Jackie Reilly - Jan '07
Is it possible to get in touch directly with Annie McGeachie? I'm searching for McBride's from County Monaghan. She seems to have links with Mc Bride's still in Ireland and there's just a chance that there may be a connection.nI'm searching for parents/siblings of my great grandfather Patrick McBride, son of a farmer Patrick McBride, so probably eldest son. He left Co Monaghan for Durham,England c. 1865. m. Catherine Murphy in 1867.nI would be happy to share information about this branch of the family after they came to England.

Christine - Aug '06
Hello I passed Altnachree Castle near Donemana today (I live about 10 miles away) and looked up the internet hoping to find info on it myself. Did you ever find out much about it?I would be curious to know. Maybe I will do some research when the kids start back to school!

George Speer - Jul '06
I found this on your web sight;

In Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of 1837 it was said to have several ·principal houses, one of which was called Ardenariff (after the townland name I suppose) and at the time was lived in by a man called W. Douglas esq. and by chance I see W. Douglas; I'm researching my Grt-Grt-grandmother.

Nancy Douglas, sister of James Douglas and Aunt of (James Douglas of Ardinarive who was born 1779 and died 3 Sept., 1866) Nancy is burried at Old Boveva Churchyard, Ardinarive, Londonderry, Northern Ireland) I'm trying to find Nancys Parents?

Can you help out with my research with the Douglases? George Speer genealogy @speer .org

Annie Mcgeachie - Aug '06

Thankyou for a most encouraging & beautiful story ...My great grandfather was Robert James Ferguson born 31.9 1861 in County Cavan & arrived in Sydney Australia 27.3.1881 He married Margaret McBride from County Monaghan Lisnalong born12.3.1860 after arriving in Sydney 18.11.1878 at Balmain 9.3.1979 They had 8 daughters of which my grandmother was the youngest. I do not know where in Cavan he came from but I always thought they were strongly scottish from memrobilia and from attending Wesleyan church in Sydney.... I am not sure where to investigate the Fergusons from here. Can you make any suggestions. We have had a wonderful reunion with our McBride decendents over the last few years which has been fantastic but this has been through rels still in Ireland who found us. Many Thanks Annie

Debby, Scotland - May '06
Enjoyed the article. Mrs Riley may be related to us here in the states. My great grand father was a Robert Marshall Riley whose family came from Glenconway, originally out of Drumcovitt, Feeny. Parents were William Riley/Reilly and Maria Marshall m 1857. 4 Children stayed in Ireland... William b.1865. Isabell b.?, Marshall b.1869 died and buried 1939 Bovevagh cemetery, and a Matilda b.1873.
7 children emigrated , My great grandfather, Robert M.b. 1867, Mary b.?, Elizabeth b.?, Nellie(Ellie,Ellen?)b.?, Henry b.1871, Maria b.1878 and John b.1880 .
The mother Maria Marshall Riley had a sister named Jane Ann Marshall. She married an Alexander Jervis. They had a child Issabella Jervis 1866 or1869, Drumcovit. This Reilly/Riley clan moved to the Glenconway Bovevagh area sometime between births of Maria1878 and John 1880. What happened to William, Marshall, Isabell and Matilda ? Would happy to correspond. Debby Failte52@hotmail.com

Willie Green, Scotland - August '05
Just found this article and really loved it. My ancestors came from the Bovevagh area and some can be found in the parish records of Boveagh Church in the early 1820s. The marriage certificate of my great great grandfather William Green who married Isabella Caldwell in 1852 at Largy Meetinghouse was witnessed by a Martha Moore. My great great grandfather was born at Camnish and moved to Scotland around 1870 but reurned to Derryard or Straw in 1895. He died in 1919 at Workhouse Limavady but his last known address was at Derryard. If anyone can enlighten me about the Green family, it would be most appreciated. In early 1820s Jane Greene married a David Ross and John Green married Martha McCully. Many thanks, Willie Green, South Queensferry, Scotland.

Cathy Calcagno-Moore - June 05
I am writing to as many sites possible to find a link to a family. My son is James Keye Moore, 28yrs old, so I am trying to get a family tree started, problem is John Moore is a commen name, both part. :) John was married to a Sara{h}, no last name for her yet... They had a son name Ray Moore, b May 4, 1900... Ray married a Eleanor Ada Roberts, had a son name William "Bill" Moore, whom m a Freda Wilhoite, they in turn had a son Robert Laverne Moore who is my son father... I have Eleanor Ada Roberts, family done... Cross, Crosby, Smith, Roberts... The family I hope to find is the John Moore, may have been born by 1875 May, from TN... Sara A b 1879 Oct...This is all I have... Hope you can help.. Thank You

William and Annie Lyons - March 05
I am interested in the Boveva area as well. I am trying to locate my family. The information I have is my Grandparents William and Annie Lyons were married at Boveva, Derry, 16th May 1887. My quest is I would like to trace my family history from this information. Can this be done? I have had difficulty trying to find any records possibly because of my little knowledge of how to find anything in the Irish records. If you can help me I would be grateful. Please contact me by email at speirsbushe@bigpond.com . Yours Mary Bushe(nee Lyons) 48 Derham Street Pearcedale Victoria Australia 3912

Sande White - August 2004
Love the article and photos on Bovevagh!
Did a web search for Bovevagh and found your site!
What a wonderful idea!
Especially Thanks from genealogy researchers such as me!
Have been told that my ancestors, the LAUGHLINS/McLAUGHLINS came from Bovevagh (1600-1700's).
Plan on a visit to North Ireland /Antrim/Derry/Down/ soon as I possibly can afford it, and Bovevagh was on my list of towns to visit!

Danny McGurk - June '04
A very well researched and presented article. Well done! You certainly displayed a great deal of tenacity in exploring the different avenues that led away from the initial inquiry.

PS. On a slightly different note. Have you information on the history of Altinaghfree Castle at Liscloon, situated between Claudy and Donemana. Someone mentioned the possibility of an article about it on Radio Foyle.

Cynthia Johnston ( nee Poston ) - April 2004
For some years now I have been researching my paternal and maternal family history. The latter is the most difficult one as my mothers maiden name was Brown and sometimes Browne on birth, marriage and death certificates. I knew my Brown/e ancestors were from Bovevagh but had no idea where Ardenariff was on the map. Thanks to this wonderful story I can now pinpoint where my maternal ancestors lived.

Over the years I have helped overseas contacts trace their family through GRO and Proni records. I have made many many friends through researching. This wonderful story and history of the search for John Moore warms the cockles of my heart. What a beautiful story of how some people will go that extra mile to help someone trace their family. I have enjoyed following your steps to finding the family. Thank you.

Can anyone help provide information about Altinaghfree Castle? - Editor

Al Frowiss - April '04

I have just read your piece on Bovevagh, the land of my Ferguson ancestors. I was literally through the 12 pages before I realized that a wife of William Ferguson of Bovevagh was "Millie Moore". This particular William Ferguson died about 1840 there, and I believe was close to 90 at the time, thus being born in the mid 1750's, I think. He was William Ferguson Jr. His parents were William Ferguson and Sarah C. Smith. The elder William died 1787. His second son, John, is approximately my "six-great" grandfather. Thus, the William Jr. would be my six-great granduncle. I think they owned farms in Killbleught and were of Scot origin. Four Ferguson brothers arrived from Glen Shee Valley (Aberdeenshire) in the Scot Highlands about 1603 before the Ulster Plantation. One was named Malcolm. I suspect others were William, John and perhaps Henry, speculative, based on later naming patterns.

William Jr. was said to have three sons, William, John and Henry. That William died about 1860 and had two sons and four daughters. The sons were Robert and John, and the daughters included Mary Anne and Melanda. Mary Anne married a J. Ferguson (Joseph I think) of another clan of another area, but ended up acquiring one of the Ferguson homes/farms in Bovevagh that had been left to Robert, after William III died in 1860. Robert had moved on to Belfast and wasn't interested in farming. Melanda married an Edward McCllelland.

My direct connection, John Sr., who was born about 1758, came to America by himself in 1774.

Can you tell me if your ancestral Moore's included a Milly or Millie or Millicent (?) who married a William Ferguson? I'm very much interested in finding threads of the old Ferguson tree in the Bovevagh Parish area.

Sharon - 22 April '04
Hello Al,
I have just read your letter and I'm very sorry that I can't be of more help to you. I know very little on the Ferguson Family and have not seen a Millie Moore as of yet in the tree. But I have a lot to research so you just never know.

This is all I have on Ferguson with no dates.
Steven Ferguson was the son of Jimmy Ferguson (Scotsman) who married a Annie Moore.
Steven married a Jean ?
Children of Jean & Steven 2 unknown.
Siblings of Steven are: Annette and William

If you can email me direct I can keep in touch if I get anymore information on this family. I would be very interested in what information you have on the Ferguson Family. I will be in Ireland Aug. 2, for three weeks and plan on spending time researching as well as visiting. I wish you luck in your search.  

Al, if you wish to email Sharon direct get in contact with the editorial team by filling in the form below. (Editor)