Introduction

This website follows the line of descent from the modern-day Saunders and Kings Families to their ancestors dating back from the late 1790’s Some names and photographs you may recognize, while other names and photographs will be new and unfamiliar to you. Names such as Catherine Mc Inerenery and Patrick O’Hagan who lived their lives in the 1840’s and are the Great, Great, Great, Great, Grandparents of the latest generation of Kings and Saunders families of today. There are other names such as Mary Hart, William Moore, and Michael King who are also ancestors and family relations and some of them date back even further to the late 1790’s

The journey you are about to take will give you insight into the daily activities and challenges faced by your ancestors, and it will also demonstrate how the choices and decisions they made, have influenced our own identity. Therefore, I hope you can be patient with the information you are about to read, as it may take time to reflect and join the dots of each individual and how they are related to you. It is important to remember that the line of descent is initially taken from the female genealogy and therefore name changes occur frequently in the first section of this website. If you want a quick overview of the family lines of descent, it will be best to click on the Family Tree Tab and enlarge the tree within your browser. You can also use the Time-Line Tab to see a year by year development of events, births and family members.

Rathfriland 1790’s

We will begin with Rathfriland, County Down, Ireland. This is a townland of 375 Acres and is situated, southwest of Drumgath in the historic barony of Iveagh Upper. It was here around the years 1795-1799, that the oldest known anscestor of the Kings family and subsequently the Saunders families was born. His first name is unknown, but we do know he came from a family clan called the O’hagans Records reveal that the O’Hagan family of Rafhfriland were a large clan of Brothers, Sisters, Sons Daughters, Cousins, Uncles and Aunts, and the O’hagan name was familiar in this part of rural Ireland, with references spanning several parish districts and townlands

In the year 1848 One of these sons called, Patrick O hagan married Catherine McInerenery, she was a young 18-year-old from the local townland. They would go on to have 6 children. Their first child Hugh was born 1848, then James born 1851, Sarah born 1853, Maragret born 1856, Teresa born 1861 and Roseanne their last child was born in 1862

Life during these years had challenges and extreme difficulties. The aftereffects of The Irish Famine of 1845 would still have scarred the minds of Patrick and Catherine. They had experienced the devastation of a famine ravaging the potato harvest and causing a million of Ireland’s population to emigrate to faraway lands, while another 1 million perished.at home. .

Learn more about the Irish Famine

It is therefore a testament to their tenacity that Patrick and Catherine successfully reared 6 children during the years after the famine. In the years that followed they became proprietors of a licensed premise that sold liquor and various sorts of groceries The picture you see here to your right, was once the premises of Catherine and Patrick O'Hagan. . Over time their children married and had families of their own. Teresa, their fifth child would marry a man, who was not a local to her townland. His name would be Micheal King

Michael and Teresa King

Michael was born in 1856 and he traded as a Shoe-Maker. His father, Peter King was a Farmer and Landowner, but the location of his land is unknown. It is possible that Peter King and the origins of his family may have originated from the West of Ireland, in County Galway. The national records of Ireland indicate that the name King had a strong presence in this area. In any case, Peter’s son Michael was acquainted enough with Teresa, and they married in 1889. For the first few years they lived with Teresa’s parents above their licensed premises. Such an establishment would sell the normal range of household goods, but it was licensed as well to sell alcohol, both in bottle and by the glass,there would be a counter for drinking, but no tables or chairs.

Over time Michael and Teresa would go on to have seven children, their names were Patrick, Bernard, Michael Jnr, Kathleen, Hubert, Johnny, and Owen. Eventually sometime between 1901 and 1911 they moved from Raftiland, in County Down to No’80 New Lodge Road. Michael continued to work as a Shoe-Maker and Teresa cared for their growing family. Then in the year 1920. Michael King, aged 64 years old, died of bronchitis!

The photograph you see here. The man with the Trilby Hat is Michael King! He is the grandfather of Moya ‘Saunders’ King, and her Siblings, and if you want to go forward to the family generations of today, he would be our Great, Great, Great Grandfather. I think this is the first time any family member in Ireland, England or America have seen this photograph!

If you reflect for a moment on what we have learnt so far. You will begin to realise that you are seeing the beginnings of the modern-day Kings and Saunders families

The Line of Descent 1790’s to 1889

The children of Michael and Teresa

Let’s continue with the children of Michael and Teresa. Their names were Patrick born 1890, Bernard born 1892, Michael Jnr born 1893, Kathleen born 1895, Hubert born 1897, Johnny born 1899 and Owen born 1905. The photograph below is dated 1922/23 and shows you the Children of Michael and Teresa. These are the Great, Great, Great Uncles and Aunt of the Saunders and Kings families of today.

1 Micheal King Jr (Son) 2 Teresa King 3 Hubert King 4 Johnny King 5 Patrick King

They are standing outside the back yard of No’80 New Lodge Rd. The other three children of Michael and Teresa were Bernard, Kathleen and Owen King. Their photographs are seen below

Out of all the children of Michael and Teresa, the most relevant and extensive information available is for Bernard and Johnny King. If you would like to learn more about the rest of the children and their activities, please see the census and document tabs

Before we go into the detail of Bernard King’s life, it is important to have clear in your mind that Bernard King and his wife Margaret King (Moore) would have a daughter called Moya King. Moya would marry David Saunders and together they would become the parents of Bernard, Clare, David, Tony, Margaret, Damien, Catherine, Frankie, and Pat Saunders.

So, who was Bernard King? What life did he live, who was his wife and what happened to him in his later years?

Bernard King 1892 – 1961

Bernard King was born 1892, Drumgath, County Down. Then in 1905 at the age of 13 years old his family moved to Belfast. He worked as a store person in Smithfield Market. However soon the world scene would dramatically change, and at the age of 22 he joined the Royal Irish Rifles. Archduke Franz Ferdinand had been assassinated in Sarajevo, and with his death the foundation of the Austrian-Hungarian empire began to crumble. His assassination also triggered World War One.

The year was 1914, and Bernard’s parents, Michael and Teresa were now living in the New Lodge Road. Bernard had his initial training in the Victorian Army Barracks. This was a large area on the New Lodge and was under the control of the British army. These barracks dated back to the 1770’s. Today this area has been developed into housing and high-rise flats and is called the Barracks Area of the New Lodge Road. However, there is still remnants of the old army training ground, were Bernard had his training, for example, in Lepper Street there is still a section remaining of the Barracks perimeter wall.

After receiving his initial training, Bernard travelled to Scotland, then to England for onward dispatch to France. His regiment had a Cavalry unit attachment, and soon Bernard was paired with another soldier called Tommy. Now Tommy was not your usual soldier. He always seemed to have a long face, nothing cheered him up. Sometimes without warning he would swing a leg at Bernard, and of course Bernard would have a word with him. Usually Tommy responded back with a “Neigh”. When it came to dinner-time Tommy had the appetite of a horse….. Yes! Tommy was a horse!

During the First World War horses were involved in the war’s first military conflict involving Britain. This was a cavalry attack near Mons in August 1914. We cannot say for certain if Bernard was involved in this attack, but we can be sure Bernard needed to learn quickly how to train, feed, clean, and transport equipment on Tommy. The photograph to your right helps us to imagine how horses would be used for transporting equipment and carrying soldiers. At the beginning of World War One the British army possessed a mere 25,000 Horses. In total, eight million horses and countless mules and donkeys died in the First World War.

We are sure Bernard experienced the horrors of warfare. Historical records state that his battalion's first major action was the Battle of Neuve Chapelle between 10 and 13 March 1915. After an initial artillery bombardment, the battalion advanced to the previously captured German front lines and helped to secure the village of Neuve-Chapelle. Whether Bernard was involved in this first major action with his Calvary, we do not know, but we do know his battalion was posted to Albert in the Somme, and that involved trench warfare. Millions died during the war, but Bernard survived, and he returned home, in May 1919.

Learn more about the World War 1

After the War Bernard J King married Margaret “Maggie” Moore. Margaret Moore lived in 169 Spamount Street, and she was 14 years old when the First World War started. It is possible that Bernard knew Margaret Moore before he went off to war. They lived in the same area and would have been neighbours.On his return from war, Bernard began a friendship with Margaret and later in 1924, they got married. The photograph you see here is of their wedding, Margaret Moore, now named King looks very much in her early twenties

Before we look at the family background of Margaret Moore. There is still more details and information to be told regarding Bernard King and his younger brother Johnny King. Johnny King was born in 1899 and while Bernard had gone off to fight under the Flag of the British Empire, Johnny king got involved in the politics of the Irish Revolution

Johnny King 1899-1975

The following account is according to family Testimony

With Bernard’s return to Ireland and his marriage to Margaret, they embarked on a life together as a newly married couple. However, the Ireland to which he had returned, was very different to the Ireland he had left. While Bernard had been fighting in the fields of France. The social and political compass of Ireland was pointing towards revolution. The appetite for an independence, free from British rule and interference in Irish affairs was strong among a sizeable portion of the population. Johnny King the younger brother of Bernard, had joined the Irish Republican Army and his involvement led to a dramatic incident.The month and day are not known, but the year was 1920. During a gun-battle, John and a companion named Casey had killed a RIC officer in Nelson Street, Belfast.

They were both caught and sentenced to death by hanging at Crumlin Road Jail. We can assume the King family were shocked by the news! But let’s also put this into context. Two years earlier, Bernard King, John's older brother had just arrived back from the frontlines of World War One. Bernard had fought under the flag of the British Empire, and now his younger brother has been sentenced to death for killing a RIC officer! The complex loyalty and fractured identities of these two brothers are so much epitomized by this event. Suffice to say it is a truism that intertwines itself within the very fabric of Irish history.

While John was waiting on death row, the political cauldron outside the prison walls was bubbling with intricate and suspense. A delegation from the Irish Republic which included Michael Collins had travelled to London to sign a treaty with Prime Minister David Lloyd George. The treaty provided for the establishment of the Irish Free State within a year as a self-governing dominion within the "community of nations known as the British Empire", a status "the same as that of the Dominion of Canada". It also provided Northern Ireland, which had been created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 an option to opt out of the Irish Free State, which it exercised. On a personal level the treaty presented an opportunity. When all signatories had signed the treaty, the hangman’s rope of John’s death sentence was cut in two. The agreement had provided for an amnesty of all political prisoners and John’s sentence was reprieved. However, there was another war brewing on the horizon.

In 1921 Johnny travelled to the south of Ireland and joined the Irish National Army. The signed treaty had not gone down well with the Irish republicans and civil war began to be waged between two opposing groups. On one side, the Irish republicans and on the other side, the Irish nationalists. The forces of the Provisional Government (which became the Free State in December 1922) supported the Treaty, while the Republican opposition saw it as a betrayal of the Irish Republic (which had been proclaimed during the Easter Rising). Johnny joined the Irish Nationalists and with the help of substantial quantities of weapons provided by the British Government the civil war was won by the Free State Forces. Soon after the War he went on to join the Garda Siochana.

Johnny King died in 1975 and is buried in the South of Ireland, the last known contact from Johnny is when he contacted his niece Moya Saunders in 1971, to ask about the welfare of her sons who had recently been interned

What lessons can we learn regarding this episode within the King family? I suppose that all depends on your level of interest in Irish history. From a personal viewpoint I find it enthralling! However, for others it may be true to say that the unexpected turns and twists of family history can expose dormant layers of hurt and pain. The political and social realities of today’s Ireland may not be what you expected. No doubt circumstances and events of a by-gone era can throw a curve ball, that you may find difficult to catch. It can remove the cover of preconceived expectations and expose unwanted truths. History tends to have a sharp edge. Be careful when you put your hand into its closet...!

Let us return to Margaret Moore…As we know Margaret lived in Spamount Street and she married Bernard King on his return from the frontlines of WWI. So let us answer the following questions: . What was Margaret Moore’s family background? What do we know of her father and mother? Where did they live and work, and how did they come to live in the New Lodge Road Area?

The Family of Margaret Moore.

In the late 1880’s, Belfast was recognized as a city. During this era William J Moore Snr and his Wife had a son whom they also called William. William was born in 1876 and his father William Snr was a barter. They lived at No 47 Eureka Street and Eureka Street was located off Donegall Pass, in the Sandy Row Area of Belfast. William came from a Church of Ireland background.

During the two decades after the birth of William, the city of Belfast saw tremendous growth in the textile, shipping, and linen industries and the city was becoming one of the fastest growing cities in Britain. This created opportunities for business ventures and many from the working-class areas of the city flourished, and Eureka Street was one such working class area. When William Moore was born in 1876, his father William Snr was documented as a Barter by profession. Now, this is a very revealing piece of information. A barter did not have the financial ability to buy goods, services, and possibly everyday necessities. William’s means of living required bartering to obtain goods, and therefore he was a person who did not have a trade and money was in short supply. It is a sharp contrast to Michael and Teresa King in Rathfriland who were happily raising a family, while running a business.

However, circumstances changed for the Moore’s. As the decades rolled by, William J Moore Jnr married Mary Hart in 1897. Mary came from a catholic background and her father’s name was John Hart. John was a rigger of merchant ships that sailed into Belfast harbour,and soon Belfast would become the birthplace of a very well-known Ship.

William and Mary Moore lived at 59 Grove Street which was a pre-dominantly protestant area of East Belfast. At the time William Jnr was a Labourer by profession. In the year 1898, just one year after their marriage, their first child, a baby girl whom they named Isabella was born. Soon they would have another baby girl, whom they named Margaret.

The year was 1900 when Margaret was born, and Belfast was still in rapid economic growth. William and Mary along with their two girls lived at the centre of this change. A change which would fortune William J Moore with steady well-paid employment on one of the most famous Ships of the 20th Century. The Titanic! Sadly, their change of fortune would be met by an unforeseen tragedy.

On the night of 9th April 1902, Isabella Moore, the first daughter of William and Mary, died. Mary, her mother remained at her bedside for 16 days. Fourteen of these days Isabella may well have been conscious, but her death certificate reveals that 2 days before her death she fell into a comatose state. Isabella was 3 years and 6 months old; she was diagnosed with Child Jaundice. Jaundice occurs in a child when there is a blockage in the bile duct between the pancreas and the liver, and in some cases, it is also associated with other underlying factors such as Hepatitis A, which results from consuming contaminated water or food. Whatever the reason for Isabella’s contracting Jaundice, it does not in any way undermine the tragedy of the event. The death of a beloved child is one of the most heart-breaking experiences for any parent. William and Mary had lost their first-born child and Margaret (Maggie) had lost an older sister she would never know.

At the time of Isabella’s death, Mary and William had moved from 59 Grove Street and they were now living at 46 Spamount Street, in the New Lodge Road Area of Belfast where Catholics and Protestants lived side-by-side. Spamount street was a recent housing development that had begun to take shape back in the 1880’s.

8 Years after the death of Isabella, the construction of the Titanic began to rise above the working-class scullery houses of Belfast docks. Margaret was 10 years old, and her father William worked the dockyard shifts of Harland and Wolff. He had the advantage of being a left-handed riveter. Which meant awkward crevices and steel joints on the Titanic were more accessible to him than a right-handed work colleague. Here is a description of the daily routine for riveters. The information is taken from the online Titanic archives, and we can use William as the main Character.

William would make up a group of three men along with one or two young boys aged 14 or older. This group was called a Riveting Squad. These Squads were a vital part of building the Titanic. One of the boys would heat rivets in a furnace to a temperature of around 650 degrees Celsius. Then the other young boy, who was called a ‘Rivet Catcher’ would hold it in tongs and before it cooled, he would run or climb to where it was needed. William would be ready with his rivet hammer, and as soon as the ‘rivet Cather’ arrived he slammed the rivet into the steel plates on the hull of the Titanic. In total there were over 3 million rivets required to hold the Titanic together, but only one Iceberg required to sink it…….!!

It was assumed William was only a Riveter, but when we examine the 1911 Census which was compiled just one year before the Titanic sailed from Belfast to Southampton, it reveals William also worked as a boilermaker. It seems in the latter stages of the Titanic's construction he moved trades to boiler making.See William's 1911 census under the documents tab.

A boilermaker was a more advanced and skilled worker.Titanic's engineers were responsible for keeping the engines, generators, and other mechanical equipment fully maintained and running. ... There were 13 leading firemen (stoker foremen) and 163 firemen (stokers) assigned to Titanic, which had 29 boilers, as well as 159 furnaces. Each of these Boilers were massive in size and the intricacy of the design and craftsmanship is quite obvious from the Photograph you see on above, which shows a number of the Titanic's Boilers.

What can we learn from the events discussed? It gives us insight into a formative period of the lives of the Moore’s. Within a period of 9 years William and Mary had experienced both fortune and tragedy. The economic powerhouse of Belfast's emerging industry’s provided William with good employment, that even his father, William Snr the barter, could not have envisioned. Yet his good fortune was tempered by the tragic death of Isabella their first born. Margaret their only remaining child would go on to become the mother of the Kings who we know today as Moya, John, Bernadette, Kathleen, Betty, Frankie, Brian, Billy and Margaret. No’ 46 Spamount street would remain their home.  

Read a survivor’s Story of the Titanic

A Family Day Out!

Back in the 1920's and early 1930's Ireland had been partitioned and there was a ferry which sailed every Sunday across Carlingford Lough from Warrenpoint into O'Meath which was located on the other side of the Irish border. Many families back in the 1920/30's would use their Sunday leisure time to sail across the lough, mostly for the pleasure and enjoyment of the journey. Warrenpoint was not too far away from Raftfiland and the O’Hagan family had a licensed premise on Warrenpoint Harbour, called the Harbour Bar. The Harbour bar, was renamed Lavery's Bar. The bar came under the ownership of Winnie Lavery who was the great niece of Teresa/Catherine King, nee O'Hagan. The Lavery's sold the bar in the 1960's and is now known as the First and Last. The two pictures above show the present building and also how it looked back in the day when the Lavery's had ownership. I would like to thank Ronan Mc Caughey for the above information.

A family day out, meant a trip into the ‘Free State’, and for the O’Hagan family it was a regular occurrence. However, for Margaret Moore it was a completely new experience!

So, let’s consider the possible background of Margaret’s years as a youth and compare it with her Husband Bernard King. The contrast will help us understand why a family day out with the O’Hagan’s was very different from anything Margaret may have experienced. Bernard King came from a family of five brothers and one sister. His mother Teresa also had a large extended family of O'Hagan's who lived in Rathfriland. In comparison, Margaret Moore was the only surviving child of William and Mary. Just imagine! During her years as a young girl, as a teenager, then as a young woman, did Margaret feel a longing for her older sister? She never had the opportunity of sharing life's experience with Isabella. At times we can assume she was afflicted with a degree of solitude. Margaret's first day at school, her summer holidays, or a simple walk in the park were not shared with her older sister - of course William and Mary would be at her side but having a sister or brother would have soothed her sense of loneliness. On the other-hand, her husband Bernard richly enjoyed the companionship of brothers, older and younger than him, and a younger sister, all of them, ready to take his side when troubles at school arose, or to be a confidant for him when his quizzical interest in the opposite sex was best not heard by the ears of his parents.

Also let's think of the meaning of 'A FAMILY DAY OUT!'. When Margaret married Bernard King, a family day out was truly a new experience. She now had brothers-in-law, a sister-in-law and an extended family. Margaret grew up in the city, Bernard grew up and lived his teenage years in the country-side, he had family who lived away from the bustling activity of city life with its mills, factories and shipyards, where closely knitted terrace houses of the long-streets cast their shadows over an industrial landscape. A day out, really meant a day to escape! The two photographs you see to your right is Margaret’s day out! They show Margaret and Bernard King, along with Teresa King(O’Hagan) and her extended family enjoying a sailing trip across Carlingford Lough to O Meath. The photographs are dated @1930-1935. Look again at the top photograph. the young girl skipping on the deck seats, could she be Moya King?

The question is reasonable to ask, since the photograph was taken around the time Moya would have been 9-12years old. I will let you draw your own conclusion. However there is one thing we can be very certain. These photographs allow us for the first time,to observe the three family-lines of descent that would make up the modern day families of the Kings,Saunders,Sayers,Coopers,Melville (Halas) and D'Angelo. We are the spectators of the O'Hagan family, the Kings and Margaret King who was a Moore, all enjoying a family day out. These photographs give each of us a free ticket to sail along with them!

As the years went by Bernard and Margaret's own family would keep on growing. During the 1920's they lived in Spamount Street. It is known they moved into No’1 Stratheden Street around the year 1937.By that time Moya would no longer have been their only child, John, Bernadette, Kathleen, Frankie and Betty would now be part of the family. The following year Brian was born, but there was another tragedy to strike the family. While Maggie and Bernard experienced the joy of Brian’s birth, Frankie their fifth child died.He was only 3 years old! We do not know the cause of death. However, we cannot fail to recognize the similarity of ages between Frankie’s death and the death of Isabella 36 years earlier. Maggie was no stranger to suffering the tragic loss of family members, she now experienced the grief of losing a son, a loss more pronounced in its pain, than the death of her sister Isabella, since she was only 3 years old when Isabella died. Now as a mother she experienced the same pain as her own mother Mary. No 1 Stratheden Street, was a painful new beginning!However the King family continued to grow, and soon Billy then Margaret would be born..What happened during these years?