John Blackwood was born in Dromara, County Down sometime around 1763. John was a provision merchant by trade and lived most of his life in his home town. It is not known why his circumstances changed but in November 1833, at the age of 70, he arrived in Belfast and was admitted to the Poor House.
John spent the remainder of his days in the institution, passing away on 26 April 1847. He was recorded as a pauper in the Clifton Street Cemetery burial register but unlike most who passed away in the Poor House he was buried in a private family grave (Platform 18 Grave 29). From our records he appears to be the only Blackwood in the plot, and following his death the grave was sold to Henry Greer, who already owned the adjacent plot. By 1850 Henry Greer sold Grave 29 to Luke Eagle of Chichester Street and it subsequently became the Eagle family’s burial ground.
From other research we known that members of the Blackwood family continued to live in the townlands around Dromara and are recorded in Griffith’s Valuation– a valuable resource for those researching their family trees.
Learn more about life in the Poor House and of the stories of those who are buried in Clifton Street Cemetery on our weekend tours (Saturday and Sunday at 11am). Click here for more information and to book.
