Back in March this year, Breakfast in conjunction with Tourism Ireland and Air New Zealand ran a competition for a viewer with Irish blood to visit the Emerald Isle and trace their ancestry with a Breakfast producer and cameraman.
Our lucky winner was Melinda Stevenson, a mother of three from
Warkworth, whose paternal grandparents were of Irish stock. She had
always wanted to further explore the Babe and Ferguson sides of her
family tree. Every morning this week we are sharing a part of
her journey with you on Breakfast.
Make sure you're watching at 8.50am to see it.
But if you do miss it we will be cataloguing her adventure right
here!
Friday
Melinda and Jeremy head to the
Ulster American Folk
Park
, an open air museum about Irish emigration in
the 18th and 19th centuries, to learn about living conditions
before and during Melindas ancestors voyage to New Zealand.
They find a house similar to the Fergusons, and a model ship like the one the family would have travelled on. Then they meet with local genealogist Brian Mitchell, who helps them use the Internet to locate old passenger records and find a photograph of the exact vessel Melindas ancestors departed on.
The last step for Melinda and Jeremy is to travel to the port where her ancestors boarded that ship. According to a Ferguson relative Melinda met in story three, they departed from Belfast. So the couple drive to Belfast along the picturesque North Antrim Coast .
At the ports of Belfast, Melinda reflects on her genealogical
journey.
Click here to watch
Friday's story
Thursday
Melinda and Jeremy drive further north, to Cookstown, County Tyrone, where they plan to look into the other side of Melindas Irish family tree the Ferguson side. A large group of local Ferguson relatives surprise her at dinner. They reveal where her ancestors departed Ireland from Belfast and give her a photograph of the old Ferguson family home where her great-grandfather was born.
The next morning Melinda and Jeremy wake to their first day of wet weather in Ireland so far, but it isnt enough to deter them from trying to find the old farmhouse. With just a rough address and the photograph to go by, they drive up and down rural roads for at least an hour before they spot it. The house is now owned by a distant cousin named Stanley, who uses it for storage only. He takes them for a look inside.
The surrounding farmland and lake are stunning. Melinda reflects
on just how similar it is to New Zealand.
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Thursday's story
Wednesday
Melinda and Jeremy set off for Tandragee, County Armagh, where they hope to find the house Etain talked about. As they enter the town, Jeremy spots a war memorial and suggests taking a look. They end up finding the names of two of Melindas ancestors on it one from each side of the family tree.
Then they pay a visit to 88 year-old Muriel Babe, the last surviving Babe in the county. She has no children and marks the end of the family branch there. Muriel tells Melinda about the linen factory owned by her ancestors, and shows her photos of it.
Then the local rector, Brian Harper drops by with the name of an ancestor named William Babe in his parish records. Looking closer at it, Melinda realises the birth date is different to the one in her own records. As Brian explains, its likely there were two Williams; the first died young, and a later born child was named after him. So Melinda has discovered a child that no-one back home knew existed.
The whole crew drive to the site of the old Babe family home,
but find a modern mansion standing in its place. Then they head to
the Mullavilly Parish churchyard to see a Babe headstone. On it,
Melinda spots the name of the ancestor she discovered earlier in
the day, as well as two more forgotten siblings.
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Wednesday's story
Tuesday
Dundalk historian Hugh Smyth gives Melinda and Jeremy the
background of
Darver Castle
and its relation
to the Babes. He then takes them to nearby Monasterboice, an
ancient Christian settlement that Melinda's Babe ancestors would
have visited.
That night, Melinda and Jeremy meet a handful of Babe relatives at
the local pub. A third cousin, Etain, shows Melinda photos of the
house belonging to their common ancestor, Wright Babe, his wife,
and 14 children.
Click here to watch
Tuesday's story
Monday
Melinda and husband Jeremy arrive in Dublin after a 23-hour flight
from Auckland. They check into the
Shelbourne Hotel
and meet resident genealogy butler, Helen Kelly. Helen confirms
that Melindas Babe family ancestors once lived in a fortress named
Darver Castle
Darver Castle
, in County
Louth. She also suggests Melinda look for her grandfathers birth
record in Dublin, as it could make her eligible for her Irish
passport.
The next morning, Helen takes Melinda and Jeremy to the National Library of Ireland where they peruse old records on microfiche machines and in books. Melinda is moved to tears by the sight of Ferguson names on the old pages.
Then they go to the General Register Office for Ireland and in just 15 minutes, manage to obtain Melindas grandfathers record of birth.
After farewelling Helen, Melinda and Jeremy hit the road and
drive to their next destination
Darver Castle
in Readypenny,
County Louth.
Click here to watch
Monday's story
