Mary was Calum's, Jamie's and Pippa's six times great grandmother.
Mary Gibb was born in about 1786. She married John Bill on September 19th 1804, in
a ceremony performed by the minister of the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church in Templepatrick. The record notes that the
marriage happened at Ballyhartfield (Source: PRONI MIC/1B/11/1). The fact that the couple were resident shortly after in Ballycushan,
Templepatrick, is noted in the baptismal entry for their eldest son David Bill in October
1805 (see below). A connection to Ballymartin is also briefly noted in 1821 with the birth of their son William Wallace
Bill (see below).
Although Ireland has suffered a tragic loss of censuses from 1821-1891, church censuses for Ballycushin
townland survive from the years 1831 and 1857. Combined with the data gathered from the 1875 trial for the Templepatrick murder,
this has helped to confirm that Mary was the boys' ancestor.
The 1831 census tells us that Mary was resident at house number 4 in Ballycushin townland, and
was married at that stage to John Bill, with five children resident also - David, Elizabeth,
John, William Wallace,
and Samuel. The family was Presbyterian, and one of two Bill families in the townland - the other belonging
to John's brother David (Source: PRONI MIC 1P/325A/1; also accessible online via Emerald Ancestors).
By 1857, John had died. The church census for the townland notes the presence now of Mary as Widow
M. Bill, and her children David, Margaret, and Eliza Gray (Source: PRONI MIC 1P/325A/1; also accessible online
via Emerald Ancestors).
Mary eventually passed away on 11 JUL 1871 at 'Ballycushion' townland, the record noting that she
was an 85 year old widow, and formerly married to a farmer, now deceased. The cause of death was debility as suffered for
many years. The informant to the registrar on 20 JUL was her son David Bill, also resident at Ballycushin
(GRONI/GENI D/1871/8/1001/2/35 Templepatrick).
Combined with the newspaper coverage of the tragic
Templepatrick Murder in 1874, the subsequent trial of 1875, and various other sources including the parish records available
at PRONI, the family has been identified as follows.
Children of Mary GIBB and John BILL:
David Bill
b: 19/10/1805 d: 20/4/1877
Elizabeth Bill
John Bill
b: abt 7/7/1814 d: 25/7/1900
John was Calum's, Jamie's and Pippa's five times great grandfather - see
Bill page.
William Wallace Bill
b: 12/6/1821 d: ????
Samuel Bill
b: abt 2/11/1823 d: 16/2/1901
