KIDD-OSBURN-OLIVER connections

 

As the starting point for the links between the names of OSBURN – KIDD – OLIVER, it helps me to think of how these various family connections might have appeared to my great-great-grandmother, Eliza OLIVER (1815-1903), the mother of Sir Thomas JACKSON.

Eliza would have grown up (at least until her father’s death in 1831) about a kilometre south-east down the Monaghan Road from what is now the model village of Milford. In fact, much of the village of Milford would have been built in her lifetime. It takes its name from a large corn mill – a mill that had late 1700s leases involving the OLIVERs. Apparently, the remains of this mill can still be seen at Maggy’s Burn. I haven’t seen it yet myself, but apparently the ruins are at the bottom of the steep main street of the village. This is a walk that I look forward to on my next trip.

Interestingly, Milford is situated on townlands where the family names of OSBORNE-KIDD-OLIVER intertwined in the late 1700s. Long before the McCRUM family turned Milford into a successful linen manufacturing town in the mid-1800s, the River Callan powered various mills that had been previously owned by the same OLIVERs who show up as being connected in various ways to the linen trade in the mid-1700s to the mid-1800s (SEE other OLIVER pages under the “History” hyperlink on my web site).

 

It is not only deeds, but also family stories that connect our OLIVERs to this neighbourhood, some of them more credible than others. There is one that mentions a local OLIVER-OSBORNE-KIDD connection that still has me perplexed. At least two of Eliza OLIVER’s granddaughters recounted a story (and they likely heard this version directly from her, perhaps in her latter years) that one of Eliza’s “cousins” was the “Rector of Loughall. He lived in [Tully???] Park ^[1] and built Rookford for his son. This son married a Miss OSBORNE of Killylea. They were not productive, & after his death Mrs OLIVER went to live with her sister Mrs KID, & that family got the Oliver silver. ^[2] ” The trouble with this story, is that all the records I can find indicate that the Rector of Loughall died “sine prole” – childless.

 

[NOTE: Later on in this “thinking out loud” kind of paper, I’ll look at who Eliza OLIVER’s cousins might be – but I am suspecting in this case that the word “cousin” is more inclusive than the narrow and more modern use of the word (i.e. a child of one of her father’s siblings).]

 

Why is this line of thought of any interest in increasing our understanding of the OLIVER family? It may prove to be a dead end. It may be totally misguided. On the other hand, I suspect that making sense of the various family connections of both business and/or marriage between the OLIVERs, the KIDDs and the OSBOURNEs (AKA OSBURN) will likely prove to be the key to understanding how so many of the townlands and mills (that had been in OLIVER hands in the vicinity of the current town of Millford for at least a hundred years) passed into the hands of the McCRUM family (who then made their fortune and built up a linen industry town at Millford).

 

For now, all I am attempting do is to try to line up the known bits and then see if a picture emerges. By sharing it – inaccuracies and all - perhaps others can set me straight where need be and perhaps even contribute something new.

 

Which brings me to Osborne KIDD. Who was he? From a range of sources, I have cobbled together the start of a family tree for him.

 

Descendants of Benjamin Kidd

Benjamin Kidd - 1786

..  +Mary or Jane Abbot

........ 2   William Kidd d. 1814 m. Elizabeth Unnamed d. 1836

........ 2   Samuel Kidd 1742 - 1800

........ 2   James Kidd 1744 - 1815

........ 2   Benjamin Kidd 1745 – 1823 The Holmes Family web page states: Benjamin Kidd was born 1745. Benjamin died 1823 at 78 years of age. He married Agnes Osborne of Armagh ^[3] .  SEE: Deed 1795 Nov 24. In this deed, he is described as being from both Keady & Ballymorran [4] . With respect to his wife, it is interesting that a 1792 December 24^th deed mentions “Thomas OSBURN late of Ballymorran, farmer” (See paragraph that follows) [5] .

............  +Agnes Osborne She was the daughter of Ralph OSBORNE about whom I know nothing, BUT if Esther OSBORNE is also related to him (possibly a Grandfather or Uncle?), this would be most interesting to pursue further.

................... 3   Osborne Kidd 1800 - 1872

.......................  +Frances Arbuthnot 1804 – 1859  of Tullymore, Co. Armagh

............................. 4   Thomas Osborne Kidd 1823 -

............................. 4   Anne Osborne Kidd 1826 – b. Armagh, Armagh.

............................. 4   Osborne Arbuthnot Kidd 1833 – 1867. NOTE: Since this Osborne KIDD died at age 33 he is unlikely to be the signatory to various deeds involving the McCRUM family. It is more likely that it was his similarly named father.

....................3 Thomas Kidd 1790-23 Sept 1861 + Sarah Shillington NOTE: Info added May 3, 2008.

........ 2   Archibald Kidd 1754 - 1833

  *2nd Wife of Benjamin Kidd:

..  +Unnamed Young

........ 2   William Kidd 1735 - 1801

............  +Elizabeth Boyd      

 

As you can see, so far we have no OLIVER connection. There is, however, in the Marriage Bonds for Armagh a marriage noted between Andrew OLIVER and Esther OSBURN in 1777. This marriage is also referred to in a deed which mentions Esther’s father Thomas OSBURN late of Ballymorran & her Uncle Robert OSBURN ^[6] . Here, Andrew OLIVER is described as a chandler, likely resident at Thomas Street in the City of Armagh. I suspect that a marriage date of 1777 is too early on to click into place with the aforementioned story that Mrs OLIVER went to live with her sister Mrs KID, & that family got the Oliver silver but possibly not. It would be useful to develop a more complete OSBORNE family tree to see if these lines connect up. Perhaps someone has one. It is also interesting to note that MENARY family research has turned up the information that John & Robert OSBORNE were tenants in 1783 at Latmacollum ^[7]

 

But let’s back up a moment to Osborne KIDD. What else do I know about him?

·         He resided at Armagh in 1832 and had a lease for part of the same townland Ballinahonebeg ^[8] where OLIVERs had traditionally lived. His Landlord at the time for this lease was the Executors of Benjamin KIDD. I suspect this was Osborne KIDD’s father. Since Benjamin KIDD died in 1823, it would fit that his sons would be executors

·         In the same records, a Thomas KIDD is noted as being a resident at Ballinahonebeg and possessing a lease at Umgola. Again, the owner of that lease was the Executors of Benjamin KIDD. I have since found that Thomas KIDD is also a son of Benjamin KIDD (LDS records). Interestingly, the townland of Umgola is on the eastern border of the townland of Tullymore which was leased by various OLIVERs over a span of many decades ^[9] .

·         These lease connections to Benjamin KIDD seem significant when it comes to finding an OLIVER connection. On 1795 November 24^th there was a deed registered between Benjamin KIDD of Keady & Ballymorran ^[10] and Wm. OLIVER jr. of Ennislare (a townland beside Ballynahonebeg) ^[11] . I have a strong suspicion that this William OLIVER jr. (son of William OLIVER & Elizabeth BALLANTYNE of Ennislare) was a cousin of my Eliza OLIVER. He married a Mary for whom I have no last name. She could have been an OSBORNE.

·         In terms of the passing of the torch with respect to land ownership, it is significant that Osborne KIDD’s representative was Robert McCRUM ^[12] There is also a clustering of other significant names in these Records of the Established Church so I have included a chart of the names and townlands that seemed pertinent in this context. These relationships between these people and places are significant because the village of Milford was built on the townlands of the Kennedies, Lisbanoe and Ballynahonebeg. NOTE: I need to check records of Vicars-Choral of Armagh Cathedral in order to learn more.

 

 

Rental of Minor Corporations. Vicars Choral of Armagh Cathedral (undated)

 

Tenant/Lessee	Townland	Acres	Yr rent	Annual or other Renewal Fine	Term of lease
Wm & Tho OLIVER	Enagh	48 2 24	29 18 10	126 0 10 Pd upon getting lease	Lease for 21 years.
Robert McCRUM	Enagh	3 3 15	4 10 0		Tenant from yr to yr
Wm & Tho OLIVER	Killynure	55 3 20	54 16 0	262 8 0 Pd upon getting lease	Lease for 21 years.
Robert Malcomson Rep of Osbourne KIDD	Kennedies	61 0 25	65 16 8	203 15 0 Paid on getting lease	Lease for 21 years
W&R McCRUM	Kennedies	46 0 30	66 12 11		Tenant from yr to yr
Robert McCRUM	Kennedies	3 2 0	4 2 0		Tenant from yr to yr
Robert McCRUM Rep of Osbourne KIDD	Lisbanoe	5 0 5	40 0 0	No fine paid	Lease for 10,000 years from 1st May 1838
Robert McCRUM	Lisbanoe	2 2 20	3 0 0		Tenant from yr to yr

 

 

When I looked at landholdings listed in the Griffiths Valuation in the 1860s, the KIDD name is frequently mentioned in connection with many holdings in the Parish of Lisnadill and significantly, these were also townlands leased by members of the OLIVER family:

 

Griffiths Valuation:

Surname	First Name	Townland	Parish	Notes
Kidd	Osborne	Lisbanoe	Lisnadill
Kidd	Osborne	Kennedies	Lisnadill
Kidd	Osborne	Enagh	Lisnadill
Kidd	Osborne	Ballynahone Beg.	Lisnadill
Kidd	Rev. Henry	Drumorgan	Mullaghbrack
Kidd	John	Drumorgan	Mullaghbrack
Kidd	James	Drumgask	Seagoe
Kidd	Catherine	Cavanagarvan	Tynan	There was Thomas Oliver, b abt 1832 who died in Cavanagarvan in 1872 aged 40 . Thomas's Father was William. He was one of the Killilea OLIVERs. Thomas OLIVER's son, William married a Jane Boyd, daughter of John Boyd, in 1886 and he died in 1901.
Kidd	William	Drumorgan	Mullaghbrack
Kidd	Richard	Ballymacawley	Kilclooney
Kidd	William D.	Keady. Main Street	Keady
Kidd	Osborne	Legarhill	Armagh
Kidd	Osborne	Armagh City The Mall (Beresford Row)	Armagh
Kidd	Osborne	Ballycrummy	Armagh
Kidd	Margaret	Armagh City The Mall (Charlemont Place)	Armagh
Kidd	Clotilda	Armagh City Dobbin St. Lane.	Armagh
Kidd	Osborne	Tullymore	Armagh
Kidd	William	Crossdened	Keady
Kidd	Mrs. S.	Armagh City, Russell St	Armagh
Kidd	Osborne	Darkley	Keady
Kidd	Archibald	Dundrum	Keady

The KIDD name also shows up in the 1796 Irish Flax Growers list, but not in the earlier Hearth Money Rolls of 1663 (which may not be significant since they are incomplete). 

Irish Flax Growers List:

Surname	First Name	Parish/Barony	County
Kidd	William	Keady	Armagh
Kidd	William	Mullaghbrack	Armagh
Kidd	Samuel	Keady	Armagh
Kidd	John	Keady	Armagh
Kidd	James	Mullaghbrack	Armagh
Kidd	James	Keady	Armagh

 

 

KIDD in Pigots 1824 Directory

Surname	Forename	Townland	Town	Category	Sub-Category
Kidd	William L. M.D	English-street	Armagh	Merchants	Physicians
Kidd	Thos. & Osborne	English-street	Armagh	Merchants	Flour Manufacturers
Kidd	Osborne & Thos.	English-street	Armagh	Merchants	Flour Manufacturers
Kidd & McKinstry	--	English-street	Armagh	Merchants	Flour Manufacturers

 

 

M’CRUM  in the 1796 Irish Flax Growers list:

Surname	First Name	Parish/Barony	County
M’CRUM	William	Tynan	Armagh
M’CRUM	Patrick	Tynan	Armagh
M’CRUM	John	Tynan	Armagh
M’CRUM	James	Tynan	Armagh

 

McCRUM in Bradshaws 1812 Directory

Nathaniel	McCrum	Corn-Miller, Farmer	Lismalow
Margaret,	McCrum	Mrs	Scotch Street
William	McCrum	Manufacturer of Linen Yarn	Milford

 

McCRUM in Pigots 1824 Directory:

Surname	Forename	Townland	Town	Category	Sub-Category
McCrum	William	Milford	Armagh	Merchants	Tradesmen & c. Rope Makers

 

McCRUM in Griffiths in the same townlands as the KIDD family:

Surname	First Name	Townland	Parish	County
Mc Crum	Robert	Kennedies	Lisnadill	Armagh
Mc Crum	Robert	Lisbanoe	Lisnadill	Armagh
Mc Crum	William	Ballynahone Beg.	Lisnadill	Armagh
Mc Crum	William	Kennedies	Lisnadill	Armagh

 

Two deeds that will be worth looking at are:

758-508-515243	Garmony-McCrum	Lisbano & mill	NOTE: Likely early 1800s.
794-222-536557	McCrum-Kincaid		Mar art (marriage article?)

 

So, why were the OLIVERs unable to find the level of success in the linen industry in the early 1800s that the McCRUM family did? Did the OLIVERs lack skill, focus or other such attributes? Did the family get hit by serious illness, either physical or emotional? Did other business enterprises suck their resources dry? Did the land leases and ownership pass through marriage to other family lines (for example, the OSBORNEs)? Was there a dearth of surviving descendants? Or was it something else altogether?

Regardless of why the OLIVERs did not seem to capitalize on their holdings in the current site of Milford in the early 1800s, the McCRUM family were indisputably a roaring success. The linens that they manufactured supplied the Titanic and other such prestigious contracts. Apparently, there was also damask that had a pattern based on the Killynure rose (although I have never been able to verify this tale told by my grandmother). By the mid 1800s, Robert Garmony McCRUM, who succeeded his father William, designed and built much of the model village of Milford based on Victorian ideals of what constituted a model town.  Eliza OLIVER would have seen it all taking place, just down the road from her family’s ancestral home.

MILFORD, on the river Callan, is distant from Armagh two miles. The inhabitants, with few exceptions, work in the weaving factory of Messrs. Robert M 'Crum & Co. Mr. William M 'Crum, some years deceased, built a mill here in 1808, and it is claimed to have been the first in Ulster used for spinning flax by the dry process. All the machinery for it was brought from Leeds. In 1850 Mr. Robert G. M 'Crum, J.P., changed the spinning mill into a factory for the weaving of damasks. At present there are 270 looms in full operation, driven by a 200 horse-power steam engine, and a turbine of 120 horse. About 450 people are constantly employed. Diapers and towellings are also woven at Milford, and yarn bleaching is done for the use of the concern only. Since 1850 Mr. Robert G. M 'Crum has made substantial structural additions to the factory, and has almost entirely built the village, of which it may be truly said, that it is a model of cleanliness and good order, the humblest dwelling bearing evidence internally and externally of a beneficent proprietary control. Mr. McCrum 's handsome private residence, Milford House, stands in a richly-planted and highly ornamented park at the verge of the village, and commands a beautiful view of the surrounding country ^[13]

The mill was eventually closed in 1980 and demolished in 1996. Today, Milford is a very attractive village with its neat red-bricked terraced housing. The red brick used for the buildings looks much like the red brick used when Killynure was built in 1874 by Eliza OLIVER’s son-in-law, Thompson BROWNE (NOTE: Killynure is in what is known locally as “Brown’s Hollow” but prior to that the land had been known as “Oliver’s hollow”.). Since those days, the Manor House, which was originally the mill owner's residence, has become a special care school, and the McCrum Institute which was originally built as a social hall for the mill workers, has been converted into a public house. Obviously, all of this is on my list to personally check out whenever I can get back to Ireland again.

In my 2006 diary, I note that William OLIVER worked on the McCRUM estate and served as head gardener (regrettably, I neglected to note the source of this information). I had initially assumed that this kind of employment was quite a step down in fortune for William, presuming his family had been active as merchants in the linen trade, but the McCRUM gardens were not just any old garden. Apparently, Robert Garmany McCRUM traveled extensively and collected a vast assembly of precious trees and plants. The outcome of his vision and diligence continues to be stunning enough that the garden is now protected by a Tree Preservation Order and can be viewed by the public. There are two large walled gardens, lakeside walks, Japanese bridges and an Italian renaissance style fountain ^[14] . The house and estate can be explored through the Milford House Gate Lodge which has been the first part of the property to be restored. (NOTE: Contact Milford House Museum for details on dates of available guided tours. The tour includes “a wonderful collection of family possessions, furniture and paintings and the guides will relate tales of this extraordinary family and of the Manor House School”

See: www.milfordhouse.org.uk .

 

There is also another OLIVER connection to Milford. Oliver’s Lane, which runs from Magheryville Rd. to Monaghan Rd was given this name in more recent times and referred back to the OLIVERs who had a house on the lane just behind the Manor House ^[15] . It enters Monaghan Road on the south side just west of Magheryville Road. I have made a family tree for these OLIVERs, much of it based on hunches after seeing patterns in church and land-holding records as well as clues relating to occupations. Hopefully, it is enough of a start that others with more direct connections can set me straight.

 

Descendants of William Oliver, gardener.

 

 1   William Oliver b: 1795 NOTE: This birth date is a conjecture based on the evidence of a confirmation at age 29 on May 26, 1824. I am guessing that he had been Presbyterian and converted to CofI. This would have been before the birth of his first child. I am going from the description of him as a gardener and various convergences of dates. Some births are given as Armagh, some as Lurgyvallen. There is also a record of an unnamed daughter b. in Lurgyvallen to William OLIVER clerk to Mr. M. BELL b. 1826 who I have not included here since the possibility of two such William OLIVERs is strong.

..  +Anne Graham  m: 04 Dec 1823 in Armagh Cathedral NOTE: More work will be needed to verify this hunch. Possibly deeds research under the GRAHAM name. There was a Catherine GRAHAM mentioned in a deed in 1795 with property on Thomas Street. OLIVERs and KIDDs are also mentioned in this deed ^[16] .

........ 2   Robert Oliver b: 20 Mar 1825 

........ 2   William Oliver b: 21 Jan 1827 

........ 2   James Oliver b: 23 Jan 1831 in Armagh.  Note: his residence at this time was given as Lurgyvallen, which is now in the Parish of Armagh but at the time of the Tithe Appointment records, was in the neighbouring Parish of Grange. His father William's occupation was given as "gardener".

............  +Sarah McCann  m: 20 Sep 1856 in Armagh Cathedral, Co. Armagh

................... 3   Margaret Oliver b: 07 Feb 1858 in Legar Hill, Co. Armagh  NOTE Legarhill is a townland on the southeast border of Lurgyvallen in the Parish of Armagh where her father James resided at the time of his marriage. Also of interest is that this townland is on the northern boundary of Umgola, another townland with historic OLIVER connections. It is also interesting that Osborne KIDD had a land holding at Legarhill noted in the Griffiths Valuation.

................... 3   Mary Jane Oliver b: 01 Jun 1860 in Armagh 

........ 2   Catherine Sarah Oliver b: 17 Feb 1833 in Armagh 

........ 2   Eliza Oliver b: 22 Oct 1837 in Lurgyvallen, Parish of Armagh 

 

This is not the only OLIVER family in Lurgyvallen and the OSBURNE-KIDD connection might have happened there. On Feb 21, 1836,  Robert & Eliza OLIVER of Lurgyvallen had twins Abraham & Margaret and then a daughter Eliza on November 23, 1842 ^[17] . Death stats assembled by Maria Beattie indicate that a Margaret OLIVER died in 1905 at Armagh age 68 (presumably unmarried) and an Eliza OLIVER died in 1874 at Armagh age 32. These two deaths are a likely fit with the aforementioned births. I suspect as our research progresses that there will prove to be many more links between these two families as well as links to the OLIVERs at nearby Tullymore.

 

Finally, there are two bits of this puzzle that are still perplex me:

• Blin BROWN in her aforementioned letter mentions that: a cousin of grandmother's was Rector of Loughall. He lived in [Tully???] Park and built Rookford for his son. This son married a Miss OSBORNE of Killylea. They were not productive, & after his death Mrs OLIVER went to live with her sister Mrs KID, & that family got the Oliver silver. There is still a Rookford House at the junction of Rookford Road and Monaghan Road (about ¾ km. East of Milford). Silver OLIVER (1788-1844) (our most likely candidate in this story) was the Rector of Loughall, but he married Alicia Maria MADDEN who died childless in 1851 at Wood Park, Co. Armagh. There has never been any mantion of another marriage nor any hints of illegitimate descendants. Since there does not seem to be the possibility of an OSBURNE connection here, so I wonder if two separate stories got conflated. Burke’s and other sources indicate that Silver OLIVER hails from an unrelated line of OLIVERs. Unrelated, that is except for the fact that Amy LLOYD avows a connection between Rookford  and “our” OLIVERs somehow connected to the marriage of his sister Alicia to Viscount Lifford ^[18] . Now, Amy LLOYD and Blin BROWN were both cousins, but the Elizabeth OLIVER she refers to in this context is not the Eliza OLIVER who was their grandmother (there is no sister named Maria for starters). Truth be known, I can’t figure any of this out. As Blin says in her1938 letter, “I have been Like Alfred Waddell up a tree, sir, but in my case its the family one, & gosh! it has been a 'flee bedder' in its time!!”
• So then I look at who are the first cousins of Eliza OLIVERs that are known to me, Her uncle William OLIVER had two sons named William & Andrew. Since my hunch is that Andrew’s wife was Mary Jane HAYES (based on DEED: Deed 1845-14-26 of April 6, 1840), this rules him out as far as marrying an OSBURNE. William’s wife’s name was also Mary and while we can’t rule out that she was an OSBORNE, it is unlikely. When she died in 1892 at Killynure, although there was no mention of children, she did not seem to be living with her sister “Mrs. KID”.  NOTE: More work is needed here.

 

All of this is as far as I can take this part of the story. I pass the torch in hopes that others can find the opening in the brick wall where I have been (for now) entirely blocked. Good luck!