GRACEY Origins of the name GRACEY GRACEY is descended from either Scottish of English stock. Firstly there is the Scottish option which leads us to believe that the surname GRACEY is celtic for shoemaker. Strictly speaking shoemaker in celtic is actually "greusaich" although the Scots tend to spell the surname these days as GRACIE. The English option implies that our name is derived from a misspelling of the English surname GRAYSON. A couple of hundred years ago it was really in the hands of the parish clerk as to how our names were spelt so we ended up with GRACEY. I am not sure as yet which one of the above applies to our family. Background on Drumgor Drumgor is a townland in the parish of Seagoe, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The history of the parish is heavily intertwined with the towns of Lurgan and Portadown which border Seagoe Parish. The name GRACEY and its variants have existed in the Lurgan since the 1680's at the latest. Shankill parish has GRACEY baptisms as early as 1684. It is only since the 1820's that GRACEYs have resided in the townland of Drumgor. Drumgor is one of the townlands on the Eastern border of the parish of Seagoe. Drumgor borders the following townlands: Tannaghmore (Seagoe) Balteagh (Seagoe) Clanrolla (Seagoe) Moyraverty (Seagoe) Legaghory (Shankill) The numerous orchards in the parish gave it in summer the appearance of a well wooded country. Hand spinning occupies the women and children in every cottage and weaving was almost the universal occupation. According to the Ordnance Survery Memoirs for County Armagh which were compiled between 1835 and 1838, Drumgor is 2 miles distant from Lurgan and two and a half miles from Portadown. It's area is 328 acres 3 roods and 5 perches. The proprietors were Lord Mandeville and Mr Richardson who owned rather more than half. The Drumgor GRACEY's The first mention, I have found so far of a GRACEY living in Drumgor, was in 1824 in the roll book for the barony of O'Neilland East 1818-1825 (PRONI D/1928/F/84). William GREACY, who was listed as having a freehold residence in "Drumgorr", for the tenure of the lives of the Prince of Wales, Duke of York and Pat Lennon (Charles Brownlow was the landlord). The date of registry was listed as 27 March 1824. In the tithe applotment book for Seagoe in 1830 William GRACY of Drumgor was listed as having land of 12 acres 1 rod and 20 perches and with a value of 8 shillings and 6 1/2d. In the Seagoe Yeomanry Corps Description Book (which gives the Roll of Men in alphabetical sequence from 1831 to 1855, with many observations) there was a Corporal John GRACEY from Drumgor who in 1831 received a new arms issue. According to the Yeomanry Description Book Corporal GRACEY died in May 1837, it is unclear whether he died on active service with the Seagoe Yeomanry or not. I am as yet unable to connect the above mentioned William GREACY and Corporal John GRACEY with my GRACEY's but there is a more than fair chance they are connected to our line. As per the rentals of 1782 (LDS film 1279322) there were no GRACEYS in Drumgor so I can only assume the GRACEY family moved into Drumgor in the early 1800's. Many of the other Drumgor names however are familiar, names such as MATHERS, BLACKER and RUSSELL all of whom have a great deal of history in Drumgor. GENERATION 1 Our GRACEY line descends from Halliday and Mary GRACEY. I am unsure where exactly Halliday was born, there is no record of his birth in either Shankill or Seagoe parish records, neither is there any record of his marriage to Mary. We can deduce that Halliday was born around 1808 and Mary around 1816. Their first child William was christened in Shankill Parish in 1838. By the birth of their second child Rebecca they were living in Drumgor. Some mystery surrounds the origins of the christian name Halliday. The surname HALLIDAY was a strong Quaker name in Drumgask, which is a townland fairly close to Drumgor. My current theory for the adoption of this christian name is that a GRACEY married a bride with the surname of HALLIDAY. This name was adopted as a mark of respect for the HALLIDAY family. The most likely possibility for the parentage of Halliday is the marriage of John GRACY and Rebecca HALLIDAY who were a granted a marriage licence bond in the Diocese of Down and Connor in 1806. Historically such bonds were granted to couples who were of a denomination outside the Church of Ireland yet who chose to be married inside the Church of Ireland due to the fact that at that time it was illegal for "dissenting" ministers to perform marriages. John and Rebecca settled in Moyraverty, and Seagoe C.O.I. parish records record the baptisms of three of their children Rebecca (1811), John and Dinah (1814) (but no Halliday). As per the Seagoe parish records there were three families of GRACEY's living in the townland of Drumgor around the 1850's. The families of Halliday & Mary and John & Sarah lived next door to each other. John & Sarah's land was passed down to a daughter who had married into the ARCHER family (as per the 1901 census). Daniel & Margaret also lived in the townland of Drumgor. As evidenced by family legend John and Halliday were almost definitely brothers, I am not too sure where Daniel fits in. The ten acre farm of Halliday GRACEY had four fields, one of which was called the lower gardens. One or two of the fields were normally corn whilst the other was hay. They also had two more fields which were further down the lane. The farm of Halliday was passed onto his son William John GRACEY. Children of Halliday & Mary GRACEY Halliday born c 1808, died 24 Sep 1883 Mary born c 1816, died 24 Jan 1889 1 William ch 25 Jul 1838 Shankill Parish Church 2 Rebecca ch 30 Sep 1839 Seagoe Parish Church, m James LONSDALE of Drumnacairn 11 Sep 1868 3 Mary Jane ch 30 Jan 1842 Seagoe Parish Church m William RUSSELL of Drumgor 2 Sep 1866 4 Letitia b 9 Jul 1843 Seagoe Parish Church, d 17 Jun 1871 Drumgor 5 Dinah ch 16 Aug 1846 Seagoe Parish Church, m Robert HOPPS of Moyraverty 31 Jul 1885 6 William John m Margaret Anne MATTHEWS of Toberhewny 8 Jul 1876 7 George ch 8 Sep 1850 Seagoe Parish Church, d c 1879 8 Margaret b 1 Oct 1853 Drumgor, d 27 May 1864 Drumgor 9 Elizabeth ch 23 Oct 1855 Seagoe Parish Church, d 30 May 1875 Drumgor 10 Thomas ch 1 Oct 1857 Seagoe Parish Church, d 12 Feb 1875 Drumgor 11 Halliday b 16 Jul 1861 Seagoe Parish Church Halliday GRACEY died on 24th September 1883. The Principal Probate Registry of Northern Ireland (source PRONI) granted the estate to his son William John GRACEY. Halliday's wife Mary died on 24th January 1889. Children of John & Sarah GRACEY John born c 1816, married 20th Feb 1838 Seagoe Parish Sarah born c 1816 1 John b Jul 1843 2 Robert b 31 Aug 1845, m Elizabeth 3 William 4 Halliday b c 1849, m 11 Oct 1875 Georgina STEVENSON, d 5 Feb 1888 5 John b c 1850 6 Harrison b 25 Dec 1851 7 James ch 25 Mar 1855, m Anna 8 Rebecca Jane ch 24 Oct 1858, m 6 Aug 1889 David ARCHER John GRACEY died on 4th March 1892, his effects were left to William GRACEY of Manchester and James GRACEY of Liverpool. Sarah was still alive aged 85 in 1901 (as per the 1901 census). John and Sarah's only daughter Rebecca Jane married David ARCHER, builder of Lurgan on 6 August 1889. Rebecca Jane ARCHER died 30th April 1956 aged 98 years. Rebecca's daughter Sarah Jane lived to 105. GENERATION 2 Sixth child of Halliday, William John GRACEY married Margaret Anne MATTHEWS at St Annes in Belfast on the 8th July 1876. Margaret, daughter of James and Margaret (nee VAUGHAN) MATTHEWS resided in Tuberhunny, Lurgan at the time. The Family of William John GRACEY (son of Halliday & Mary) 1 Halliday b 21 Jan 1878, m c 1906 Florence MARRIOTT then Florence CUDLIPP 2 Eleanor b 6 Dec 1879, d 15 Jul 1930 3 Mary m 4 Dec 1912 William James CORNER 4 Rebecca b 25 Dec 1886, d 19 Jul 1914 5 Elizabeth b 18 May 1889, d 19 Sep 1956 6 James b 4 Oct 1891, m 1 Jul 1925 Mary Ann Pretoria WRIGHT 7 George b 3 Sep 1894 8 Letitia b 14 Jun 1897, d 17 Apr 1964 William John GRACEY died on 26th February 1930. GENERATION 3 Child number 6 James was my grandfather.