I've been helping Peggy Gordon with her Hopper/Happer ancestor research
for several weeks. Trying to find more on her ancestor James Happer whom
she said had died in 1843 in County Tyrone, and who lived at Drumad or
Drumadds, I sent her the PRONI file on the 1843 will of a "James Happer"
(which she has included in her recent query on this message list).
I noted on the will index transcription that the town or townland of
death, "Annaloughy," was probably Armalughey/Armaloughey, since County
Tyrone had no townland called "Annaloughey." Elwyn agreed with me (thank
you, Elwyn!). He's very knowledgeable about County Tyrone and a great
help to other researchers.
Armaloughey is the home townland of several numerous families of
Happers/Hoppers whom I've researched for decades. More about them in
another post.
The only other place this indexed name might have been is
"Annaghalough," a townland in Longfield West parish, Co. Tyrone -- even
further away from Drumad, where Peggy's Happers originated. So it was
just a coincidence that another James Happer died in 1843, the exact
year that her ancestor died.
Peggy wrote in her recent query that "The Happers were reportedly from
Drumadd Townland."
I wouldn't say that this ancestor's home location was "reportedly" that
place name in County Tyrone. It has a very good source. Inscribed in the
bible of George Happer, son of her ancestor James Happer: "George
Happer born in Drumadds Tyrone Co., Ireland, Feb. 16, 1821." I don't
think that someone could have made up that County Tyrone place name,
without knowing it or hearing it. So I wouldn't say it's a "reported"
birth place. I wish I had a family bible record for every ancestor that
said his or her birth place so clearly!
I explained to Peggy that Drumad was in Tamlaght parish and not near
Armaloughey, which is in Carnteel parish, so the Happer/Hopper families
of those two locations might not have been related. DNA tests might
prove "yes" or "no" on that possibility. But that's another topic for
another day, and up to Peggy and her contacts among the Happer/Hopper
descendants. Y-DNA tests among several Happer/Hopper men from different
branches would be helpful in determining "who was who."
I referred her to Sean Ruad's IreAtlas Townland's database for help
interpreting ANY Irish townland name that's difficult to read or has
been inadequately transcribed. It's a wonderful resource for Irish place
names, and I highly recommend it to everyone who reads these posts.
See https://thecore.com/seanruad/
I can confirm that the townland where James Happer died in 1843, per the
Armagh Diocesan wills and administrations, is in fact Armaloughey/Armalughy.
The original Armagh Diocese wills & administrations ledger page images
are viewable on LDS FamilySearch, and the referenced will was for "James
Happer, Armaloughy, Farmer, 1843." If you're researching these will
indexes (the original wills haven't survived, only the indexes) I do
recommend looking at the original handwritten ledgers to check the
accuracy of the typed index list.
See: Ireland, Diocesan and Prerogative Wills & Administrations Indexes,
1595-1858 at LDS FamilySearch,
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/3460908 (FREE to search)
Back to the other Happers/Hoppers, the ones who are Peggy's ancestors:
Tamlaght parish lies on both sides of the Tyrone-Londonderry county
boundary, with townlands located within both counties.
Drumad/Drumadd townland is in Co. Tyrone, but I'd recommend checking for
Hoppers/Happers on both sides of the border and not just in Co. Tyrone.
For instance, there were Happers near Tobermore/Tubbermore in
Kilcronaghan parish, in the southern part of Co. Londonderry, for
generations ... perhaps related to the Happers at Drumad, a short
distance across the border, on the east side of Co. Tyrone.
-------------------------------------------
Interesting Happer data is posted on this very excellent web site (from
which the mailing list you're reading originates):
https://cotyrone.com/colondonderry/burial/CoLondonderry-DeathsSentinel-H-1829-1869.html
(Deaths reported in The Londonderry Sentinel)
HAPPER Mary / 02 Apr 1842
On the 24th ult., Mrs. Mary Happer, wife of Thomas John Happer, Esq.,
Tobermore, aged 54 years.
HAPPER Nancy / 28 Oct 1853
On the 16th inst., near Tubbermore, at the advanced age of 105 years,
Nancy, relict of the late Mr. James Happer. Possessed of a healthy
robust constitution, her faculties were very little impaired till the
time of her death.
-------------------------------------------
I recommended to Peggy that she have someone research Tamlaght parish's
Protestant church records (since her ancestors weren't Catholic), and,
as a "next step," also check any Happer/Hopper records in Londonderry.
Tamlaght parish's Presbyterian records have only survived from 1839, but
its Church of Ireland records date back to 1801. Once PRONI opens up
again, a genealogy friend (or paid professional researcher) could easily
access the microfilmed Tamlaght parish records there, and look for
Happer/Hopper entries.
I sent Peggy the Happer/Hopper entries from the 1796 Flax Growers List
(John Hopper/Happer was growing flax in Tamlaght parish), Tithe
Applotments (listed at Drumadd in Tamlaght parish were James Happer,
William Happer, Widow Happer, and Widow & Wm. Happer together),
Griffith's Valuation, and more.
It's likely that the "Widow Happer" of the Tithes was the mother of
James and William, but that possibility needs more research.
Exhaustively searching the Tamlaght parish church records is a very
important research effort.
Regards,
Annie Crenshaw
[a descendant of the Haddens, Armstrongs, and Calvins of County Tyrone,
and related to more than a hundred other families in the southern County
Tyrone area]
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