Crookshanks

Laura:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

Was John RC or Church of Ireland? The RC records start in 1854. The C of I records are on Roots Ireland but I did not find a record.

The 1857 Griffiths Valuation records for Kilbarron parish do not show any Crookshanks. Also, the 1833 Tithe records for Kilbarron parish did not list a Crookshanks. 

Roger McDonnell

The Crookshanks family was Methodist but I found John's baptism in C of I records, Kilbarron Parish. He was the son of John Crookshanks and Margaret Johnson. His brother Samuel was baptised in 1831 (found in same digitized record online). There was an older brother, James Johnson, born 1828 and sister Margaret (age unknown). The family immigrated to Canada in 1837. I did not check Griffiths as I knew they had immigrated but did not think of the possibility of other family remaining in the area. Any help is most appreciated! Laura

Laura,

Methodism took a lot longer to become established in Ireland as a separate denomination than was the case in England. In Ireland there was considerable resistance to separating from the Church of Ireland. It was 1816 before Methodists could conduct their own baptisms. However because of continuing loyalty and other factors, many continued to use the Church of Ireland for sacraments for many years after this date and it was 1871 before all Methodists routinely performed their own baptisms.

For marriages, the earliest ceremonies conducted by a Methodist Minister in Ireland that I am aware of, date from 1835 (Belfast Donegall Square). However in the mid 1800s there were only a few Methodist Ministers in Ireland (Methodism relied heavily on lay preachers). So the shortage of Ministers contributed to the continuing practice of marrying in the Church of Ireland.

So to summarise, you are unlikely to find any Methodist baptisms much before 1830. Few marriages before the 1840s and only a few for many years after that. If there are no Methodist records in the location you are interested in, I would search the Church of Ireland instead, as that’s the most likely place to find the relevant event.

Few Methodist Meeting Houses have graveyards and so most are buried in public or Church of Ireland graveyards (which are open to all denominations).

Ballyshannon Methodist baptisms start in 1835. There’s a copy in PRONI in Belfast. They are not on-line. That meeting house did not conduct their own marriages until 1890.