Where I am at now, Hagan ancestry, July 2021
My Hagan paternal ancestry is:
John (b 1940-)
Lloyd John (1915 -1982 Nelson, Lancashire)
Benjamin (1888, Everton, Liverpool - 1951, Nelson)
Benjamin (1848 Ballybay, Monaghan, Ireland - 1890 Everton)
John (1809 unknown birth place - 13 February 1877, Ballybay).
In 2016 I was DNA tested by 23andme. They analysed all chromosomes 1 to 22 and the sex chromosomes X , Y plus mitochondria. Females have 2 X-chromosomes and males one X and one Y. The file had 610527 rows in MS Excel. That corresponds to 610527 chromosome positions from a total 3200 million (3.2 billion) in a human genome. For chromosomes 1 to 22 there are 2 letters; one from mother and one from father. The X chromosome and MT a single letter is passed from a mother to both daughters and sons; the Y chromosome is inherited by sons, his X is inherited by daughters. In Excel each row gave the chromosome name, its position and the corresponding letters (A C G or T).
Because the Y chromosome (chrY) passes virtually unaltered from father to son for many generations it has been possible to map chrY movements of populations over many millennia. What changes in the chrY DNA molecule is at a certain position a letter of ACG or T alters, (for example C to T). This is a mutation at a position, a SNP (pronounced "snip", single nucleotide polymorphism). People with the same mutations are grouped together, givind haplogrous. 23andme put me in the group R-M222. This meant I have a mutation at position 12790481 from G to A and all men who have this mutation share the same ancestor who lived maybe about 2000 years ago. This mutation is most common in north west Ireland and southern Scotland. It s thought that the mutation is found there because the Irish Dái Riata from Antrim settled along the west coast of (now) Scotland. It is so called because the Romans called the Irish there "Scotti". R-M222 is also common in North America and elsewhere due to migration from Ireland that reached a peak mid 19th century.
In 2019 I subscribed to FTDNA's testing. At that they only analysed the y-chromosome looking for repititions of a group of letters and mutations at a single position. For example ACTACTACT is ACT repeated 3 times. However it was noticed that the number of repititions increased or decreased ofter much more quickly than SNP changes. These are called STR's (short tandem repeats). At that time it was usual to test only 25 or 37 different STRs. Now it maybe well over a hundred different ones within the ychr DNA molecule. The more similar the STR match, measured as GD (genetic difference) the closer the genetic relationship, for example testing 37 STRs a GD of 6 with a common surname is predicted to be not be related but at lower GDs are likely to be related. There has been a rapid fall in testing costs and FTDNA predicted my new haplogroup to be R-BY11733 - another SNP found! For it to be valid 3 or more men have to be tested positive for the mutation. This mutation was chrY:14002856 mutated from an ancestral T to a derived C. (This was first discovered/reported in 2016). Further details here July 2021 FTDNA reassigned my Y-DNA Haplogrou R-FT165098 - and they say I have a badge! It could be updated again next year!
Some personal details beginning with John Hagan 1809 - 1877:
John & Sarah Ann Hagan family was the only one living in Ballybay during the mid 19th century, so the 1877 death certificate of a John Hagan, a baker of Balllybay is gg grandfather John.
John is recorded as being buried at Christ Church, Ballybay (church of Ireland), but there doesn’t appear to be a headstone.
Information kindly given by Monaghan County Library, Clones, Monaghan, Ireland.
Other documents include a 1856 Belfast and Provence of Ulster Directory recording a John Hagan publican and confectioner, and Mrs Hagan as a dressmaker, both of Ballybay. I have been told my gg grandparents had good occupations during the great famine.
In 1861 John and Sarah Ann lived at 147 Main Street Ballybay, Monaghan and below are copies of Griffith Ireland Valations carried out between 1848 and 1864. This was used to determine the Poor Rate - monies raised to support the poor and destitute. Below is the 1861 Griffin Valuation showing that John was a tenant of William Williamson (an English surname).
Above is from the 1870 Ballybay Directory, Ulster gives Sarah Ann Hagan, Ballybay a milliner and dressmaker, no mention of John. I have found a document relating to John, Benjamin's brother. He too was a baker living in Monaghan at Dublin Street in 1881. Possible find: Eliza died 1909 Q3 at West Derby. Ref:86/192. John died 1911 aged 71. He lived 18 Makin St. West Derby, Liverpool. I have also heard that John & Eliza emigrated to America so any further information would be appreciated.
In 2018 I went to the Irish Family History Centre, Dublin and identified where John & Sarah Ann lived in Ballybay in 1861. They lived at 147 Meeting House Lane. They kindly gave me copies as below: (I have made the additions).
Above and below, as it is now in 2018. Properties around number 147 have been demolished to widen the road. These properties, above left, are similar.
1861 John & Sarah Ann address
Sometime during the 1990´s I found a Benjamin Hagan on the 1871 Scotland Census. This document was of my great grandfather Hagan and gave these details:
I knew nothing of our Irish connection so next I purchased a copy of Benjamin's army papers. It made sense because my grandfather, also Benjamin gave me a whip and asfish saw. He said they were given to him by his father and that they were from Africa. The whip was from Natal and at their request I have donated it to Kew Gardens, London for their archive.
and his Service certificate giving next of kin and where they lived in 1881.
He enlisted to the 13th Hussars at Clones in January 1866. He gave his age as 18 years old. His service lasted 20 years and he visited many countries including South Africa. Before my grandfather, died e gave me a sword fish saw and a whip made from solely a tree (shrub)branch. He said his father gave it to him from Africa. His military history document of March 1886 gave his next of kin his mother Sarah Ann of Belfast, County Antim and his brother John of Dublin Street, Monaghan.His father, John is not recorded so perhaps he died prior to 7 November 1881, even before 1870.
Below is a copy extract from the uk army British Empire website - the dates and actions are as on his Military History Sheet.
Below is an extract from Baden-Powell (Scouts) writing about his ex-commanding officer Sir Baker Russell. Great grandfather Benjamin is mentioned and interesting - his physique.
Written by Robert Baden-Powell of Colonel Sir Baker regarding his relationship with his men "On one occasion the Colonel had to lecture one of his men for some minor misbehaviour. The man was a splendid type of old soldier, a wonderful boxer, swordsman, rider, and marksman, but he was very fond of his mug of ale. When he was brought up for having had a drop too much, the Colonel remarked to him: "My good man, I only wish I could drink as much as you do and keep as good a nerve. Tell me how you manage it and I will let you off. Ben Hagan,for that was the fellow's name, explained his secret. It was to fill a hand-basin with beer every night before turning in and to pace it underneath his bed. Then his first act on waking in the morning was to pour it down his throat. He believed that the only way to preserve health and nerve was to take big doses of really stale beer the first thing in the morning."
Home 11 Jan 1866 - 10 Sep 1866
Canada 11 Sep 66 - 28 Jly 69
Home 29 Jly 69 - 16 Jan 72
East Indies 17 Jan 72 - 14 Nov 80
S. Afghanistan 15 Nov 80 - 7 Nov 81
E. Indies 8 Nov 81 - 13 Nov 84.
He was discharged from Colchester with a pension from 10 June 1884.
S. Africa 14 Nov 84 - 4 Nov 85
Home 5 Nov 85 - 15 Feb 86, then
16 Feb 86 - 2 Mar 1886 discharged after 20 years 45 days
One of his great granddaughters, Mary Ann, contacted me and kindly provided more details, tree below:
These gave these details:
- Birth date; 24 January 1888 at 106 Gregson St., Everton South, West Derby
- Mother's maiden name: Mary Snape
- Father's name: Benjamin Hagan, barman also of 106 Gregson Street.
I wrote to the Orphanage and they kindly sent me copies of their records from his admission to time after leaving.
His mother Mary worked Walmsley's Eating House, 5-7 Church Street, Blackburn for 5 shilling (25p) a week, now equivalent to about £110 a month. She could not afford to feed and cloth herself and her son so her employer asked if Ben could be placed in the orphanage. He was admitted 25 January 1900 and left 26 May 1902 to work at Mr Butcher's Boot Shop, King Street, Blackburn. From 20th December 1904 he worked at the Print Works and lived at 19 Watt Street, Sabden. In April 1908 he lived at 139 Clitheroe Road, Sabden.
Victor (1913-1952)and Lloyd John Hagan (1915-1982).
Victor was born 1913 and died 9 December 1952. He married Eileen Hunt (1926-2004). They had one child, Stephen who married Juliette. They had two children, Mary and Christine.
My father, Lloyd was born 3rd August 1915 and died 13th December 1982. He married Ena Whittaker (13 April 1913 - 1983). They had four children,John Stacey (30 March 1940, Jill (13 May 1941), Garth Magnus (2 June 1945) and Robert Ian (23 April 1947).
Lloyd passed the entrance examination to attend Nelson Grammar School. He went on to study pharmacy and gained an M.P.S. (Bradford) on 16 July 1938.
Lloyd joined the army in December 1940, RAMC. He was sent to West Africa, (Gold Coast/Ghana) from May 1941 to November 1942.
From Africa he was sent to Shetland where my mother, Jill and I went to live at Bankfield Cottage, Lerwick from 18 August 1944.
Our brother Garth Magnus was born there in June 1945. I don't know when we returned to England but I do remember us having to open all the windows and stand outside whilst they blew up the mines on the beach across the sound at Bressay.
After the war my father was, until his retirement, the pharmacist at Reedyford Hospital, Nelson. With that post he was given a telephone (Nelson 962) and was taken to the hospital by taxi if there was an emergency. After retirement he worked as a a locum chemist and finally opened his own chemist's shop in Earby. Due to pressures at home he took his own life December 1982.
- John and Ann 1856
- Griffin Valuation, 1861
- Army Career 1866-1886
- Sarah Ann, Dressmaker 1870
- 1871 Scotland Census
- Enrol 1
- Enrol 2
- 13th Hussars Dress
- 1881 John Dublin Street & 1881 John Dublin Street
- 13th Hussars 1866-85
- Benjamin´s African whip. This link has been deleted from Kew's database.
- African whip, photo
- Military Record
- Army Career 1866-1886
- 1887 Marriage Certificate
- 1888 Birth Certificate
- 1891 Census
- Orphanage documents
- 1901 Census
- 1901 Mary Census
- 1911 Census
- St Chrysostom Church
- 1939 Marriage Certificate
References - download pdf files
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