My Ancestors from Co Down

What denomination?

My ancestors were Presbyterians

There are quite a few Presbyterian churches in and around Newtownards. You can see what exist from this catalogue. Most of the records are not on-line and so a visit to PRONI is required to view them. One church also holds the only copy of its records so a visit to the Minister is necessary to view them.

http://www.proni.gov.uk/guide_to_church_records.pdf

Which is the church you need to visit? I was in touch with the minister from 1st Presbyterian for 1 year,he said he would get the man who looked after the records to print the ones of interest to me.The computer was broken,something didn't work,he said he'd sent the records,and so it went on and on. In the end the minister sent me a printout for all the names I was interested in for baptisms and marriages.I think it went back to about 1837 nothing before that. I've looked at Proni's site and found some interesting records there,ie,wills.I've written to then several times about church records as they have loads but you have to go there to get individual ones which I can't do.

I spent hours yesterday going through the church records that Proni have.I made a note of the reference numbers for the churches where I think my ancestors could have attended.What do I need to do now to see these records? With the reference numbers will Proni send me a print out of that churches records or do I have to get some one to go there for me?

You need to get someone to go and look at the records for you. PRONI won’t/can’t copy a whole microfilm. There’s a huge amount of information on some of them. If you are looking at 30 or 40 years worth of records, it might take you a day or more to got through them all.

Hi sandy441 - are you still looking? I think we will be related!

My great great grandmother was Jane Gunning who married Henry Close/Closs in Newtownards First Prebyterian Church on 20 Dec 1840. Their daughter Susan was baptised in the same church the day before the marriage, and the next born Charlotte was baptised there 19 Jan 1843. Their last child was my great grandfather William John Leech Closs born in Glasgow in

Jane's father was James Gunning but I don't have birth or death dates and their mother was Charlotte Smylie, again with no dates. The only useful record I have found for the parents was a birth record for Jane Gunning's brother Samuel born 20 Oct 1820 when the family was living in Peters Hill, Shankill Road, Belfast.

According to a DNA link I found some time ago to an Elizabeth Sloan (b. 1925) I believe your William is one of the brothers of my Jane, though I have found no records to prove this.

However this would mean that either James Gunning married again (to Jane Stewart) of the connection is a generation or two back.

Let me know if you are interested in pursuing this.

Best wishes

Lyle Closs