Second Generation - 1855 - 1926
Thomas Wilkinson (1855 - 1926)
Thomas was born 1852 in Dungannon, Co Tyrone. The family may have lived at Coolhill, a townland and now close suburb of Dungannon, at the time. I can find no record of siblings. It is unlikely that he was an only child but maybe the only survivor as infant mortality was high at the time.
Thomas was 22 when in 1875 he married Margaret O'Hara from nearby Gortshalgan (Townland), Killyman (Parish), Bush (Division), Tyrone (County) [O. S. Map Ref. 54 & 55]. She was born in Moy, also in Clonfeacle Parish and may have moved to Gortshalgan (near Dungannon) as an adult as she was also 22 when she married.
They had 8 children of whom only my grandfather John (1879-1952) survived to adulthood. After marriage they lived at Coolkill a townland of Benburb, Parish of Clonfeacle. Benburb (Coolkill), Moy, Dungannon (Coolhill) and Gortshalgan are all close to one another. Region map. The greatest distance of 11 km is between Benburb and Dungannon, perhaps a 90 min walk.
John's occupation is listed as "Farmer" in 1876 at the birth of their first child but then "Labourer" in 1877, 1879 and 1880 for their next 3.
It's not known why or when the family moved to Belfast; maybe for the health of their children, or after Thomas' parents died (John in 1878 and Sarah in 1881), or the availability of work at the booming Belfast Harland & Wolfe shipyards (the Titanic was built there in 1909 - 1911). Whatever the reason, they were in (East) Belfast by the turn of the century and lived at 25 Gavin Street, Holywood, Belfast in 1907.
The early years of married life must have been extremely difficult. Conditions at the time along the Blackwater River must have been terrible. They had been married 3 years, when Thomas lost his father (1878) and his mother 3 years later. 20 month old son Thomas (1) died in the summer of 1882 and 11 mo old Robert almost a year later. Then came the horror winter of 1886 when they lost their first-born 10 yo Charles, second-born Sarah (9 yo) and infant Margaret (6 weeks) all in the fortnight before Christmas. In 1890, 2-and-a-half years old James died. By 1900, when they were in Belfast, their second Thomas (2) died aged 16. Their last remaining child John, lived for 73 years.
A deeply religious family, perhaps strengthened by the tragic of the loss of so many of their children, Thomas and Margaret were married in the 2nd Presbyterian Church, Dungannon, Parish of Drumglass, Tyrone and initiated the Family Bible. Son John was also married in the Presbyterian Church of Ireland, Belmont, Holywood, Belfast, Co. Down, (1907) so the family may originally have been Presbyterian. Thomas was, however a founder of St Donard's Church of Ireland, Bloomfield in 1900. This became the family church for 4 generations. See recent photos of St Donard's Church:
- View of the nave
- The bell-tower
- Along the side
- Church tower
- Tablet cast in his grandson John's foundry of Patrick & Wilkinson, Belfast
- Brass lectern cast at Patrick & Wilkinson, Belfast
- Inside the church nave
- The alter & organ.
Wife Margaret died in 1926 and Thomas followed her just 4 months later.
I could find no headstones of Wilkinsons buried at the Church of Ireland, Benburb. I have yet to visit the Benburb Presbyterian Church. See recent photos of Benburb Church of Ireland:
- Benburb Church of Ireland
- Graveyard of the Benburb Church of Ireland
- Benburb Church of Ireland Priory
The Bush Primary School
The Bush Primary School is located in a rural situation approximately 2 miles from Dungannon. The school was opened in 1979 as a result of the closure of two smaller schools, namely Gortshalgan and Ballynakelly Primary Schools.
Since opening, the school’s catchment area has increased to include Coalisland, Dungannon and Moy. Private housing developments on the main Bush – Dungannon road have boosted enrolment, which presently stands at 170.
Tyrone
From the Irish Times (www.ireland.com/explore/counties/tyrone.htm):
Northern Ireland's largest county, Tyrone's major tourist attraction is its vast emptiness and the peaty Sperrin Mountains in the north with perfect hiking conditions. Still a very rural county it is advisable to have your own transport to carry you around.
Geographically isolated by bog, lake and mountain, local Gaelic chiefs were among the last in Ireland to resist British rule. In 1603 Hugh O'Neill, earl of Tyrone surrendered his title and land to English rule. He then led the Flight of the Earls from Ireland and allegedly died of a broken heart in Italy.
His uncle Shane O'Neill had gone to London for talks with Queen Elizabeth I in 1562. The meeting between the English court and the Gaelic chief with his wild shoulder-length hair, linen shirts dyed with urine and accompaniment of wolves is said to best represent the clash between the two cultures.
The 18th century saw a large emigration of locals, including Protestants to the United States. Locals are still proud of their achievements saying these emigrants were not forced out of the country because of famine (mid-19thC) or poverty, but because they had dreams and visions. The fact that 11 US presidents can trace their roots to Tyrone supports this contention.
