More on the Covenanters in Ireland

Ballindrait, County Donegal, Ireland

I am still working on the third post about our Miller ancestors, who were Presbyterian Covenanters living in Ulster (Northern Ireland), and whether or not they fled to Holland because of religious persecution. Remember, the Allen Family Records says that Abraham Miller, William's father, was born in Holland.

Till that post is ready, here is part of an interesting article (though not particularly good news genealogically-speaking) about the Covenanters in Ireland.

It contains a link to a map showing where the current day congregations live. Two congregations are close to where our Millers lived in the Ballindrait area between Strabane and Letterkenny.

"Of the early history of the Covenanters in Ireland very little is known, save that the denomination was small and scattered. It was not until the latter part of the eighteenth century that congregations began to be organised and ministers were ordained. Very few Reformed Presbyterian records have survived from the eighteenth century. This can be partly explained by the paucity of ministers at this time; many baptisms and marriages were performed by visiting ministers from Scotland and there is little evidence of proper records being kept of these events. Congregations were divided into societies, composed of several families living within a short distance of each other.

For background information on this denomination see The Covenanters in Ireland: A History of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland by Adam Loughridge (Belfast, 1984). For information on ministers in the Reformed Presbyterian Church see Fasti of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland compiled and edited by Adam Loughridge (Belfast, 1970). A recent article on researching Covenanter ancestors is ‘The Origins of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland with some comments on its records’ by William Roulston, published in Familia: Ulster Genealogical Review (2008), pages 86-110. The website of this denomination is..{ http://rpc.org/directory/ ]. This includes a map showing the location of [current] congregations." (source:  http://www.ancestryireland.com/irish-presbyterianism/presbyterian-ancestors/seceders-non-subscribers-and-covenanters/ )