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Old Urker Furniture. Likely date: 1903-1942. This document links various items of furniture to the ancestors of David JACKSON of Urker and his wife Eliza OLIVER. It includes many mentions of COULTERs and BRADFORDs.
Sharon Oddie Brown. January 1, 2022 Update: Thanks to Linde Lunny - a word that I could not decode has been added: Northumberland (a Northumberland table). Plus a good suggestion from Carolyn Hendry. It takes a village!

 

I have this document thanks to a gift from Gary Barns. He had purchased it from the one of the nephews of Eilie RYDER (1920-2021) née McBRIDE[1] of Freeduff, Co. Armagh and then of Groomsport, Bangor, Co. Down. In her latter years, Eilie had dementia. Her nephews had supported her until she could no longer live independently and had to be placed into a care home. The contents of her home had to be dealt with. Kudos to them and to Gary Barns.

 

This document was written by one of the four daughters of Eliza JACKSON née OLIVER (1815-1903) after Eliza’s death in 1903. It must have been written by Sarah GILMORE née JACKSON (1848-1942) of Liscalgot.

·         Mary MENARY née JACKSON (1844-1921) is mentioned in the document.

·         Both Margaret McCULLAGH née JACKSON and Elizabeth BROWN née JACKSON are excluded because they both had a distinctly different writing style.

 

Old Urker Furniture. Likely date: 1903-1942.

 

The old oak chest of drawers belonged to our great grandmother’s Aunt Mrs. Jack Coulter[2] of Cavananore[3]. The tallboy drawers were father’s[4] grandmother’s[5] who was niece to J. Coulter and daughter to his sister's wife of John Bradford old Aunt Peggy's[6] grand father[7]. The Bradfords got the Cavananore property and some other places from their uncles John and Andrew Coulter[8]. The old Sheraton[9] chairs our grandfather John Jackson[10] bought in the year 1811 and the other high backed chairs belonged to grandmother's father, James McCullagh[11] of Derryvalley, Ballybay. I believe John bought them, a Northumberland table and desk with drawers. All of which belonged to grandmother's father. He did not like their going to strangers. Mother got the old C’nore[12] dining room chairs after Aunt Mary Jane's[13] death when her things were being auctioned. The old bookcase mother got Uncle Barkley[14] to bring for her in Belfast. Grandfather’s[15] old sword still hangs in the spare room. He was Lieutenant in Yeomanry and also the heavy sword one of the Bradfords got with the freedom of Drogheda[16]. The old uniform is a thing of the past. There are two old round tables. One of them was always in Urker. The other Mary[17] got a present of from an old friend. Mother's old chest of drawers are still in the spare room. They belonged to her [own?] mother Elizabeth Bradford[18] afterwards Mrs Benjamin Oliver[19] of Killynure[20], Armagh. There were three pictures worked by mother’s cousin Eliza Donaldson[21]. They belonged to Mother and Aunt Mary Oliver. Two small ones to one and the largest to the other.

 

 



[1] The mother of Eilie RYDER (1920-2021) née McBRIDE was Ethel Sarah GILMORE (1885-1982) daughter of Sarah JACKSON (1848-1942) and Eliezer GILMORE (1843-1919) of Liscagot (near Urker Lodge where the JAKCSONs lived).

[2] “Jack” COULTER. I believe this was the John COULTER (?-1774), Co. Louth, son of a Samuel COULTER who was b. abt 1690. He could also be John COULTER ( d. btw 1776-1788). SEE: 1735 Aug 27 ROD: 80 473 5662. His will was probated Feb 28, 1788. His brothers were: Samuel (b abt 1690), Charles ( d. bef 1776), William d. bef 1776). The names of the parents are unknown (to me).

[3] Cavananore. In her family history notes, Amy Oliver (Jackson) Lloyd wrote: Cavananore (Round Hill of Gold) was granted to the Coulters after the Battle of the Boyne - from there to twin Bradfords, and then to Sir Thomas Jackson. However, this seems to be a gross over-simplification! The Battle of the Boyne was in 1690, which means that it would likely have been the father (or perhaps and uncle) of John BRADFORD (1705-1789) who was the recipient.

[4] David JACKSON (1814-1889) was the father of the writer.

[5] Barbara COULTER (1721-1795), wife of John BRADFORD (1705-1789) of Cavananore, Creggan Parish, Co. Louth was the grandmother of David JACKSON. She was a niece to John “Jack” COULTER.

[6] Margaret BRADFORD (abt 1739-1820), wife of David JACKSON (1744-1796).

[7] Various intermarriages between the COULTERs and BRADFORDs make our family tree quite complicated. In 2008, I posted a page about the Bradfords of Co. Louth. It may need updating.

[8] Andrew COULTER (?- 1775) and John COULTER (?-1774) both sons of a Samuel COULTER b. abt 1690 of Cavananore and brothers to the aforementioned Barbara BRADFORD née COULTER (1721-1795). NOTE: Andrew Coulter BRADFORD (1788-1847) was a son of Thomas BRADFORD (abt 1739-1790) & Elizabeth BREAKEY (1758-1844) of Cavananore. Thomas BRADFORD was the son of the Barbara COULTER (1721-1795) and John BRADFORD (1705-1789).

[9] Sheraton-influenced furniture dates from about 1790 through 1820. It is named for the famed London, England furniture designer and teacher Thomas Sheraton (1751 to 1806), who trained as a cabinetmaker.

[10] John JACKSON (1780-1817) husband of Elizabeth McCULLAGH (1788-1880). They both lived at Urker after their marriage. Elizabeth was the daughter of James McCULLAGH (1740-bef 1840) of Derryvalley, Co. Monaghan & Sally McCARTER (1746-1816) of Shantanagh, Co. Monaghan.

[11] James McCULLAGH (1740-bef 1840) of Derryvalley, Co. Monaghan.

[12] C’nore aka Cavananore, Creggan Parish, Co. Louth (one of the “five townlands” in the Parish of Creggan).

[13] Mary Jane OLIVER (1821-1875) a sister of Eliza JACKSON née OLIVER (1815-1903).

[14] Rev. Joseph BARKLEY (1811-1880), husband of Sarah JACKSON (1811-1892)

[15] I had assumed that it might be John BRADFORD (1705-1789), except that there are no BRADFORDs mentioned in the Council Book of Drogheda. There was however a Ralph COULTER, carpenter, in 1674 as well as several JACKSONs. This is where the oral history about who got the Freedom of Drogheda could benefit from more corroboration. For the JACKSONs: JACKSONs of Drogheda.

[16] Drogheda My great-aunt, Blin BROWN (1886-1963) left notes telling us: "The Bradford's were Dutch & came to Ireland with Billie Orange. One member of that family was given the freedom of Drogheda City. She was a contemporary of the writer of this document.

[17] Mary MENARY née JACKSON, daughter of David JACKSON and Eliza OLIVER. Widow of William MENARY (1838-1874) of Maghery.

[18] Elizabeth OLIVER née BRADFORD (1785-1825), daughter of Thomas BRADFORD (abt 1739-1790) of Cavananore and Elizabeth BREAKEY (1758-1844)

[19] Benjamin OLIVER (abt 1765-1831). Many of his relations were linen merchants. He may have been as well, but was usually described as a farmer.

[21] Probably Eliza DONALDSON (1854-1903), daughter of John DONALDSON (1818-1854) and Elizabeth Johanna JACKSON (1817-1900)

 

 

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