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The Howe Family of County Fermanagh, N. Ireland

The Howe Family

My ancestors are descended from Oliver & Jane Howe of County Fermanagh. The Howes had a large family consisting of perhaps seven or more children. Working on the assumption that the family was a member of the Church of Ireland, I contacted Reverend Maurice Armstrong of St. Margaret’s Rectory regarding church records relating to the Howe family. According to his records, Oliver and Jane Howe’s family included the following children: Mary, William, Elizabeth, Joseph, Oliver, Thompson and Jane. It seems that Mary and William were twins. The letters from the family suggest that there may have been other children including Robert, Ellen, James and John.

Name	Date of Birth	Date of Death	Marriage Date	Spouse
Mary	17 NOV 1843
William	17 NOV 1843
Elizabeth	17 MAR 1846	12 DEC 1880	12 JAN 1872	Archibald Little Bigh
Joseph	16 MAY 1851
Oliver	24 JUL 1853
Thompson	24 FEB 1859	21 APR 1950
Jane Anne	7 JUN 1861
Church Records for the Howe Children, St. Margaret’s Rectory, Clabby, Fivemiletown

The Howe Surname
Hoey, Howe; Hoey, Hoy, Howe and How are all English names and were used to describe a person who lived on a ridge. In Fermanagh, the names are usually borne by the descendents of Plantation tenants. These forms , of the surnames, however, are sometimes used as anglicisations of the Irish name of (O'hEachaidh ), common in the south east, and of (O'hEachaidh, common in Armagh and Down and also anglicised Haughey. Sometimes confused with them are MacEochaidh (which also gave Keogh) and MacEachaidh ( which gave MaCahey, McGahey, McCaughey). There were 172 voters in 1962 in co Fermanagh with the surnames Hoy, Hoey, Howe.”

“In "The Fermanagh Story", by Peadar Livingstone, page 459.

Members of the extended family apparently lived nearby. For example, the letters in the Braun Collection are sometimes authored by Annie J. Howe. Based on my studies of the letters, it appears that Annie J. Howe is the daughter of one of Mary’s brothers still residing in Fermanagh during the 1890’s, possibly James. It appears that she had a brother John.

The Howe's Pre-1880

While the Howe's raised their family in Claranagh, at this time I have uncovered very little about the family prior to the 1880’s. In fact, it is not clear how long the Howe family resided in County Fermanagh. I have thus far been unable to identify Church of Ireland births records for Oliver and Jane. Also, there is no “Tempo marriage record” for Oliver and Jane. Perhaps they were married in Jane’s townland in another area of County Fermanagh.

The Church records do include records of Oliver and Jane's deaths. The records show that Oliver passed away in November 1891 at the age of 82. Jane, his wife, passed away around Easter, on the 17th of April 1897.

Name	Date of Birth	Date of Death	Marriage Date
Oliver		26-NOV-1891 - Aged 82 years
Mary		17-APR-1897
Church Records for the Howe Children, St. Margaret’s Rectory, Clabby, Fivemiletown

Church of Ireland Records, Reverend Maurice Armstrong of St. Margaret’s Rectory (143 Clabby Road, Clabby, Fivemiletown, T75 ORD)

The Fermanagh Story, Peadar Livingstone

The Church of Ireland: Who We Are (http://www.ireland.angilican.org)

Introduction to Irish Methodism, Dudley Levistone Cooney. (http://www.irishmethodist.org/intro.htm)

Reverend Maurice Armstrong of St. Margaret’s Rectory (143 Clabby Road, Clabby, Fivemiletown, T75 ORD)

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Deb Wetlaufer
debi@wetlaufer.com