Long-lost relatives to meet in Killyleagh

Long-lost relatives to meet in Killyleagh

5 June 2013

TWO women on opposite sides of the world — linked by their remarkable ancestors — will converge in Killyleagh this summer to put together the final pieces to their family jigsaw.

Brenda Orr-Berwick, originally from Downpatrick, will meet 80 year-old Daphne Friis, from New Zealand, who has been on a 40-year mission to trace her Irish relatives.

Between them they have uncovered a tale of hard times, emigration, and a badly behaved Irish ancestor who literally jumped ship to set up home in New Zealand nearly 200 years ago.

Brenda first contacted Daphne six months ago when she discovered a family link while tracing her own roots, and the two, excited at their impending meeting, now consider themselves distant relatives.

Brenda explained that Daphne’s maiden name is Cochrane, and it is her Cochrane relatives the New Zealander hopes to find in Down.

“Daphne wants to trace her descendants from her Killyleagh or Walshestown-born relatives,” said Brenda.

“We recently discovered that our common relative is a Matthew Orr of Walshestown, who rented land in the 1790s from the Castleward estate.”

Further down the family tree, it is Matthew Orr’s granddaughter Mary Orr Cochrane in the 19th century who is of interest to the pair.

In a letter recently uncovered (see right) it emerges Mary has children and grandchildren living abroad in New Zealand. In the letter she is appealing to her granddaughter living there to send her money.

Brenda explained what they had uncovered so far.

“Mary Orr married William Cochrane, a seaman, in Saul church 1832,” she said. “Thomas Cochrane is their first born child and at the age of 12 he is sent to work as a cabin boy on a ship sailing for New Zealand.

“The family story is that he was in trouble with the authorities and this was a way to discipline his behaviour. He was beaten on the journey, and so decided to jump ship on arrival. This he did and made his own way in the world, and spawned the Cochrane generations to come in New Zealand.

“We understood many letters were sent to and from Killyleagh along with money back to his family. This letter just recently discovered by a cousin supports the family knowledge.

“Much later in this period Samuel Cochrane, Thomas Cochrane’s brother, also came out to New Zealand. He became Harbour Master.”

Sadly Mary would never see Thomas, the son sent away at 12 years-old for his bad behaviour, or his brother Samuel again, but it is thought several of her children remained in the Killyleagh area.

“We know from wills and other research that Mary is still living in Killyleagh around 1900 as her brother Matthew Orr leaves her money,” said Brenda.

Brenda, now living in Shropshire, and Daphne have never met other than their daily communication through email, but they will meet up in Killyleagh on July 22, spending two weeks together trying to find the other Cochranes that are the descendants of William and Mary Cochrane.

“I come from Downpatrick myself, and all my family still live there, the family home being at the Old Course, Grangecam area,” said Brenda. “But my Orr connections originally come from Walshestown [a townland near Killyleagh] which is what caused me to contact Daphne in the first place.

“So anything more I can find about the Orrs of Walshestown will be of interest to myself. But my primary aim is to help Daphne find her Cochranes as she has been searching them for 40 years, and I think it is a wonderful story in that she is prepared to come all the way from New Zealand at the age of 80 to meet a complete stranger.”

Brenda and Daphne made contact through an Irish website helping people trace their relatives and, according to Brenda, once you start researching your family history it is hard to stop.

“It is a bit addictive,” she said. “You find out about all sorts of other people.”

Brenda is aware, however, that not everyone in Ireland is as enthusiastic about family trees as Irish descendants living abroad.

She says difficulties can arise with research in Ireland due to the unfamiliarity of townland names as well as a general lack of interest.

“There are a lot of people abroad trying to research their family tree in County Down but just cannot get anybody interested, and nobody here is really interested in doing their own research,” said Brenda.

“Daphne said she nearly burst into tears at her first email from me,” she added. “She is treating me very much as her cousin.

“I think people in Northern Ireland have jigsaw pieces missing from their history and I think they are losing their opportunity to piece these together if they do not help other people from around the world.

“It is about history.... It is a further opportunity to learn about how people lived in the past, and it is about the way we had to live.”

• Brenda and Daphne are interested in speaking to the descendants of any of the following: William Cochrane born November 25, 1832, Walshestown, married Jane Ingram on December 20, 1860 at Killyleagh 1st Presbyterian Church; Frances Coch-rane born May 11,1834 at Walshestown; Elizabeth Coch-rane, born January 28,1836 at Walshestown; Margaret Coch-rane, born June 18 at Walshestown, and Samuel Cochrane, born May 10, 1840 at Walshestown, who married Ellen Richmond on June 17, 1878 at Killyleagh Church of Ireland and is known to have later emigrated to New Zealand.

Brenda can be contacted by email at Bob@slaughter8562.fsnet.co.uk, or on 01691 682342.