and Elizabeth moved to New Kilpatrick Scotland about 1858, then to Durham County, England. He was a coal miner. He changed his surname to Kennedy in the 1861 UK census then back to Mulholland in 1871. After 1871 he and his descendants were all known as Kennedy. Your thoughts?
Hello LuAnn. Do you know where in the North of Ireland John and William Mulholland lived? (i.e. before William and his wife moved to mainland UK)
Faughanvale (where Elizabeth was from) is near Greysteel, which is some 30 plus miles from Eden (where my Mulhollands on this page are from). Eden is a townland about 4 miles from the village of Portglenone.
The Kennedy aspect is intriguing. There may be no link – but in Eden, there was a Kennedy Mulholland (the 1900s)…who had a son called John. I believe he moved to a place called Taylorstown, near Randalstown. If you look on the graves page here for the local churchyard, you can see a Kennedy Mulholland and son John.
I appreciate that it was the surname that was changed to Kennedy in your Mulhollands. Maybe no link at all to your Mulhollands – but fascinating to read the Kennedy part of your info.
Link to graveyard – https://www.oneirishrover.com/tamlaght-graveyard/
LuAnn,
I have just made contact with Trudger.
Kennedy Mulholland was my grandfather, John was my uncle.
I am happy for my contact details to be forwarded to you.
Barry
Barry, I will write to LuAnn and give her your details.
I have family information, which has too many familiarities not to have close connections.
My Great Grandfather was Smyle Mulholland 1846-25.02.1918, Grandfather Kennedy Mulholland c1884-08.05.1961.
The family property was called Eden, a small shack on Ballymacpeake Road, but acquired a new farm Glenwillow, on Taylorstown Road, nr Randalstown. Their gravestones, including my father Joseph Smyth are all set in Innisrush (with all the other Mulhollands). The other surname that comes into the family is Kelso.
Don’t know how we may direct contact?
Barry Mulholland
Hello Barry , we must be related !!
Smylie was my Great great grandmother -Sarah Jane (Mulholland) Adamson’s older brother .
Sarah wen to NZ , but you probably already know this if you have been in contact with Will .
I have been to Eden twice now & have caught up with some of the family …
Would love to meet up with you on my next trip !!
Kind regards , Sarah
email sarahmjohno@gmail.com
Hello Barry. Thanks for the message.
Yes, Smylie Mulholland lived in Eden, on the Ballymacpeake Road…..a few yards from my great-grandfather’s house and farm. I do recall those gravestones in Innisrush, of your father and grandfather. They are located to the right, as one walks in the gate of the graveyard.
Eden was full of Mulhollands back then. Kelso is a new link to me.
I will send you an email.
Hi William and Barry,
I have a lot of information on the Kelso Family and Mulholland Family.
For starters Maggie Kelso married Kennedy Mulholland 1 July 1919.
Vickie
Hello Vickie.
Please contact John hennessy. Sligo, ireland
Thanks for your comment.
I have passed on your email address to Vickie.
Vickie,
I believe William has passed on my direct email. It would be great to talk and exchange information directly.
Kennedy and Maggie were my grandparents, although had passed before I was born.
Barry
Hi, my great grandmother was Agnes Mulholland born in Eden 15 September 1859, the fifth of six children of Thompson and Helen Mulholland (née Mulholland). Agnes came to New Zealand with her cousin Margaret . Agnes joined her sister Sarah maxwell in New Zealand and another Ellen who married Robert Stewart.
Hello Bridget ,
I am intrigued with your Agnes .. if she came out to NZ with Margaret Mulholland … she will be a cousin to my Sarah Jane too . Sarah Jane was Margaret’s sister – she travelled out to NZ with an Ellen Mulholland , who I initially though was her sister ,but would appear now to be her cousin !! Thank you , mystery solved !! My Sarah Jane married Robert Adamson in Dunedin .
Can you please tell me more about Agnes , Sarah Maxwell & Ellen Stewart
Kind regards
Sarah J, Brisbane
sarahmjohno@gmail.com
Hi Bridget, and Sarah again,
I think we have definitive information that it was sisters Sarah Jane and Ellen Jane who were travelling together.
Bridget, it would be great to have your email, so that we can pass on relevant information. But you should be able to view my information on ancestry.
Kind regards,
Barry
Hi, I’m trying to find out information on a Sallie Mulholland. She married a Costello. I think they came from somewhere over in Ireland, or her name could be Sally Costello.
If you know any information on the Mulholland and the Costello families, could you please get back in touch with me.
Hi team, great resource and a happy find. We are direct descendants of Sarah Mulholland who married William Maxwell in 1875 Dunedin NZ. Sarah and Ellen travelled on the ss Aldergrove ex Glasgow to Portchalmers NZ in 1875. Ellen married Robert Stewart and all four settled in the Feilding area, north island NZ. 1878 Agnes travelled with her cousin Margaret who stayed in South Island, Agnes came to her sisters Manawatu area and married a Shannon. Always happy to build on our amateur family tree, hesitant to share too much publicly with respect for wider families privacy.
Hi Ross and Helen. Thanks for that great info. I have added it to the page above.
It’s amazing how the Mulhollands of Eden spread across the world. Fascinating reading.
Thank you.
Hi Ross and Helen,
There are a few of us descendants who have quite coordinated family trees. We concur with your Ellen Jane Mulholland and Robert Stewart marriage, Robert was a local boy as well. However, we have different information on Sarah Jane Mulholland, that she married a Robert Adamson (from Ballymena).
You might have good new information, which we would be very keen to receive.
Happy for my email to be passed on.
Barry Mulholland
Hi Barry – Re the 1875 “Aldergrove” arrival in Otago for Sarah Mulholland…
It states on the 1875 passenger list that this Sarah Mulholland was 20 years of age (travelling with Ellen J Mulholland aged 23 )
Sarah that arrived on the Aldergrove would have been 23 years of age in 1878 . I have just seen Sarah Mulholland Maxwell’s marriage details she was 25 yrs when she married William Maxwell at Knox Church ,Dunedin in March 1878 , thus 22 in 1875 .
Sarah Mulholland Adamson was 23 years when she married Robert Adamson in 1878.
I hate to split hairs ,so I am wondering whether anyone here has other records for a Sarah Mulholland arriving in NZ in this same time period ??
Hello there Ross & Helen ,
I have just seen your post – nothing like a wee bit of drama …
My 2 x great Grandmother was Sarah Jane Mulholland – daughter of Andrew and Matilda ( Smylie ) Mulholland , named on her certificates . I assumed it was her arriving on the Aldergrove back in 1875 with Ellen Mulholland . I thought for a long time that Ellen was her sister but there are no records to support that . Finally I found that Ellen was a cousin .
Margaret Mulholland who arrived with Agnes was Sarah Jane’s youngest sister and she is mentioned in her fathers will in 1877.Sarah had already left home before her fathers death along with 4 of her brothers.
My Sarah Jane married Robert Adamson in Dunedin 26/9/1878…and went on to have 2 daughters one being my great grandmother Sarah (Adamson ) Fox .My Mum was also born in Dunedin 80 years ago .
I am keen now to follow up on the Aldergrove connection .
There are too many people with the same names !! I sure would love to know more about your Sarah and her family .
Kind regards , Sarah Johnston , Brisbane
Please feel free to email me direct if that helps sarahmjohno@gmail.com
It would appear that we are connected Bridget.
My great grandfather, James Richardson Mulholland, would seem to be a brother of your great grandmother, Agnes Mulholland.
Do you have any details of Agnes other brothers and sisters, and any photos?
I am the Great-Great Grandson of David Mulholland who was born around 1833. He left the port of Londonderry on the Ship Superior in 1851 and arrived in Philadelphia on May 5, 1851. My siblings had told me that he was from Tallagh, Ballycroy South; but as I read the passenger lists I see that he gave Portglenone as his last residence in Ireland. I just found an old email from my late Mum, dated Sep 3, 2002 that he was born in Eden. David married Sarah Carlin who had arrived in Philadelphia around 1850 from Ireland.
According to US Census records, his father’s name was Patrick Mulholland born in Ireland in 1795 and emigrated to the United States in the late 1870s after he lost his wife (name unknown).
Have you come acoss David or Patrick before? Can you point me in a good direction so that I can begin to track my Irish roots?
Chris Kolb
Responding to Bridget’s comments there are a few Mulholland Families we may be able to connect. William would you give Bridget my email address please as I would love to make contact with her.
Vickie Mulholland Lander
I’m so pleased to have found your page. I’m a Mulholland descendent from Andrew Mulholland 1811 – 1877, married to Matilda Smylie. There daughter Margaret Mulholland b 1858 left for New Zealand in C 1880 and she is my Gr Grandmother. How can I register for your page? Regards
Hi Vickie, certainly, I will forward your email address to Bridget.
BTW I checked my records – I emailed Bridget on April 12th 2019 (the day after her comment above). To date I have not received any reply.
Hi Chris, I hope that you received my latest email…..containing possibly some fascinating details (provided by my uncle) re your descendants in Eden.
Hi my name is Marie my late husband was his farther was John came to New Zealand about 1927 age about 19 years old his fathers name was John Francis his wife was Margaret Nee Hudson they had 5 children and after Margaret died John remarried and he and new wife had a boy and a son girl named Sahra and a boy named Joseph he neaver married Sahra married a McEarlean. if any one knows of this Mulholland family email MY Self Marie at mail address below
Hi
I am from New Zealand and am currently researching the Mulhollands from Belleghy etc., I have found several that have come out to NZ. The name Hudson is just popping up at the moment with families I am entering in.
Welcome to email me on margaret.harrisDELETETHISNOSPAMPART@xtra.co.nz
Hello. Richard Mulholland (born c 1786) and married to Maria Barnes was my 4 x great-grandfather. I am descended from his daughter, Sarah Mulholland Barr. The family went to Canada and then my branch travelled to Cherokee County in Iowa, USA.
I know about Richard’s participation in the Battle of Waterloo, but not much after that until his death. Anyone know if he was wounded? One unsourced comment I read said he had an arm injury that eventually caused his death, but I have no idea if this is correct.
Rebecca,
I don’t know if any of us ‘Mulholland’s of Eden’ have contacted you yet, but there are a number of us who have years of research. And we would all love your information to add to our trees. I’ve only just caught up with this past history, but can pass your details on – and am happy for my contact details to be passed on to you. We do have someone who is much more knowledgeable on Richard’s military history. You may know that Richard and Mary are listed on a gravestone, which resides in St Nossonus, in Innisrush.
Be in touch,
Barry Mulholland
Hi Barry. I emailed Rebecca at the time she posted above, in November.
She has not responded. Great shame. Would have loved to have known more.
I have a photo of the headstone if you are interested . Sarah x
Hi Barry
Sorry I have not replied, but I have been out of the country (I live in the UK and am a dual UK/US national) and then thrown into holiday visitors, etc. I will have more free time after 5 January and would be happy to share my research on the descendants of Richard Mulholland who are my direct ancestors at that time.
I have a copy of the grave and it turns out that the best man at my husband’s cousin’s wedding was the vicar at the church there! Small world.
Rebecca
William,
We can only be here to offer help, as others offered help to me.
Barry
Hi there Will ,
Was so sorry not to have caught up with your Uuncle when we were in Ireland last year – Mum & I were both sick – probably better we didn’t pass the wretched thing on , it took months to get rid of it !!
We had a wonderful time !! Just to let you know that Robert Mulholland has recently passed away , you may have heard already .
I see Philippa has found you too – great – her Margaret was the younger sister of my Sarah, Andrew & Matilda’s daughters . Does anyone know what happened to Daniel & John after they immigrated to NZ ? Frederick left his family & returned to the UK . Adam stay here in Queensland .\
Would love to have contact with any of the Eden Mulhollands …
I have a photo of the headstone if you are interested . Sarah
Hi , I just found out my 2nd great-grandfather name was John Mulholland born in 1837, no wife listed. My great-grandmother listed as private. My Paternal grandmother was Evelyn Lakey Bishop born in Tenn. USA, my father was Ron Lakey. Can you please help me with any information regarding John Mulholland?
Sharon
Hi there Sharon , the John Mulholland (son of Andrew and Matilda ) I am chasing immigrated to New Zealand as far as I am aware…so not sure this is the same JM…could be related though as there are numerous cousins with the same names !!
Regards ,
Sarah J
Sarah, do you have information on birthday? Thank you for the information and fast reply.
Sharon
so sorry Sharon have just seen this message …I have managed to research John Mulholland (son of Andrew and Matilda Mulholland) further..
His date of birth would be c1842.. I managed to find his death certificate which stated his age as 67years.It appears he never married and worked as a gardener. He died and is buried in a now unmarked grave. Hope this helps
What a labor of love! Thanks for sharing with all of us who have ancestors in the Bann Valley!
Cheers,
Barb
Thanks Barb! Great to see someone else with a strong affinity with the Bann Valley area.
Hi everyone, especially Vicki. I am the grand daughter of Annie Jane Mulholland,daughter of Robert and Nancy Anderson who came to South Australia in 1855, he was the son of Henry and Maria (nee York).
Annie Jane died early and our family lost touch with the Mulhollands.
I was in N Ireland for the British open this year and on a whim drove to Tamlaght O Crilly and with not much trouble found the grave yard and then drove to Hill House( just a couple of wrong turns!). I spoke to an old lady who was the widow of Richard if I remember correctly. From there she pointed out all the family farms. It was so very exciting to stand on the land of my forefathers.
Hello. I’m a great-grandson of Rebecca Mulholland (circa 1842-1917), who married John Chaine Hunter, their family subsequently living in Lislea — like Eden, one of the townlands of the Tamlaght O’Crilly parish. I was born and brought up in the environs of the Bann valley, which I loved, but now live in New Zealand. I haven’t researched the Mulhollands but am interested in hooking into the community and sharing, if anybody can ‘place’ Rebecca for me in relation to the Hill House family described on this site?
Daniel,
I think Rebecca Mulholland is a new name to most of us, which is intriguing.
There is a record of Rebecca marrying John Cheyne Hunter, on 22 Nov 1871, at Bellaghy Presbyterian Church. Her father was Thomas Mulholland, living in Ballymacombes. His father was Thomas Hunter, living in Termoneeny (parish).
So, there is every chance of developing your family history – in the new year.
Quite happy for my email to be passed on.
Barry Mulholland
Thanks so much Barry. Yes, that’s the same Rebecca for sure. I know she had siblings William, James, Eliza-Jane, and Thomas, and I have some basic information about one generation of their subsequent families, but I have nothing going backwards beyond her father’s name and dob (1805) or sideways to other Mulholland branches. If I remember correctly, Ballymacombs is just SW of Portglenone, so these Mulhollands were in the Tamlaght O’Crilly/Inishrush geographical cluster. As a boy, I spent a lot of time on Rebecca’s grandchildren’s (Hunter) farm close to the Bann at Lislea. I’m not an obsessive data collector though — perhaps more interested in the social history.
Just as a sidebar to my previous comment about my own Mulholland links in the Bann valley where I grew up, I’m wondering if the ‘Eden Mulhollands’ are aware of this fascinating connection: John Mulholland (b 1819, Tamlaghtduff townland, just south of Eden townland in the Bann valley), emigrated to America in the 1840s, where his granddaughter Inez Milholland (note spelling change) was “the most glamorous suffragist of the 1910s and a fearless crusader for women’s rights” (quoting Linda Lumsden’s book ‘Inez: The Life and Times of Inez Milholland’, Indiana University Press 2016).
Daniel,
I doubt there is a direct connection between your Mulholland’s and the Mulholland’s of Eden, other than a distant past when a group changed their religious allegiance in order to own and control land. A 1837 map names the region to the south as ‘Mulhollands Town’.
From a couple of Mulholland lines in Eden, though the Kelso’s and Burnside’s, we connect into the Gamble’s, Gordon’s, Gardiner’s, Armstrong’s, families that were centered towards Lislea. I am in touch with Kerr’s and Gordon’s, so there may be local knowledge.
You will understand the inter-family marriages gets very complex, we are all ‘family’.
Barry
Hello All, I wonder if some-one can help me. My g.g. grandfather was Frederick Mulholland (1832-1866). He migrated to Sydney, NSW, Australia as a free settler in 1851 on the “Sarah”. According to the ship’s log his father was James Mulholland & he came from Tamlaght. I have had great help form Vicki Mulholland Landers (thank you Vicki) who linked Fred to Adam Mulholland (1844-1909) who came to Australia in 1864 citing Fred as his uncle & sponsor in the colony. Both Fred & Adam eventually resided in Gayndah, Queensland.
My question is Where does my Fred fit into the Mulholland family in Ireland?
I have delved into Beresford & Bernard Mulholland but it gets complicated to say the least! Interesting Fred named one of his sons Barnard – a nod to his grandfather I wonder?
Pauline Brown
Pauline,
You won’t find a better researcher than our ‘cousin’ Vickie, especially with her local knowledge (if the vast expanse of Australia can be called local). The connections at top of each of the family lines can become speculative, and some hold back from commitment, unless there is definitive information. But it has become apparent that there were a larger number of protestant Mulholland’s living in and around the Tamlaght parish.
I would love to liaise, and will leave a message on ancestry.
Barry Mulholland
Can anyone please help me. I’m looking for any connections or information on the Mulholland family who left Ireland to eventually settle in Africa. Arrived South Africa. (My grandmother was Mulholland). I’m trying to go back in time to my Irish roots.
I would appreciate any help I’ve got a brick wall with my research..
Elaine,
We will need all the information you have on your family, names, dates, places.
You are welcome to pass this on directly – barrymulholland@yahoo.com
Barry
Hello all, I’m also one of the Mulholland diaspora.
So far as I can make out from MyHeritage, I am another descendant of Andrew Mulholland (1811-1877) and Matilda Smylie (1825-1877).
Their son, Adam Mulholland (1844-1909), emigrated to Sydney on the Ocean Empress in 1863, and in Queensland a few years later he married another Irish emigrant Anne Woods.
Their son William Andrew Mulholland is my great-grandfather. He was a grazier in Gympie where some of his family still live.
Hi Rosie,
I think we are 3rd cousins. Trudger is our 5th, 6th or 7th cousin, depending on how we interpret the heads of our branches. Our ancestors were neighbours of his, and the descendants still own the same lands. You have many distant cousins around the world, and I’m sure some will be very keen to hear your family story.
We actually know quite a bit about the Mulhollands of Gympie. There is a well circulated 1939 letter, which Adam wrote to Jack about his journey to Ireland to trace his roots. He stayed with my great-grandfather Smylie. Even the Castledawson innkeeper Willie Garvin, connects into my family branch.
Quite happy for my email to be passed on.
Best regards,
Barry Mulholland
Hi Rosie,
William Andrew Mulholland (Gympie) is my grandfather. His father Adam was born in the original home in Eden, travelled to Australia and eventually settled at Widgee Crossing Gympie in 1871. My brother Andy and I still farm here after all these years. We’ve tried to retain as much of the historical artifacts as we can, including a few of the original carts in the shed and Adam’s original barn and the homestead.
Hi everyone, what about we all do our DNA through Ancestry.com? I’ve done mine already.
If at least 30 of us do it I’m sure we can make (perhaps with the help of an expert) some great progress with the various lines and connections.
This is a wonderful site/blog. Thank you so much.
Regards Jane
Hi Rosie,
My GG grandfather Frederick Mulholland in 1863 sponsored Adam Mulholland’s emigration to Sydney in 1864.
Adam travelled with Fred & his family to Gayndah Qld (near Gympie) when Fred took up the position of publican at a hotel in Gayndah.
Adam later moved to Gympie following gold & eventually was balloted crown land.
I use Ancestry.com and am happy to send on my info to you.
Pauline
I’m on Ancestry with DNA Jane. Although I think the consensus here has been that ‘my’ Mulhollands from Tamlaght O’Crilly are a different family (connected with the Chaines, Courtenays, & Hunters).
I do show one Happell (Thomas Happell) as a DNA link, but I’m thinking, from what you’ve posted before, this might not be the family name through which you have your Mulholland connections.
I do agree about this site!
Best,
Daniel Fleming
That HAPPELL connection is weird! It is such an unusual name. In fact here in Australia there are only two families as far as I know. It’s my husbands family. I’m cocksy on ancestry. See if you can find me. What’s your name?
Thanks. We’re not showing any DNA link on Ancestry (I use my name, Daniel Fleming, as my username there).
Thanks Daniel. I am from the Robert Mulholland/Nancy Anderson line in Australia. Thanks for checking. Good luck, regards Jane
Hello Kathleen.
Leitrim is a townland in the electoral division of Castledawson, in the Civil Parish of Ballyscullion.
I have never heard Leitrim ever mentioned in relation to the Mulhollands of Eden. Castledawson I imagine is where most likely your John Thompson would be buried – or else the nearby village of Bellaghy. I took loads of photos, but do not have those graveyards transcribed as yet. I do know there are a few Mulhollands in Bellaghy graveyard (not linked to the Mulhollands of Eden). I cannot recall if there are Thompsons in there (there probably is). The Castledawson area is beyond my knowledge base. It is a fairly big graveyard, with many old headstones. I cannot recall the names offhand. I will transcribe it one day, I hope.
Sorry not to be of much help.
Hello Pauline.
Leticia Mulholland descended from Adam Mulholland
Have just found Adam’s and my Sarah’s brother Frederick (son of Andrew and Matty) in WA… his details were a bit obscure but it appears he was there with your Frederick’s son Frederick, Albert Mulholland…Too many Fred’s!!!
Do you know who Frederick Sr parents were please? Was he a brother to Andrew i.e. parents were John and Jane Mulholland?
Kind regards
Sarah J,
Brisbane
I have also now seen these records – fantastic find, brilliant work. Thanks Letitia, it completes a complicated story.
The ‘uncle Frederick’ listed in Adam’s (son of Andrew M and Matty Smylie) emigration is different Frederick M 1832-1866, son of a James M. This James may be the same James, father of two family graves in St Nossonus’, James M and Eliza Daly, and Margaret M and William Stewart. There was also another daughter who emigrated to Australia, Mary Ann M who married Thomas York then William Denning.
I forgot to add that Adam’s ‘uncle Fred’ was not technically an uncle – if the family information is correct. There is one extra generation inserted in the relationship. So Adam’s grandfather was John Mulholland 1778-1858. Frederick’s father was James Mulholland 1782-1874. We think, with growing anecdotal information, that John and James were brothers. Still too early for me to commit.
Hi Rosie,
I am another cousin. Adam was a brother to my Sarah Jane (NZ).
I am in contact with Leticia and Jan Mulholland, also Joy Telfor…..have been out to Widgee Crossing, Gympie.
Also have been to Ireland a couple of times with my Mum.
Kind regards,
Sarah
Brisbane
Hello all – nice to meet some new cousins, Sarah, Barry and Pauline! Barry, I would love to see that 1939 letter you mention, and I’m sure my mum would love to see that too. Any chance you might be able to send a scan of it? Perhaps the administrator of this site might be able to pass on our emails in a non-public way? Regards Rosie
Rosie,
Very happy for my email to be passed on, or yours to me.
Am I guessing right, you’re a daughter of a barrister?!
Barry
Hi Barry, not quite – the barrister is my uncle! Rosie
Hi Rosie,
Still itching to make contact!
Only recently, a photo of Andrew Mulholland 1811-1877 has been generously shared. Andrew was the father of James ‘Curly’, Smylie, Adam, Sarah Jane, Frederick, Margaret, all mentioned in correspondence. Daniel/David and John remain elusive.
Barry
barrymulholland@yahoo.com
Hi Barry … John M has now been found in NZ..Noted on Deah cert Born in Eden , Co Derry Ireland 😉
Regards Sarah J
Hi Sarah,
Yes too many Fred’s & too many James.
My great great grandfather was James Frederick Mulholland!
As Barry has explained, the father of my Fred is James M (1782-1874) who we think was a brother of John M. Andrew M & my Fred would have been cousins, so Adam M & my Fred would have been second cousins.
Interesting that members of the Gayndah & Gympie Mulholland families kept in contact.
I have found that there was another Mulholland family in Sydney. The children of David M (1820-1872) & Elizabeth York (1822-1864). Eldest son, James M (1842-1896) arrived in Sydney in 1864 sponsored by Frederick M. (my Fred?).
James was later joined by his siblings, Joseph, David (died at sea during voyage out), Mary Ann & Thomas.
Wondering if anyone has more info on this family line?
Pauline Brown.
Gold Coast.
Another of the siblings, Robert 1850-1911 was also due to emigrate to Australia, with his son David, his wife Nancy Faith 1858-1877 had died. His sponsor was his sister Mrs Sarah Gibson 1838-1896, of Glenone. But Robert then re-married to Margaret Sands, and remained in Greenock, Scotland. The son David 1876-1943 married a Rose Ann Allan, and their grandson Allan now lives in Australia.
Hi there Barry and Pauline
We have just visited Gayndah on our way home from holiday.
I was hoping to find Fred’s grave but it appears not to have been a marked grave (no headstone).I did call into the historical society too but the main person wasn’t there so I will have to contact her.
I did however find a publication on the hoteliers and Fred is mentioned ,as well as Katie his widow…
I will post again when time permits.
Sarah
Has anyone any connections to Bernard Mulholland, Hall Lane, Moyagall or Mayogall, BT45 8PF. Bernard Died approx 1754? He had a son called Edmond Mulholland. Also Edmond had a son called Henry Mulholland, school teacher, the school was located within the grounds of Shane’s Castle, Edenduffcarrick, last known keeper of St Patrick’s Bell and Shrine which is now in the National Museum, Dublin
Hello! I’m looking for any information that someone might have on Mary Mulholland (born between 1800-1811) who was married to John Stewart (aka Jake the Sailor) – they had 8 children. One being William. They are from: Donnegal, Ennishowen West, Lower Fahan, Ardaravan, Buncrana (according to a census that I have). I am traveling to Ireland in the future and was hoping to visit where they might be from.
Hi I am wondering if you can assist. I am a decendent of Mulhollands, my 2x Great Grandfather was a William Gilmour Mulholland born around 1865, his parents were a Thomas Mulholland and Eliza Jane Ellieson (my 3x Great Grand parents) and Thomas’s Parents were Thomas Mulholland and Mary Baxter.
William G Mulholland died tragically in a railway accident on 31 July 1901. I have William noted as moving from Ireland, Co Down to Law, Carluke, Scotland. It looks like his Mother and father moved over as well.
His father Thomas Mulholland died 13 December 1926 Carluke Scotland.
I am wondering if these might be decendents of the Mulhollands you mention and if you can further assist me at all as I would like to try and get the wider family included in my family tree.
Thanks so much for your time.
Liz
Hi Liz,
I have had a quick search for your Thomas Mulholland and Eliza Ellieson, with success. The recorded names are slightly different. You will find their marriage on the ‘Irish Genealogy’ website.
Thomas Mulholm aged 21 married Eliza Jane Ellison aged 20, on 26 Sep 1864 at the Registrar’s office Newtonards. They both came from Ballymullan, Bangor. You should be able to find their further information – good luck.
I’m afraid there is no connection with us Mulholland’s from Eden.
Kind regards,
Barry Mulholland