Watson-Gilchrist Family Tree -A journey through one family's forgotten past

EVERY family tree begins with names, but behind the dates and places are lives lived through hardship, change, and resilience.

For the Watson-Gilchrist family, those names are only fragments of a much larger story - one that winds through Omagh, Gortin, Newtownstewart, Sion Mills, Victoria Bridge, Castlederg, Ballygawley and beyond.

At the heart of this story is Annie Watson, born in Omagh in 1919.

Her early life is difficult to trace, though she lived in Gortin, Newtownstewart, Sion Mills, and Victoria Bridge before settling down.

During the mid-1940s, she worked as a servant girl, first in Omagh and later with the Stewart family of Victoria Bridge, in a house over 200 years-old.

That house, full of echoes of the past, was eventually sold between 2010 and 2015.

Annie’s first family began with her son, Billy Gilchrist, followed by Oliver Watson, Leslie Edgar, and Daphne Watson.

A cherished photograph shows Billy together with his brothers Oliver and Leslie - a rare image of kinship from an era when hardship often forced families apart.

Billy spent his earliest years in Woodbrook House, Newtownstewart, a place that carries special meaning in the family story.

In 1952, Annie married Jimmy Johnston, and together they had three daughters: Ruby, Betty, and June.

Annie and Jimmy later moved to Castlederg in 1988, where Annie lived until her passing.

Billy’s father, William Gilchrist, came from Newtownstewart.

His parents were George Gilchrist and Margaret Walsh. William’s siblings included Robert, John, George, James, Thomas, and Matilda.

Other relatives in the Gilchrist family include: Emerson, Mary, Annie, David, and Tommy (Tommy married Isobel Donnell of Newtownstewart). Evelyn, who married Fred Breydin and lived in Castlederg. Ivy, who married Henry Smyth and lived in Ballygawley.

All of these family members are now deceased, but their names still thread through the family’s story.

The wider search for records has revealed just how much of the Watson–Gilchrist past has been lost in silence.

Some family members spent time in Omagh and Dungannon workhouses, others passed through Conneywarren children’s home in Omagh, while fostering and adoption added further complexity. Many baptismal registers and workhouse records are missing or incomplete, leaving frustrating gaps.

Yet the search has not been without progress. Birth certificates have been uncovered against the odds, proving that persistence can restore details once thought gone forever.

Inquiries have been made with PRONI (Public Record Office of Northern Ireland), local historical societies, district councils, clergy, and archivists. Each letter, each record, each photograph brings new fragments to light.

For Billy Gilchrist, Annie’s son, this journey is deeply personal.

It is not only about names and dates, but about truly knowing his mother - the young woman from Omagh who worked in service, who moved from town to town across Tyrone, and who raised her children through uncertain times with quiet strength.

His niece, Kate who is doing this family tree research is asking if anyone can help with more information to get in contact with her at: katedoc31@gmail.com

This is more than a family tree.

It is a search through the shadows - a testament to persistence, remembrance, and the belief that every life deserves to be known.