Donaghcloney Old Graveyard
This old graveyard is situated on a mound above the River Lagan. It's clear to see that the site was once a reasonably large ring fort, well sited just above the river. The previously circular site was altered by the building of the road. The oldest known gravestone dated from 1707, but many of the oldest stones are sadly no longer obvious or legible. The following inscriptions are or were on headstones in the graveyard. Photos of headstones follow beneath.
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Finding Connections
ABC Family History Association is all about making connections! Our members have some connection with Northern Ireland, whether they live there or their family came from there, no matter how long ago. We run family history courses to teach people from our area and throughout the world how to find the connections between us and know who our ancestors were, where they came from, what they did and how they lived. We offer regular talks, workshops and visits. Members can also take part in projects to use those skills and share results. Each year we publish a book written by our members based on the results of our current project. We love to welcome those from overseas to our area and help them get the most from their trip to their ancestral homeland!
About Us
Join Us
You can join ABC Family History Association as an Online Member who can enjoy our web page, online talks, family history courses and workshops and start or take part in projects, or you can take out one of our local Membership categories for individuals, couples and students who can also attend events we organise in Northern Ireland, which will be well publicised on this page. Organisations who support our purposes can take out a Corporate Membership. Come and join us!
News!
Stay in the Know
ABCFHA Programme from Jan - June 2023 UPDATE (download )
We're now a Registered Charity!
We are delighted to report that we have just received notification that ABC Family History Association has been successful in its application to become a Registered Charity in Northern Ireland. We were called forward to register last summer, and our application was sent in by 19 July, so the process has taken 6 months. Our registration number is NIC109073.
'Our Family Stories' Book - now available
'Our Family Stories' book is now available for pre-paid orders - email abcfhabooks@gmail.com
Can You Help? Do You Have An Arlow Clock?
We have been approached by Michael, a descendant of George Arlow, who was a clockmaker in Dromore, Co Down between 1865 and 1868. The clocks which Michael's ancestor made had white dials and mahogany cases and a considerable number of them were made and may still be around in local houses. Michael has never seen one of the clocks and would love to do so. If you have an Arlow clock and would be prepared to let Michael see it, please do get in touch with us by emailing abcfhasec@gmail.com
Family Research Section in Members Only Area
This new section is designed to enable members share their research within our member community, with the hope that it will assist others in their own research. We are therefore looking for contributions to this section from our members, however short or long. The first shared research comes all the way from Karen, a member in Australia, whom we thank for her contribution, ably assisted by her cousin in London!
The Taylor Family of Derrycory - available in our Members Only area
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Karen has also sent us another great piece of research - the identification of over 50 members of the Taylor family who are buried in Grave 350 at Drumcree Church of Ireland
Grave 350 at Drumcree Church of Ireland - available in our Members Only area
Corporate Member Showcase
Joss/Joyce Family Association
Dedicated to the Joss/Joyce family of Scotland and Northern Ireland, the Joss/Joyce Family Association explores the genealogy of this family. Originally originating from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, this lineage settled in counties Antrim, Armagh, and Down, in Northern Ireland, where Joss turned into Joyce. More information can be found at https://www.jossjoycefamilyassociation.com/.
Armagh County Museum, Armagh, Northern Ireland
A number of our ABC members are volunteers at the museum, helping to catalogue some of the many documents that await them. There is much to be found at this museum for those interested in family history, as we discovered on a visit there in August 2022. Read all about this superb museum at Visit Armagh - Armagh County Museum
Cranberry Genealogy Club, Pennsylvania, USA
Cranberry Genealogy Club is a corporate member of ABCFHA and an informal partner organisation. Read all about the club here: CranGenClub (cranberrygenealogy.org)
CranGen is a vibrant, forward looking organisation which offers its members a wide range of Zoom talks and events and strives to help all to learn more about their ancestry. Should you be have ancestors who emigrated to Pennsylvania, we recommend membership, which costs $12.50 per year. Details on their website!
Armagh Cultural Heritage Library
NEW!
Armagh Cultural Heritage Library has a new home at 1 Markethill Road, Armagh - familiar to some as this is where the Teachers' Centre is located. On our Resources for Research page within our Members Only area there are a number of lists of sources, newspapers, books etc available in the library to help with family research.
Articles by Members
Here we print articles of interest contributed by our members:
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Seapatrick Co Corner, Then and Now
Activities
ABC Family History Association is buzzing!
SHORT COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
Educational
ABC Family History Association organises short family history courses and workshops which vary from 30 minutes online to 1 full day face-to-face. We also offer bespoke courses to other organisations for their members, with courses for beginners and more advanced researchers.
REGULAR ZOOM TALKS
Using the Technology
ABC Family History Association
offers regular talks, where members from anywhere in the world can join us on Zoom. Our talks, which last around an hour and are free to members, cover a wide range of topics in family and social history and are delivered by experts from around the world.
COFFEE/TEA &
A BUN WORKSHOPS
Research Help and Support
ABC Family History Association's goal is to help you with your family research, over a cuppa and a bun at Brownlow Community Hub. We give advice on the next steps to take, suggesting taking a family history course, telling you about various web sites, assisting with presentation of research - including topping up the necessary computer skills.
RESEARCH
PROJECTS
Building a Community
Local research projects in which members can participate are a great way of finding out how we connect and can lead to improved understanding and better community relations. A project may be building your own family tree, writing a story for one of our book projects, doing a One Place Study, a DNA project, transcribing church records and lots more.
VISITS AND
TOURS
Fun Trips!
ABC Family History Association organises visits to a variety of places within Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Trips may be short local visits to a museum or heritage centre, for example, or a local guided walking tour. We may also venture further afield. Trips and visits, some of which include a meal together, require additional payment.
ENCOURAGING DNA TESTING
Using the Science
ABC Family History Association encourages you to consider DNA testing. DNA results can help to break down your 'brick walls' in research and find new family members, helping to connect us all. Our DNA project teaches you how to analyse your results and maximise your findings using Ancestry, My Heritage, GEDmatch + DNA Painter.
Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon
Borough Council Area
This is our Gallery of Members' Images of the ABC area.
Click on an image to 'like' it!
Email us your own images if you'd like to have them featured here
We'd love to show members' photos of places in ABC in our Gallery - please make sure you own the copyright of the image and email it with details to abcfhasec@gmail.com
"We are as we are
because
they were as they were”