General Chat

Following on from Ugger's religion thread and Amanda's comments regarding quakers and a conversation I had yesterday about marrying into different religions, I was wondering about religion in our family trees.

What religions did your ancestor's follow? Were any unusual or were any of them atheists?
Were any persecuted/imprisoned for their religious faith?
Did you find any religious leaders of some kind in your family tree etc?
Did any marry into different faiths or change religion?
What records/sources helped you in your research?

One of my paternal 3 x great grandfathers was a Baptist preacher from Bristol. In 1841 he was in Wales as a missionary, in 1851 he was with his family in Bristol. In 1861 I can't find him but his family was in Leeds. The children were born in different areas of England and probably worn out from all the travel his wife passed away at the age of 52. He then remarried - very quickly - in Bristol leaving all his family in Leeds. I don't normally judge my ancestors but I don't like him very much:(

Sue xx

My ancestors were all your normal RC or C of E as far as I know and of course several drifted in and out of Baptist, Methodist, Chapel etc in the late C18th and in the C19th. I have a record, though I'm not sure how accurate it is of when one family forsook the old religion at the beginning of the 1800s.

I've been surprised at how flexible people were - not at all what I was led to believe. My Irish immigrant ancestors in London in the first half of the C19th used both RC and C of E churches for baptisms and marriages and even as late as WW1, one brother would give his religion as RC and another as C of E.

I also have some ancestors in Oxfordshire in the early C19th who were all Cof E but when a branch went to live and work on the Stonor estate, owned by Catholic nobility, they had all the children born there baptised RC

Were they expected to do you think Uggers?

Sue xx

Quite possibly, Sue - what I don't know is if it mattered to them or not, whether it was a matter of doing as they were told or of convenience. Some research into Irish immigrants in London in the C19th seems to suggest that they weren't too fussed and just gave into the most persistent priest of the time. But they may also have felt that it didn't matter because the RC God was the same as the CofE God - just because my lot were poor and generally immoral doesn't mean they were stupid;)

I am a Scottish Presbyterian by baptism, and my Gt. Grandparents were Plymouth Brethren as was one of my Gt. Uncles and Aunts, maybe more.......they were quite strict about the rules, but my Gt. Uncle would sneak a quiet ciggie if Aunt Nellie were not about.......mind you I think she would have smelled it on his clothes.......my Scottish side are mostly religious and my Mum has Bibles and New Testaments and books year on year for perfect attendance.........they were all very kind and never foisted their beliefs on me.........actually my Mum was quite interested in what she called 'The Friends'.......or Quakers........

Sally, I forgot about my Scottish lot - strict Presbyterian many of them:)

Sally I have two great aunts who were Plymouth Brethren. Apparently very strict as my father often told me. They were kind and loving but very straight-laced. I have photos of them and they look very stern but I also have a birthday card and it's obviously written with great affection.

Sue xx

Sooooo you know what I mean Uggers........they can be a bit straight-laced, sometimes.....

Yes Suemaid........my Gt. Uncle and Aunt were the kindest of people, but when they visited it was always family prayers before a meal.......and he would choose one of us to 'give the blessing'.......we had to think on our toes in those days........sadly one of his sons died an alcoholic........he was a bit of a lad......the other was dutiful and respectful family man.......

If my Dad wanted a ciggie or an odd drink (wasn't much for the drink, my Dad), then my Gt. Uncle was fine about it........they were both a good advert for their way of life, and never chided us about it......

Also I have old photos of Scottish relations on Rachabite trips........and I understood that they were Temperance outings........

My great-great-grandparents in Ireland might have been Roman Catholic and "taken the soup"; they married in Clogher Cathedral in 1848 (Church of Ireland).
Their daughter (great-granny) married at Turlough Presbyterian Church, County Mayo; a daughter married in Glasgow (Church of Scotland), a son was C of E.
Sources - McCusker is a Roman Catholic name from the north, someone saw the marriage on the BVRI, Irish researcher found their marriage, Scotlands people site, his army records in ancestry.com.

A sibling of an ancestor became a Mormon and went to Utah - source: help from a member of Kent mailing list.

Most of my ancestral family have been C of E.

My Grandmother on marrying my granfather (Irish catholic) had to agree to bring the children up as RC.
I hadn't thought much about my grandmother's family in terms of religion, but just looking at the church where many of the family were christened, married etc in Chiswick,

it says this

"All are welcome at St Nicholas – be they Christians of any denomination or none, followers of other faiths, or the simply curious. All Communicant Christians are welcomed to receive Holy Communion and others are invited, if they so wish, to come to the altar for blessing. We welcome all as they make their life’s pilgrimage.

Since the Catholic revival in the Church of England in the 19th century, the pattern and style of worship, preaching and teaching of Chiswick Parish Church has stood firmly in that tradition. The main act of worship is the Sunday Eucharist at which we all gather to praise the Lord in words and music, to receive his help in Word and Sacrament and to meet each other. We aim to combine "treasures old and treasures new" in our church life.

I particularly like the first line
"All are welcome at St Nicholas – be they Christians of any denomination or none, followers of other faiths, or the simply curious"
that's how I feel it should be :)

xx