Born: Abt. 1643 of Armagh, Ireland Died: 1723 Loughgall, Armagh, Ireland WIFE Elizabeth Born Abt. 1654 Died: 11 6th mo 1713 Loughgall, Armagh, Ireland FHL film 571397 Elizabeth mother of John died 1713 6th month 14 CHILDREN John Blackburn

John Blackburn
by Susan Brooke
Nov 2020

This John Blackburn first appears in Loughgall as early as 1667 when he was being sued by the Church of England for refusal to pay a tithe. This incident is recorded among the sufferings of the early Quakers, indicating that this first John Blackburn was an early Quaker himself.  They were members of Richhill and Ballyhagen meetings in County Armagh, Ballyhagen Meeting having been establish in 1654. (1)  "John Blackburn, being sued for Tythe to the value of 2s.id. 2q. in the Mannor Court of Loughall by Humphrey Pettard, Priest, the said John produced the Statute against all proceedings in Temporal Courts for the Tithe; notwithstanding the jury said" etc., Blackburn's horse, worth £2, taken for tithe of 2s. id. 2q."

He was sued again in 1668 for tythes and clerk's wages and "taken from him as much as yarn as was worth two pounds." This may indicate he was also a weaver.  (2) The suits continued and each time he paid with goods, like hay or pigs. (2) He was a witness at the wedding of John Porter to Mary Boys on 8 Dec 1692 at the Balleyhagen Meeting. (3)

John and his wife Elizabeth had at least four maybe five children.  John Blackburn was his oldest. (4)

Sources

(1) Blackburn and Allied Descendants of John Blackburn Sr. who came from Ireland to Pennsylvania in 1736 by Evelyn D Gibson, 1978

John Blackburn Sr. was the son of a John Blackburn.  Record of his father first appears in Loughgall as early as 1667 when he was being sued by the Church of England for refusal to pay a tithe. This incident is recorded among the sufferings of the early Quakers, indicating that this first John Blackburn was an early Quaker himself.  They were members of Richhill and Ballyhagen meetings in County Armagh, Ballyhagen Meeting having been establish in 1654. "John Blackburn, being sued for Tythe to the value of 2s.id. 2q. in the Mannor Court of Loughall by Humphrey Pettard, Priest, the said John produced the Statute against all proceedings in Temporal Courts for the Tithe; notwithstanding the jury said" etc., Blackburn's horse, worth £2, taken for tithe of 2s. id. 2q."Elizabeth Blackburn died on 11 6th mo 1713 at Loughgall. Her husband appears to have died around 1723, based on the timing of the entry of his death in meeting records, his age being recorded at 80 years.  John may have been a weaver by trade, having been sued in 1668 and said suit being forcibly resolved by the confiscation of his yarn.

(2) https://www.blackburn-tree.org/early-history/ireland-trip-report/

1667 – John Blackburn was sued for tythes in the Manor Court of Loughgall by Humphry Pettard, Priest.  He lost a horse worth two pounds.

1668 – John Blackburn was sued for tythes and clerk’s wages and was taken from him as much as yarn as was worth two pounds.

1673 – John Blackburn had taken from him for tithe, by the servants of George Walker, four car-loads of hay, worth two shillings.

1677 – John Blackburn had taken from him for tithe four stooks of maslin, eight stooks of oats and one pig, all worth eleven shillings.  [A stook is an arrangement of cut grain.]

1680 – John Blackburn had taken from him for tithe, by Patrick Powel, one stook of maslin, two stooks of Barley and six stooks of oats, all worth five shillings.

1681 – John Blackburn had taken from him for tithe, by the servants of Garret Barry (the priest of the parish of Kilmore), four stooks of barley, five stooks of oats and two loans of hay, all worth seven shillings.

(3) http://www.cephasfisher.net/BallyhaganQuakerMinutes/BallyhaganMinutes.pdf

 Some Records of the Ballyhagan Quakers of Northern Ireland

Marriage Certificates Prior to 1700

Men’s Preparative and Monthly Meeting Minutes 1705 - 1717

Ballyhagan Marriage Certificates

The following certificates for Ballyhagan marriages predate the surviving minutes of the Ballyhagan meeting. The certificates are given here to provide earlier information about many of the people mentioned in the meeting minutes. The certificates are transcribed from film MIC 16/Reel 39 BM 5/3 at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).

Page 2B John Porter of Lurgan, Shankill Parish & Mary Boys of Drumilly in Loughgall Parish, 8 December 1692. At Ballyhagan.

Wheras John Porter of Lurgan in the P’ish of Shankill and Mary Boys of Drummilly in the p’ish of loughgall, having declared their intentions of marriage with each other in severall publick meetings of the people Called Quakers in the County of Ardmagh whose proceedings therein after a deliberate Consideration thereof and Consent of p’tyes and relations conserned they being cleare from all others were approved of by the said meetings.

Now these are to certify all whom itt may conserne that for the full accomplishment of their said Intentions this 8th day of the tenth month called desember in the yeare 1692 the said John Porter and Mary Boys appeared in a publick and solemne Meeting of the said people mett together to worship god in their publick meeting house att Ballyhagan where the said John Porter according to the accounts of the holy men of God recorded in the Scriptures of truth taking the said Mary Boys by the hand did solemnly declare as followeth viz: In the presence of God and this Congregation I take Mary Boys to be my wife.

And then and there in the said assembly the said Mary did declare as followeth viz: In the presence of God and this assembly I give my selfe to John Porter to be his wife and take him to be my husband.

And as a further confirmation thereof the said John Porter then and there to these presents subscribe their names as husband and wife And we whose names are under written being present with many more att the solemnizing of their said marryage and subscribe as aforesaid as wittnesses thereunto have sett our hands the day and year above written.

John Porter Mary Porter 

John Nicholson Charles ffisher

Luke Peele

Will: Brownloe Senr Will: Nicholson George Wickliffe James Tugh

Thomas Calvert John Williamson William Jenkinson

Walter Coxe

Jane Coxe

Thomas Jenkinson John Anderson Robert Hodgson Thomas Horner William Richardson Mary Hobson

John Walker

Will: Brownloe John Blackburne John Neill Samuell Anderson

William Porter ffrancis Hobson Laurance Hobson Thomas Hobson William Hobson Jane Porter

Sarah Porter Elizabeth Hodgson Jane Matthews Sarah Hobson Pheby Anderson Hestr Porter Barnard Bulloch Christofer Hobson? James Hobson 

(4) https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Blackburn-859
The surname of John's wife Elizabeth is unproven.  He and wife Elizabeth (possibly Park) are buried in Monie Burial Ground (Money Hill Friends Burial Ground), Ballyhagan, County Armagh, Ireland. There is circumstantial evidence that John and Elizabeth Blackburn were the parents of at least four, and probably five, children:

1. John - m. Mary WINTER 
2. Hannah - married out of the Quaker church
3. Joseph
4. William
5. possibly Anthony