Finding my Neilands ancestors

My great-great grandmother's maiden surname has been debated for generations.

Some of her descendants have called her Jane Young, or Jane Long, but two people have insisted that these are wrong and that her correct surname was McNeilans or McNeilands. And these two people are the two most trustworthy family historians I know of, Annie Bray Buchanan and David James Watson.

Annie points out that the name Jane Young comes from a single source, a death certificate, where the informant was the husband of the deceased family member. 

The name Jane Long, proved to be the maiden name of William Buchanan's mother-in-law. It is a correct name, but applied to the wrong person.

Over the past 10 years we have become aware of the spelling Knilans and evidence has gradually been growing that this is my ancestor's birth family.

Most recently I was in contact with the Castlederg & District Family History Society, from the area where my G-G-Grandparents lived in the 1810a and 1820s.

Hi Pam, greetings from Canada. Would you know anything of a Jane Neilands or McNeilands (or something that sounds like that) who married Andrew Buchanan? They lived near Castlederg, as three of their sons (Robert, Charles and William) were christened there in 1815-1824. Later they lived at Binnawooda, and emigrated from there in 1847, settling in an area that became Donegal, Perth, Ontario, Canada.

Reply
Pam N
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Bill Buchanan I do know of one Jane of that era. Robert Neilands/Knilans (1750-1829) left a Will naming his children ie Abraham. Daniel, John, James, George, and Jane. Robert lived at Magherakeel, had an interest in farms at Lisnacloon and Creduff. His parents were a John Neilands (I think) and Helen Kyle of Creduff. I noticed the McNeilands branch was in Strabane. (see Tithe ) and there is a deed at Irish Deeds that has been transcribed for a John Neilands there. I think we started at Strabane Muster Rolls

https://www.cotyroneireland.com/tithe/tithe_camus.html

Index to the Tithe Applotment Book, Camus-Juxta-Mourne Parish (including part of the Town of Strabane) Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland 1827

COTYRONEIRELAND.COM

Index to the Tithe Applotment Book, Camus-Juxta-Mourne Parish (including part of the Town of Strabane) Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland 1827

Index to the Tithe Applotment Book, Camus-Juxta-Mourne Parish (including part of the Town of Strabane) Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland 1827

Reply
Pam N
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this 1740 deed says that John McNeelance was previous owner of orchard etc, with the Abercorns still https://irishdeedsindex.net/transcriptions/index.php

Transcriptions  Registry of Deeds Index Project

IRISHDEEDSINDEX.NET

Transcriptions  Registry of Deeds Index Project

Transcriptions  Registry of Deeds Index Project

Reply
Kathie J B
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Go to the files and start checking through the Termonamongan and Derg Parish files.

There was an incredible collective amount of work done on them with lots of transcribed information.

In the FamilySearch Family Tree I finally made a decision that I have been pondering a long time. I added this couple as the parents of my 2GGM Jane McNeilands, based on the following:

They lived in the parish where Jane's son Charles Buchanan got married.

They had a daughter named Jane in the right time period.

The names Neilands and Knilans are spelling variations of the same name.

The Mc and O' prefixes may be added or dropped by the same family.

This is stretching things further than I like, but still seems probable.

Robert Knilans    Male       1755–1829          •    GWWQ-212
Margaret             Female    1775–Deceased   •    G75S-4GG

I hope I am right.

- Bill