If you can help with this family history search please reply directly by using the Comment box at the bottom of the post or email us at info@discoversaintfield.com and we will forward your information.
Dear Saintfield Heritage Society,
My wife’s grandfather, Daniel Herbert McCallum was from Bangor, Down and immigrated in the US in 1905. His mother was Mary Stevely Woods, of Newtownards. We have been researching the Woods ancestry, and were even able to visit Northern Ireland and the Public Records Office to do research. We have much evidence to suggest they were from Saintfield and the parishes adjacent to the east. I have been documenting our family research in Northern Ireland on my website at www.mccallum-omagh.blogspot.com
I am contacting you in the hopes that you may be able to connect me with someone locally who may point me to resources in Saintfield that might help our research. I have used many online sources (PRONI, Ros Davies’ County Down site, others) and have pieced some together but I have still not been able to find the birthplace/hometown area for our Dr. William Woods. Below I include what we do know of the Woods family.
I find numerous Woods families in the area, especially east of Saintfield in parishes Killinchy, Kilmore and Saintfield.
Any assistance or advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated. We hope to return and make further connections with our cousins in County Down.
Kind regards,
Andrew Barett-Bettcher
Minnesota, USA
WOODS FAMILY OF CO. DOWN
Dr. William Woods, MRCSE
Born. about 1810/11 in Co. Down, to John Woods, farmer.
Married 9 Jan. 1852 at Templecorran Presbyterian to Eliza McAlpin of
Ballycarry, Co. Antrim
Died 20 Mar. 1869, Newtownards, Co. Down.
Career and residence
• Licentiate of Medicine, Glasgow University 1838
• Member of Royal College of Surgeons England 1839
• Resided in Bangor 1843-1857
• Resided in Newtownards 1858-1869
• 1857-69 Med. Officer,Newtownards Union Workhouse Infirmary and Fever Hospital
Children – all baptised at 1st Presby, Bangor
born baptised notes
William 31Jan1853 14Mar1853 died bef. 1903?
Madaline (McClure) 9Jul1854 25Aug1854 md. Washington Nicholl, lived at Edenville, Bangor
Edwin (MacAlpine) 1Jan1856 2Feb1856 Merchant in London. Md to Fanny?
Elm Lodge, Half Moon Lane, London, SE (Herne Hill SE24)
James Alfred 10Jul1857 28Aug1857 died 26Aug1859
Mary (Stevelly) 30Jun1860 29Aug1860
Clara md Mr. Walter of London
Helen md. Died before 1903
2 others? died before 1903?
Known Woods family connections to Saintfield area:
1. Brother – John Woods of Drumnaconnell, Saintfield – will and probate from PRONI. John Woods was a whitesmith and/or blacksmith in Saintfield 1863-1865. His will made his brother Dr. William Woods of Newtownards executor. Having searched the City Directories, John Woods may have worked in Belfast 1835-1852. He died 11 Dec. 1865 at Drumnaconnell, a widower, born about 1802. We have been unable to locate information on his wife, or if he had children.
2. Rev. Hugh Woods of Bangor, minister of 1st Presbyterian from 1808-1857. It is possible that Hugh was an uncle/cousin to William. All of William Wood’s children were baptized at Rev. Woods church in Bangor (1853-1860) and one of them was even named after Hugh’s wife Magdaline McClure. Hugh Woods is known to have been the 3rd son of James Woods of Kilmore-Crossgar. Hugh was born 1780, married 8 Dec. 1814 at Edenvale? to Magdaline McClure. Hugh died at Bangor in 1868.
3. Cousins in Ravara Townland (near Ballygowan in Killinchy Parish). It is known that the Mary Woods McCallum who came to America had a cousin, Magdaline McClurg who also lived in Michigan. I have traced the McClurg’s to Ravara and have shown they are indeed Woods relatives via Thomas McClurg’s wife Ann Woods, born about 1835 was daughter of John Woods of Ravara, farmer.
4. McCallum children (grandchildren of William Woods) attending school in Saintfield. Helen McCallum and Daniel McCallum were attending school in Saintfield in 1905, just prior to emigrating.
5.Family oral history says our Woods family had connections/relations at Saintfield.
Hi Andrew,
I’ve read your piece with great interest as I have just started to look at this side of our tree. The info that you have corresponds to ours. Edwin Mcapline Woods did indeed marry Fanny Laura Rogers in Sep 1877. His sister would be Mary Stevelly Woods. Check out
http://mccallum-omagh.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/children-of-dr-william-and-eliza-woods.html
which I also have come across for more info.
John, thanks for the reply. Email me at barrett.bettcher at gmail.com and I think I have more info for you.
Hamilton (of Clanboye) papers: use “Woods” in the search box, starting about number 20 (of 53) numerous members of the Woods family with places in Antrim and Down, and transactions with this Hamilton family. Online–we uploaded a link on our website. You’ll see that some of the names dovetail nicely with materials on Ros Davies’ site. Rev. George Hill, four volumes of Conquest of Ireland, volume IV Pynnar’s Survey (census) has John Woods just outside of Londdonderry as a tenant of Drummond who was a grantee affiliated with Hamiltons of Abercorn. Richard Fitzsimons/Fitzsimmons had a tannery and other property nearby. DNA analysis of a direct descendant of Michael Woods–emigrant to what became U.S. in 1724, and who had a grandson who named an estate in Albemarle Co., VA, “Blair Park,” (same name as neighborhood in Bangor) and was from ireland (Michael Sr. and siblings were), shows shared DNA with Fitzsimons/Fitzsimmons and Garlands, all from the Antrim-Down border area. Dr. Tyrone Bowes, of “Origenes” did the analysis–he has a database of samples from families who have lived in areas for centuries. I’d write to the Bangor North Down museum and historical society and ask if someone also happens to have missing parts of the 1659-66 Hearth Rolls, and the 1760 religious census. Also look at Griffith’s Valuations (1850’s) and the 1820’s tithe applotments for clues. Both are online. I descend from the usually forgotten brother of Michael, Samuel Woods, who married Elizabeth Campbell, and the sister, Elizabeth Woods who married Samuel Wallace, Esq. of County Down, one of the youngest sons of Sir William Wallace, knight gentleman.who died in County Down in 1718 and left a will.