Perry in County Down

There are at least three Perry families and one Peery family of Counties Down and Antrim. The three Perry families may be related. Currently, DNA testing has only been done on one of these families so more volunteers are needed.

James Perry of Perrymount
James Perry was the progenitor of a family in County Down in the early 1700's. He was born probably in the 1660's and married Anne Swift before 1700. They had six children; Swift, Adam, Martha, Joseph, Jane, and John. This family was found in Gortmoria, Dromore, Annahilt, and Lisburn of Western County Down (Donaghcloney), Annaghclare County Armagh, Belfast County Antrim, and also in Dublin. For more information on this family click on the link James Perry of Perrymount.

Anthony Perry, the Rebel
Anthony Perry was reportedly born abt 1760 in County Down, Ireland. He settled on a farm he named Perrymount in Inch Gorey, County Wexford. He found with the United Irishmen during the 1798 uprising and was hung in 1798. A great deal of information on him is given in the book "The Year of Liberty", The Great Irish Rebellion of 1798 by Thomas Pakenham.

His son Anthony (II) lived in Wicklow and there he married Eliza Forde and had Anthony, Andrew, and Francis. Anthony (III) married Ellen Groves and had George and Frederick who married Annie Myers.

Joseph Perry of Donaghcloney
Joseph Perry was born in the mid-1700's in County Down, Ireland. He seems to be connected to the Perry family in Donaghcloney and may be a grandson of James Perry of Perrymount. Alternatively, he may have been one of the Peery family members that may or may not have been related to the Perrymount Perrys. He is also connected to an Robert, Andrew, Maxwell, and William Perry, perhaps their father. The last record of him is in 1796.

Robert Perry was born in 1770 in County Down and died in 1865 at age 95. He was "Of Moyrorkin" and was buried in the Donaghcloney Graveyard.

Andrew died abt 1832 and nothing more has been found.

Maxwell was born in Donaghcloney in the late 1700's. He was "Of Craigduff" and had a son named John Maxwell Perry. He died in 1854. His son John Maxwell was "Of Perrymount". He was a magistrate in 1886 and was the executor in the will of Joseph Perry of Grovehill, Annacloy. He married Catherine (?).

William was born in Donaghcloney sometime before 1800. He was "Of Grove Hill" and "Of The Rann" where he ran a boiling house. His name has also been spelled "Perrie". He reportedly had seven children whose names sometimes were listed as "Peery". His wife's name may have been Susannah. William's children's names are reportedly Joseph, Archibald, Alexander, Eliza, Ann, Margaret, and Isabella.


 * Joseph Perry (sometimes Peery) was born in 1823 and married Mary Beatty in 1848. They had a son named Robert born in 1865.  Joseph was listed as "Of Moira", "Of Downpatrick", and "Of Grove Hill" (which is in Downpatrick).  He had a scutch mill at The Rann. Joseph died in 1894 and Mary in 1912.  They are buried in Killyleigh Presbyterian Graveyard.


 * Archibald Hamilton Rowan Perry married Ann Jane Savage and had Susannah (b. 1868) and William (b. 1869). They lived in Grove Hill.


 * Alexander Perry (sometimes Peery) married Eliza Jane Beatty and had Catherine (b. 1868) and Samuel (b. 1871). They lived in Waringstown and Grove Hill.  Alexander may have been one of the Peerys of Donaghcloney instead of a Perry.


 * Eliza Perry married Alexander McClurg and had a daughter named Susannah (b. 1868).


 * Ann Perry married Thomas Crosby and had a son named William (b. 1865).


 * Margaret Perry married James Crosby and had a daughter named Mary (b. 1869).


 * Isabella Perry married William Hamilton Sr and had William Jr (b. 1871), his twin Sarah, and Margaret (b. 1874).

Peery Family
(coming soon)