Very Early Oakmans in Co Antrim
The Widow Oakeman
The Hearth Money Rolls of 1669 lists Widow Oakeman living in either Ballymoneymore, Ballyminimore, Tullynewbane or Tullynewbank Townlands - her home contained one hearth which meant Mrs Oakeman was liable to pay a tax.
Next mention of an Oakman in the Glenavy area is in 1705 on an old headstone in Glenavy Parish Church burial ground. This may well indicate the death of the Widow Oakeman and likely where her husband was buried sometime prior to 1669.
Robert Oakman, Glenavy Parish
In 1709, Robert Oakman is listed as a Surveyor (Glenavy upper part) for Glenavy Parish Church (see Glenavy Past and Present by Charles Watson). Could Robert have been a son of the Widow Oakeman?
Robert Oakman's Will (extract only - PRONI T/700 p372), dated 1725 and proven in 1729, tells us he was married to Eliza and had four adult children living at the time he made his Will. They were Walter, William, Elenor and Margaret. In the records of Glenavy Parish Church, we find Mrs Elizabeth Oakman marrying William Thompson in 1732. This is likely to be Robert's widow remarrying a few years after Robert died.
From this we have the following family tree:
Oakman Family Tree to 1725
Robert's Children:
Walter Oakman, Ballydonaghy
The earliest we find Walter Oakman is in the Vestry Records of Glenavy Parish Church where he is "present at Vestry" in 1714 and 1715. Walter would have to have been 21 years or older to attend vestry meetings, making the date of his birth sometime before 1693. Some years later, in 1729, we find Walter leasing land in the Townland of Ballydonaghy, which is situated in the Parish of Camlin, just north of Glenavy Parish. Walter's name appears on two pieces of land, each adjacent to the other - one with someone named Hurdman or Herdman and the other with someone named Johnston (PRONI D427 pages 220 & 61-2).
These joint leases might be providing us with the names of others connected with the Oakman family. In the 1725 Will Extract for Robert Oakman (PRONI T/700 p372), we find that one of Robert's daughters, Elenor, had married a man named Herdman. It is possible that Walter Oakman was leasing land with his brother-in-law. The name Johnston might be the family name of Walter's wife. More research will need to be undertaken before these assumptions can be proven.
Walter was a Linen Draper (a dealer in linen). This occupation likely involved a shop where the linen could be sold and may have involved travelling to other cities and towns. Walter probably had premises in Belfast. In those days linen was woven from the fibres of flax plants and was very labour intensive.
Walter died about 1755. An extract from his Will (PRONI T/700 p373), proven in May 1755, mentions children John, Mary, Elizabeth, Walter, Nicholas, Robert, Catherine, Jean and Isabella. Walter also made mention of his brother, William, who appears to have died sometime after Walter's death in 1755.
From the Will extract of Walter we now have the following family tree:
Family Tree of Walter Oakman
William Oakman, Aghadalgon
In 1729 we also find Walter's brother, William, leasing land in the Parish of Glenavy in the Townland of Aghadalgon (PRONI D427 pages 220 & 61-2). William's name appears alongside the name Lennon or Lennox.
We also find William "present at Vestry" meetings at Glenavy Parish Church in 1728, 1733 and 1745.
Elenor Oakman
Elenor married a man named Herdman or Hurdman and had at least one child - a son, John Herdman, who was born before 1725.
Margaret Oakman
Margaret married a man named Ker sometime before 1725.
Ballyminymore Townland, Parish of Glenavy
Bordered by the Glenavy River along it's northern boundary, and encompassing Oakman's Hill to the south, Ballyminymore is just over 372 acres in size.
- 1826 - Tithe Applotment Books:
- Walter Oakman
- Widow Oakman
- William Oakman
- George Oakman
- Griffith's Valuation (1847-1864):
- Nicholas Oakman
Ballyvollen Townland, Parish of Camlin
To the west of Glenavy Village at the end of the Pigeontown Road was a property known as Pigeontown, close to Pigeon Hill.
- 1826 - Tithe Applotment Books:
- William Oakman
- Griffith's Valuation (1847-1864):
- John Oakman
Templecormac Townland, Parish of Ballinderry
John Oakman (abt 1791 - 1866)
John Oakman, the son of unknown Oakman and Susan unknown, married Eliza Ann Johnston in 1820. In 1833 he was farming on the property named Ashvale in Templecormac Townland. The only known child of John and Eliza was William John Oakman who was born circa 1824. Read more about John and his family.
William John Oakman (abt 1824 - 1906)
William John Oakman took over the Ashvale property after his father died. He had married Ruth Higginson on 6 May 1850 in the Ballinderry Church of Ireland. Witnesses to their marriage were Arthur John Johnson and Margaret Tuft.
William and Ruth had the following children:
- Eliza Anne Oakman - born 1851
- Edward Higginson Oakman - born 1853
- Mary Oakman - born 1855
- Henrietta Oakman - born 1862
- Thomas Francis Higginson Oakman - born abt 1871
- Ruth Oakman - born abt 1871
Read more about William John Oakman and his family.
Ballymoney Parish, County Antrim
Walter Oakman
Walter Oakman married Elizabeth (unknown) sometime before 1819. They had two known sons - William Oakman and Robert Oakman. Another child born in Ballymoney Parish, who may have been the son of Walter and Elizabeth, was John Oakman, born abt 1815. No trace has been found of Walter and Elizabeth beyond the baptism of their son Robert in 1828.
William Oakman (abt 1819 - 1891)
William Oakman was baptised on 10 Sept 1819 in the Ballymoney Church of Ireland. It is not known whether he married or had children. William died in October 1891.
The following was published in the Belfast Newsletter on 29 October 1891 - reproduced here with permission of the Belfast Newsletter:
An old man named William Oakman died in
Ballymoney yesterday from burns received in
his own house.
Robert Oakman (abt 1828 - ?)
Nothing is known of Robert other than he was baptised on 25 July 1828 in Ballymoney Parish.
John Oakman (abt 1815 - 1872)
John Oakman married Eliza (unknown) in 1841. John was a Roman Catholic and lived at Balnamore. At the time of the 1851 Census, John and Eliza were living in Castle Street, Ballymoney. Though the census records no longer exist, this information was found in the pension application record of their daughter, Elizabeth, which is available from Pensear.org.
In Griffith's Valuation we find John listed as John OAK in Castle Street, Ballymoney.
From the marriage records of John and Eliza's children we learn that John worked as a Shoemaker and a Labourer.
Eliza died in Ballymoney in 1872, aged 54 years. John died in Balnamore, Ballymoney on 26 November 1886. They are buried together in St Patrick RC Cemetery, Ballmoney, Plot 10, Section C.
John and Eliza had the following children:
- James Oakman - born abt 1846, James married Elizabeth Diamond. The marriage was performed by Rev J McErlaine on 12 April 1869 in the Roman Catholic Church in Ballymoney. James' occupation was a Hackler - a person who used a toothed implement (a hackle) to separate the coarse part of the flax. Witnesses to this marriage were Ellen Diamond and Charles Trainor. James died in 1893, aged 46 years.
- William Oakman - born abt 1848 and listed in the 1851 Census as being 3 years old. William married Elizabeth Macauley on 28 August 1874 at Our Lady & Saint Patrick Roman Catholic Church in Ballymoney. William and Elizabeth had at least four children:
- John Oakman - born 8 June 1875. John emigrated to New Jersey, America where he married Annie Dorn. John worked as a Silk Weaver. Children: Leonard Oakman and Elizabeth Oakman. Read more about John Oakman and his life in New Jersey
- Robert Oakman - born 6 March 1877 and died 20 January 1881.
- Robert James Oakman - born 29 March 1879.
- Elizabeth Oakman - born abt August 1880 and died 16 March 1881.
- Mary Oakman - born abt 1850. Mary married Charles Lynch in 1897.
- John Oakman - born aft 1851.
- Robert Oakman - born aft 1851
- Richard Oakman - born aft 1851
- Walter Oakman - born aft 1851, Walter married Eliza Jane Lynch in the Roman Catholic church in Ballymoney on 20 April 1884. Walter was living in Balnamore and working as a Baker. Eliza was a Millworker. They both died sometime after 1911.
- Mary Anne Oakman - born 1885 and died after 1919.
- Elizabeth Jane Oakman - born 1888, married John Sheils in 1920.
- Margaret Theresa Oakman - born 1889, married Michael Olphert in 1919.
- John Oakman - born 1893 in Ballycastle, became a Tailor, died sometime after 1911.
- Ellenor Oakman - born 1896 in Ballycastle, died 1897 in Ballycastle.
- Margaret Oakman - born bef 1862, Margaret married John McAuley. The Rev J McErlain performed the service at Ballymoney RC Church on 13 July 1883. Witnesses were Agnes Oakman and John Kane.
- Elizabeth Oakman - born bef 1857. She married William Browne in the Ballymoney Church of Ireland on 26 October 1878. Elizabeth was working as a Servant in Ballyleagh and William Browne was a Rougher.
There were other Oakmans who lived in Ballymoney but, as yet, I am unable to connect them to any particular family. They were:
- Susan Oakman who was born abt 1829 and died in 1866.
- Henry Oakman of Aghagallon, son of William Oakman - married Susanna Dempsey in 1879.
- Sarah Oakman, daughter of William Oakman - who married Edmund McLaughlin in 1883.
- Agnes Oakman who married William Diamond in 1893. William Diamond may have been a brother of Elizabeth Diamond who had married James Oakman (see above).
- Eliza Oakman, born abt 1845 and died 1914 - may be the wife of one of the above.
- Elizabeth Oakman, born abt 1846 and died 1914 - may be the wife of one of the above.
Belfast City
Robert Oakman (bef 1882 - aft 1913)
According to the 1911 Census of Ireland, Robert Oakman was born in County Antrim, the son of John Oakman, a Tailor. Though not yet proven, Robert may have been the son of John Oakman and Eliza (unknown) of Ballymoney.
Robert was a Van Man when he married Charlotte McDowell at Christchurch Church of Ireland in Belfast on 18 Oct 1902. Witnesses to their marriage were James and Charlotte Tinman. Robert is found working as a Labourer on each of their children's birth records.
The 1911 Census tells us Robert was 46 years old, a General Labourer, living with his family in Oldpark Place, Clifton, Belfast. The family were Episcopalians.
Robert and Charlotte had the following children:
- Elizabeth Oakman - born 11 Sept 1905 at 214 Manor Street, Belfast and died sometime before 1908.
- Lottie Oakman - born 12 March 1907 at 214 Manor Street, Belfast.
- Lizzie Oakman - born 31 December 1908 at 15 Barrow Street, Belfast.
- William Oakman - born 27 Feb 1911 at 1 Oldpark Place, Belfast and died bef 1913.
- William Oakman - born 13 Nov 1913 at 1 Oldpark Place, Belfast.
