E unum pluribus. Out of one organized religion, many ancestors have I found.
I’ve written many different essays on my maternal ancestors’ Scots-Irish heritage and, in particular, their Scottish Covenanter beliefs and religious practices. Here are just a few of the topics related to my ancestors’ involvement in the Covenanter/Reformed Presbyterian communities in which they lived that I’ve touched on:
- A general overview of the history of the Scottish Covenanters.
- My Covenanter ancestors emigrating from Ireland, led by Rev. William Martin, to South Carolina to establish Covenanter communities in America.
- The Covenanter church’s stand on slavery and my direct line of ancestors’ personal feelings about slavery.
- My direct line of Covenanter ancestors who left South Carolina for points north, specifically Illinois and Indiana, and how they left behind family in the South who continued to own slaves.
- My 2x great-grandfather’s direct involvement in the establishment of a Reformed Presbyterian Church community in Winchester, Kansas.
- The many, many descendants of those who established the congregation in Winchester–to whom I am related–who are buried in the Reformed Presbyterian Church Cemetery there.
- How some of my ancestors are named for Scottish Covenanter martyrs.
What I have not written about is what an extensive and invaluable resource these tight-knit religious communities have proven to be for me in my genealogy research. So many of my ancestors were baptized into and married within the Covenanter/Reformed Presbyterian tradition. Many were ordained and served as ministers in the same denomination. If these ancestors relocated, they joined other Covenanter/Reformed Presbyterian congregations.
This phenomenon has often resulted in a domino effect in my research: a community in which I have identified a few ancestors affiliated with this particular denomination has, more often than not, led to my discovering connections to hundreds more people in that same community with direct connections to the Covenanter/Reformed Presbyterian ancestors I had previously identified in other townships, many of the surnames being identical.
It is rather remarkable.
Everywhere I looked in Bethel Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Winnsboro, South Carolina, on my recent visit, I saw the name “Cathcart”: my maternal grandmother’s surname.
I have discovered connections in countless Covenanter/Reformed Presbyterian communities, including the following:
- Darlington, Beaver County, Pennsylvania
- New Galilee, Beaver County, Pennsylvania
- Kittanning, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
- Blackstock, Chester County, South Carolina
- Winnsboro, Fairfield County, South Carolina
- Douglass, Fairfield County, South Carolina
- Mediapolis, Des Moines County, Iowa
- Sharon, Des Moines County, Iowa
- Wyman, Louisa County, Iowa
- Clarinda, Page County, Iowa
- Cass, Muskingum County, Ohio
- Scott, Adams County, Ohio
- Sparta, Randolph County, Illinois
- Marissa, St. Clair County, Illinois
- Salem, Washington County, Illinois
- Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana
- Winchester, Jefferson County, Kansas
- Greeley, Weld County, Colorado
My daughter and I pay our respects at the grave of our sixth- and fifth-great-grandmother, respectively: Margaret Erwin Curry (1750-1831), wife of Samuel F. Curry (1752-1811). Samuel is supposedly buried here as well, but no stone for him can be found. These and other Curry ancestors were members of Hopewell Reformed Presbyterian (ARP) Church. This cemetery—Hopewell Reformed Presbyterian Church Cemetery—is located directly across the road from the present-day church building in Blackstock, South Carolina.
At the grave of my 4th great-grandmother, Nancy Jane Beaty Cathcart (1765-1845.) To my right is buried her son, Dr. William Cathcart (1810-1840). Bethel Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Cemetery: Winnsboro, South Carolina.
My daughter and I on either side of the headstone of our 5th- and 4th-great-grandfather, respectively: James Cathcart (1763-1851). The headstone to my daughter’s left is that of Mary Ann Madden (1924-1854), his granddaughter. Bethel Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Cemetery: Winnsboro, South Carolina.
Because of the large numbers of persons to whom I am related in each of the cemeteries associated with Covenanter/Reformed Presbyterian churches, my visits to such cemeteries can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time. Standing in the middle of these cemeteries, especially the smaller ones, I too feel like I am surrounded by a true community.
Written for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge: Week 32-“Neighbors and Community” PROMPT: Our ancestors didn’t live in a vacuum. They were part of neighborhoods, congregations, social groups, and more. (Bonus: Those neighbors might be extended family!) This week, explore an ancestor’s neighbors or a group that they belonged to. What do they reveal about your ancestor?
Another exceptional post, Susan. Your writing and research are phenomenal. Thank you so much for creating and sharing all this wonderful info.
Since your research seems very extensive this source most likely will be old news to you. I recently learned about a reprint of “The Scotch-Irish Presbyterians in Monroe County, Indiana” by James Albert Woodburn. He gave the talk to the Monroe County (Indiana) Historical Society in the fall of 1908. I recently purchased a reprint on Amazon. The book is almost 90 pages, very small type. I haven’t read it yet but I did find mention in a footnote of the Cathcart, Curry, and McQuiston families among others. Have you seen this document? The Monroe County History Center is a fabulous resource. I found documents related to my ancestor’s estate and will when I visited.
I believe we share a common Cathcart ancestor. John Cathcart (1738-1802) is my 5G Grandfather. His son John Cathcart (1764-1790) is my 4G Grandfather. One of your earlier posts identified James Cathcart (1763-1851) as your ancestor. Then David Cathcart (1790-1862) is my 3G Grandfather and Margaret Juliana Cathcart McQuiston (1836-1917) is my 2G Grandmother.
My 5G Grandfather James McQuiston and his infant son Hugh McQuiston came with Rev. Martin to South Carolina on the Lord Dunluce. Probably some other connections there too! My McQuiston ancestors migrated from South Carolina to Bloomington, Indiana and then Paxton, Illinois.
Again…wonderful work. Thanks for sharing!
Alan,
Thank you so much for your kind words and for reading and commenting. I did NOT know of the resource you mentioned! I have purchased a number of such reprints on Amazon. Although they are basically photocopies of older books and not easy to read, they can be a great resource. I will look for that one! Thank you!
Yes, I had determine that our common ancestor was John Cathcart (1738-1802) and that you descend from his son John; I descend from John (Jr.)’s older brother James. You and I are 6th cousins.
I’m not sure whether or not the Cathcarts came with Rev. Martin, but they definitely came to the same area and were part of the Covenanter community in Fairfield County, South Carolina, which I just visited, as you may have read in a recent post. I’m sure you’ve probably also seen the numerous essays I’ve written on the Covenanter community there and how my direct line left South Carolina, not knowing when they departed whether they were going to join the Covenanter community in Monroe County, Indiana, like your ancestors or the community in Randolph County, Illinois. My direct ancestors chose the latter.
I do, however, have many ancestors that were in the Bloomington/Monroe County community as well. Perhaps you saw the essay I did on my daughter visiting the Covenanter Cemetery in Bloomington on one of her visits to IU to study with a voice teacher on the faculty?