Thread: Robert John Alexander McClelland & McClellands from Portglenone

Statutory registration of births and deaths only started in 1864 in Ireland so you won’t find a birth cert for Robert. You might find his baptism, if the records have survived.


You don’t say what denomination Robert was. I’d guess he was Presbyterian. Portglenone used to have 3 Presbyterian churches (2 are still there). The baptism records for Portglenone 1^st pres church start in 1826, the 2nds in 1821 and the 3rds in 1869.

The 2^nd Pres church has been demolished. It was originally the secession kirk and closed in 1911. The graveyard is still there though, sometimes known as town hill graveyard.

However, if your family were Church of Ireland (ie Anglican) you are out of luck as the early parish records were destroyed in the 1922 fire in Dublin, during the Irish civil war, (ironically having been sent there for safe keeping).

All the surviving church records have been copied and are held in PRONI, Belfast. They are not on line anywhere, as far as I am aware.


Griffiths Valuation has a record of 3 McClelland households in the parish of Portglenone. All are in the townland of Mullinsallagh, which is about half a mile south of the town, on the A42 road to Ballymena. In 1862 a Robert McClelland has a house, offices (outbuildings) and 5 acres of land (plot 10), John McClelland had a house, offices and 8 acres (plots 12 & 13 combined), and James McClelland had a house, offices and 17 acres (plot 30). These properties were all fairly close together and would suggest a family connection. All would be reasonably easy to locate today, should you wish to do so. Ballymena library holds a Griffiths townland map with details of where each property was. It is still a rural farming area today.

www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

A grave, evidently for the family in Griffiths:

McClelland Aughnahoy Old Cemetery 1868 In memory of Robert McClelland, Mullinsallagh, who died 9th April 1868, aged 51 years. Also his wife Eliza Moore, who died 13th may 1871, aged 52 years. Also their children; Jane, died 27th April, 1865, aged 16 years. Rachel, died 22nd May 1865, aged 14 years. William, died 13th July 1881, aged 36 years. Lizzie, died 6th September, 1883, aged 26 years. James, died 25th Nov. 1913, aged 52 years. Hugh, died 27th January 1937, aged 77 years.

Aughnahoy Old cemetery is very close to Mullinsallagh. It’s across the road from the RC church on the A42 just south of Portglenone.


There’s a McClelland grave in the Church of Ireland graveyard in Portglenone, which reads:

McClelland Portglenone Church of Ireland 1863 Erected By Robert McClelland Killyless In Memory Of His Father John McClelland Who Died December the 17, 1863 Aged 53

Being buried in the COI graveyard doesn’t necessarily mean the person was of that religious denomination. For many years COI had a monopoly on graveyards so all denominations used them. In Portglenone 2 of the 3 Presbyterian churches never opened their own graveyards, so many of them will be in other graveyards.

Killyless is a townland about half a mile east of Portglenone, on the road to Cullybackey. It’s in the parish of Craigs. In Griffiths, John McClelland had a house there (plot 13c). Again easy enough to find today, if it is still standing.