Church related posts in and around the Bann area of County Derry and County Antrim. Graveyards, headstones, gravestones and transcriptions, also feature.
UPDATE – Thank you for your recent messages and photos. As mentioned on the Contact page, I do not do private research (just do not have the time). But occasionally I do take on some projects that tickle my fancy, and that I can ultimately publish on the website. I am currently working, when time allows, on two very interesting stories that have been sent to me. There was a message this...
I love looking through old newspapers and books, and finding articles and images that are long since in the public domain (i.e. out of copyright and usable). The long-forgotten stories can then be augmented with supplementary research. Old related images can be found and enhanced, to further illustrate the story. Here is a fascinating old newspaper article from 1910, about Mr and Mrs James...
Quick update. Apologies, I am three weeks behind in emails and responding to comments. Thank you all so much for your kindness re Tiger. I don’t believe that I have encountered so many messages, within the first 24 hours, to a previous post here. Heart-warming to witness such empathy. I also have four people who have approached me via the Contact link on the site, re help on their trees...
I had a lovely message, a few months back, from a reader of this website, regarding her ongoing search for the surname Mark in the Old Graveyard at Ahoghill. The Marks, across the generations, often had careers as surgeons. I still do not have my transcriptions completed for that graveyard (it has a LOT of graves, a fascinating place). So I wondered if anyone could offer any help. Gwyneth says:...
The Reverend James Smyth, Minister of Drimbolg between 1827 and 1869, was much-loved in the local community. This website has previously covered his time in charge at Drimbolg, and referenced the many hardships and the wonderful progress made during the 45 years leading the church. A very kind reader of this website, from New Zealand, in March of 2020, sent me two very old images related to the...
Ken Wells, from Maryland, in the USA, would love to get more information on the Taylor part of his family tree in Cullybackey. The Taylors are buried in the Craigs churchyard just outside the village. Ken can explain it best himself. He says: My 3XG grandparents were Edward (1770-1847) and Elizabeth Taylor. Their gravestone, see the photograph below, is at location 11-A. The transcribed words...
My father, Richard Mulholland, died some years ago. In recent years, two of his siblings have also passed on. There is now only one left. Sammy Mulholland, who lives at the top of Portglenone, with wife Matsy, turned 90 years old at the end of January 2021. He spent his career working as a salesman, for Craigs meal company in Kilrea. I don’t believe that I have ever encountered a...
Early last year, Trudger came upon a very early reference to Cullybackey in an old book, The Life of a Scottish Probationer: Being a Memoir of Thomas Davidson, with His Poems and Extracts from His Letters. The book was compiled by James Brown and published by James Maclehose & Sons, in 1889. Thomas Davidson was born on the 7th July, 1838, at Oxnam Row, a large farm lying along the banks of...
It’s always nice to get correspondence. I was contacted several months ago by Iben Olsen, a stamp collector from Denmark. He had a fascinating old envelope in his possession, sent by the Reverend Davey, the preacher in Tamlaght Lower, in June 1946, to a man in Poland. Iben says: [su_quote cite=”Iben Olsen”]I am a Danish stamp collector with a special interest in Irish...
A local source tells me that this week (i.e. week beginning 12th October 2020), there was filming in Craigs Church and graveyard, in Cullybackey, for the top British TV series, Line of Duty. Line of Duty is a British TV drama series about the investigations of a controversial police anti-corruption unit called AC-12. The first series aired in June 2012. It had an audience of over 4 million...
I was very sorry to learn this morning of the death of the Reverend Noel Agnew. He was the chaplain for the Motor Cycle Union of Ireland. He was a well known, highly respected and loved figure in the local community. Noel was a big football fan, and followed Burnley F.C. On Friday 11th September, the retired Minister had a heart attack following practice for the Cookstown 100 motorcycle races. ...
A Brief History of Cullybackey Methodist Church Cullybackey Old Methodist Church has a complex history. The church initially, way back in 1839, started out as a Presbyterian church. It was built by the United Free Church of Scotland and opened in September 1839. [su_quote cite=””]On the 22d instant (i.e. Sunday 22nd September 1839), the new Presbyterian Meeting House of Cullybackey...