Belford Presbyterian records online?

[emmec]

Hello!

After scouring the internet for weeks, I am starting to believe that there is truly no way to see records for Belford's Presbyterian churches online.

I have looked into everything I could find online (mainly United Secession) so I am assuming I would need Erskine Street or West Street.

I am trying to track down a Johnson family [John and Margaret] who had children between 1797 and 1821.

Is my only option to get a 4-hour train to Berwick?

Thank you!

[Lewis21]

Hi,

FreeREG does have entries of baptisms at West Street church in Belford from 1776 to 1798, so a slight overlap. It looks as if Erskine Street is not available online anywhere.

I found this entry on FreeReg; it's outside the period you mention but the names fit:

Birth date   29 Nov 1791
Baptism date   11 Dec 1791
Person forename   Mary
Person sex   F
Father forename   John
Mother forename   Margaret
Father surname   JOHNSON
Person abode   Smifield, Kyloe Parish

There don't appear to be any other Johnsons baptised at West Street in the years available.

Worth noting that the records will also be available to view at Northumberland Archives at Woodhorn (near Ashington), not sure if that's any easier to get to than Berwick. Either way sounds like it's not ideal for you!

Lewis

[Tickettyboo]

Is my only option to get a 4-hour train to Berwick?

Despite what the commercial sites infer in their advertising bumf, there is still a lot which is not (and may never be) online.

You could also email Northumberland Archives and ask them for a quote (given the details you have) to research, find and copy the records you require.  Depending on how many children they had, how accurate the info you can give is, it 'may' work out cheaper than the train fare/time spent.

(I too am a long way from Woodhorn, I have had many, many copy records from them over the years, and have always found that their charges are not excessive in relation to the time they have to spend to identify the records I require and send me copies)

Boo
 

[emmec]

Is my only option to get a 4-hour train to Berwick?

Despite what the commercial sites infer in their advertising bumf, there is still a lot which is (and may never be) online.

Indeed! I was considering buying the microfiche as a last ditch attempt, but no idea how to actually read it without the proper equipment.

I was shocked that these records are not even in the FamilySearch library. They have stuff that's much more niche but not this.

I found this entry on FreeReg; it's outside the period you mention but the names fit:

Sadly not them! They got married in Kyloe in 1797.

[Steve3180]

I'm a bit late to the party, but I've got access to Belford Erskine Street baptisms where there are 200 or so entries between 1793 and 1820, none of which are Johnson, or similar.

Sorry it's a negative answer.

These records are on the NDFHS website. I can fully recommend joining, it's £15 a year, and their online records are very useful if you have ancestors in Northumberland or Durham.

[emmec]

I'm a bit late to the party, but I've got access to Belford Erskine Street baptisms where there are 200 or so entries between 1793 and 1820, none of which are Johnson, or similar.

Sorry it's a negative answer.

These records are on the NDFHS website. I can fully recommend joining, it's £15 a year, and their online records are very useful if you have ancestors in Northumberland or Durham.

I had actually messaged them to know whether they had those records online and they didn't answer 

But THANK YOU anyway! West Street might be the one if they are not at Erskine.

[belfordian]

I may be able to help you. I live in Belford and am familiar with the records of the Scotch Church (as it was known) in West st and Erskine Pres Church in Nursery Lane. There is no Erskine Street. I transcribed the final baptismal register of the latter. If you can clarify the info you are looking for I may have it in the microfiches which I have, otherwise I will look it up on my weekly visits to Berwick Record Office. Do you have any more info on the parents, birthplaces, marriage, maiden name of mother, etc ?

Do you know if the family was definitely resident in Belford during the time in question? There were several Presbyterian churches in the area if the family were ag labs and moved around. There are still Johnson families in Belford.

There was also a third Pres Church in Belford but no registers have survived. All 3 churches have closed now. I helped with a project on the Erskine Church a few years ago and a booklet was produced. It may still be available so if you are interested let me know.

I hope I can help you. I also have details of irregular border marriages which most Pres. couples had during a certain period.

Best wishes,
Val

[emmec]

Val, thank you so much! There are a ton of Johnsons in and around Belford even in the 1700s, so I doubt I could back further than these people, but I would love to at least get some complete info about them. Any thoughts are appreciated.

The parents are:

John Johnson
abt. 1774 – 27 Apr 1853

Margaret Gradon
abt. 1777 – 1851


They got married in Doddington on 23 November 1797.

They lived at Newlands (just South of Belford) until at least 1820, and then at Easington Grange.

The children are as follows, deaths are correct (all buried at Belford St Mary) and births are approximate.

Working on the assumption they were Presbyterian as following generations were - Adam 1814–1889 got married at Lamberton Toll, his son at the English Presbyterian Church in Berwick.


Jane Johnson
1799–1808

John Johnson
1799–1807

Adam Johnson
1807–1808

John Johnson
1808–1843

David Johnson
1811–1812

David Johnson
1812–1882

Adam Johnson
1814–1889

Henry Johnson
1819–1820

James Johnson
1821–?

[belfordian]

I’ve had a good search through the Presbyterian and Parish records for Belford. It’s always wise to check both as parents sometimes used both, depending upon circumstances at the time, whichever was more convenient and it could change between generations.
First of all John Johnson and Margaret Gradon were married at Kyloe Church not Doddington as you mention at one point. Kyloe  Church  closed a long time ago and is now a private house but existing records are held at Berwick Archives in the Library(open Wed and Thur only). The parents may not have been strict Presbyterians as they married in an Anglican Church. Many Presbyterians took advantage of living near the Border and hopped over to Coldstream or Lamberton

The baptisms of their children do not appear in the Belford Erskine Church (also now closed). I checked transcripts for 1793-1820 published by Berwick Archives. Unfortunately I seem to have mislaid the microfiche of the Belford Scotch Church so could not check it directly but I believe they are included in FamilySearch and none of your Johnsons  appeared on that website apart from two burials at Belford Parish Church of children who died as infants. I could not find them in the Parish Church baptisms. I also looked in Warenford Presbyterian Baptisms but no luck there.

Not everyone was baptised. I’ve managed to find very few baptisms for my Presbyterian ancestors, possibly because their registers did not survive as well as the Anglican ones.

I did find the baptism of a John Jackson in the Spittal Presbyterian Register on 17 March 1773 with father James and mother Ann. Is that a possibility?  I also noticed that a Thomas Johnson and wife Alice had a child named Adam in 1819 and wondered if they were connected to your line.

I’m sorry I haven’t been able to find anything new. If I come across anything relevant I’ll certainly get in touch.

Val