The Proctors from Ireland

The Proctors are Lynn Johnson's maternal family Line.

The earliest known Proctor is John, born about 1830, who married Eliza in about 1854 in Annasberg, Co. Tyrone, Ireland. A handwritten note of uncertain origin was passed to Vera Johnson which included the following information:

• John Proctor, a weaver and wife Eliza, 1855, Annasbeg, County Tyrone.
• William Proctor, son, baptised St Andrews, parish of Keilyman, Diocese Armaugh 1855.
• On the 16th of April 1881 at South Shields in the parish Church of St. Mary William Proctor a miner married Anne Rosenberg (A widow formerly Annie Welch).
• Henry son, 1888, born Blueberry Cottage, Lamesley.
• John and Henry, brothers, 1895-97, taking part in Sunday School Anniversary services at The Lintz, Burnopfield)
• Archibald McMeiken, 1856, born at Whitehaven Cumbria. 1881 Census he is living as single man at West Herrington.

So far all the points except the first two have been verified, obviously more work needs to be done here. It appears he was a weaver. Keilyman is almost certainly the modern civil parish of Killyman. And Annasbeg is the township on Annaghbeg, both in Co. Tyrone.

His son William (1855) came across to England at some point, the family story is that he ran away from home as a young boy aged 14 years. Apparently he claimed to have no siblings. At the time of the 1871 census he was living as a single man in Sunderland, and at the 1881 census as a single man boarding at Lamesley. He married a young widow, Annie Rosenberg (née Welch) in 1881, and began their family. Annie already had two children to her first marriage, Frank and Hannah. In turn were born Isabella, (1881), John (1883), Henry Welch (1888), William and Lorraine (1891) who were twins. Lorraine did not survive and her name is a little uncertain. Apparently her father was unclear about this. Finally there was William Henry Welch (1902), who seems to have lived only until he was about 4 years old, and the later family seem to know little or nothing of him. William Snr. worked as a Coal Miner and as General Labourer.

William Proctor Snr. (1855 -1932)

William Jnr. was Lynn Johnson's grandfather. He was married three times. His first marriage was to Georgina McMeiken in 1913 to whom he had one child, Doris (1913). William was taken prisoner during national service in WW1. Sadly by the time he returned home at the end of the war Georgina had died. He then married Georgina's sister Frances Foster McMeiken (1901), who was Vera Johnson's mother. The two surviving children of this marriage were Vera (1921) and Mary (1927). Frances died young aged just 34 years. William's last (and third) marriage was to Elizabeth (Betty) Sykes, to whom he had six children. He died in 1957. William started his working life as a coal miner. Later he worked in the Royal Ordinance Factory at Birtley. His marriage certificate records him as a Foreman in the factory.

Of his two daughters born to Frances, Vera the eldest married Arthur Albert Johnson, mum and dad to my wife Lynn. Mary married Joseph Nicholson. Vera and Mary were the last Proctors in our own line in the family history.

An interesting comment is that whilst William married two of the McMeiken sisters, his brother Henry married yet another, Elizabeth Jane, known to the family as Aunt Lizzie.