Find Living Relatives

Patchem,
Of course I tried that first(!) but I did not really get anywhere. Therefore I tried this and have learned a great deal in a short time and am very grateful to everyone who has helped.

Have you checked to see if any of your family are in peoples' trees on here - that is the best way to make connections and find living family?

Austin,
This is very interesting and a bit of a culture shock. As one of the 25-30% of Britons who put 'No Religion' on the census form, and as a citizen of cosmopolitan London, I find the Orange Order hard to comprehend. I suppose I should clear my head of preconceptions. It probably gave William a sense of security and community. He certainly seems to have done well compared to the somewhat precarious lives of the other Rankins. The temperance thing might have come about because there were alcohol issues in the family. Walter I know had a problem and it's possible that Mabel did too given the circumstances in which she was accused of stealing a handbag! (Shades of Lady Bracknell.) This information helps clarify the the relationship with Magherafelt and nearby Ballyronan (of which I had never heard). It is also good to discover that William and Annie had children and grandchildren because it might be possible to trace their living descendants.

Rootgatherer, thank you so much for the death certificate of poor Herbert Alexander Rankin. Very sad. I shall treasure the document.

Aiden, I've sent you Herbert Alexander Rankin's death registration for your records. Sorry for the delay, I meant to do it a couple of days ago but other things got in the way.

I can't say for certain it's the correct family- only that it seems likely given his details.

Don't have a lot of time today- but wanted to post this (it records the death of the William from the gravestone):

Larne Times - Saturday 27 April 1940

DEATH OF MR. W. RANKIN. 64 YEARS MEMBER OF ORANGE ORDER

Mr. Wm. Rankin, whose death took place on Saturday at his son-in-law’s residence, 19 Gibson Park Gardens, Cregagh. Belfast, was the oldest member of No. 6 District of the Orange Institution. Ballymacarrett, having been associated with the Order for 64 years.

He was made a member in Bank's True Blues L.O.L. No. 322. Ballyronan. Co. Derry, in 1876. Coming to Belfast some 47 years ago he joined Mountpottingcr Temperance L.O.L. 958, and was one of its most enthusiastic members. He was a prominent member of Willowfield Unionist Club, and took a keen interest in the Willowfteld Bowling Club. He served in the Belfast City Tramways for 47 years, retiring ten years ago. He was t! oldest member of St. Clement's Parish Church.

Despite the fact that it was announced as private, there was a representative attendance at the funeral which took place to-day to Woods Parish Church. Magherafelt, Co. Derry. The chief mourners were Messrs. John M'Gowan (son-in-law). Master lan M'Gowan. Messrs William and Alexander Rankin (grandsons), and William and John Rice (brothers-in-law). Mountpottinger Temperance L.OL. 958 was represented by Councillor Br. W. R. Keating, J.P.. P.M.. and Br. John W. Sands, P.M. Rev. W, H Fisher. M.A.. officiated at the home and Rev Mr. Mayers at the graveside.
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David died in 1916- perhaps contact with family dwindled after that time?
Alexander died in 1908
George died 1934 (at Ballyronan, Magherafelt)
Esther died 1937 (Magherafelt)- her husband, William Rice, died 1948 (Ballyronan)

EDIT: I need to do a little more digging- just noticed on his death registration in April 1940 that William is listed as aged 76. I actually think he was a little older, and was likely born shortly after David and Matilda married.

Here is William in 1901:

Residents of a house 65 in Thorndyke Street (Pottinger, Down)

Rankin William 40 Male Head of Family Curch of Ir Co Derry Labourer in Ship Yard Married
Rankin Annie 35 Female Wife Church of Ireland Co Derry
Rankin David 13 Male Son Church of Ir Co Tyrone
Rankin William 10 Male Son Church Ir Co Derry
Rankin Maggie F 6 Female Daughter Church Ir Kings Co
Rankin Sarah A 1 Female Daughter Church of Ireland Belfast City

I'll add a bit to this tomorrow Austin, but all this is extremely interesting and valuable to me. I'd go so far as to say that it's filling a gap in my identity.

I am very interested by this William, who seems to have been the brother of David Jr and therefore Walter's (and Mabel's) uncle. The grave suggests that he and Annie lived in Belfast and so were geographically close enough to Walter, but for some reason there was no contact between them. My father never once mentioned a great uncle William and I don't think knew he existed.

I've been struggling to find David's birth in Londonerry/ Magherafelt.

We know his father was David and that there was a probable brother/ relation, George, the witness from his marriage certificate- so this family looks likely (although father, David is a labourer- not a farmer as listed on the marriage certificate):

This is possibly the death for David's father:

Death: 11th May 1900
David Rankin (married)
Age 82
Occupation Labourer
Place: Ballyronan more, Magherafelt, Londonderry
Cause: Influenza, debility, cardiac weakness
Present at death: George Rankin (son)

and his mother:

Death: 2nd December 1918
Matilda Rankin, widow
Age: 95
Occupation: Housekeeper
Place: Ballyronan, Magherafelt, Londonderry
Cause: Old age & debility
Present at death: William Rice (son-in-law)

Grave stone here:
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=166493406

Marriage:
Name David Rankin
Spouse's Name Matilda Blair
Event Date 25 Nov 1861
Event Place Ardtrea, Derry, Ireland
Father's Name George Rankin
Spouse's Father's Name William Blair
Marital Status Widowed
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Family in 1901:

Residents of a house 69 in Ballyronan More (Ballyronan, Londonderry)

Rankin Matilda 65 Female Head of Family Church of Ireland Londonderry House Keeper Widow
Rankin George 32 Male Son Church of Ireland Londonderry Shoe Maker Not Married -
Rice Maggie 10 Female Niece Church of Ireland Londonderry Scholars
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Same family 1911:

Residents of a house 28 in Ballyronan More (Ballyronan, Londonderry)

Rankin Matilda 77 Female Head of Family Church of Ireland Co Londonderry Widow
Rankin George 47 Male Son Church of Ireland Co Londonderry Shoe Maker Widower
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George's birth:

George Rankin
Born: 30 April 1867
Place: Ballyronan, Magherafelt, Londonderry
Father: David Rankin (labourer)
Mother: Matilda Rankin (nee Blair)
--------------------------------

Now there is a birth of a male child to the couple that is the correct age for David- but at registration he was unnamed:

Male Rankin
Born: 10th September 1865
Place: Ballyronan, Magherafelt, Londonderry
Father: David Rankin (labourer)
Mother: Matilda Rankin (nee Blair)
------------------------------------

Other children
Alexander Patterson Rankin b1868- died 1869
Alexander Rankin b1872

I believe there were also children, William (married Annie Rice) and Esther/ Hessy (born c1863, married William Rice)- but although I see their marriages I can't find their births.
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Interestingly when Alexander (b1872) gets married, he also lists his father as a farmer:

Marriage: 23rd February 1899
St John's, Wood's Chapel, Londonderry

Alexander Rankin 25, Bachelor, Dealer (living Ballyronan)
Father David Rankin (farmer)

Sarah Rainey, 30, spinster
Father: Robert Rainey (farmer)

Witnesses: Robert James Glendinning & Eliza Rainey
---------------------------------

Sadly both Alexander and Sarah die in 1908 -their deaths were registered by bother George Rankin.

Gerald's death:

Name(s) of deceased: Gerald Reid
Sex of deceased: Male
Marital status of deceased: Married
Date of death: 31st July 1952
Age at death: 54

There is so much interesting stuff here. Thank you. It has been a huge help.

I feel very sorry for Mary (the great aunt I never knew I had), losing her son after 1 day and then being widowed. It's good that (after some time) she married again and I hope she was happy: it looks as if she moved to a more upmarket area of Glasgow?

Interesting that Herbert gave tango classes: perhaps that explains why I have such a large collection of Latin music. ...

Re. Mabel: she was, I am told, a bit flaky and so the handbag story doesn't surprise me. I'm glad she was acquitted! I believe that Eliza ran a theatrical boarding house and that Mabel continued that tradition although the actors gradually gave way to labourers. She married a man called Reid and converted to Catholicism. I believe that she adopted a son called Basil sometime in the 1940s and I think that Gerald Reid might have died quite young.

Interesting about Martha, Eliza's sister, and the failed marriage to the horse trainer. It looks as if David must have gone to live in Armagh and met Eliza there. I presume that he grew up in the Magherafelt area of Co. Londonderry if that is where he was taken from Belfast to be 'interred'. His father is described as a farmer - presumably a tenant farmer?

Walter did work as a hairdresser - I was led to understand that he wanted to be a bookie but my grandmother (a strict Presbyterian some of the time and evil all of the time) prevented him from following this career. He also had artistic talents on which she poured cold water!

Ah- that is sad. Well found RG.

There's a Herbert Alexander b.1929 registered in the same area as Herbert David lived when he married.

EDIT

How sad. He was your Herbert's son but sadly died in a Port Glasgow nursing home aged just 1 day. His mother's usual address was Glencairn Drive

Ah! Very well done AustinQ. Mystery solved then. Just going to have a wee look on SP to look again at the Rankin births again.

Found his death- he returned to Belfast:

Death:
Surname of deceased: Rankin
Forename(s) of deceased: Herbert
Other forename(s) of deceased: David
Sex of deceased: Male
Marital status of deceased: Married
Date of death: 21st February 1930
Age at death :25


Registration district: Belfast(pre-1973 Q4)
Registration sub-district: Belfast Urban 4

Sorry, I should have added that the marriage took place in the Blytheswood district of Glasgow NOT Blantyre as I stated in an earlier post.

That's great news RG! -be back in a moment.

OK. Curiosity got the better of me. The marriage IS the correct Herbert David Rankin. His occupation is given as "Teacher of Dancing". His father David's occupation is given as Hotel Manager. Herbert's address is 61 Glencairn Drive, Glasgow.

OK- I've ditched Herbert for a bit! Just had a quick look for information on Mabel.

We know she wasn't married in 1926.

So this is possibly her running a B&B from the Shaftesbury Square property after her parent's death:

Northern Whig - Saturday 04 August 1928
Miss Rankin 21a Shaftesbury Square Belfast- Easy of access to all parts of the city; bed & breakfast 4s 6d; full board 8s 6d per day.
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Mabel married 1934:
Mabel Rankin
Spouse: Gerald Reid
Marriage: 27th January 1934 Belfast
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Now these snippets are just based on the place and name Reid so may not be related?

Belfast News-Letter - Saturday 22 July 1944

The jury found Mrs. Mabel Reid, boarding-house proprietor, of Shaftesbury Square, not guilty of stealing a handbag containing £8 6s and savings stamps to the value of £2 12s 6d, the property of Mrs. Lily E. Simpson, Hartington Street. The Crown alleged that the handbag was stolen in a publichouse. The accused was discharged.
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Belfast News-Letter - Friday 02 March 1956

AUCTION SALE OF VALUABLE SHOP PROPERTY SHAFTESBURY SQUARE To be held in the CHARTERED AUCTIONEERS' AND ESTATE AGENTS' INSTITUTE MART, 54. ROYAL AVENUE. BELFAST, on FRIDAY, 9th MARCH, 1956, 12 noon.

LOT 2. No. 20. SHAFTESBURY SQUARE (upstairs). Let to Mrs. Mabel Reid on monthly tenancy at £4 17s per month. free of Rates £OB 8 No. 21. SHAFTESBURY SQUARE (Shop Premises). Let to Messrs. W. & A. Gllbey, Ltd., for a term of 31 years from Ist May. 1938. at p.a.. plus Rates and Repairs...
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Checking Shaftesbury Square in the Belfast Street directory does not show Mrs Reid (living upstairs at number 20) but it does show a W. Rankin, Ladies Hairdresser in the shop below:

1932 Shaftesbury Square (no number 20 listed)

21 Gilbey, W. & A., Ltd., wine and spirit merchants
21a. Rankin, D.

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1943- 1951: Shaftesbury Square

20- Rankin W, hairdresser
21- Gilbey, W. & A., Ltd., wine and spirit merchants
------------------------------------------------

1960: Shaftesbury Square

20 -W Rankin, ladies hairdresser
21- Tohills Wine Lodge
---------------------------------

Me too AustinQ :-). Herbert David just seems to have vanished! There is a newspaper reference about a Mr. H. D. Rankin giving an exhibition of the tango at a charity event in the 1920s.

Even if he changed his name and died in Scotland, I would still expect his death to be indexed under all previous names.

I just spotted that Aidan said 'Herbert David was the younger brother - I believe that he was a musician who died early in Glasgow but know nothing more than that'

Didn't know if perhaps as a musician he'd changed his name?

If Aidan gets that marriage certificate I hope he'll share the details- it's driving me a bit potty trying to find him!