Alabama woman on Ballymena ‘roots’ search for McIlroys, McClurkins & Kirkpatricks
SIR - My husband’s family left County Antrim many decades ago, in fact over 150 years ago, and descendants have lost touch with many families and relatives in the Ballymena and Broughshane areas -- the McIlroys in Ballymena and Broughshane, the Kirkpatricks at Ballylig and Loughloughan, and the McClurkins of Lisnamurrican, Broughshane and Galgorm.
Mary Margaret Kirkpatrick McClurkin lost a husband and two children on the voyage to America in 1849, but this typical Ulster emigrant staunchly continued on her journey and joined a sister, Jane Kirkpatrick Davidson, in Montgomery, Alabama. My husband (Margaret’s great-great-great-grandson) and I live just south of that location today.
We would be glad to share family history and stories with anyone interested, and hope to visit the Ballymena area next year.
Thank you for your consideration and time,
Annie Crenshaw Foster
Butler County, Alabama
Our postal address:
Annie & Robert Foster
1812 Pollard Road
Honoraville, Alabama 36042 USA