For Deborah Boyd; Away from the DNA for abit.... We also have afew Boyd families floating around in Northern Ireland and wondered if you could shed some light on yours, maybe we are related too! Ours seem to be Belfast, Carrickfergus, Larne and abit north from there. Heather Harris (nee Boyd)

I've been able to get back to John Boyd (c1777-??) who married Sarah Stewart (c1781-??) probably in Eglish Parish, Armagh Ireland. They had at least 4 children baptised in Eglish; Alexander (1803-??), Isaiah (1804-1878), Mary (1808-??) and William (1810-??). Isaiah married Sarah Hardie and they had 3 children presumably also born in Ireland named James (c1836-??), John (c1843-??) and Sarah Jane (c1839-??). At some point between 1839 and 1851, Isaiah and his family returned to Kilmarnock where both he and his wife are buried. The marriage of James (to Hellen Rodgers) and John (to Catherine Connel) were registered in Kilmarnock. John appears to have stayed in Scotland but James ( a blacksmith by trade) moved first to Springburn Lanarkshire where their 3 children James (1862-??), William (1864-??) and John (1868-1868) were born. John died in infancy just prior to passage from Glasgow to NYC aboard the Britannia in 1868. They are next found in Paterson NJ and eventually move to NYC with an expanded family including another John (c1869-??), Alexander (1872-1935), David (c1875-<1910) and Jane (c1879). Alexander and David become NYC firefighters but David (my ggrandfather) dies an untimely death and his wife Edith Clark is left to raise their son Charles David (1899-1949). Most of my research has been focussed on direct ancestral lines but after finding 100% match with another Boyd line I agree that the branches are definitely worth investigating. I'd be surprised if everyone wouldn't have something to gain from participating in the DNA project. Even if there is no match today the information is constantly being cross matched as new people participate in the project. I'm in the process of identifying Boyds in the Carmavy Parish in Antrim as potential ancestors. If a male relative of Heather were to be an exact match then her reference to Carrickfergus would make the link stronger and suggest where we might both concentrate more thoroughly. Similarly with CJ - a connection there would make sense to redirect efforts toward Ballycastle...or we may find that Connie and I are closely related which would make sense in that I'm already matched with a line of Boyds that came directly from Ireland and settled in the Muskoka area of Ontario. Given the information Heather, CJ and Connie have provided thus far there is no apparent reason to make a connection but with the support of DNA confirmation it gives us all new leads to take. And, no, I don't own shares in Famiily Tree ;-) Cheers, Debbie > For Deborah Boyd; Away from the DNA for abit.... We also have > afew Boyd families floating around in Northern Ireland and wondered > if you could shed some light on yours, maybe we are related too! > Ours seem to be Belfast, Carrickfergus, Larne and abit north from > there. > > Heather Harris (nee Boyd) > > > > > ==== CLANBOYD Mailing List ==== > RING OF BOYDS http://k.webring.com/wrman?ring=clanboydwebring&addsite > > http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=boyd- > trees > >