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Archiver > AYRSHIRE > 1998-10 > 0908560327


From: BOBBIE M HALL< >
Subject: Re: Hunter of Irvine & Morris/Glasgow
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1998 12:52:07, -0500


Doug Linton <> wrote:

>I have an ancestor named John Hunter (1760-1826) who reportedly
came
>from Irvine, Ayr, Scotland to Alexandria, Virginia, USA where he
>established a shipyard and married Cordelia Meeks Hatton (1756-1815)
in
>1785.
<snipped>
>I have no further information on this side of my ancestry. Any
links or
>tips?

>I have heard that Irvine Parish records of either marriages or
baptisms
>exist from 1645 in Ayrshire, Scotland, but I have no idea about how
to
>gain information from such records. I am hopeful that such records
may
>contain data of use to this inquiry.

Hi Doug,

For research as early as the 17th & 18th centuries there probably is
NO
better place for your ancestors to have been born!
>From a listing in a publication from the SAFHS, Irvine parish's
records for
baptisms date from 1687, marriages from 1721, and deaths are listed
for the period 1783-1796.

Irvine is parish #595, FYI.

I'll assume that you have access to a LDS FHC (if not, do advise!).
There is a marvelous CD that they have available that has an extract
of
the vast majority of early parish records such as the ones you'd be
looking
for. Have one of the volunteers at the FHC guide you a bit.
If you still don't find the records that you're expecting to find,
you may want
to order the Irvine parish records on microfilm (I'd suggest you do
that
anyway), and go thru them, entry by entry. You'll find them very
similar to
the early vital or church records that you've seen for the eastern US.

Some records are great, some are the absolute bare minimum,
some have disappeared, some destroyed ... but in general the
Scottish OPRs (Old parochial registers) are about as good as
you'll ever see!

If you don't find your Hunters in Irvine, you might also want to try
the parish
of Dundonald (#590), as it borders Irvine parish, just across the
River Irvine. I've
found several Irvine ancestors in Dundonald's OPRs. Many of the
shipping folks
came from Troon, as well as Irvine, which is in Dundonald parish .

Order up those films and enjoy looking, then let us know how you do.
If you
find some good data in them, you'll probably want to contact the
Troon &
District FHS for more assistance. A membership in that local society
could be
quite useful to you.

Cheers!
Bobbie

____
Bobbie Madison Hall - Chicago, usa

http://pages.prodigy.com/bobbie-hall
A family reunion is an effective form of birth control in my family.

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