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I have just now read this posting and you certainly have sprung a surprise. As you suspected, I was unaware of your branch and of the interesting quandary of your g-grandfather. My family were from Drumcree parish, which is just on the northwest side of Portadown. Around 1874, our family of 6 sons mostly emigrated, 2 to USA, 2 to NZ and 1 to Aust and onward to NZ later. One stayed in Ulster as a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary. I have details of the majority of our cousins etc in Drumcree but find no relevant James who could be yours. However, in the Seagoe parish registers there are 3 baptisms that might correspond to your family and here comes some surprising info for you….
James bapt 21/3/1843, son of John & Mary Jane Rolson.
Mary Jane bapt 26/6/1844, dau of John & Mary Jane Rolson of Tamnafiglasson.
Richard bapt 23/12/1848, son of John & Mary Jane Rolson of Drumnagoon.
Tamnifaglasson and Drumnagoon are adjacent townlands to the NE side of Portadown and within Seagoe parish. There are very few Rolston entries in the Seagoe register, I expect that John came into the parish from elsewhere, and on this basis, I have a probable connection into our Drumcree line…..
Back a little in time, in 1799 James Ralston was co-lessee with William Ralston (probably his brother) on 13 acres of land in Foybeg townland in Drumcree, part of the manor of Clentilue. James’s wife was named Mary. She was buried 2 July 1824 at Drumcree, James was buried 15 May 1841 at Drumcree aged 66 years. This James & Mary had 9 children, the 7th being John, bapt 6 Feb 1814 at Drumcree. I believe it was he who married Mary Jane Stewart at Seagoe parish church on 5 June 1841, in which case, theirs were the above 3 children.
They surface later in Belfast, in a religious census of 1852, living at 39 Charles St South. The following is recorded:
John Rollestone 38 Printer
Jane 37
James 14
William J. 11
Richard 8
Eliza Ann 4
The daughter Mary Jane is not listed, but in her place is a William J. I suspect that the census enumerator mis-heard the name of Mary Jane and mistakenly wrote William J.
This being a church census of Christ Church, John & Jane were listed as both being able to read, both owned a bible, attended church regularly and were confirmed in church. The 3 eldest children attended Sunday school.
The census suggests that James would have been born 1838, which means he was 5 yrs old when baptised. This is feasible, although he was more probably younger. Census takers were notoriously inaccurate at recording ages.
I have checked Griffiths valuation for Portadown, 1864, and there are no James listed as house occupiers in the town or parish and in case of perhaps being elsewhere nearby, there are no other Rolstons listed for parishes of Tartaraghan, Montiaghs or Shankill. In other words, I can find no other James Rolston who might have been suitable in place or time as your g-grandfather. So the question is whether your family did go to Belfast; you mention that James left Portadown in a hurry around the 1870’s. Have you information that they were living there at that time? Belfast & Portadown directories would help resolve that question.
There is also the question of the business that they were engaged in. This info shows that the father John was a printer, but your posting infers they may have been involved in producing mineral water. Do you know what was the business that took James to Waterford?
I’ll be very interested to hear whether any of this ties in with your known family information. My opinion is that there is a very good possibility of the above being correct, which would mean that you and I are not too distant cousins.
Ken.
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