Connecting the Upper Canada Sproat Family to Tullyvallen Townland, County Armagh, Ireland
Research note by Wesley Johnston - begun 4 Apr 2022, last updated 4 Apr 2022
Overview and Motivation
In striving to connect my 3rd great grandmother Elizabeth (Gray, Gibson) Johnston to a specific location in Ireland, I received information on the Sproat family from Jean Sproat in March-April 2022. This information connects Elizabeth's son John Gibson's wife Margaret Sproat's family to the Townland of Tullyvallen, just south of Newtonhamilton, County Armagh, Ireland. This note explains the source of that information and how it connects to Margaret Sproat.
Source of the Information
The source of the information is the trancript of a marriage that Jean Sproat sent to me:
Marriage
23 Jul 1847-United Church of Enland and Ireland, Newtonhamilton, Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland
United Church of Enland and Ireland, Newtonhamilton, Co. Armagh
- Andrew Spratt, Farmer of Tullyvallen (Father: Andrew Spratt, Farmer) married Deborah Louden of Newtonhamilton (Father: Samuel Louden, Stone Mason), Witnesses: George Henery & Samuel Louden
In seeking to find the original image of this marriage record, I turned to "THE LIST of CHURCH OF IRELAND PARISH REGISTERS" (April 2022 version) at https://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/AboutUs/library/registers/ParishRegisters/PARISHREGISTERS.pdf
There is no entry for Newtonhamilton, but there is a yellow entry for Tullyvallen & Mellifont showing the parish location in County Armagh but that the records held in County Louth. The records have baptism for 1812-1975, marriages 1815-1965, burials 1814-1988. The yellow coloration indicates "RCB - Original records held by the Representative Church Body Library, Churchtown, Dublin 14". The specific entry for Tullyvallen & Mellifont has this information:
RCB LIBRARY - Church of Ireland Archive
Parish Number: P.0853
Records of the Parish of:Tullyallen (Armagh)
Period:1812 - 1988
County of: Louth
From:local custody, 2004
So, the records have been received by the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin. The website for RCB Library is https://www.ireland.anglican.org/about/rcb-library/online-parish-records but the records are not yet online via the Anglican Record Project ( https://www.ireland.anglican.org/about/rcb-library/anglican-record-project ).
Thus, the transcript was made by someone from the record book onsite either at the original location or at the RCB Library. And there is no online image by which to verify that the transcript is correct.
However, the transcript appears to be correct, and I conclude that the transcript is correct as to the people, date and residences, pending the discovery of any evidence to confirm or refute that conclusion.
Connection to Margaret Sproat
The bridegroom in the marriage was the brother of Margaret Sproat, and thus his father was her father.
This does not necessarily mean that the father or the sister of the bridegroom were from Tullyvallen. However Jean Sproat cites in her family tree that other siblings of the bridegroom were from Tullyvallen.
Thus, I conclude that Margaret Sproat was from Tullyvallen in County Armagh, pending the discovery of any evidence to confirm or refute that conclusion.