Sinclair Genealogy

These notes and the following family tree were compiled by Thomas Hilary Sinclair, Senior, formerly of Manchester, and then resident in Llandudno, North Wales. His father corresponded with all branches of the family when alive, and some old scrapbooks compiled by his sisters about 1850 containing numerous newspaper cuttings, some without dates, came into his possession and helped in his work. He first visited Kinneary with his father 63 years before and at that time there were at least 10 farmhouses in the district occupied by people with connections to the family, but when he had completed his compilation, Kinneary House was the only one in which Sinclairs lived.

His mother had informed him that the family settled there in 1642 from Scotland, and the first member would not accept a gift of land, as it carried some restriction with the gift, to which he objected, and consequently they were tenant farmers until the Lands Purchase Acts. Before machinery for spinning and weaving came into use, many farmers in the district farmed out linen yarn to handloom weavers and added considerably to their incomes. His mother also informed him that there was originally in the old home a framed coat of arms which was presumably brought by the first settler, and rather pointed to him being a Scotchman of some standing, if not of large means. They were the arms of the Caithness family of Sinclairs.

He was unable to trace any registration of births, deaths and marriages before 1788 because the records of Clonfeacle Church, Blackwatertown, the parish church of the district in early times, were destroyed in the Court of Records fire during the Rebellion. The farm has been handed down father to son from 1642, and then was in the hands of a young Simon Sinclair .

The following obituary from The Primitive Wesleyan Methodist Magazine & Miscellany of Christian Knowledge and Useful Information, Vol. 1 (1823), pp. 362-363 was given to the compiler by Annie Verner:

"Miss Elizabeth Sinclair, the subject of the following memoir, was the youngest child of the late Mr John Sinclair of Kinneary, in the County of Armagh: and born in the year 1792. Her parents early in life embraced the gospel and joined the Methodist Society. For many years previous to their decease they cordially entertained the preachers, and religious meetings were held in their house. After living to a good old age they died in peace and went to heaven."

The Sinclairs of Kinneary House