| Title: | J.G. Cupples, Boston, to Mr. Samuel C. Cupples, Loughbrickland. |
|---|---|
| ID | 811 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Cupples, J. G/32 |
| Year | 1905 |
| Sender | Cupples, J.G. |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Boston, Mass., USA |
| Destination | Loughbrickland, Co. Down, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Cupples, Samuel C. |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | might be loosely related |
| Source | T 1476: Copied by Permission of Mrs H.M. Gilmore, Belfast #TYPE LET J.G. Cupples, Brookline, [Boston?], Massachusetts, to Mr Saml. [Samuel?] C. Cupples, Bovennett, Loughbrickland, June 19 1905. |
| Archive | Public Record Office, Northern Ireland |
| Doc. No. | 9005204 |
| Date | 19/6/1905 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | LET |
| Log | 22:05:1990 JMR created 30:08:1991 OT input 26:09:1 |
| Word Count | 1039 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | J. C. Cupples, Mormouth Court, and Carlton Path, June 19, 1905. Brookline, Massachusetts. Dear Sir, I am indebted to Mr. J. Barrett, schoolmaster of Scarvagh, in your county, for your name and address. He very kindly took it upon himself to reply to a query of mine which I had addressed to the "Sexton of Scarvagh Parish Church" relative to (supposed) old Cupples gravestones, which I fancied might actually exist there owing to my having lately received from the Dublin Record Office a copy of the Will of Thomas Cupples of Scarvagh, farmer, proved 1715. Coming upon your name quite pleased me for I am not acquainted with anyone belonging to your section of the world, bearing Cupples as a surname. I therefore venture to drop you this in the hope that you will tell me, in a purely general sort of way, what you know of our name in the past. My branch here goes back to a Rev. Wm. Cupples, of note in his day, born 1688 of Ulster birth, who left Ireland about 1700 or earlier. In what part of Ulster and his parentage I have not as yet found out. It has been one of my hobbies to collect matter about the name, whether as a surname or as a place name, especially old-time matter. Already I have secured a large amount, but very little relates to Ireland. Lately having dived in your land, I now find names hitherto unknown to me. ARMAGH AND DOWN Thos. Cupples of Scarvagh, died 1715. Wm. Cupples of Mullahead near Tandragee, died 1788. Dr. Thos. Cupples of Prospect House, Mullahead, died 1844. Here the Mullahead line seems to have ended as Thomas Cupples Ellis of Wexford stood heir to George P. Cupples (see Burke's Armory under Ellis). DOWN James Cupples of Loughbrickland, died 1820. James Cupples of Lough End, died 1890. ANTRIM A Cupples of Belfast gave £20,000 for an estate in Ballintory in the year 1759. This is told in the "Ulster Journal of Archaelogogy", new series, vol. 7 p. 12. Rev. Snowden Cupples, Rector of Lisburn Cathederal,born 1750, died 1835. Son of Wm. Cupples of Mullahead who died 1788. Brother to Dr. Thos. Cupples of Newry who died 1801. Dr. Charles Cupples of Lisburn, son of Rev. Snowden Cupples. Rev. Thos. Cupples of Ballyrashane, - do. - . Rev. Edward Cupples of Glenavy, - do. - . Mr. Wm. Cupples of the East India Service and later in the Irish Postal Service, son of Rev. Snowden Cupples. None of the sons of Rev. Snowden Cupples left children. - do. - Dr. Cupples of Newry - do. - . Mrs. Mary Cupples of Ballycastle. Will proved 1841. Mrs. Mary Cupples of Ballyreagh. Will proved 1851. John Cupples of Dunaghy. Will proved 1820. Joseph Cupples of Ballyreagh. Will proved 1810. Moses Cupples of Ballyreagh. Will proved 1844. Samuel Cupples of Duneghy Will proved 1768. Samuel Cupples of Killyrea Will proved 1780. Inasmuch as the 1768 Snowden Cupples mentions his Fathers grave, we get here a Cupples as far back as 1650, that is, that father might have been living in Antrim in 1650 ! Today the name seems peculiar to two spots in Ulster, viz. your locality and at Clough, a small place in Antrim county, within or near the Ballymena district where I am told there is a Cupplestown village, on the banks of the river Kellswater, said to have been first settled by three Cupples brothers, natives of Scotland, on or about 1690. All these Cuppleses in that region claim to be of Scottish descent and profess Presbyterianism. This descent may be true but certainly open to doubt for the reason that Cupples as a name is not Scottish and has never existed in Scotland. The Mullahead line strikes me as a far better field to work in in order to master the beginnings of our name in Ireland. This Mullahead line I first learnt about through an aged lady in Lisburn, its last representative, she was a grand daughter of the Rev. Snowden Cupples. From her I secured impressions of the Heraldic marks on her old Cupples silverware, these revealing the coat-of-arms credited by Burke to the extinct family of Coppull, alias Ognall, Ognall Hall, Lancashire. According to her, her family always spoke of themselves as being English In fact she told me that her great grandfather, the 1788 Wm. Cupples, was once a party in a suit claiming Ognall Hall in which he secured the aid of the then Lord Maudville. Ognall Hall is now in ruins and of no value. The old lady further asserted that her people were never anything but Episcopaleans and that her father and grandfather of the 1788 Wm. Cupples were both natives of Armagh. Here we get the name in Ireland as early as 1600 ! At Bristol in England may be seen the Will of Capt. Alexander Cupples which was proved in 1734 by a Wm. Cupples. This captain was the eldest son of the Scarvagh farmer, 1715. He names his brothers Edward and and William and sister Eleanor. In the British Museum library there is a long letter of his dated 1729 asking the British Government to aid him in a big bill of damages for the loss of his vessel, the "Tyral" seized by Spanish pirates of the coast of Cuba. Looking at the map, I note Loughbrickland and Scarvagh are not far apart. This therefore, must run your branch into the Mullahead line. Long ago, one of our name, still living, viz. Mr. Samuel Cupples of St. Louis, a very distinguished Missourian of Pennsylvania birth, told me that his parents were married in the ancient parish church at Loughbrickland and that its graveyard held the remains of many of our name. Would it be possible to get a copy of the names appearing there; also the drawing of any coat-of-arms found on these Cupples stones; also a full transcript of the names from the register of the Church itself. It would give me much pleasure to hear from you. I need hardly say, too, I shall at all times be most happy to impart for your benefit whatever I have collected in the nature Cupplesiana and to exchange p[Bhotographs. Believe me, Dear Sir, Very truly yours, J.G. Cupples Mr. Saml. [Samuel?] C. Cupples, Bevennett, Loughbrickland. |
