There are several Lees families recorded in neighbouring townlands East and South of Cookstown; Teressan, Killybearn, Tullywiggan, Drumcraw. There way be a relation to the Lees families in Ardtrea.

The earliest record I have of LEES in Derryloran is the David Ly recorded in the 1740 protestant householders which survive for the parish.

26 years later there is an Archibald Lee, a Protestant in the townland of Tullyboy, Derryloran, recorded in the 1766 religious census.

On the 1796 flax growers list there is a John Lees recorded in Derryloran.

In the 1826 tithe applotment there are two LEES households recorded:
No. 469, Alexander Layse, Drumcraw, 2″0″0 acres, £0″3″10
No. 1139. John Layse, Terressan, 8″2″22 acres, £0″14″1

Alexander Lees & Jane ? of Drumclaw

This family appears in the registers of St Luran’s Parish Church, Derryloran under various spellings; Lais, Layse, Lease and Leaze.

There couple had at least 5 children;

  • Jane Leaze, c. 3 Oct 1820
  • James Layse, c. 23 Nov 1823
  • Samuel Lease, c. 25 Sep 1825
  • Anne Lais, c. 27 Jul 1828
  • Robert Lais, b. 24 Oct 1829, c. 6 Dec 1829

I have not yet succeeded in tracing any marriages or deaths of likely members of the family after 1829, leading me to believe they likely emigrated.

John Lees & Margaret McCord of Terressan

I have used a combination of sources to put together the following family. Most helpful was a parish census of the 3rd Cookstown Presbyterian Church congregation which listed all members of the family of John Lays and Margaret McCord.

John Lees or Lays b. 1792 was a Farmer in Terressan and held a piece of land from the Drapers’ Company. See the Estate Records for abstracts. PRONI holds an extensive archive of Drapers’ Company records and there are likely to be more references to John, perhaps also to other family members. He died around 1871.

He married Margaret McCord b. 1801 and the couple had the following children;

  • John Lees b. 15 May 1827, m. Maria Lees Oct 1850, Gone to America Nov. 1850
  • James Lees b. 15 Nov 1828, Gone to America March 1848, could not trace
  • Jane Lees b. 15 Nov 1830, Gone to America Aug. 1848, could not trace
  • Margaret Lees b. 03 Jul 1832, Gone to America Aug. 1848, could not trace
  • Sally Lees b. 12 Jan 1834, Gone to America 12 April 1858, could not trace
  • Mary Lees b. 15 Jun 1837, m. William Nodwell 1865, d. 1895
  • Nancy Lees b. 1840, could not trace after 1865
  • Betty Eliza Lees b. 29 Jun 1842 Gone to England Nov 1863, could not trace
  • Martha Lees b. 1844, m. William Mulholland, d. 1909
  • Isabella Lees b. 11 Jun 1846, d. aft 1911

John Lees 1827- m. Maria Lees

John Lees junior married Maria Lees, the daughter of Alexander Lees from Tullyraw. The two families may be related.

The couple emigrated to New York, though I cannot find a good immigration record for them as a couple.

Here below are the records I have found for them as a couple. I didn’t have much luck finding them between the 1860 census and John’s death in 1890

Martha Lees

Martha Lees married William Mulholland, Farmer of Corhoney, Parish of Kilress, on 13 Mar 1873. He was the son of William Mulholland, also a Farmer.

I have identified 2 children born to the couple;

  • William John Mulholland born 23 Mar 1875
  • Margaret Mulholland born 11 Mar 1878. I found two possible marriages for her; Marriage of JAMES LENNOX and MARGARET MULHOLLAND on 19 November 1903; Marriage of ARCHIBALD MCALISTER and MARGARET MULHOLLAND on 29 November 1904.

William Mulholland died 3 Feb 1889 aged 49 of „Chronic Rheumatism 1 year, and Debility 3 months“ and widow Martha was the informant.

In an article in the Mid-Ulster Mail on 22 September 1900 the farm is listed as to be sold by public auction. Martha Mulholland on the Farm in the Townland of Terressan is Defendant in a suit from Richard Charles. The land is mentioned as being held in Fee Simple, subject to the Irish Land Commission, for the residues of the term of 40 years, from the 1 Nov 1889, under the Land Purchase Acts.

Two years later, on 3 Feb 1902, Martha Mulholland was evicted from her home by Sheriff Bailiff William McMullan with two assistants.

„Mulholland climbed by means of a table and chairs up on a wall dividing two apartments in the house from which position she fired missiles at the bailiffs when removing the furniture and refused to leave the place for a long time, but was ultimately persuaded to descend on a ladder, which a neighbour brought to the place. The woman was committed to Derry Asylum as a dangereous lunatic.“

Martha died at the Derry Aslum 18 May 1909 of septicaemia [blood poisening] and exhaustion which she had for a duration of 12 days before death.

There are surviving patient records of the Derry Asylum held at PRONI in Belfast which will likely provide additional details on Martha.

Nancy Lays or Lees and Thomas Art of Killybearn

The following is sourced from a parish census of 3rd Cookstown Presbyterian as well as civil registration records;

Thomas Art, born 1800, was a Farmer in Killybearn. He was married to Nancy Lays who was born 1796 and died 30 Jan 1839.

  • George Art, b. 17 Jun 1829, m. Elizabeth Shaw 1859 St. Luran’s Derryloran, had at least 9 children, d. 1912 Killybearn, Derryloran
  • Mary Ann Art, b. 10 Feb 1831, d. ?
  • Sally Art, b. 7 Mar 1833, m. Thomas Alexander Neill 1862 St. Luran’s Derryloran, had at least 4 children, d. ?
  • Jane Art, m. John Devlin 1849 St. Luran’s Derryloran
  • Eliza Art, b. abt 1835, m. Isaac Art 1852 St. Luran’s Derryloran, had at least 2 children, d. 1915 Tullygare, Derryloran

Perhaps Nancy Lays was a relation of the John Lays from the neighbouring townland of Terressan.

Christopher E. Brennan has worked on tracing this family and has posted this and more on his website http://brennen.caltech.edu/kerr/chap9.htm

William Lees b. abt 1815 Cookstown, emigrated to USA

William Lees married Mary McAfee 12 May 1842 at Second Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Children based on US census records:
– Samuel M. Lees b. abt 1842
– Jane Lees b. abt 1844
– Ann M. Lees b. abt 1846
– William A. Lees 1850
– Mary Alice Lees b. abt 1855
– Nelly Lees b. abt 1859

A Robert Lees, b. abt 1832 Ireland, Blacksmith, was also present in the household in 1850.

Obituary:
William Lees died early yesterday at his home, McClure and David avenues. He had suffered from a complication of diseases, brought on by a fall sustained a year ago. He was widely known in Pittsburg, having been a boat builder and painter of Water Street for more than 50 years. Mr. Lees was born in Cookstown, Ireland, 83 years ago. He came to American at the age of 15, and learned his trade in Pittsburg. For more than 39 years the deceased had been a resident of Woods Run. He is survived by three daughters: Mrs. Henry Phillips, Mrs. N. L. Stone and Miss Alice Lees.
08 April 1898 Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pennsylvania