Children of John Lindsay & Mary Donaghy of Ballintaggart, Armagh, Ireland by Lionel Nebeker 2012 John Lindsay was the oldest son of William Lindsay, Jr. and Sarah Wilkinson, and as such, he inherited their home and farm on the Loughgall Road, about three miles west of Portadown, Armagh, Ireland, in the Townland of Ballintaggart. He married Mary Donaghy, the daughter of Thomas Donaghy and Ann Weir, sometime about 1835-36. Together they had eight children who were born and raised on the old Lindsay farm in this townland. Then, Mary died on 11 Nov. 1865; and her husband, John Lindsay followed her less than a year later, on 23 Sep 1866. At the time of John’s death, his youngest child, Alexander, was just ten years old, with the others ranging from his age, up to Sarah, age 29. The two oldest children were married prior to the deaths of their parents, but for the younger ones, this was a true tragedy. In this segment, we will try to provide the information we have found for each of these children. Much of this information comes from Alexander Lindsay’s Journal which he kept when he returned to the place of his birth on a two years mission (1904-1906) for the LDS Church and will be referred to as “ALJ” {The Alexander Lindsay Journals 1903-1906, transcribed by Larry E. Hibbert & Lynette B. Hibbert, and published privately by Larry E. Hibbert, Sugar City, Idaho 1997. Alexander was the youngest child of John & Mary Donaghy Linday. Sarah Lindsay--born 1837, was the oldest child of this family. She married Edward Tinman (date unknown but probably between 1860-64) {ALJ p. 208}. According to family records (from Alexander Lindsay, a brother to this woman) she had two children: Sarah Tinman, born 1865 in County Armagh, Ireland = married William Hinton son Tinman (no name given, nor any birth date). {The information on this son of Sarah’s comes from Alexander’s journal. It merely refers to Alex meeting this man’s wife, so it is evident that he grew to maturity and was married -- see his journal entry of Sep. 9, 1905 ALJ p. 127 -- quoted below.} An entry in the New.FamilySearch.Org shows Sarah’s death as “1917”. But we are not sure where this date came from either. In his missionary journal of 1905, Alexander talks of meetings with her daughter, but never mention this sister at all. If she were still living at the time of his return, she would have been about 67 years old. I suspect that she died sometime prior to Alexander’s mission in 1904, and it appears her husband probably did too. A search of the 1901 and 1911 Irish Census records did not produce any members of this Tinman family. Alexander said that Edward Tinman had a brother named Thomas Tinman, but nothing can be found in the Irish census for him either, although it is clear from Alex’s journal that this Thomas Tinman was still alive in 1905. In the 1911 Irish census there were only three Tinman families listed (by that spelling). Again, none of these listed an Edward or Thomas. However, one of these family was living in Ballintaggart, in the very same area where our ancestors lived. This was a 25 years old man named William John Tinman; his wife, Anna Eliza (age 27); and two sons: John (4) and Earnest (1) -- See the Irish census records on the Internet at www.census.nationalarchives.ie. We know of no connection of this family to our Tinmans but with them being in the same small community there is likely some tie in some place. It may be possible that this man could have been Sarah’s son listed above with no name. But if so the age of 25 is probably understated. His wife is listed as being 27, so if this man were really more like 29, then he might have been married six years earlier when Alex was there on his mission. We just cannot tell from the information available to us at this time. Also, in the 1860 record of the Battlehill Methodist Church there was a Conway Tinman (Battlehill: A Local History, A Church History, by Valerie Ruddell and William Newell, Ruddell Press, Portadown, 2000 -- p. 97. For future references this book will be referred as “Battlehill Church History”). No other Tinmans were found in the area at that time other than this man. The Battlehill Methodist Church was the one attended by John & Mary Lindsay. In fact, in 1860, John Lindsay was the “leader” of this congregation. It seems probable that this Conway Tinman might have been related to Edward Tinman, who was living in this same area at that time--perhaps a brother; or perhaps even the same man by a another name. No other reference has been found for any of these three Tinman men--Edward, Thomas or Conway. Excerpts from Alex’s journal follow with comments from this writer added in [ ] below: Sunday, Sep. 10, 1905 --This morn after dressing I went to meet my Niece [this would be Sarah Tinman Hinton, who was then living in Belfast, and was the daughter of Sarah Lindsay Tinman] at the 9 O’c train and her two children, bringing them home to breakfast, and then went on to M. A. Nugents’s [Mary Ann Lindsay Nugent--another sister of Alexandar Lindsay who was then living in Portadown], talked some time and then proceeded out as far as Wm’s [Alex’s older brother, William Lindsay] calling in on the way to see Mr. Tom. Tinman [brother of Edward Tinman and a brother-in-law of Sarah Lindsay Tinman] ... And so passed the day by me making friends of more than my niece, for her Uncle Tom listened to me for quite a while and I think I opened his eyes some in regard to Mormonism. {ALJ p. 128} Friday, Sep. 29, 1905 -- ... Well I came on as far as Mr. Tinman’s and called in and seen my Niece Mrs. Hinton, and dear little Annie, and Mr. Tinman [Thomas Tinman--brother of Edward] and his daughter made me feel at home and asked me to call every time I could. {ALJ p. 134} The only known child of Sarah Lindsay Tinman was her daughter, Sarah Tinman who married William Hinton and was the “niece” that Alexander met while on his mission, as referred to above. She was born in 1865 and married about 1893 to William Hinton (born 1869). In his journal, Alexander mentions her husband, and two of her children, Edward and Annie. In the 1901 Irish census for house 197 in Matilda Street, St. George’s Ward, Belfast, Antrim, Ireland, we find the family of: William Hinton age 32 Male Head of family Church of England Sarah Hinton age 36 Female Wife Church of England Eddie Hinton age 6 Male Son Church of England Annie Hinton age - Female Dau Church of England In the 1911 Irish census, in house 8 in Burnaby Street, St. Anne’s Ward, Antrim) we find this same family, but listed as follows: William Hinton age 40 Male Head of family Church of Ireland Sarah Hinton age 40 Female Wife Church of Ireland Edward Hinton age 16 Male Son Church of Ireland Annie Hinton age 10 Female Dau Church of Ireland Sarah E. Hinton age 3 Female Dau Church of Ireland It is clear that they had another daughter, born about 1908, after Alexander returned home from his mission, and she was therefore not mentioned in his journal. Here are some additional excepts from Alex’s journal regarding his niece and her Hinton family. This first one starts with Alexander arriving in Belfast via a boat from Scotland: Friday, Sep. 8, 1905 -- Got ready for Belfast leaving Beith by the 2-55 train for Ardrossan. Arr. at 1 O’c getting on board the S. S. Vulture and having quite a stormy passage. The usual vessel, the Adder had broken down and it was a blessing for us for the Vulture is a much better vessel. After arr. at the Belfast docks I went to the Office and finding the boys [missionaries] out, went and hunted up Elder Scott and found my Niece, Mrs. Wm. Hinton of No. 6 Veinice St. off Grosvenor Rd. Made their acquaintance and promised to pay them a visit on the day following. They were pleased to see me and made me very welcome. Mr. Hinton is in a good way of doing being an Ingine [sic] fitter... Sat., Sep. 9, 1905 -- Accompanied by Elder Scott I paid my promised visit to my new found Niece [Sarah Tinman Hinton]. He and I preached 3 hours to them and they were much taken up with our doctrine. Her Bro’s. wife was there and a very nice young woman she proved herself to be. Went and seen him [this “him” as probably William Hinton as he was an engineer--but it is possible that Alex is referring to his unnamed nephew] at his Engine, being an engine driver between Belfast and Dublin. After being introduced to the young ladies Mother [this would be Alex’s nephew’s mother-in-law] and having a general good time, I bade them adieu, with the understanding that I meet Sarah at the Station on the following day and escorted her out as far as Wm’s [his brother’s place]... {ALJ p. 127} Sun. Oct. 8, 1905 -- ... Little Eddie Hinton [age about 10] just alls in on me just now. He’s on a visit to his Aunt Mrs. McKeown. Eddie’s something like my own of that name. He’s my Niece Mrs. Hinton’s little boy from Belfast. He puts [me] in mind of Eddie Lindsay very much. Mon. Oct. 9, 1905 -- No letter this morning, so I went out and visited my Sis. [Mary Ann Lindsay Nugent] ... I got a letter from Mrs. Hinton asking me to bring Eddy with me to Belfast tomorrow, so I got supper and went out into the country to tell the folks, and they treated me fine and asked me to call as often as I passed. They also promised to have Eddy ready in time for the 10 O’c train... Tue. Oct. 10, 1905 -- After breakfast Eddy Hinton came and he and I started for Belfast... {ALJ p. 138} This is all that we have been able to find for Sarah Lindsay’s and her daughter’s families. William Lindsay--born 6 April 1838 in Ballintaggart was the oldest son in the family. We do not know much about his early life, but he seemed to be a religious young man and involved in the Methodist religious study groups from an early age. At some point William joined the British Army. The dates of his enlistment and discharge are unknown to us. However many young men enlisted around the age of eighteen. If William had done so, that would have been around 1857. We know from a family Bible that he purchase, probably around the time of his first marriage, that he was located in the “Channel Islands, Jersey” at the time of his marriage on 4 Aug. 1859, at the age of twenty. For a young many from County Armagh, Ireland, there would not seem to be any reason for him to find himself in Jersey (just off of the French coast) unless he was serving in the army at that time. From a page in that Bible (see copy below) it appears that he lists himself as: W. Lindsay C Lieut. H.M. [Her Majesty’s] 1 / 15th Regt. {Not absolutely certain of his military rank} At this time, William married a young woman by the name of Alice Morton. Since the wedding seems to have taken place in Jersey it is not clear how, or where, these young people met. Her name is certainly English, and perhaps she was the daughter of an English soldier who was also stationed there. No date or place was given for Alice’s birth in their Bible. But, on the second page, as shown below, it mentioned that Alice died on 20 Oct. 1877, after living with her husband for 18 years, two months, and sixteen days, aged 36 yrs. This would seem to indicate that she was about 18 years old at the time of their marriage. Note too that William was careful about recording this entry just one day after her death. Note too the difference in hand-writing, where his second wife, Frances “Fannie” Livingston, recorded their marriage on 23 Jan. 1878, and ultimately, his death. Photo copies of pages from the Family Bible of William Lindsay. Note that Alexander’s journal [p. 208] says that William was born April 6, 1839, and we have used that date in our family records and for temple work. But notice above where William records his own birthdate as 6 April 1838. This Bible is now in the possession of Wilson Glass, Grandnephew of Fannie Livingston Lindsay. Copies provided by Vern Lindsay after his visit to the old Lindsay farm. With William being married in Jersey in 1859, he seems to have remained in the military for the next several years, and was probably still serving as a soldier at the time that his parents died--mother in 1865, and father in 1866. We’re not sure where he was stationed during those years. But his younger brother, Alex, in future years, shared with his family that following the deaths of his parents, he then accompanied William as he was posted to Eastern Canada--the location was not specified but could have been Montreal, or Toronto; and thereafter to another British post in the Caribbean Sea--again, the specific location was not mentioned, nor was the duration of those tours. Alexander did not mention whether his next older brother, John, also accompanied them to these locations, but it seems logical that William may have informally adopted both of these two younger brothers; and his older, married sister, Sarah, may have taken in her two youngest sisters following their parents’ deaths. This is speculation, other than we know that Alex spent the next several years living with his brother, and traveling wherever his military career took them. Eventually William, Alice and Alex returned home where they took up farming on their old home site. At age 18, Alexander joined the British Army in his own right, and left home with a grateful heart for all his older brother had done for him. William remained in Ballintaggart where he became a leader in the local Battlehill Methodist Church group. “It is recorded in the minute book of the Portadown Local Preachers’ Meeting date 12 October 1876, that ‘Brother Lindsay of Ballintaggart, having held meetings at Battlehill, his name was introduced as a person likely to assist in our labours.’ A later entry on 27 May 1902 states, ‘Brother William Lindsay placed on local preachers’ plan for Battlehill.’” [Battlehill Church History, p. 110.] In his role as a local farmer, and a leader in the Methodist Church at Battlehill, life continued until 20 Oct. 1877 when Alice (aged 36) passed away. She was buried at the local Vinecash [pronounced VIN’-ee-kesh] Presbyterian Churchyard since the Methodist didn’t have a cemetery of their own. This site was also located very close to William’s farm house, which he had inherited from his parents. It appears that William did not like being alone for he was married again on 23 Jan. 1878. His new wife was Frances “Fannie” Livingston. She was born 23 March 1839, but she does not say where. In the 1901 Irish census, we find William and “Fanny” Lindsay, both listed as aged 62 and Methodists living in Ballintaggart (Richhill, Armagh). In this census she said she too was born in Co. Armagh. In the 1911 Irish census we find the same William and Fanny (ages 73 & 72) still listed as Methodists and still in Ballintaggart (Aghory, Armagh). Again, in this census too, Fannie said that she had been born in County Armagh. Between these two dates, William was visited at their old home by his brother Alexander who made many references in his journal to their discussions, including a variety of religious conversations. The following example is from an experience they shared shortly after Alexander arrived back in Ireland. Remember that William was the group leader of his Methodist Study group in Battlehill at this time. Sun. Nov. 13, 1904 -- Attended morning service at Battle hill, and in the eve. I had the privilede [sic] of speaking to the people. Wm. opened the meeting and then introduced his Bro. Elder Lindsay of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints and I may say that we had a spiritual feast. The Lord has greatly blessed me in all ways for which I am truly grateful. [ALJ p. 26] While the brothers loved each other, it seems apparent that Alexander took his LDS mission very seriously and wanted to convince William of the truthfulness of the restored gospel. It is also apparent that William was satisfied with his views and not interested in making any mighty change at that stage in his life. The close and loving feelings that existed between these two brothers for many years sadly began to be a bit strained as their religious conversations became more intense. Our Lindsay family is pretty well known for being very strong-minded and this eventually became a sensitive point between these two good men. William seems to have had two happy marriages, but was not blessed with children in either one. He passed away on 30 Dec. 1919; and was buried in the Vinecash Churchyard early in Jan. 1920. His widow, Fannie, continued to reside in the old Lindsay home until her passing on 7 Aug. 1923. She too was buried next to William and Alice. Their tombstone stands in a prominent location just outside the front door of the Vinecash Church. After Frances died, having no children, William’s family Bible, along with the Lindsay home and farm, were bequeathed to Fannie’s sister’s daughter, who had married a Mr. Glass. Today they are the property of her son, Mr. Wilson Glass. Lionel Nebeker at the Vinecash Presbyterian Church in Ballintaggart, Armagh, Ireland pointing to the grave-marker for William Lindsay and his two wives: Alice Morton & Frances Livingston. Mary Ann Lindsay--was born in 1841 (no actual date specified). At age 19 her name was listed as one of the members of the Battlehill Methodist Church, of which her father, John Lindsay, was then the Group Leader [Battlehill Church History p. 97]. She would have been about 25 years old when her father died in 1866, and so was old enough to be out on her own. There is a lot of missing information about her and her family, but the two census records give us a great deal of help in filling in some of the gaps. We will list those documents later, when we get to them in chronological order, but will just mention here that those provide the source information for the picture we are painting of this family from this point on until we begin to quote from Alex’s journal. Sometime around 1873-77 Mary Ann married a man by the name of Mr. Nugent (first name unknown) [ALJ p. 207]. She may have known him in her earlier years and may have married when he was on leave from the Army, as we believe he was a soldier. Shortly after their marriage they were posted to India, which was a part of the British Empire at that time and had a fairly large contingent of British soldiers stationed there. Together they had five children, only three of which survived to adulthood (to 1901). Because the three known children were born just 2-3 years apart, we suspect that the two who did not survive were probably at the very beginning of the family, or at the end. It is even possible that they may have been twins. Since Mary Ann was about 42 years old when the youngest known child was born, we tend to believe that the two missing children may well have been her first two. If that is the case, then she and Mr. Nugent probably married about 1874. If the first two children were born while the family was living in India, or just before going there, it is possible that they died there from some illness. Their known children were: Mary Elizabeth “Lizzie” Nugent b. 1878 in India. She was still single in the 1911 census. William Henry Nugent b. 1880 in Drumgoon, Co. Armagh. He was still single in 1911. Sarah Nugent b. 1883 in Drumgoon, Co. Armagh. Married Mr. Keely ~ 1903. The family retuned from India about 1879, not long after Alexander’s departure for for New Zealand, and settled in County Armagh. There was little need for soldiers in Armagh, so this probably indicates that he was discharged from the military at that time. It seems apparent that they wanted to settle down to the country life in the same county as Mary Ann’s family, and perhaps near his too. Here they had at least two of their children. However, Mr. Nugent then died sometime around 1883. We have found no specific record of him, but Mary Ann told the 1911 census taker that she had been married only 9 years, so there is a good likelihood that their marriage took place about 1874 and his death about 1883, when their youngest child was a tiny infant. He would have died then in County Armagh, Ireland. In the 1901 Irish census we find this family living at house 8 in Union Street in Portadown, Armagh where they were all listed as Methodists. Mary Ann was listed as being a widowed house keeper, aged 60 and the three children between ages 18-22 with the two girls as “Drawer in Factory” and the son was a weaver. In 1904 her brother, Alexander (age 48) came back to the land of his nativity. At that time, Mary Ann and William were the only two of Alex’s siblings still alive. She was 63 years old and William was 67. In his journal he makes several references to this sister and her three children, who by that time were mostly grown and ranged in age from 18 - 22. Alexander had not met any of these children before as they were living in India at the time he left Ireland to move to New Zealand in 1878. We quote now from his journal about a few of his experiences with this sister and her family. Sat. Nov. 26, 1904 -- ... Went out tracting, gave out 150 tracts, loaned one book, (Voice of Warning) to M. A. Nugent. Had a long gospel conversation with her and Lizzie then came home. Oh! by the way I seen Margery, and Ann Eliza, also another Sister. Am expecting Lizzie to come and take me to see Sarah and her husband. Kati, Lizzie came, and Elder Murphy and I went and see Mr. and Mrs. Keeley at their home. did not stay long... [ALJ p. 30-31] Note that this entry mentions, among others, his sister, M. A. Nugent, and her two daughters, Lizzie and Sarah. Sarah was already married by this date, and she was the “Mrs. Keeley” he visited. His journal contains a number of brief entries showing a warm conviviality and a joy to be reunited with his loved ones in his old home country. There are several examples of him visiting various family members such as these: Fri. Dec. 23, 1904 -- ... This eve. was visited by Wm. Nugent... [ALJ p. 39] Wed. March 8, 1905 -- ...Did not go out to day as I had a bad touch of the Catarrh [asthma]. In the even., Lizzie Nugent came to see how we were getting along. Had a good laughing time while she was here... [ALJ p. 65] Certainly one of the highlights of Alexander’s mission was recorded by him after living near his family for one full year and trying to share the gospel with each of them: Sun. Dec. 10, 1905 -- This morning found all the Elders ready for Con[ference]. Roy went and met Sis. Walker and Tommy, also Mr. and Mrs. Bell. I may say we had a very pleasant day. I spoke at the last meeting, and then Prest. [Heber J.] Grant preached the most powerful sermon I’ve ever heard. All feeling well (I forgot to mention that after coming down last evening there was a very successful Baptismal Service at the Ormcan baths. I had the privildgd of Baptizing four honest Souls, My sister being amongst the number, they were all my converts from Portadown and it has given me great cause for rejoicing. I baptized them in the following order Mr. Lonsdale, Mrs. L[onsdale], Mrs. Nugent and Mrs. Vennard. Prest. Rowe also Baptized five, three children and two young girls.) The converts were confirmed on Sun. morning, with the exception of Sis.rs Vennard and Nugent. I confirmed [my] Sis and Sis. Lonsdale... and all’s well. [ALJ p. 155] Shortly after this experience Alexander was transfered to England and was only able to communicate with his family by mail thereafter. In the 1911 Irish census we find this family living in house 14 Union Street, Portadown, Armagh. [Note that this may have been the same house as where they lived ten years earlier. The houses were not numbered, but merely reflect the order in which the census taker visited each house. So, in 1901 he visited their house as the 8th house enumerated on that street, whereas in 1911 theirs was the 14th house visited.] In this census more information was provided: Surname Forename Age Sex Relationship Religion Birthplace Occupation Mar status Nugent Mary Ann 70 F Head Methodist Armagh -- widow Nugent Elizabeth 36 F Dau. “ East Indies Linnen weaver S Nugent William Henry 31 M Son “ Armagh Linnen weaver S Keely Sarah 5 F Grd dau. “ Armagh Scholar S In addition to the above information, there is a note that Mary Ann had been married for only 9 years; had born 5 children, 3 of whom were still living. Note that her daughter Sarah Nugent was no longer living with her, but now she has a “Grand-daughter” Sarah Keely -- age 5. Since her other daughter, Elizabeth “Lizzie”, was still shown as a “Nugent” this would seem to indicate that Mary Ann’s youngest daughter, Sarah Nugent, had married a man by the name of Mr. Keely” and had this girl--born about 1906. Remember too that Alexander referred to his niece as Mrs. Keeley. It is unknown where little Sarah Keely’s parents were living but the mother’s record states that she still had three living children at this time, so perhaps little Sarah was just visiting her grandmother at that time. However, a search for a grown, Mrs. Sarah Keely/Keeley, using a variety of spellings, did not turn up anyone who would match Mary Ann’s daughter. Note too that they listed their religion as “Methodists”. If this is correct, at least for Mary Ann, then it would have been a disappointment for Alexander, but in the eternities his temple work for his family will yet prevail. We do not know of Elizabeth or William ever marrying, and we do not know what became of little Sarah, but it is possible that she had a family of her own with descendants somewhere today. Our family records indicated that Mary Ann died about 1910, but it is apparent from the 1911 census that she was still alive at that time. But, at age 70 then, she probably did not last too much longer. She was likely buried somewhere in Portadown. Thomas Lindsay -- was born 30 May 1843. All we know about this boy is that he did not live to maturity. In his journal, where Alex gives his family’s genealogy, he mentions this brother only three times. By two of those entries he gives his birth date but no death date. And on the third entry he gives no date at all. At one of those entries, he lists his name with the endearing childhood name of “Tommy”. [ALJ p. 204, 208, 209]. In the New.FamilySearch.com a death date is shown for this man of 1852. I do not know where this date came from, but it is probably about right. At that time Thomas would have been just nine years old and that is thought to be about correct. It does not appears that Alex ever knew this older brothers and that he had died prior to Alex’s birth in 1856. Elizabeth Lindsay -- was born on the family farm in Ballintaggart sometime in 1846. Her name was listed on the 1860 roll of members in the Battlehill Methodist Church when she was just 14 years old. Her father, John Lindsay was the Group Leader at that time [Battlehill Church History p. 97]. The only other information we have for this woman comes from two entries in Alex’s journal that merely state: Elizabeth Lindsay died April 12th, 1868, aged 22 [ALJ p. 69]. Elizabeth Lindsay Born 1846 Died April 12, 1868 Aged 22 yrs. [ALJ p. 208] She was still a young woman at that time and one wonders what happened to end her life while just entering her prime. This death occurred just about one and a half years after the death of her father. Alex would have been about twelve years old when this sister died but unfortunately, he did not record any of her history. Alex may have been away from home with his soldier brother at this time and not known too much about her demise. Dorothy Lindsay -- was born 10 Oct. 1848. She was the 6th child of John & Mary Donaghy Lindsay. We are quite sure this is the correct birth date for her, but there is a bit of confusion on this date from Alex’s journal. In four different places he gives information on her birth, death and age, and these do not all match. Here is the information as he presents it: Dorothy Holmes Died Feb. 14th 1882 Aged 31 years [ALJ p. 69] Dorothy Lindsay Born Oct. 10th 1848 [ALJ p. 204] Dorothy Holmes Died Feb. 14, 1882 Aged 31 yrs; Born Jan. 20, 1851 [ALJ p. 207] Dorothy Lindsay Holmes Born Oct. 10, 1848 Died Feb. 14, 1882 Aged 31 yrs [ALJ p. 208] The three death dates always match, and in each one he says she was 31 years old when she died. But in the third item above [p. 207] he gives a different birth date than in the other two. If this one were correct, then she would have been 31 years old at the time of her death. But the other two entries for her birth [p. 204 and 208] both specifically show the date of 10 Oct. 1848, and if that date is correct then she would have been 33 plus. So that adds some uncertainty to the dates. To help clarify this, we note that the next younger sibling, John Lindsay, was born in the middle of 1851, so it does not seem likely that Dorothy would have been born just six months earlier in that same year. This gives us more confidence in the 10 Oct. 1848 date for her birth, which means that she would have been just past her 33 birthday at the time of her death on 14 Feb. 1882. In the 1860 roll for the members of the Battlehill Methodist Church, Dorothy Lindsay’s name appears as a member of the group that was led by her father, John Lindsay. She would have been about 12 years old and was the youngest member of this family to be listed on the roll. [Battlehill Methodist Church p. 98] Dorothy grew up in the Lindsay home in Ballintaggart on the Loughgall Road with her other siblings. Based upon the 1848 year of her birth, she would have been about 17 when her mother died and about 18 when her father died. This was still very young but old enough to be better prepared to cope with the new existence of life without parents. Her sister Elizabeth was just two years older and we do not know where these two girls went, but suspect they probably went to live with their oldest sister, Sarah Tinman, who was already married and more established. Some time between about 1870-72 Dorothy married John Holmes. He was born about 1849, in County Armagh, Ireland. They settled not very far (to the SW) from the Lindsay farm, where their first child, William Holmes, was born on 4 September 1873 in Drumard, Armagh. He was almost two years old when he was christened in the Vinecash Presbyterian Church on 21 July 1875. This delay gave rise to some confusion about his age later in life, and in the census records of 1901 & 1911. There is a record in the Vinecash Church of a second child for this couple. Joseph Holmes was christened there on 21 Feb. 1878. His age at that time is not known but it is possible that he too may have been anywhere up to two years old. No other record has been found for this little boy and we presume that he did not live to maturity. Dorothy’s marriage may have taken place while Alexander was away as a soldier in the British Army, but he married and returned to this area in time to know Dorothy’s two little boys when they were very young. In fact, Alex’s oldest son, Wilson Keysell Lindsay, was born in the town of Loughgall (just a few miles to the west of Battintaggart) on 24 Aug. 1878, and would have been fairly close in age to Dorothy’s younger son--Joseph; and her son, William, would have been about five years old in that year. But, Alexander departed later that same year for New Zealand and did not see his sister again in this life. There must have been a closeness between Alex and Dorothy as he later gave that name to one of his daughters. Early on, the Holmes family moved to the townland of Clonroot, which is immediately adjacent to, on the west side of, Battlehill, which is adjacent to, and on the west side of, Ballintaggart, so they were very close to the rest of the family. There is no record of Dorothy having any more children. As listed above, Dorothy passed away on 14 Feb. 1882, at 33 years of age. Her oldest son, William would have been only about eight and a half years old; and we do not know if Joseph was still living or if he had previously died. Her husband, John Holmes lived for another 16 years and died there on 21 Oct. 1898, probably still in Clonroot. We do not know of any second marriage for John. Alexander Lindsay’s journal contains the following entry, which he would have been given by his brother, William: John Holmes Died Oct. 21st 1898 Aged 49 years. [ALJ p. 69] In the 1901 Irish census we found no entry for any Joseph Holmes in County Armagh. However, we did find the entry for William, the son of Dorothy and John Holmes, noting that he was living in the 23rd house enumerated in Clonroot, Kilmore parish, County Armagh. Holmes, William age 26, Male, Methodist, born in Co. Amagh, occupation--Mason, not married. Upon his return to Ireland as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1904-5, Alexander Lindsay visited with his brother William, and his sister, Mary Ann, to get caught up on all the changes that had occurred while he was away in New Zealand, and in Oregon, over the past 26 years. He recorded a lot of the family genealogy in his journal, as has been quoted here. While he was surely saddened to miss most of his siblings, he did get a chance to rekindle some relationships with the next generation, including his nephew, William Holmes. While Alex has several entries briefly mentioning seeing William, or sending him a post card, etc. we will here enter a few entries that show that Alex and William developed quite a close relationship after being parted for so many years. Sat. 24 Dec. 1904 -- This was quite a busy day in Portadown everyone getting ready for Xmas. Made the acquaintance of Willie Holmes, my Sister Dolly’s son. He’s a bright young man. Gave him some tracts, also a book, “That Mormon,” “Rays of living Light”... [ALJ p. 39] Sat. 18 Feb. 1905 -- ... Willie Holmes also paid me a visit. He is quite amusing, a Poet, or rather Rhymster, if you please. [ALJ p. 58] Sun. 26 Mar. 1905 -- Another Sabath [sic] day... It being the first Sunday in the month we all fasted and prepared ourselves for our meeting at Clonroot... Gave out 62 tracts there being about 70 people in attendance. I think they will let me preach once a month if all goes well. After coming back to Clonroot Mrs. Hewitt had a nice supper for us all. Had some Gospel conversation. Mr. John Stanley taking sides with me, and after bidding good Mrs. Hewitt and family good bye, we started on our return to Portadown Accompanied part of the way by Mr. Stanley and Mr. Willie Holmes my Sister Dollie’s Son, arriving here about 11 O’c pretty tired but highly elated at the successful termination of my first meeting with the people of Conroot. [ALJ p 64] Fri. 10 Mar. 1905 -- ... Willie Holmes came and stayed quite a while. My fame as a preach has gone abroad thru the country since the meeting at Clonroot. Most of the people are pleased with my preaching but some are not. [ALJ p. 65] Sat. 11 Mar. 1905 -- This morning is quite stormy and consequently my Catarrh is no better. shall stay in until I feel better. Willie Holmes came in again to see me and get the tune Beautiful Zion, of which he’s greatly enamoured. He Kept us laughing all the time he was here... [ALJ p. 65] Sun. 14 May 1905 -- This morning my companion and I went out as far as Clonroot to pay our promised visit to Willie Holmes. Was well entertained by him and his neighbours Mr. and Mrs. Breen. They could not do enough for us. We sung some Hyms [sic] and they thot them just grand. On our starting for home Willie and Mr. Breen came along the road part of the way. We then bid them good bye coming on with their invitation ringing in our ears to be sure and come again which we promised to do if possible. [ALJ p. 84] Tue. 16 May 1905 -- ... Willie Holmes came by this even. and we had quite a time singing and telling stories. He is coming to Conference... [ALJ p. 85] Sun. 11 June 1905 -- Another Saboth [sic] day, going out as far as Clonroot, and I may say we all spent a very enjoyable time. Willie Holmes had his house very nice and everything prepared for our reception. Elder Passey shewed the views 14 times, lecturing on the same. Everyone seemed to be very pleased with all they saw and voted the Mormon people to be good. We spent a very enjoyable day... Willie Holmes and Mr. Donaldson came about half the way home with us and after bidding them good bye, came on arr. at 10-10 p.m. feeling nice and tired and also happy... [ALJ p. 92] Shortly after this last visit with William Holmes, Alexander was transferred to England for the remainder of his mission. There can be no doubt that Alexander and William shared a close bond between Uncle and Nephew throughout that year together. And, while William was satisfied with his Methodist religion, he was open-minded and seemed to genuinely enjoy his visits with his uncle learning of his beliefs. It is also obvious that William had a great sense of humor. In the 1911 Irish census we find William still living alone in the 19th house enumerated in Clonroot, Kilmore Parish, Co. Armagh as follows: Holmes, William age 35 Male Methodist Born in Co. Armagh Bricklayer Single. Although William Holmes was still single in the 1911 census, he did eventually marry on 3 March 1920, in Ahorey, Co., Armagh, Ireland to Margaret Edgar, the daughter of Thomas Edgar. William was 46 and a half years old when he married, and his wife, Margaret was 20. [Information on this family was provided in a series of letters to this author from Stephen Armstrong, who is the husband of Wiliam’s granddaughter, Sharon Newell Armstrong. Letters dating from Oct. 2011 -- Dec. 2011.] From this marriage William had five children [ibid] Jack Holmes born 1921 in Clonroot; died without having any family. Agnes Holmes born 17 Mar. 1923 in Clonroot; still living in Clonroot as of 2012. Thomas Holmes born abt. 1927 in Clonroot; died in the 1970’s Lily Holmes born Feb 1932 in Clonroot; md Jimmy Keegan. Still living Rita Holmes born abt 1940 in Clonroot; md George Quinn; now living in Troon, Scotland. William was 49 years old when Agnes was born. We do not have a specific date for his death at this time. Nor do we have a date for the death of his wife, Margaret Edgar Holmes. It does not appear that their son, Jack, had any family. Agnes Holmes grew up in Clonroot townland, next to Battlehill and eventually married Mr. William Newell (who was born 11 Aug. 1908) and they had two children : William Newell Jr. born 1960 in Clonroot; married Janette Dudas and they have two children: Melissa Newell Andrew Newall Sharon Newell born 1963 in Clonroot. Sharon married Stephen Armstrong and they have no children. They still live in Clonroot today in the same house that William Holmes occupied during his life, and they are members of the Battlehill Methodist Church. They were a joy to meet and have been very helpful in providing additional information on this line of the family. In an email from Stephen Armstrong we learned the following: “Agnes Newell (nee Holmes)’s fathers name was William Holmes. On Wiliam Holmes Birth certificate it says: 4th Sept. 1873, Location: townland Dromard Jones. [His] Fathers name [was] John Holmes, location Dromard Jones, profession -- weaver. “Mothers name Dorothy Holmes -- formerly Lindsay (Dromard Jones -- I’m assuming its present day name is spelt (Drumard). “On William Holmes wedding certificate it states: [married] 3rd March 1920, William Holmes, 41 years old, Bachelor, Bricklayer, from the townland of Clonroot, fathers name John Holmes, profession, Mason. Married to -- Margaret Edgar, 20 years old, spinster, domestic servant, from Aghory (present day spelling Ahorey, Parish of Kilmore) -- fathers name Thomas Edgar -- profession, Farmer.” [ibid] William Holmes (50), son Jack (2), daughter Agnes (infant), and wife, Margaret Edgar Holmes (24) Photo taken in late 1923 as Agnes was born 17 March 1923. It seems apparent to this author that William Holmes has a Lindsay family resemblance. This William was a first cousin to Annie Helen Lindsay Nebeker and to Lionel Lindsay. 2 Oct. 2011 Lindsay descendants gather at the Battlehill Methodist Church where our common ancestor, John Lindsay, served as “Group Leader” in the 1860s. Left to right: Jolyn Nebeker Atwood, Sharon Newell Armstrong (3rd cousins--Sharon is the daughter of Agnes), Agnes Holmes Newell (in the center, is a 2nd cousin to Vern Nebeker--she is the daughter of William Holmes, who was the son of Dorothy Lindsay Holmes), Lionel Nebeker, Marcole Nebeker John Lindsay--born 20 June 1851 in Ballingtaggart, at the Lindsay home. Very little has been recorded for this man. He was five years older than Alexander, leaving quite a gap before that last child. He would have been 14 years old when his mother died, and 15 when his father died. We do not know what he did thereafter. It is possible that his older brother, William, who at that time was serving in the British Army, could have taken him with him and Alice, to his various military assignments, as he did the younger brother, Alex, but there is no specific mention of that happening. At age 15, it is also possible that he was thought old enough to be apprenticed out on his own, but again, this too is speculative. Alex gives the following three brief statements of this brother’s birth and death in his journal: John Lindsay Born June 20th 1851. [ALJ p. 205] Death Records from Lurgan: My Bro. John Lindsay Died May 30th 1886, age 34. Disease Consumption. [ALJ p. 207] John Lindsay Born (no date given) Died May 30, 1886, Aged 34 Yrs. [ALJ p. 208] Consumption was a terrible disease, known today as Tuberculosis. Typically sufferers were sent to hospitals or sanatoriums that were set up for the purpose of treating these terminally ill patients until they died. There is no indication that John ever had a wife or children. We suspect that his was a difficult life. His death would have occurred while Alex was already living in New Zealand, so he may have first learned of it in a letter from home. Alexander leaves us only one other comment about his brother in his journal: “Wed. 18 Oct. 1905 -- Another fine cold day. Visited my Sister [Mary Ann] and had a good talk with her about her baptism. Then came and had dinner and again tried my luck at Lurgan and succeeded in my endeavour [sic] to secure my Bro. John’s date of Death, also my Uncle Robert Lindsay’s and came home quite contented with myself, for if all’s well I can now do something for them that they can’t do for themselves.” [ALJ p. 141] Alexander Lindsay--was born 19 Aug. 1856 in Ballintaggart, Co., Armagh, Ireland. Quite a bit has been written about the great man in other places, particularly in the biography written about him by his son-in-law, Harold Ansell. That bio was written during Alex’s life time and with his first-hand knowledge, and read at their 50th Wedding Celebration in LaGrande, Oregon in 1926--a copy of this bio has been posted in the Lindsay “book” on this website. Only a very cursory overview will be written here. As has been mentioned several times already, Alex was the youngest of eight children born to John Lindsay and Mary Donaghy. He was nine years old when his mother died and ten when his father died. His older brother, William, who was then serving in the British Army took Alex to live with him and his first wife, Alice Morton. Together, they went to a military post in eastern Canada, location not specified but may have been Montreal. From there they were posted to a spot in the Caribbean, again the specific location was not mentioned. After returning to Ireland, and probably with the discharge of William from the Army, Alexander then enlisted for his own tour. He first served near Kidderminster, England, where he met another young, orphan, by the name of Mary Keysell. They fell in love, but Alex was shipped off to West Africa to fight in the Ashanti War. This engagement was not of a long duration (and a brief summary of England’s involvement in that war can be found in the military records section of this web-site for Alexander Lindsay). Upon his return from Africa, Alex received a discharge from the army, married Mary Keysell in Cleobury, Mortimer, Shropshire, England on 23 Nov. 1876. They then moved back to his home in Ballintaggart to work the family farm with William. William’s first wife, Alice, had just died in Oct. 1877, and William married his second wife, Fannie, in Jan. 1878. The home did not accommodate two families, so Alex and Mary rented a home in Loughgall, where their first child, Wilson Keysell Lindsay, was born on 24 Aug. 1878. However, Alex had already realized that the farm would not support two families. Due to recent Maori up-risings in New Zealand, England was offering exceptional deals for anyone willing to go to that far off country to settle and to homestead. Alex and Mary decided to take England up on that offer, and out of gratitude for raising him, he deeded over to William, and interest he had in the farm. So, in the fall of 1878, with their baby just a few weeks old, Alex and Mary set sail on an old sailing vessel, which went south around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, and then eastward to New Zealand. It was said that poor Mary was sick every day of the entire journey. They Lindsays homesteaded land in their new country and from time to time traded up for larger tracts until they eventually bought 640 acres of land near Towai, Bay of Islands, on the North Island. Here Alex and his sons worked to clear the land and where they built up a large herd of dairy and beef cattle. The Lindsay had twelve children in total, with Annie Helen (the grandmother of this author) being their third child and first girl. In 1897 missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came to this area and eventually the Lindsays were taught the gospel and were baptized into this church. In 1901, 2-years old little Gertrude Lindsay, their youngest daughter at that time, was burned to death in a tragic house fire. She was buried in the Towai cemetery near their home. Two years later, their youngest child, Winnefred Elizabeth was born in Feb. 1903. At this time the family decided to pack up again and move either to Canada (which had left a very positive impression on Alex many years ago, as a young boy) or else to settle in Oregon, in the USA (of which they had heard positive things but had not ever seen). In May the family left their friends and home and boarded a ship for North America. This was a powered steam ship, but still Mary was sick every day of the voyage. They arrived in LaGrande, Oregon later in May and decided to stay there for the rest of their lives. After paying the fare for his large family, Alex still had sufficient money to buy a mountain ranch and set up a dairy herd, as well as to have a valley ranch location, and another mountain cabin and saw mill. But, after just one year in this new home, Alex was “called” by the LDS Church to leave his family and return to the land of his nativity to share the gospel with others. He spent the first year of that mission (1904-1905) in County Armagh, where he taught and baptized many people, including his sister, Mary Ann Nugent. He then was transferred for the second year (1905-1906) to Shropshire County, England, where he was able to teach and baptize one of Mary’s sisters. After returning home to LaGrande, Alex and Mary had a wonderful life together watching their children grow up, marry and raise children of their own. in 1926 they celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary together. Alex passed away on 16 Dec. 1930 and lies buried in the Hillcrest Cemetery in LaGrande. His wife, Mary, survived him by about five years, passing away on 8 Mar. 1936 and lies buried next to him. Children of Alexander Lindsay and Mary Keysell: Wilson Keysell b. 24 Aug 1878 Loughgall, Armagh, Ireland; d. 1954 LaGrande, Oregon Walter Alexander b. 20 Aug 1880 Kamo, Marsden, Whangarei, NZ; d. 1961 Salt Lake, UT Annie Helen b. 8 June 1882 Otonga, Whangarei, NZ; d. 1952 LaGrande, OR William McAllister b. 26 July 1884 Otonga Whangarei, NZ; d. 1955 Tucson, AZ Alfred Owen b. 18 July 1886 Otonga, Whangarei, NZ; d. 1945 LaGrande, OR Mildred b. 27 Sep 1888 Otonga, Whangarei, NZ; d. 1963 CA Dorothy May b. 20 Oct 1890 Towai, Bay of Islands, NZ; d. 1973 UT Coral b. 17 Sep 1892 Towai, Bay of Islands, NZ; d. 1920 LaGrande, OR John Edwin b. 22 Nov 1894 Towai, Bay of Islands, NZ; d. 1961 Walla Walla, WA Lionel b. 7 Aug 1896 Towai, Bay of Islands, NZ; d. 1975 Pocatello, Idaho Mary Gertrude b. 9 Oct 1899 Towai, Bay of Islands, NZ; d. 1901 Towai, NZ Winnefred Elizabeth b. 15 Feb 1903 Towai, Bay of Islands, NZ: d. 1981 Pasadena, CA From the eight children (four daughters and four sons) of John Lindsay and Mary Donaghy, they had about nineteen known grandchildren. Of John & Mary’s four sons, capable of passing the Lindsay name on to their posterity, only their youngest, Alexander, had any children at all. He in turn had six daughters and six sons, but of all those sons, only his youngest one, Lionel, has any male posterity today to continue the Lindsay name. Currently there are over one thousand living descendants of John & Mary Lindsay, but fewer than a dozen who carry on the honored name of Lindsay. Mary Keysell and Alexander Lindsay Wedding photo -- 1876 England Alexander Lindsay Mary Keysell The Lindsay family on their farm in Towai, NZ -- 1901 Parents seated in front: Mary Keysell & Alexander Lindsay 2nd row: Wilson Keysell, Annie Helen, Mary Gertrude, Walter. 3rd row: Alfred Owen, Coral, Mildred, Dorothy, William. Back row: Lionel & John Edwin. Not yet born: WInnefred (b. 1903) LDS Missionaries serving in Northern Ireland 10 Dec. 1905 Alexander is in the back row on the far right end. Heber J. Grant, an Apostle of the LDS Church, is seated in the middle row, 3rd from the left. Alexander Lindsay

Children of

John Lindsay & Mary Donaghy

Ballintaggart, Armagh, Ireland

Lionel Nebeker

2012

John Lindsay was the oldest son of William Lindsay, Jr. and Sarah Wilkinson, and as such, he inherited their home and farm on the Loughgall Road, about three miles west of Portadown, Armagh, Ireland, in the Townland of Ballintaggart. He married Mary Donaghy, the daughter of Thomas Donaghy and Ann Weir, sometime about 1835-36. Together they had eight children who were born and raised on the old Lindsay farm in this townland. Then, Mary died on 11 Nov. 1865; and her husband, John Lindsay followed her less than a year later, on 23 Sep 1866. At the time of John’s death, his youngest child, Alexander, was just ten years old, with the others ranging from his age, up to Sarah, age 29. The two oldest children were married prior to the deaths of their parents, but for the younger ones, this was a true tragedy.

In this segment, we will try to provide the information we have found for each of these children. Much of this information comes from Alexander Lindsay’s Journal which he kept when he returned to the place of his birth on a two years mission (1904-1906) for the LDS Church and will be referred to as “ALJ” {The Alexander Lindsay Journals 1903-1906, transcribed by Larry E. Hibbert & Lynette B. Hibbert, and published privately by Larry E. Hibbert, Sugar City, Idaho 1997. Alexander was the youngest child of John & Mary Donaghy Linday.

Sarah Lindsay--born 1837, was the oldest child of this family. She married Edward Tinman (date unknown but probably between 1860-64) {ALJ p. 208}. According to family records (from Alexander Lindsay, a brother to this woman) she had two children:

Sarah Tinman, born 1865 in County Armagh, Ireland = married William Hinton

son Tinman (no name given, nor any birth date).

{The information on this son of Sarah’s comes from Alexander’s journal. It merely refers to Alex meeting this man’s wife, so it is evident that he grew to maturity and was married -- see his journal entry of Sep. 9, 1905 ALJ p. 127 -- quoted below.}

An entry in the New.FamilySearch.Org shows Sarah’s death as “1917”. But we are not sure where this date came from either. In his missionary journal of 1905, Alexander talks of meetings with her daughter, but never mention this sister at all. If she were still living at the time of his return, she would have been about 67 years old. I suspect that she died sometime prior to Alexander’s mission in 1904, and it appears her husband probably did too.

A search of the 1901 and 1911 Irish Census records did not produce any members of this Tinman family. Alexander said that Edward Tinman had a brother named Thomas Tinman, but nothing can be found in the Irish census for him either, although it is clear from Alex’s journal that this Thomas Tinman was still alive in 1905.

In the 1911 Irish census there were only three Tinman families listed (by that spelling). Again, none of these listed an Edward or Thomas. However, one of these family was living in Ballintaggart, in the very same area where our ancestors lived. This was a 25 years old man named William John Tinman; his wife, Anna Eliza (age 27); and two sons: John (4) and Earnest (1) -- See the Irish census records on the Internet at www.census.nationalarchives.ie. We know of no connection of this family to our Tinmans but with them being in the same small community there is likely some tie in some place. It may be possible that this man could have been Sarah’s son listed above with no name. But if so the age of 25 is probably understated. His wife is listed as being 27, so if this man were really more like 29, then he might have been married six years earlier when Alex was there on his mission. We just cannot tell from the information available to us at this time.

Also, in the 1860 record of the Battlehill Methodist Church there was a Conway Tinman (Battlehill: A Local History, A Church History, by Valerie Ruddell and William Newell, Ruddell Press, Portadown, 2000 -- p. 97. For future references this book will be referred as “Battlehill Church History”). No other Tinmans were found in the area at that time other than this man. The Battlehill Methodist Church was the one attended by John & Mary Lindsay. In fact, in 1860, John Lindsay was the “leader” of this congregation. It seems probable that this Conway Tinman might have been related to Edward Tinman, who was living in this same area at that time--perhaps a brother; or perhaps even the same man by a another name. No other reference has been found for any of these three Tinman men--Edward, Thomas or Conway.

Excerpts from Alex’s journal follow with comments from this writer added in [ ] below:

Sunday, Sep. 10, 1905 --This morn after dressing I went to meet my Niece [this would be Sarah Tinman Hinton, who was then living in Belfast, and was the daughter of Sarah Lindsay Tinman] at the 9 O’c train and her two children, bringing them home to breakfast, and then went on to M. A. Nugents’s [Mary Ann Lindsay Nugent--another sister of Alexandar Lindsay who was then living in Portadown], talked some time and then proceeded out as far as Wm’s [Alex’s older brother, William Lindsay] calling in on the way to see Mr. Tom. Tinman [brother of Edward Tinman and a brother-in-law of Sarah Lindsay Tinman] ... And so passed the day by me making friends of more than my niece, for her Uncle Tom listened to me for quite a while and I think I opened his eyes some in regard to Mormonism. {ALJ p. 128}

Friday, Sep. 29, 1905 -- ... Well I came on as far as Mr. Tinman’s and called in and seen my Niece Mrs. Hinton, and dear little Annie, and Mr. Tinman [Thomas Tinman--brother of Edward] and his daughter made me feel at home and asked me to call every time I could. {ALJ p. 134}

The only known child of Sarah Lindsay Tinman was her daughter, Sarah Tinman who married William Hinton and was the “niece” that Alexander met while on his mission, as referred to above. She was born in 1865 and married about 1893 to William Hinton (born 1869). In his journal, Alexander mentions her husband, and two of her children, Edward and Annie.

In the 1901 Irish census for house 197 in Matilda Street, St. George’s Ward, Belfast, Antrim, Ireland, we find the family of:

William Hinton age 32 Male Head of family Church of England

Sarah Hinton age 36 Female Wife Church of England

Eddie Hinton age 6 Male Son Church of England

Annie Hinton age - Female Dau Church of England

In the 1911 Irish census, in house 8 in Burnaby Street, St. Anne’s Ward, Antrim) we find this same family, but listed as follows:

William Hinton age 40 Male Head of family Church of Ireland

Sarah Hinton age 40 Female Wife Church of Ireland

Edward Hinton age 16 Male Son Church of Ireland

Annie Hinton age 10 Female Dau Church of Ireland

Sarah E. Hinton age 3 Female Dau Church of Ireland

It is clear that they had another daughter, born about 1908, after Alexander returned home from his mission, and she was therefore not mentioned in his journal. Here are some additional excepts from Alex’s journal regarding his niece and her Hinton family. This first one starts with Alexander arriving in Belfast via a boat from Scotland:

Friday, Sep. 8, 1905 -- Got ready for Belfast leaving Beith by the 2-55 train for Ardrossan. Arr. at 1 O’c getting on board the S. S. Vulture and having quite a stormy passage. The usual vessel, the Adder had broken down and it was a blessing for us for the Vulture is a much better vessel. After arr. at the Belfast docks I went to the Office and finding the boys [missionaries] out, went and hunted up Elder Scott and found my Niece, Mrs. Wm. Hinton of No. 6 Veinice St. off Grosvenor Rd. Made their acquaintance and promised to pay them a visit on the day following. They were pleased to see me and made me very welcome. Mr. Hinton is in a good way of doing being an Ingine [sic] fitter...

Sat., Sep. 9, 1905 -- Accompanied by Elder Scott I paid my promised visit to my new found Niece [Sarah Tinman Hinton]. He and I preached 3 hours to them and they were much taken up with our doctrine. Her Bro’s. wife was there and a very nice young woman she proved herself to be. Went and seen him [this “him” as probably William Hinton as he was an engineer--but it is possible that Alex is referring to his unnamed nephew] at his Engine, being an engine driver between Belfast and Dublin. After being introduced to the young ladies Mother [this would be Alex’s nephew’s mother-in-law] and having a general good time, I bade them adieu, with the understanding that I meet Sarah at the Station on the following day and escorted her out as far as Wm’s [his brother’s place]... {ALJ p. 127}

Sun. Oct. 8, 1905 -- ... Little Eddie Hinton [age about 10] just alls in on me just now. He’s on a visit to his Aunt Mrs. McKeown. Eddie’s something like my own of that name. He’s my Niece Mrs. Hinton’s little boy from Belfast. He puts [me] in mind of Eddie Lindsay very much.

Mon. Oct. 9, 1905 -- No letter this morning, so I went out and visited my Sis. [Mary Ann Lindsay Nugent] ... I got a letter from Mrs. Hinton asking me to bring Eddy with me to Belfast tomorrow, so I got supper and went out into the country to tell the folks, and they treated me fine and asked me to call as often as I passed. They also promised to have Eddy ready in time for the 10 O’c train...

Tue. Oct. 10, 1905 -- After breakfast Eddy Hinton came and he and I started for Belfast... {ALJ p. 138}

This is all that we have been able to find for Sarah Lindsay’s and her daughter’s families.

William Lindsay--born 6 April 1838 in Ballintaggart was the oldest son in the family. We do not know much about his early life, but he seemed to be a religious young man and involved in the Methodist religious study groups from an early age. At some point William joined the British Army. The dates of his enlistment and discharge are unknown to us. However many young men enlisted around the age of eighteen. If William had done so, that would have been around 1857. We know from a family Bible that he purchase, probably around the time of his first marriage, that he was located in the “Channel Islands, Jersey” at the time of his marriage on 4 Aug. 1859, at the age of twenty. For a young many from County Armagh, Ireland, there would not seem to be any reason for him to find himself in Jersey (just off of the French coast) unless he was serving in the army at that time. From a page in that Bible (see copy below) it appears that he lists himself as:

W. Lindsay C Lieut. H.M. [Her Majesty’s] 1 / 15th Regt. {Not absolutely certain of his military rank}

At this time, William married a young woman by the name of Alice Morton. Since the wedding seems to have taken place in Jersey it is not clear how, or where, these young people met. Her name is certainly English, and perhaps she was the daughter of an English soldier who was also stationed there. No date or place was given for Alice’s birth in their Bible. But, on the second page, as shown below, it mentioned that Alice died on 20 Oct. 1877, after living with her husband for 18 years, two months, and sixteen days, aged 36 yrs. This would seem to indicate that she was about 18 years old at the time of their marriage. Note too that William was careful about recording this entry just one day after her death. Note too the difference in hand-writing, where his second wife, Frances “Fannie” Livingston, recorded their marriage on 23 Jan. 1878, and ultimately, his death.

Photo copies of pages from the Family Bible of William Lindsay.

Note that Alexander’s journal [p. 208] says that William was born April 6, 1839,

and we have used that date in our family records and for temple work.

But notice above where William records his own birthdate as 6 April 1838.

This Bible is now in the possession of Wilson Glass, Grandnephew of Fannie Livingston Lindsay.

Copies provided by Vern Lindsay after his visit to the old Lindsay farm.

With William being married in Jersey in 1859, he seems to have remained in the military for the next several years, and was probably still serving as a soldier at the time that his parents died--mother in 1865, and father in 1866. We’re not sure where he was stationed during those years. But his younger brother, Alex, in future years, shared with his family that following the deaths of his parents, he then accompanied William as he was posted to Eastern Canada--the location was not specified but could have been Montreal, or Toronto; and thereafter to another British post in the Caribbean Sea--again, the specific location was not mentioned, nor was the duration of those tours. Alexander did not mention whether his next older brother, John, also accompanied them to these locations, but it seems logical that William may have informally adopted both of these two younger brothers; and his older, married sister, Sarah, may have taken in her two youngest sisters following their parents’ deaths. This is speculation, other than we know that Alex spent the next several years living with his brother, and traveling wherever his military career took them.

Eventually William, Alice and Alex returned home where they took up farming on their old home site. At age 18, Alexander joined the British Army in his own right, and left home with a grateful heart for all his older brother had done for him. William remained in Ballintaggart where he became a leader in the local Battlehill Methodist Church group.

“It is recorded in the minute book of the Portadown Local Preachers’ Meeting date 12 October 1876, that ‘Brother Lindsay of Ballintaggart, having held meetings at Battlehill, his name was introduced as a person likely to assist in our labours.’ A later entry on 27 May 1902 states, ‘Brother William Lindsay placed on local preachers’ plan for Battlehill.’” [Battlehill Church History, p. 110.]

In his role as a local farmer, and a leader in the Methodist Church at Battlehill, life continued until 20 Oct. 1877 when Alice (aged 36) passed away. She was buried at the local Vinecash [pronounced VIN’-ee-kesh] Presbyterian Churchyard since the Methodist didn’t have a cemetery of their own. This site was also located very close to William’s farm house, which he had inherited from his parents.

It appears that William did not like being alone for he was married again on 23 Jan. 1878. His new wife was Frances “Fannie” Livingston. She was born 23 March 1839, but she does not say where.

In the 1901 Irish census, we find William and “Fanny” Lindsay, both listed as aged 62 and Methodists living in Ballintaggart (Richhill, Armagh). In this census she said she too was born in Co. Armagh.

In the 1911 Irish census we find the same William and Fanny (ages 73 & 72) still listed as Methodists and still in Ballintaggart (Aghory, Armagh). Again, in this census too, Fannie said that she had been born in County Armagh.

Between these two dates, William was visited at their old home by his brother Alexander who made many references in his journal to their discussions, including a variety of religious conversations. The following example is from an experience they shared shortly after Alexander arrived back in Ireland. Remember that William was the group leader of his Methodist Study group in Battlehill at this time.

Sun. Nov. 13, 1904 -- Attended morning service at Battle hill, and in the eve. I had the privilede [sic] of speaking to the people. Wm. opened the meeting and then introduced his Bro. Elder Lindsay of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints and I may say that we had a spiritual feast. The Lord has greatly blessed me in all ways for which I am truly grateful. [ALJ p. 26]

While the brothers loved each other, it seems apparent that Alexander took his LDS mission very seriously and wanted to convince William of the truthfulness of the restored gospel. It is also apparent that William was satisfied with his views and not interested in making any mighty change at that stage in his life. The close and loving feelings that existed between these two brothers for many years sadly began to be a bit strained as their religious conversations became more intense. Our Lindsay family is pretty well known for being very strong-minded and this eventually became a sensitive point between these two good men.

William seems to have had two happy marriages, but was not blessed with children in either one. He passed away on 30 Dec. 1919; and was buried in the Vinecash Churchyard early in Jan. 1920. His widow, Fannie, continued to reside in the old Lindsay home until her passing on 7 Aug. 1923. She too was buried next to William and Alice. Their tombstone stands in a prominent location just outside the front door of the Vinecash Church. After Frances died, having no children, William’s family Bible, along with the Lindsay home and farm, were bequeathed to Fannie’s sister’s daughter, who had married a Mr. Glass. Today they are the property of her son, Mr. Wilson Glass.

Lionel Nebeker at the Vinecash Presbyterian Church in Ballintaggart, Armagh, Ireland

pointing to the grave-marker for

William Lindsay and his two wives: Alice Morton & Frances Livingston.

Mary Ann Lindsay--was born in 1841 (no actual date specified). At age 19 her name was listed as one of the members of the Battlehill Methodist Church, of which her father, John Lindsay, was then the Group Leader [Battlehill Church History p. 97].

She would have been about 25 years old when her father died in 1866, and so was old enough to be out on her own.

There is a lot of missing information about her and her family, but the two census records give us a great deal of help in filling in some of the gaps. We will list those documents later, when we get to them in chronological order, but will just mention here that those provide the source information for the picture we are painting of this family from this point on until we begin to quote from Alex’s journal.

Sometime around 1873-77 Mary Ann married a man by the name of Mr. Nugent (first name unknown) [ALJ p. 207]. She may have known him in her earlier years and may have married when he was on leave from the Army, as we believe he was a soldier.

Shortly after their marriage they were posted to India, which was a part of the British Empire at that time and had a fairly large contingent of British soldiers stationed there.

Together they had five children, only three of which survived to adulthood (to 1901). Because the three known children were born just 2-3 years apart, we suspect that the two who did not survive were probably at the very beginning of the family, or at the end. It is even possible that they may have been twins. Since Mary Ann was about 42 years old when the youngest known child was born, we tend to believe that the two missing children may well have been her first two. If that is the case, then she and Mr. Nugent probably married about 1874. If the first two children were born while the family was living in India, or just before going there, it is possible that they died there from some illness. Their known children were:

Mary Elizabeth “Lizzie” Nugent b. 1878 in India. She was still single in the 1911 census.

William Henry Nugent b. 1880 in Drumgoon, Co. Armagh. He was still single in 1911.

Sarah Nugent b. 1883 in Drumgoon, Co. Armagh. Married Mr. Keely ~ 1903.

The family retuned from India about 1879, not long after Alexander’s departure for for New Zealand, and settled in County Armagh. There was little need for soldiers in Armagh, so this probably indicates that he was discharged from the military at that time. It seems apparent that they wanted to settle down to the country life in the same county as Mary Ann’s family, and perhaps near his too. Here they had at least two of their children. However, Mr. Nugent then died sometime around 1883. We have found no specific record of him, but Mary Ann told the 1911 census taker that she had been married only 9 years, so there is a good likelihood that their marriage took place about 1874 and his death about 1883, when their youngest child was a tiny infant. He would have died then in County Armagh, Ireland.

In the 1901 Irish census we find this family living at house 8 in Union Street in Portadown, Armagh where they were all listed as Methodists. Mary Ann was listed as being a widowed house keeper, aged 60 and the three children between ages 18-22 with the two girls as “Drawer in Factory” and the son was a weaver.

In 1904 her brother, Alexander (age 48) came back to the land of his nativity. At that time, Mary Ann and William were the only two of Alex’s siblings still alive. She was 63 years old and William was 67. In his journal he makes several references to this sister and her three children, who by that time were mostly grown and ranged in age from 18 - 22. Alexander had not met any of these children before as they were living in India at the time he left Ireland to move to New Zealand in 1878. We quote now from his journal about a few of his experiences with this sister and her family.

Sat. Nov. 26, 1904 -- ... Went out tracting, gave out 150 tracts, loaned one book, (Voice of Warning) to M. A. Nugent. Had a long gospel conversation with her and Lizzie then came home. Oh! by the way I seen Margery, and Ann Eliza, also another Sister. Am expecting Lizzie to come and take me to see Sarah and her husband. Kati, Lizzie came, and Elder Murphy and I went and see Mr. and Mrs. Keeley at their home. did not stay long... [ALJ p. 30-31]

Note that this entry mentions, among others, his sister, M. A. Nugent, and her two daughters, Lizzie and Sarah. Sarah was already married by this date, and she was the “Mrs. Keeley” he visited.

His journal contains a number of brief entries showing a warm conviviality and a joy to be reunited with his loved ones in his old home country. There are several examples of him visiting various family members such as these:

Fri. Dec. 23, 1904 -- ... This eve. was visited by Wm. Nugent... [ALJ p. 39]

Wed. March 8, 1905 -- ...Did not go out to day as I had a bad touch of the Catarrh [asthma]. In the even., Lizzie Nugent came to see how we were getting along. Had a good laughing time while she was here... [ALJ p. 65]

Certainly one of the highlights of Alexander’s mission was recorded by him after living near his family for one full year and trying to share the gospel with each of them:

Sun. Dec. 10, 1905 -- This morning found all the Elders ready for Con[ference]. Roy went and met Sis. Walker and Tommy, also Mr. and Mrs. Bell. I may say we had a very pleasant day. I spoke at the last meeting, and then Prest. [Heber J.] Grant preached the most powerful sermon I’ve ever heard. All feeling well (I forgot to mention that after coming down last evening there was a very successful Baptismal Service at the Ormcan baths. I had the privildgd of Baptizing four honest Souls, My sister being amongst the number, they were all my converts from Portadown and it has given me great cause for rejoicing. I baptized them in the following order Mr. Lonsdale, Mrs. L[onsdale], Mrs. Nugent and Mrs. Vennard. Prest. Rowe also Baptized five, three children and two young girls.)

The converts were confirmed on Sun. morning, with the exception of Sis.rs Vennard and Nugent. I confirmed [my] Sis and Sis. Lonsdale... and all’s well. [ALJ p. 155]

Shortly after this experience Alexander was transfered to England and was only able to communicate with his family by mail thereafter.

In the 1911 Irish census we find this family living in house 14 Union Street, Portadown, Armagh. [Note that this may have been the same house as where they lived ten years earlier. The houses were not numbered, but merely reflect the order in which the census taker visited each house. So, in 1901 he visited their house as the 8th house enumerated on that street, whereas in 1911 theirs was the 14th house visited.] In this census more information was provided:

Surname Forename Age Sex Relationship Religion Birthplace Occupation Mar status

Nugent Mary Ann 70 F Head Methodist Armagh -- widow

Nugent Elizabeth 36 F Dau. “ East Indies Linnen weaver S

Nugent William Henry 31 M Son “ Armagh Linnen weaver S

Keely Sarah 5 F Grd dau. “ Armagh Scholar S

In addition to the above information, there is a note that Mary Ann had been married for only 9 years; had born 5 children, 3 of whom were still living. Note that her daughter Sarah Nugent was no longer living with her, but now she has a “Grand-daughter” Sarah Keely -- age 5. Since her other daughter, Elizabeth “Lizzie”, was still shown as a “Nugent” this would seem to indicate that Mary Ann’s youngest daughter, Sarah Nugent, had married a man by the name of Mr. Keely” and had this girl--born about 1906. Remember too that Alexander referred to his niece as Mrs. Keeley. It is unknown where little Sarah Keely’s parents were living but the mother’s record states that she still had three living children at this time, so perhaps little Sarah was just visiting her grandmother at that time. However, a search for a grown, Mrs. Sarah Keely/Keeley, using a variety of spellings, did not turn up anyone who would match Mary Ann’s daughter. Note too that they listed their religion as “Methodists”. If this is correct, at least for Mary Ann, then it would have been a disappointment for Alexander, but in the eternities his temple work for his family will yet prevail.

We do not know of Elizabeth or William ever marrying, and we do not know what became of little Sarah, but it is possible that she had a family of her own with descendants somewhere today.

Our family records indicated that Mary Ann died about 1910, but it is apparent from the 1911 census that she was still alive at that time. But, at age 70 then, she probably did not last too much longer. She was likely buried somewhere in Portadown.

Thomas Lindsay -- was born 30 May 1843. All we know about this boy is that he did not live to maturity. In his journal, where Alex gives his family’s genealogy, he mentions this brother only three times. By two of those entries he gives his birth date but no death date. And on the third entry he gives no date at all. At one of those entries, he lists his name with the endearing childhood name of “Tommy”. [ALJ p. 204, 208, 209].

In the New.FamilySearch.com a death date is shown for this man of 1852. I do not know where this date came from, but it is probably about right. At that time Thomas would have been just nine years old and that is thought to be about correct. It does not appears that Alex ever knew this older brothers and that he had died prior to Alex’s birth in 1856.

Elizabeth Lindsay -- was born on the family farm in Ballintaggart sometime in 1846. Her name was listed on the 1860 roll of members in the Battlehill Methodist Church when she was just 14 years old. Her father, John Lindsay was the Group Leader at that time [Battlehill Church History p. 97].

The only other information we have for this woman comes from two entries in Alex’s journal that merely state:

Elizabeth Lindsay died April 12th, 1868, aged 22 [ALJ p. 69].

Elizabeth Lindsay Born 1846 Died April 12, 1868 Aged 22 yrs. [ALJ p. 208]

She was still a young woman at that time and one wonders what happened to end her life while just entering her prime. This death occurred just about one and a half years after the death of her father. Alex would have been about twelve years old when this sister died but unfortunately, he did not record any of her history. Alex may have been away from home with his soldier brother at this time and not known too much about her demise.

Dorothy Lindsay -- was born 10 Oct. 1848. She was the 6th child of John & Mary Donaghy Lindsay. We are quite sure this is the correct birth date for her, but there is a bit of confusion on this date from Alex’s journal. In four different places he gives information on her birth, death and age, and these do not all match. Here is the information as he presents it:

Dorothy Holmes Died Feb. 14th 1882 Aged 31 years [ALJ p. 69]

Dorothy Lindsay Born Oct. 10th 1848 [ALJ p. 204]

Dorothy Holmes Died Feb. 14, 1882 Aged 31 yrs; Born Jan. 20, 1851 [ALJ p. 207]

Dorothy Lindsay Holmes Born Oct. 10, 1848 Died Feb. 14, 1882 Aged 31 yrs [ALJ p. 208]

The three death dates always match, and in each one he says she was 31 years old when she died. But in the third item above [p. 207] he gives a different birth date than in the other two. If this one were correct, then she would have been 31 years old at the time of her death. But the other two entries for her birth [p. 204 and 208] both specifically show the date of 10 Oct. 1848, and if that date is correct then she would have been 33 plus. So that adds some uncertainty to the dates. To help clarify this, we note that the next younger sibling, John Lindsay, was born in the middle of 1851, so it does not seem likely that Dorothy would have been born just six months earlier in that same year. This gives us more confidence in the 10 Oct. 1848 date for her birth, which means that she would have been just past her 33 birthday at the time of her death on 14 Feb. 1882.

In the 1860 roll for the members of the Battlehill Methodist Church, Dorothy Lindsay’s name appears as a member of the group that was led by her father, John Lindsay. She would have been about 12 years old and was the youngest member of this family to be listed on the roll. [Battlehill Methodist Church p. 98]

Dorothy grew up in the Lindsay home in Ballintaggart on the Loughgall Road with her other siblings. Based upon the 1848 year of her birth, she would have been about 17 when her mother died and about 18 when her father died. This was still very young but old enough to be better prepared to cope with the new existence of life without parents. Her sister Elizabeth was just two years older and we do not know where these two girls went, but suspect they probably went to live with their oldest sister, Sarah Tinman, who was already married and more established.

Some time between about 1870-72 Dorothy married John Holmes. He was born about 1849, in County Armagh, Ireland. They settled not very far (to the SW) from the Lindsay farm, where their first child, William Holmes, was born on 4 September 1873 in Drumard, Armagh. He was almost two years old when he was christened in the Vinecash Presbyterian Church on 21 July 1875. This delay gave rise to some confusion about his age later in life, and in the census records of 1901 & 1911.

There is a record in the Vinecash Church of a second child for this couple. Joseph Holmes was christened there on 21 Feb. 1878. His age at that time is not known but it is possible that he too may have been anywhere up to two years old. No other record has been found for this little boy and we presume that he did not live to maturity.

Dorothy’s marriage may have taken place while Alexander was away as a soldier in the British Army, but he married and returned to this area in time to know Dorothy’s two little boys when they were very young. In fact, Alex’s oldest son, Wilson Keysell Lindsay, was born in the town of Loughgall (just a few miles to the west of Battintaggart) on 24 Aug. 1878, and would have been fairly close in age to Dorothy’s younger son--Joseph; and her son, William, would have been about five years old in that year. But, Alexander departed later that same year for New Zealand and did not see his sister again in this life. There must have been a closeness between Alex and Dorothy as he later gave that name to one of his daughters.

Early on, the Holmes family moved to the townland of Clonroot, which is immediately adjacent to, on the west side of, Battlehill, which is adjacent to, and on the west side of, Ballintaggart, so they were very close to the rest of the family. There is no record of Dorothy having any more children.

As listed above, Dorothy passed away on 14 Feb. 1882, at 33 years of age. Her oldest son, William would have been only about eight and a half years old; and we do not know if Joseph was still living or if he had previously died.

Her husband, John Holmes lived for another 16 years and died there on 21 Oct. 1898, probably still in Clonroot. We do not know of any second marriage for John. Alexander Lindsay’s journal contains the following entry, which he would have been given by his brother, William:

John Holmes Died Oct. 21st 1898 Aged 49 years. [ALJ p. 69]

In the 1901 Irish census we found no entry for any Joseph Holmes in County Armagh. However, we did find the entry for William, the son of Dorothy and John Holmes, noting that he was living in the 23rd house enumerated in Clonroot, Kilmore parish, County Armagh.

Holmes, William age 26, Male, Methodist, born in Co. Amagh, occupation--Mason, not married.

Upon his return to Ireland as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1904-5, Alexander Lindsay visited with his brother William, and his sister, Mary Ann, to get caught up on all the changes that had occurred while he was away in New Zealand, and in Oregon, over the past 26 years. He recorded a lot of the family genealogy in his journal, as has been quoted here.

While he was surely saddened to miss most of his siblings, he did get a chance to rekindle some relationships with the next generation, including his nephew, William Holmes. While Alex has several entries briefly mentioning seeing William, or sending him a post card, etc. we will here enter a few entries that show that Alex and William developed quite a close relationship after being parted for so many years.

Sat. 24 Dec. 1904 -- This was quite a busy day in Portadown everyone getting ready for Xmas. Made the acquaintance of Willie Holmes, my Sister Dolly’s son. He’s a bright young man. Gave him some tracts, also a book, “That Mormon,” “Rays of living Light”... [ALJ p. 39]

Sat. 18 Feb. 1905 -- ... Willie Holmes also paid me a visit. He is quite amusing, a Poet, or rather Rhymster, if you please. [ALJ p. 58]

Sun. 26 Mar. 1905 -- Another Sabath [sic] day... It being the first Sunday in the month we all fasted and prepared ourselves for our meeting at Clonroot... Gave out 62 tracts there being about 70 people in attendance. I think they will let me preach once a month if all goes well. After coming back to Clonroot Mrs. Hewitt had a nice supper for us all. Had some Gospel conversation. Mr. John Stanley taking sides with me, and after bidding good Mrs. Hewitt and family good bye, we started on our return to Portadown Accompanied part of the way by Mr. Stanley and Mr. Willie Holmes my Sister Dollie’s Son, arriving here about 11 O’c pretty tired but highly elated at the successful termination of my first meeting with the people of Conroot. [ALJ p 64]

Fri. 10 Mar. 1905 -- ... Willie Holmes came and stayed quite a while. My fame as a preach has gone abroad thru the country since the meeting at Clonroot. Most of the people are pleased with my preaching but some are not. [ALJ p. 65]

Sat. 11 Mar. 1905 -- This morning is quite stormy and consequently my Catarrh is no better. shall stay in until I feel better. Willie Holmes came in again to see me and get the tune Beautiful Zion, of which he’s greatly enamoured. He Kept us laughing all the time he was here... [ALJ p. 65]

Sun. 14 May 1905 -- This morning my companion and I went out as far as Clonroot to pay our promised visit to Willie Holmes. Was well entertained by him and his neighbours Mr. and Mrs. Breen. They could not do enough for us. We sung some Hyms [sic] and they thot them just grand. On our starting for home Willie and Mr. Breen came along the road part of the way. We then bid them good bye coming on with their invitation ringing in our ears to be sure and come again which we promised to do if possible. [ALJ p. 84]

Tue. 16 May 1905 -- ... Willie Holmes came by this even. and we had quite a time singing and telling stories. He is coming to Conference... [ALJ p. 85]

Sun. 11 June 1905 -- Another Saboth [sic] day, going out as far as Clonroot, and I may say we all spent a very enjoyable time. Willie Holmes had his house very nice and everything prepared for our reception. Elder Passey shewed the views 14 times, lecturing on the same. Everyone seemed to be very pleased with all they saw and voted the Mormon people to be good. We spent a very enjoyable day... Willie Holmes and Mr. Donaldson came about half the way home with us and after bidding them good bye, came on arr. at 10-10 p.m. feeling nice and tired and also happy... [ALJ p. 92]

Shortly after this last visit with William Holmes, Alexander was transferred to England for the remainder of his mission. There can be no doubt that Alexander and William shared a close bond between Uncle and Nephew throughout that year together. And, while William was satisfied with his Methodist religion, he was open-minded and seemed to genuinely enjoy his visits with his uncle learning of his beliefs. It is also obvious that William had a great sense of humor.

In the 1911 Irish census we find William still living alone in the 19th house enumerated in Clonroot, Kilmore Parish, Co. Armagh as follows:

Holmes, William age 35 Male Methodist Born in Co. Armagh Bricklayer Single.

Although William Holmes was still single in the 1911 census, he did eventually marry on 3 March 1920, in Ahorey, Co., Armagh, Ireland to Margaret Edgar, the daughter of Thomas Edgar. William was 46 and a half years old when he married, and his wife, Margaret was 20. [Information on this family was provided in a series of letters to this author from Stephen Armstrong, who is the husband of Wiliam’s granddaughter, Sharon Newell Armstrong. Letters dating from Oct. 2011 -- Dec. 2011.]

From this marriage William had five children [ibid]

Jack Holmes born 1921 in Clonroot; died without having any family.

Agnes Holmes born 17 Mar. 1923 in Clonroot; still living in Clonroot as of 2012.

Thomas Holmes born abt. 1927 in Clonroot; died in the 1970’s

Lily Holmes born Feb 1932 in Clonroot; md Jimmy Keegan. Still living

Rita Holmes born abt 1940 in Clonroot; md George Quinn; now living in Troon, Scotland.

William was 49 years old when Agnes was born. We do not have a specific date for his death at this time. Nor do we have a date for the death of his wife, Margaret Edgar Holmes. It does not appear that their son, Jack, had any family.

Agnes Holmes grew up in Clonroot townland, next to Battlehill and eventually married Mr. William Newell (who was born 11 Aug. 1908) and they had two children :

William Newell Jr. born 1960 in Clonroot; married Janette Dudas and they have two children:

Melissa Newell

Andrew Newall

Sharon Newell born 1963 in Clonroot. Sharon married Stephen Armstrong and they have no children. They still live in Clonroot today in the same house that William Holmes occupied during his life, and they are members of the Battlehill Methodist Church. They were a joy to meet and have been very helpful in providing additional information on this line of the family. In an email from Stephen Armstrong we learned the following:

“Agnes Newell (nee Holmes)’s fathers name was William Holmes. On Wiliam Holmes Birth certificate it says: 4th Sept. 1873, Location: townland Dromard Jones. [His] Fathers name [was] John Holmes, location Dromard Jones, profession -- weaver.

“Mothers name Dorothy Holmes -- formerly Lindsay

(Dromard Jones -- I’m assuming its present day name is spelt (Drumard).

“On William Holmes wedding certificate it states: [married] 3rd March 1920, William Holmes, 41 years old, Bachelor, Bricklayer, from the townland of Clonroot, fathers name John Holmes, profession, Mason. Married to -- Margaret Edgar, 20 years old, spinster, domestic servant, from Aghory (present day spelling Ahorey, Parish of Kilmore) -- fathers name Thomas Edgar -- profession, Farmer.” [ibid]

William Holmes (50), son Jack (2), daughter Agnes (infant), and wife, Margaret Edgar Holmes (24)

Photo taken in late 1923 as Agnes was born 17 March 1923.

It seems apparent to this author that William Holmes has a Lindsay family resemblance.

This William was a first cousin to Annie Helen Lindsay Nebeker and to Lionel Lindsay.

2 Oct. 2011

Lindsay descendants gather at the Battlehill Methodist Church where our common ancestor,

John Lindsay, served as “Group Leader” in the 1860s.

Left to right: Jolyn Nebeker Atwood, Sharon Newell Armstrong (3rd cousins--Sharon is the daughter of Agnes), Agnes Holmes Newell (in the center, is a 2nd cousin to Vern Nebeker--she is the daughter of William Holmes, who was the son of Dorothy Lindsay Holmes), Lionel Nebeker, Marcole Nebeker

John Lindsay--born 20 June 1851 in Ballingtaggart, at the Lindsay home. Very little has been recorded for this man. He was five years older than Alexander, leaving quite a gap before that last child. He would have been 14 years old when his mother died, and 15 when his father died. We do not know what he did thereafter. It is possible that his older brother, William, who at that time was serving in the British Army, could have taken him with him and Alice, to his various military assignments, as he did the younger brother, Alex, but there is no specific mention of that happening. At age 15, it is also possible that he was thought old enough to be apprenticed out on his own, but again, this too is speculative.

Alex gives the following three brief statements of this brother’s birth and death in his journal:

John Lindsay Born June 20th 1851. [ALJ p. 205]

Death Records from Lurgan:

My Bro. John Lindsay Died May 30th 1886, age 34. Disease Consumption. [ALJ p. 207]

John Lindsay Born (no date given) Died May 30, 1886, Aged 34 Yrs. [ALJ p. 208]

Consumption was a terrible disease, known today as Tuberculosis. Typically sufferers were sent to hospitals or sanatoriums that were set up for the purpose of treating these terminally ill patients until they died.

There is no indication that John ever had a wife or children. We suspect that his was a difficult life. His death would have occurred while Alex was already living in New Zealand, so he may have first learned of it in a letter from home.

Alexander leaves us only one other comment about his brother in his journal:

“Wed. 18 Oct. 1905 -- Another fine cold day. Visited my Sister [Mary Ann] and had a good talk with her about her baptism. Then came and had dinner and again tried my luck at Lurgan and succeeded in my endeavour [sic] to secure my Bro. John’s date of Death, also my Uncle Robert Lindsay’s and came home quite contented with myself, for if all’s well I can now do something for them that they can’t do for themselves.” [ALJ p. 141]

Alexander Lindsay--was born 19 Aug. 1856 in Ballintaggart, Co., Armagh, Ireland. Quite a bit has been written about the great man in other places, particularly in the biography written about him by his son-in-law, Harold Ansell. That bio was written during Alex’s life time and with his first-hand knowledge, and read at their 50th Wedding Celebration in LaGrande, Oregon in 1926--a copy of this bio has been posted in the Lindsay “book” on this website. Only a very cursory overview will be written here.

As has been mentioned several times already, Alex was the youngest of eight children born to John Lindsay and Mary Donaghy. He was nine years old when his mother died and ten when his father died. His older brother, William, who was then serving in the British Army took Alex to live with him and his first wife, Alice Morton. Together, they went to a military post in eastern Canada, location not specified but may have been Montreal. From there they were posted to a spot in the Caribbean, again the specific location was not mentioned.

After returning to Ireland, and probably with the discharge of William from the Army, Alexander then enlisted for his own tour. He first served near Kidderminster, England, where he met another young, orphan, by the name of Mary Keysell. They fell in love, but Alex was shipped off to West Africa to fight in the Ashanti War. This engagement was not of a long duration (and a brief summary of England’s involvement in that war can be found in the military records section of this web-site for Alexander Lindsay). Upon his return from Africa, Alex received a discharge from the army, married Mary Keysell in Cleobury, Mortimer, Shropshire, England on 23 Nov. 1876.

They then moved back to his home in Ballintaggart to work the family farm with William. William’s first wife, Alice, had just died in Oct. 1877, and William married his second wife, Fannie, in Jan. 1878. The home did not accommodate two families, so Alex and Mary rented a home in Loughgall, where their first child, Wilson Keysell Lindsay, was born on 24 Aug. 1878. However, Alex had already realized that the farm would not support two families. Due to recent Maori up-risings in New Zealand, England was offering exceptional deals for anyone willing to go to that far off country to settle and to homestead. Alex and Mary decided to take England up on that offer, and out of gratitude for raising him, he deeded over to William, and interest he had in the farm.

So, in the fall of 1878, with their baby just a few weeks old, Alex and Mary set sail on an old sailing vessel, which went south around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, and then eastward to New Zealand. It was said that poor Mary was sick every day of the entire journey.

They Lindsays homesteaded land in their new country and from time to time traded up for larger tracts until they eventually bought 640 acres of land near Towai, Bay of Islands, on the North Island. Here Alex and his sons worked to clear the land and where they built up a large herd of dairy and beef cattle. The Lindsay had twelve children in total, with Annie Helen (the grandmother of this author) being their third child and first girl.

In 1897 missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came to this area and eventually the Lindsays were taught the gospel and were baptized into this church. In 1901, 2-years old little Gertrude Lindsay, their youngest daughter at that time, was burned to death in a tragic house fire. She was buried in the Towai cemetery near their home. Two years later, their youngest child, Winnefred Elizabeth was born in Feb. 1903. At this time the family decided to pack up again and move either to Canada (which had left a very positive impression on Alex many years ago, as a young boy) or else to settle in Oregon, in the USA (of which they had heard positive things but had not ever seen).

In May the family left their friends and home and boarded a ship for North America. This was a powered steam ship, but still Mary was sick every day of the voyage. They arrived in LaGrande, Oregon later in May and decided to stay there for the rest of their lives. After paying the fare for his large family, Alex still had sufficient money to buy a mountain ranch and set up a dairy herd, as well as to have a valley ranch location, and another mountain cabin and saw mill. But, after just one year in this new home, Alex was “called” by the LDS Church to leave his family and return to the land of his nativity to share the gospel with others. He spent the first year of that mission (1904-1905) in County Armagh, where he taught and baptized many people, including his sister, Mary Ann Nugent. He then was transferred for the second year (1905-1906) to Shropshire County, England, where he was able to teach and baptize one of Mary’s sisters.

After returning home to LaGrande, Alex and Mary had a wonderful life together watching their children grow up, marry and raise children of their own. in 1926 they celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary together.

Alex passed away on 16 Dec. 1930 and lies buried in the Hillcrest Cemetery in LaGrande. His wife, Mary, survived him by about five years, passing away on 8 Mar. 1936 and lies buried next to him.

Children of Alexander Lindsay and Mary Keysell:

Wilson Keysell b. 24 Aug 1878 Loughgall, Armagh, Ireland; d. 1954 LaGrande, Oregon

Walter Alexander b. 20 Aug 1880 Kamo, Marsden, Whangarei, NZ; d. 1961 Salt Lake, UT

Annie Helen b. 8 June 1882 Otonga, Whangarei, NZ; d. 1952 LaGrande, OR

William McAllister b. 26 July 1884 Otonga Whangarei, NZ; d. 1955 Tucson, AZ

Alfred Owen b. 18 July 1886 Otonga, Whangarei, NZ; d. 1945 LaGrande, OR

Mildred b. 27 Sep 1888 Otonga, Whangarei, NZ; d. 1963 CA

Dorothy May b. 20 Oct 1890 Towai, Bay of Islands, NZ; d. 1973 UT

Coral b. 17 Sep 1892 Towai, Bay of Islands, NZ; d. 1920 LaGrande, OR

John Edwin b. 22 Nov 1894 Towai, Bay of Islands, NZ; d. 1961 Walla Walla, WA

Lionel b. 7 Aug 1896 Towai, Bay of Islands, NZ; d. 1975 Pocatello, Idaho

Mary Gertrude b. 9 Oct 1899 Towai, Bay of Islands, NZ; d. 1901 Towai, NZ

Winnefred Elizabeth b. 15 Feb 1903 Towai, Bay of Islands, NZ: d. 1981 Pasadena, CA

From the eight children (four daughters and four sons) of John Lindsay and Mary Donaghy, they had about nineteen known grandchildren. Of John & Mary’s four sons, capable of passing the Lindsay name on to their posterity, only their youngest, Alexander, had any children at all. He in turn had six daughters and six sons, but of all those sons, only his youngest one, Lionel, has any male posterity today to continue the Lindsay name. Currently there are over one thousand living descendants of John & Mary Lindsay, but fewer than a dozen who carry on the honored name of Lindsay.