OUT OF SCOTLAND AND IN IRELAND
page 2
Continuing to quote from (E.W.R. Ewing, Chapter XI
of Clan Ewing of Scotland):
Presbyterians from the strenuous Covenanter days, we find our family
name upon the congregational "registers of births, marriages, baptisms
and burials," left by the oldest Presbyterian churches of Ireland.
Not all, no doubt, got into these registers; but enough did to make those
old registers valuable aids to Ewing genealogy. There is the old register
of Derry (Londonderry) Cathedral Congregation, published as volume eleven
of the parish registers publication by the Doublin Parish Register Society.
Unfortunately several of its pages are missing. In the Preface it is said:
"The register contains some curiosities in the way of spelling,
and the contrast between these and what is often good handwriting shews
how little importance was then attached to oarthography."
This observation is true of other registers.
(There is some contrast today between the spelling of shew
in Ireland and show in America!)
Therefore, when we find our family name spelled once Yeowen, and
now and then Ewin, though as a rule Ewing, as, for instance in the Burt
register, we feel rather surprised at the pertinacity of the Ewing spelling.
In the Derry Cathedral congregation register we find that Frances,
daughter of William Ewin, merchant, was born in Londonderry December 1,
1653. William Ewin was a witness to a marriage in 1654, not long after
the register was begun. July 17, 1655, William Ewing witnessed a marriage.
After "bancs" (banns) were published three several Lord's days
before the Londonderry Congregation, Elizabeth Ewing being present, she
was married. Frances, daughter of William Ewin, was born December 8, 1653;
William Ewing, son of William Ewing, was baptized May 27,1655; Alexander,
son of William Ewing, was born October 3, 1656; Patrick, son of William
Ewing, was born November 11, 1657; and so on, Joshua, Nathaniel, Rachel,
all the family names are there and are repeated from generation to generation.
For instance:
John, son of Alexander Ewing and Margaret, was buried 1682.
Elizabeth, daughter of John Ewine and Katherine, his wife, was buried May,
1683.
Katherine, wife of John Ewine, was buried October, 1684.
Martha, daughter of John Ewing and Janet, his wife, was buried September
30, 1691.
Sarah, daughter of John Ewing and Jenitt, his wife, was buried October
17, 1693.
John, son of Elizabeth Ewing, widow, was buried July, 1695.
James, son of John Ewing and Jenitt, was buried April, 1697.
William Ewine and Agnes Anderson were married October, 1683.
William, son of John Porter and Margaret, his wife, was buried November,
1683.
William Ewine and Agnes Anderson were married November, 1683.
Jane, the wife of William Ewing, "Serjent," was "bird"
July 13, 1701.
Mary, daughter of Humphrey Ewing, is mentioned.
"Mr. Samuel Ewing was 'bired' August 3, 1771.
James, son of Joshua Ewin and wife, May, was buried October, 1703.
John, son of John Ewin and wife, Jenatt, was buried March, 1700.
Robert, son of Alexander Ewing, was born 1654.
Nathaniel Ewing was born 1684.
Nathaniel, son of Samuel Ewing and Katherine, was buried December, 1691.
William, son of John and Mary Eweings, was christened in St. Peter and
St. Kevin, Dublin, August 7, 1758.
Maryanne, daughter of Richard and May Ewing, was born 1745.
James Ewing in 1700 was buried at St. Catherines, Dublin.
George Ewing was one of the church officials in Parish of St. Andrew, Dublin,
1733-'34,
as disclosed by the publications of the Dublin Parish,
Register Society. Pat.
Ewing was a church warder in Dublin in 1734.
Ewing, Alexander, Elizabeth, Frances, Humphrey, Isabell, James, Janett,
John, Joseph, Joshua,
Katharine, Margaret, Martha, Nathaniel, Patrick, Robert,
Samuel, Sara, Thomas, are all
found in these old registers.
John Ewing and Isabell Nelson married November 18, 1658.
Isabell, daughter of John Ewing, was baptized January, 1658.
"John Ewing, Isabell Ewing and Katherine Hackett, gossips," says
the laconic record of March 25, 1664.
The Burt congregation, near Londonderry, has an old register containing
births, marriages, baptisms, and burials from 1677 to 1716. So far it has
not been published. It is invaluable, and all the more so because early
records, both church and state, are incomplete and not plentiful, Irish
authorities tell me. J. W. Kernohan, Honorable Secretary of the Presbyterian
Historical Society of Ireland, had the Ewing entries found in the old Burt
register transcribed for me, and I give them below as he sent them. Spelling,
capitalization, etc., were faithfully copied. At the time there was no
one in that section, he told me, who made a profession of genealogical
research; and I was fortunate to get Mr. Kernohan's intelligent cooperation.
Of this old register he wrote: "It is one of the few manuscript
books of so early a date . . . There are very few printed books that would
help you."
Many of the persons mentioned did not live in Burt, but near there,
as the register in many cases gives the place of residence, thus, for instance:
Ffawn (Fahan); Elah (Elagh); Elaghmore, &c. That old record has the
following:
Marriages.
1691 March 2--Patrick
Ewing and Elizabeth Ewing.
1692 May 24--Richard Porter and Helen Ewing.
1694-'95 January 1--ffinlay Ewing and Agnas Morison.
1697 August 12--Patrick Ewing and Margaret Cocheran.
1698 November 22--Daniel Smith and Kathren Ewing
1701 September 4--John Ewing and Janet Micklevenny.
1704 March 30--Robert Porter and Jean Ewing
1704 October 19--William Ewing and Janet Culbert.
1706 April 28--James Desart and Elizabeth Ewing
1709 August 11--John Ewing and Anna Craige.
1709 December 15--George Ewing and Elinor Gibson.
1711 July 3--Samuel Ewing and Mary Thompson.
1714 November 25--Mr. Joshua Ewing and Mrs. Sarah Ferguson.
Baptisms.
1677 April 8--Jean daughter to ffinlay Ewing
1678 Appryle 10--Finly Ewing in Inch had a child baptized called Jean.
1680 April 10--William son to Finly Ewing in Inch
1681 May 10--James son to Finly Ewing (Inch).
1690 October 10--Thomas son to ffinlay Yowen in ffaan [Fahan].
1692/93 January 15--Robert son to ffinlay Ewing in ffawn.
father's name
child's name
1694/95 February 24--ffinlay Ewing, (ffawn), Mary.
1695/96 March 12--ffinlay Ewing, junr. (ffawn), Jean.
1699-1700 March 20--Finlay Ewing, junr. (ffawn), not given.
1701/'02 March 18--Finlay Ewing, junr. (ffawn), not given.
1678 March 26--Margaret daughter to Robert Ewing.
1678 November 17--Elizabeth daughter to Robert Ewing (Elaugh Begg), that
is Elagh Beg.
1679/80 January 18--Alexander son to Robert Ewing (Elaugh Beg).
1693 May 17--Mary daughter to Robert Ewing in Inch.
1701 June 22--Robert Ewing (Inch) had Ja: [baptized].
1703 November 14--Robert Ewing, . . . James.
1704 April 27--Robert Ewing (Inch) Janet.
1709 May 15--Robert Ewing (Inch) Sarah.
1679 November 6--Mary daughter to James Ewing.
1680 June 6--John son to James Ewing.
1680/81 January 9--John son to James Ewing.
1682 October 8--Samuel son to James Ewing.
1682 October 29--James son to James Ewing (Elah) [Elagh].
1694/95 March 10--James Ewing (Elaugh) Jean.
1697 May 24--James Ewing (Inch) Ester.
1697 September 26--James Ewing (Elagh) Kathren.
1698/99 January 22--James Ewing (Inch) John.
1700 October 23--James Ewing (Elagh) Umphra.
1701 August 11--James Ewing (Inch) Henry and Samuel.
1703 September 11--James Ewing (Elaghmore) Ja:.
1704 November 5--James Ewing (Inch) Thomas.
1706 June 21--James Ewing (Elaghmore) James?
1680 September 19--Elizabeth daughter to John Ewing
1680/81 February 6--William son to John Ewing.
1682 December 24--James son to John Ewing at Castle qrter of Elah (Castlequarter
of Elagh).
1694 July 1--Jean daughter to John Ewing in Carnshanaugh.
1703 October 14--John Ewing (Carnshanaugh) had John [baptized].
1705/6 January 20--John Ewing (Carnshannagh) had Mary [baptized].
1712/13 March 2--John Ewing (Inch) had Thomas [baptized].
1680/81 February 24--George son to William Ewing.
1682 April 2--Frances son to William Ewing
1686/87 March 18--Kathrin daughter of William Ewing and Mary Boggs in Tuban
Currah
in parish of Fawn {Tooban, adds Kernohan].
1696 July 12--William Ewing (Carnshanagh) had Helener [baptized].
1702 August 14--William Ewing (Carnshanagh) had Elizabeth [baptized].
1709-10 Mch 6--William Ewing (ffanth). "ffanth" here may be Fahan
or Fannet, explains Kernohan.
1712 December 23--William Ewing (Luddan) Martha [baptized].
1683 May 27--To James Porter and Jean Ewin in Monesse a daughter Elizabeth
[was baptized].
1686 July 18--Jean daughter of Thomas Ewing and Helen McKnit [McNutt] in
Inch.
1686 November 23--John son of Patrick Ewing and Jenat Mitchell Moleny [Molenan].
(Doubtless in cases such as this there should be a comma
after Mitchell, Molenan being the district.)
1693 March 26--Sarah daughter to Patrick Ewing in Moleny.
1693 April 16--Jean to Patrick Ewing in Inch.
1694/5 March 31--Patrick Ewing (Moleny) had Josias [baptized].
1695 May 26--Patrick Ewing (Inch) had Rebekah [baptized].
1699 June 4--Patrick Ewing (Castlehill) had Sarah [baptized].
1700/1 March 2--Patrick Ewing (Castlehill) had George [baptized].
1701 June 1--Patrick Ewing (Inch) had Humphrey.
1702 June 25--Patrick Ewing (Castlehill) had Joshua.
1704 August 27--Patrick Ewing (Burt) Sam:
1706 December 15--Patrick Ewing (Castlehill) James.
1709 December 25--Patrick Ewing (Castlehill) Anna.
1711/12 March 16--Patrick Ewing (Castlehill) Elizabeth.
1713 May 24--Patrick Ewing (Castlehill) Ester.
1686/7 March 18--Jenat daughter of Humphrey Ewing and Jean Temple.
1694 July 12--William son to Umphra Ewing in ffawn.
1686/7 October 19--Widow Ell Ewing in Castlehill in Burt had Elizabeth
baptized.
1693/94 January 12--William to Alexander Ewing in Inch.
1714 May 9--Alexander Ewing (Inch)--William.
1710 October 22--George Ewing (ffanth:) Anna.
1712 August 30--George Ewing (ffanth:) Sarah.
1713 August 26--Samuel Ewing (Elaghmore) James.
Porter Father's
Name
1701 July 26--Jo: Porter (Carowan) Rachel.
1704 May 21--James Porter (Moleny) Rachel and Leah.
1711 July 5--Josias Porter (Elaghmore) Rachel [She had a brother, James,
born 1699, adds Kernohan.]
Kernohan adds this note: "On page 1 you will see, 1714, marriage
of Mr. Joshua Ewing. Mistress Sarah Ferguson was probably the daughter
of the minister of Burt Congregation, the Rev. Andrew Ferguson. There is
a public statue in Derry to a descendant of this minister."
It is clear to my mind that from the foregoing records we get some
helpful light upon some of the Cecil County, Maryland, ancestral Ewings.
Some of my readers may be able to identify others, do not certainly appear
in the foregoing. In May, 1919, Mr. Kernohan wrote me that he expected
to be in Derry soon and would then examine any church register he could
find there. "As I explained," he says, "it is difficult
to get such examinations made." I heard nothing further from him,
however.
Some of our traditions are that Nathaniel and those of the near kin
who came to America were born in Coleraine, as elsewhere stated. Since
Kernohan was unable to locate any old Coleraine records, it is reasonably
certain that we now have only part of the records that most concern the
ancestors of our family who reached America by way of Ireland.
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