Good morning list On 25 November 2019, I got a query from Mike Curtiss of the USA about the Boyd family of Samuel Boyd of Knockavaddy, in eastern County Tyrone, between Cookstown and Dungannon, Ireland. In this query he cites the publication “The Wier-Creeckmore Genealogy”, by Sarah Elizabeth Creekmore Wallace, 1944, which on page 21 says – “Samuel Boyd was rick and his second wife, Lady Gurney, belong to the nobility of Scotland.” I think that I may have been told this a few decades ago, but this morning as I re-read his query to answer it, it got me thinking as to what research had been done on this “claim” that he had married “Lady Gurney”. Dr Google, tells us that Clan Gurney were a Quaker family from Norwich, England and were Anglo-Norman and that their Seat after the 1066 invasion was in Somerset, England. But I could not find any link telling me that part of this family moved to Scotland or not. Although Gurney does “sound” Scottish. 1. Has anyone researched for any references in County Tyrone to see if there was a Lord Gurney, or even in Ulster in Ireland? Or she may stem from an Laird Gurney, who has migrated to Ireland and sometimes their family members are called “Lady”. 2. I have not come across any Lord Gurney in the Scottish Peerage, but I have not been looking for it either. So, does anyone have access the Burke’s Peerage or Debrett’s Peerage to see if this family can be found in Scotland? (Although, Lady Jane Gurney, if she married without approval, could have bene written out of the family as a result of this marriage.) 3. From my limited understanding, when a “lady” is referred to as “Lady Gurney”, it would suggest she is the daughter of an Earl or a higher honour. And I have no idea the Gurney family hold such titles or not. 4. From the dates of four known children of Samuel Boyd and Lady Gurney, it would suggest that they married about 1756 or 1757, but there is no indication if this was in County Tyrone, Scotland or even in Dublin, Ireland or perhaps in her home town in Ireland. 5. My understanding is that Samuel was a Presbyterian and if Lady Gurney” came from an Quaker family and married outside the Quaker Church, she would be disowned by the Church and there would be a record of this in the 1750’s. So, has anyone looked at those Quaker records? (When I looked at the PRONI Office in Belfast, at these Quaker Records, were all hand written and I am not sure if they are any “printed” records for Quaker meeting records to make the search that much easier or have been transcribed and put online.) 6. I think that the Belfast “Newsletter” newspaper may have already started to be published by the 1750’s? So, has anyone looked at those records in the Newspaper Library in Belfast? They used to have a Card System – but I am not sure if that has now been put online, so people can search it? Or if you Emailed them, they could do a quick look for Samuel Boyd’s marriage in the 1750’s to “Lady Gurney” or any marriage. Hear I am assuming that if the statement is correct that Samuel had some wealth, his marriage would be “recorded” in some Newspaper or Publication of the period. 7. I am not familiar with what County Tyrone sources are available, such as the Protestant Householders Anno 1740 (if these records exist for this part of County Tyrone); Census in the 1700’s; Church records, or even histories of Churches in the Knockavaddy area. And are there other sources of data in 1700’s that should be looked at to see if any data can be found on this Samuel Boyd. In the website – Samuel Boyd (1718-1804) - Find A Grave Memorial www.findagrave.com/memorial/187527247/samuel-boyd William Hamilton (1757-1827) of Virginia and Lincoln County, Kentucky, may have been a close relative as his descendants are a close YDNA match to descendants of Samuel Boyd of Knockavaddy. See Find A Grave Memorial# 64654437. Samuel Boyd "of Knockavaddy." His wife (or second wife) was Lady Gurney. It mentions that the Boyd house was built around 1690. Thus, suggesting that Samuel’s father built the house and that this may be due to his father getting an “new grant”; “new lease” or “land title” after the Battle of the Boyne, when people were encouraged to return Ireland. So, could any of those records be found today? It also mentioned “Samuel Boyd and wife Lady Gurney are believed to be buried at Carland Presbyterian Churchyard. The Boyds were members of Carland Church in the 1760s-80s but later joined Sandholes Church.” This would suggest that no grave can be seen in modern times or now exists to be seen. So, have descendants searched both Churchyards and what was the result of that search? Hear I would assume that Samuel Boyd is also buried with Lady Jane Gurney in the same cemetery. I am also assuming that as the sons William Boyd (1804) and James Boyd (1795); and perhaps Samuel Boyd have come to the USA, that there were children born to Samuel’s first marriage. This is partly borne out by the list of Boyd in the Title Tax list for County Tyrone in the 1820’s – which I will post as a separate message, after this. Can any further sources be added and or have you undertaken research in County Tyrone on this family? I also noticed that on a number of the websites, that this Samuel Boyd born in 1718, is still given as the son of Captain James Boyd, the fourth child of William Boyd, first Earl of Kilmarnock. The Earl’s son died before May 1702, and had his funeral at Paisley Abbey, Renfrewshire in about 18 May 1702, and was buried in the Lenzie Kirk the same day. There was no wife or children in the funeral invitation sent to the Maxwell family. I can only assume that his father is an “JAMES BOYD” but bit the son of the first Earl of Kilmarnock, William Boyd. Thank you for your assistance on finding out more about this family of Samuel Boyd of Knockavaddy. And if you are on any of the spouse net spouse net list or on the County Tyrone rootsweb.com net list, feel free to post this message to those sites as well. Mike Boyd Brisbane, Aust. (CB18078.doc)

For what it is worth — Encyclopedia Britannica 10th Edition (the last edition where articles were signed by individual researchers) 1910 has two essays on Gurney. The family were Norfolk/ Suffolk nobility some members of which were traders, very deeply involved in the Quaker movement (and hence potentially connected to Willaim Penn). In the 1770’s, several of the family founded a bank which quickly specialized in “discounted notes,” that is, they would loan money to other banks and merchants for very short terms, possibly even overnight. The business grew by leaps and bounds. This function is now in the US absorbed by the Federal Reserve Discount Window, though other institutions also participate in the “Repo Market.” The names Henry, John, Bartlett, and Samuel occur. The second is probably not relevant, as Edmund Gurney was born 1853 and remained in England his whole life. He was a professor of what would now be called psychology, specializing in paranormal experiences. > On Dec 14, 2019, at 7:55 PM, Mike Boyd <[email protected]> wrote: > > Good morning list > > > > On 25 November 2019, I got a query from Mike Curtiss of the USA about the Boyd family of Samuel Boyd of Knockavaddy, in eastern County Tyrone, between Cookstown and Dungannon, Ireland. > > > > In this query he cites the publication “The Wier-Creeckmore Genealogy”, by Sarah Elizabeth Creekmore Wallace, 1944, which on page 21 says – > > > > “Samuel Boyd was rick and his second wife, Lady Gurney, belong to the nobility of Scotland.” > > > > I think that I may have been told this a few decades ago, but this morning as I re-read his query to answer it, it got me thinking as to what research had been done on this “claim” that he had married “Lady Gurney”. > > > > Dr Google, tells us that Clan Gurney were a Quaker family from Norwich, England and were Anglo-Norman and that their Seat after the 1066 invasion was in Somerset, England. But I could not find any link telling me that part of this family moved to Scotland or not. Although Gurney does “sound” Scottish. > > > > 1. Has anyone researched for any references in County Tyrone to see if there was a Lord Gurney, or even in Ulster in Ireland? Or she may stem from an Laird Gurney, who has migrated to Ireland and sometimes their family members are called “Lady”. > > > > 2. I have not come across any Lord Gurney in the Scottish Peerage, but I have not been looking for it either. So, does anyone have access the Burke’s Peerage or Debrett’s Peerage to see if this family can be found in Scotland? (Although, Lady Jane Gurney, if she married without approval, could have bene written out of the family as a result of this marriage.) > > > > 3. From my limited understanding, when a “lady” is referred to as “Lady Gurney”, it would suggest she is the daughter of an Earl or a higher honour. And I have no idea the Gurney family hold such titles or not. > > > > 4. From the dates of four known children of Samuel Boyd and Lady Gurney, it would suggest that they married about 1756 or 1757, but there is no indication if this was in County Tyrone, Scotland or even in Dublin, Ireland or perhaps in her home town in Ireland. > > > > 5. My understanding is that Samuel was a Presbyterian and if Lady Gurney” came from an Quaker family and married outside the Quaker Church, she would be disowned by the Church and there would be a record of this in the 1750’s. So, has anyone looked at those Quaker records? (When I looked at the PRONI Office in Belfast, at these Quaker Records, were all hand written and I am not sure if they are any “printed” records for Quaker meeting records to make the search that much easier or have been transcribed and put online.) > > > > 6. I think that the Belfast “Newsletter” newspaper may have already started to be published by the 1750’s? So, has anyone looked at those records in the Newspaper Library in Belfast? They used to have a Card System – but I am not sure if that has now been put online, so people can search it? Or if you Emailed them, they could do a quick look for Samuel Boyd’s marriage in the 1750’s to “Lady Gurney” or any marriage. Hear I am assuming that if the statement is correct that Samuel had some wealth, his marriage would be “recorded” in some Newspaper or Publication of the period. > > > > 7. I am not familiar with what County Tyrone sources are available, such as the Protestant Householders Anno 1740 (if these records exist for this part of County Tyrone); Census in the 1700’s; Church records, or even histories of Churches in the Knockavaddy area. > > > > And are there other sources of data in 1700’s that should be looked at to see if any data can be found on this Samuel Boyd. > > > > In the website – > > > > Samuel Boyd (1718-1804) - Find A Grave Memorial > www.findagrave.com/memorial/187527247/samuel-boyd > > William Hamilton (1757-1827) of Virginia and Lincoln County, Kentucky, may have been a close relative as his descendants are a close YDNA match to descendants of Samuel Boyd of Knockavaddy. See Find A Grave Memorial# 64654437. Samuel Boyd "of Knockavaddy." His wife (or second wife) was Lady Gurney. > > > > It mentions that the Boyd house was built around 1690. Thus, suggesting that Samuel’s father built the house and that this may be due to his father getting an “new grant”; “new lease” or “land title” after the Battle of the Boyne, when people were encouraged to return Ireland. So, could any of those records be found today? > > > > It also mentioned “Samuel Boyd and wife Lady Gurney are believed to be buried at Carland Presbyterian Churchyard. The Boyds were members of Carland Church in the 1760s-80s but later joined Sandholes Church.” > > > This would suggest that no grave can be seen in modern times or now exists to be seen. So, have descendants searched both Churchyards and what was the result of that search? > > > > Hear I would assume that Samuel Boyd is also buried with Lady Jane Gurney in the same cemetery. > > > > I am also assuming that as the sons William Boyd (1804) and James Boyd (1795); and perhaps Samuel Boyd have come to the USA, that there were children born to Samuel’s first marriage. This is partly borne out by the list of Boyd in the Title Tax list for County Tyrone in the 1820’s – which I will post as a separate message, after this. > > > > Can any further sources be added and or have you undertaken research in County Tyrone on this family? > > > > I also noticed that on a number of the websites, that this Samuel Boyd born in 1718, is still given as the son of Captain James Boyd, the fourth child of William Boyd, first Earl of Kilmarnock. The Earl’s son died before May 1702, and had his funeral at Paisley Abbey, Renfrewshire in about 18 May 1702, and was buried in the Lenzie Kirk the same day. There was no wife or children in the funeral invitation sent to the Maxwell family. > > > > I can only assume that his father is an “JAMES BOYD” but bit the son of the first Earl of Kilmarnock, William Boyd. > > > > Thank you for your assistance on finding out more about this family of Samuel Boyd of Knockavaddy. And if you are on any of the spouse net spouse net list or on the County Tyrone rootsweb.com net list, feel free to post this message to those sites as well. > > > > Mike Boyd > > Brisbane, Aust. > > (CB18078.doc) > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > ___________________________________ > NOTE: Use the data on this list as a finding tool, just as you would any other secondary source. When you find the name of an ancestor listed confirm the facts in original sources. > > Clan Boyd Society, International > (The Clan Boyd Web site is down, I am trying to get it back up and working. > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/[email protected] > Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community Bruce P. Shields 6405 Garfield Rd Hyde Park VT 05655 (802) 888 5165 [email protected]