Scotch-Irish-L Archives
Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 2001-07 > 0995306988
From: <>
Subject: Re: [Scotch-Irish] Brief Overview of Associate Presbyterian Church
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 11:09:48 -0700
Hi Herb, In "The Covenantors in Ireland" by Dr Adam Loughridge is mentioned on page 7 a Scottish Renwick. The minority
of the Presbyterians, who from 1683 to 1688 were led by James RENWICK,
issued in 1687 an Informatory Vindication". He was executed in Scotland
in Febrary of 1688. This James Renwick was one of the Cameronians
in Scotland. He also repated the Declaration of Sanquhar in 1685
befgore the Duke of York. These were "the conviction, held by
a minority of the Scottish Presbyterians, that the Scottish Nation
had sinned in not resisting what they considered to be the tyranny
and perjury of Charles II. It was a re-statement of the doctrine
of John Knox and Samuel Rutherford that Kings and Governments who
trample upon the conscience and liberty of the poeple forfeit their
right to rule and may be deprived of authority by the subjects."
(p 7).
The only other reference is references to him by David Houston,
after he came to Ireland. David Houston was an associate of
the Rev James Renwick. The Kellswater Reformed Presbyterian church
in Kellswater was the first RP congegation in Ireland. After David
Houston died in 1696, it had no minister for 40 years till
1757 when the Rev Martin was ordained.
>to preach about 1766 and was ordained in the congregation of Ahoghill.
This would have been another man, of course, since the Rev James
was martyred earlier in Scotland. I can't find him mentioned
in "Buick's Ahoghill" a book on the Ahoghill Seceder church
(Cunningham Memorial)>
>According to the Ulster Historical Foundation, who did a search for me,
>there was no record of John Rewick graduating from Glasgow University.
Yep, but the records don't seem complete. Or he attended but didn't
graduate. I have a similar problem with the Rev John Black and at
about the same time. I don't know any experts on Glasgow University
records. It is also possible that to graduate y ou had to take an oath
of some sort and some if not all of these dissenters refused to take
the oath.
He appears in a list of ministers who came to the Americas in "Ulster Sails West" by W F Marshall. He was ordained in America
in 1770 and lived in South Carolina.
>In the religious census of 1766, Ahoghill Parish, there was no mention
>of a Renwick - so maybe it was after that date that he went there. The
>reason I am interested in him is that his son James married the daughter
>of James Abrams b. 1745, one of my ancestors, and I am trying to find
>out where he came from.
He might not have lived nearby. I'd check Reid's history of Presbyterian
ism in Ireland looking for any Renwicks in the area.
He apparently wasn't associated with the Rev Buick's church
(Cunningham Memorial). They split into the Burgher/Antiburgers...
The Seceder church in Ahoghill was antiburger.
>The religious census of 1766 for Ahoghill Parish, Diocese of Connor,
>available on film at the LDS library, was divided into three categories,
>Dissenters [mostly Presbyterian], Papist [Catholic] and Established
>Church [Church of Ireland]. There were 1055 Dissenter families, 244
>Papist families and 68 Established Church families. There was a John
>Abram shown as a member of the Established Church which is strange
>because the James Abrams, that appeared in Newberry County, was
>Presbyterian. James Abrams' future wife Mary Tedford petitioned in Jan
>1773 for the free land that they were giving to "poor Protestants" so I
>assume that her family would have been in the "Dissenter" category but
>unfortunately that name did not appear there. If anyone has any
>information on the Renwick, Abrams or Tedford families from this time
>period please contact me at . Also would appreciate
>any comments about how Rev. Renwick could have been ordained without
>graduating from the University at Glasgow.
Where I have lucked out with Covenantors is in books like "The
Covenantors in Cullybackey" by Dr Loughridge I found a lot of info.
I got this book in Northern Ireland at the Covenantors Bookshop. they
are on the web. It identifies the names and the Covenantor Societies.
The societies are usually named after the townland.
For instance the society at Ahoghill (the townland, not the parish)
had James AUSTIN, Hugh KERNOHAN, Ann and Margaret REID, and Thomas
SIMPSON.
You might find your John claimed as a "son of the parish" by the
Seceder congregation in Ahoghill. My John Black is a son of the
Cullybackey RP church, hence I found that the Rev Loughridge knew
far more about him than anyone I had met in the USA. He isn't
in any of the Irish RP histories because he was never ordained in
Ireland and had no church. He appears in US Fasti because he was
ordained here. (RP Fasti: You won't find h im in UP fasti). So
study up on the Seceder history in Ahoghill. Ouch, am I saying
this again??
What can I say? It's worked for me. Durn here he is, p 40 of
the "Covenantors of Cullybackey": John Black, son of John Black
and Margaret McKIBBIN< was born at Ahoghill [village, a townland,
said the Rev Loughridge] on 2nd Oct, 1768. He graduated from Glasgow
University in 1790 [though I've not found a trace]. Returning to
Ireland, he spent some time teaching before beginning his studies
for the minister. In 1798 he emigrated to America and is described
in our American Church records as 'an exile for liberty at the time
of the Irish insurrection.' He served the R P congregation in
Pittsburgh for twenty years and was Professor of Latin and Greek
in Western University of Pennsylvania for twelve years." ( 40).
It then describes his brother in law and James McKinney, another
United Irish RP minister. Great stuff for a little congregational
history. Made my trip to Ireland that year. Unfortunately the
townland of Ahoghillis in TWO ESTATES. ARGggggggGg.
Many of these folk went to South Carolina as well. Black, AIKEN,
WYLIE, HOUSTON, AUSTON, WRIGHT: names you find associated with the RPs
wherever they go! Other names that were associated early with this
congregation and still are there in the 20th century: McKELVEY,
CALDERWOOD, LOWRY, CAMPBELL.
Linda Merle
This thread: