John Moore (1881-1919) and Joanna Rainey (1885-1975).
My maternal great-grandparents.
John Moore was born at Mulnagore in Clonavaddy, a townland in the parish of Donaghmore, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The date was 19 May 1881 and he was the son of farm labourer James Moore and Jane Beggs.
At the 1901 Census, he and his parents and siblings were living just north of Donaghmore in a small settlement called Crossdernot. He was working as a farm servant while his father was listed as a farmer.
He married Joanna Rainey on 12 January 1904 in the parish church at Pomeroy, County Tyrone. John was described as a labourer on the record, she a servant aged 20. His address was given as Creeve, a townland in Crossdernot, while hers was Lisnagleer. The witnesses were Joseph Moore and Annie Moore.
Joanna was the daughter of William Rainey and Joanna Hood and had actually been born at Central Falls, Rhode Island, USA, in 1885 – some sources online suggest the date was 3 June and in Barber Avenue. I’ve found no documentation anywhere to confirm her birth there or the date. However, other documents and the recollections of Rainey family members confirmed that her parents William and Joanna Snr did travel to America and Rhode Island in the early 1880s. Joanna Snr returned to Ireland with her children on a few occasions around this time, and it was in Ireland that Joanna Jnr was brought up. Notes from family members suggest that Joanna went to Lisnagleer Primary School and the nearby Carland School.
At the 1911 Census, Joanna and John Moore and their then two children were living in Annaghbeg townland in Donaghmore and he was working as a gardener. They would go on to have more children.
It’s likely that the John and Joanna Moore who signed the Ulster Covenant in Donaghmore in 1912 were my great-grandparents – unless there were two or more people who went by these names. The covenant was part of the campaign against the British government’s plan to grant home rule to Ireland. Around half a million people ultimately signed it, fearing perhaps that this would eventually result in Irish independence.
John died on 13 March 1919, listed as a labourer aged 34 (which was actually several years out from the truth). The cause of death was given as acute Bright’s disease (a kidney condition) and cardiac failure. The death was registered by his brother James Moore of Lisnagleer.
Joanna married again, on 27 April 1925 at Dungannon, Tyrone. Her new husband was mechanic Charles Campbell, son of John, a potter. Charles gave his age as 40 on the marriage certificate. They had a son, also called John.
Joanna died on 8 October 1975 and was buried at Donaghmore in County Tyrone.
Joanna and John Moore had the following children:
- James Moore (1907-????), my great uncle. James was born in Donaghmore and his birth registered in 1907. He was living with his family in the townland of Annagh Beg in Donaghmore parish at the 1911 Census.
- William Moore (1910-????), my great uncle. William was born in Donaghmore and his birth registered in 1910. He was living with his family in the townland of Annagh Beg in Donaghmore parish at the 1911 Census.
- Thomas John Moore (1912-????), my great uncle. Thomas’s birth was registered in Dungannon district in 1912.
- Ernest Moore (1917-1969), my grandfather. Ernest, or Tony as he was later known, was born in Donaghmore, served in the Irish Guards and settled in Croydon, Surrey, England. Read about him here.
Sources:
Family memories recounted to the author.
GRONI and Rootsireland.ie for civil registrations of births, deaths and marriages.
John Moore death certificate registration number D/1919/112/1012/29/124 at GRONI. Birth Registration number U/1881/109/1012/9/231.
National Archives of Ireland for census returns.