#52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Week 45, Prompt: 'Bearded'

Week 45 Prompt: Bearded

Meet George Shanks and his full beard

This week I am introducing my great, great, uncle: Mr. George Shanks of Poyntzpass, Co Down, Northern Ireland. He has great fluffy white whiskers and a pleasant face- he would make a rather good ‘Father Christmas’ don't you think?

I cropped this photo from the family one below.  I only received it a year ago from a relative in Victoria and I was so thrilled as I have very little personal information about the Shanks family and have been desperately following all leads trying to attain more, especially photographs.

Now to tell you a little about George.   He was born about 1836 (estimated from death certificate age) as the fifth child of Samuel SHANKS and Margaret SHANKS. He had eight siblings, - Seven sisters and one brother.

Namely: Eliza, Mary, Martha, Agnes, Samuel, Sarah, Margaret, and Rebecca. 

His sister, Eliza the oldest in the family is my gg grandmother.

The Shanks family lived in the Townland of Lisnabrague and it seemed that George stayed there all his life, however on his son's (John) wedding registration in America it shows George and Eliza as being members of the household. I will have to research this further to see if they ventured overseas to attend the wedding.

Lisnabrague is a beautiful rich farming area of 563 Acres on the outskirts of Poyntzpass town, spreading across towards Loughbrickland.  Found in the Civil Parish of Aghaderg, the Barony of Iveagh Upper, Upper Half, and the Province of Ulster. The Poor Law Union: Banbridge.

Bann road, Lisnabrague 

which runs between the original farms of the Shanks' families

 Source: The Newsletter of Poyntzpass Family History Association

The Irish name for Lisnabrague is Lios Rátha Bréige.  There is some confusion over the meaning/origin of the name but it seems it could be: 'enclosure of the fort of the deceit' to do with the playfulness and stories of fairies. 

Map sketch of Lisnabrague and area

Source: The Newsletter of Poyntzpass Family History Association

In his thirty-second year, George married Eliza ALLEN, 25, daughter of James ALLEN and Mary Jane GLASSEY, on 10 Jun 1868 in Ballymore, Armagh, Ireland.

Source: Marriage Registration details from Ancestry

NB: The witnesses are Margaret Shanks - George’s sister and  David Irwin who were married a month earlier in the same year, 1868.

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George SHANKS and Eliza ALLEN had seven boys and one girl, reversing the boy/girl ratio totally from the family George grew up in.

Children: 

1.Samuel James born 19 Apr 1869. He died 09 Apr 1904.

2.John born 28 Apr 1871.

3.George  born 06 Apr 1873. He died aged 2, in 1875.

4.Margaret  (Maggie) born 29 Sep 1876.

5.William George born 24 Mar 1879. He married Salisbury Buchanan FLEMING Q2  1917 in Belfast.  He died on 11 Mar 1952 in 'Rose Cottage', Lisnabrague  

6.David Allen born 04 Jun 1881. He married Mary J Johnston about 1905. He died 23 Jan 1958 in Granville, Bradford, Pennsylvania, USA.

7. Thomas Henry born about 1886. He died in 1978.

8. Robert Charles born Q2 1888 (Army Records).

George and Eliza Shanks & family

 Photo may have been at Samuel's wedding Q4 1899 as they are wearing floral lapels.
 Those present could be:

Back row:   Samuel James, Maggie, William George
Middle row:  David Allen, George, Eliza 
Front row, seated: Thomas Henry, Robert Charles.

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The census of 31 Mar 1901 for Lisnabrague shows George is now 65 years old. Eliza is 56 and they have 5 children with them. Maggie 24yo, down to Wm George 12yo.    (John had emigrated to the US and married in 1894 over there.  Samuel James married in 1899 and lived at East Belfast.)  

George lived only another 4 years after the census dying on 17 Aug 1905, aged 69, at home in Lisnabrague, leaving his wife and family.  His son William George was present. 

Death Registration for George Shanks

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In the 1911 Census, Eliza his widow is still living at the farm in Lisnabrgue with two of her family - Maggie now 34 and William George 32.  They also have a servant living with them - 16yo Christopher Stevenson. 

NB: I am currently sorting through all the Shanks families of this area of Northern Ireland with other Shanks descendants around the world. The Shanks name derived from Cruikshanks or Crookshanks. (Must be why I am having trouble with my legs!)
 As yet we have not been able to go back far enough with facts to verify the connection. It is possible that the family was from Scotland originally and travelled across to Ireland like many other families. Some of us are having DNA tests to try and find the links.  I would love to hear from any other Shanks descendants as we tease our way through the tapestry threads.