LIST 23 - BAPTISMS - EBENEZER KIRK PORTLAND HEAD

 
 
Ebenezer Kirk Portland Head was founded in 1826 becoming the second 
Presbyterian Church parish established in the colony. 
Unfortunately there is no microfilm of the church register held in the National 
Library Canberra and has not been consulted. However the "New South Wales 
Pioneer Index : 1788-1888" database contains several baptisms identified as 
Presbyterian at Portland Head. There were 46 such baptisms identified during 
the years 1826 to 1830, although 2 refer to children born before 1821. 
 
The information for each child is exactly as described for the pre 1826 
presentation of St Phillips Sydney in List 3. The Index contains only the 
barest details of the baptism: year only of birth, Christian name of child, 
surname and Christian name of father, mothers Christian name and reference 
number from the church register. Any other information has had to be collected 
from other sources. No baptismal dates were recorded and the year of baptism 
was estimated from the reference numbers.
 
The information recorded for each child is exactly as described for the pre 
1826 presentation of St Phillips Sydney in List 3.
 
The list is presented in chronological order by year of baptism and then by 
reference number.
 
With regard to the fathers; the arrival details of a six remain unknown whilst 
in two cases the ship of arrival remains unknown (16%).
 
Nineteen were convicts or former convicts (38%), 2 were soldiers or former 
soldiers (4%), 13 came free (26%) and 6 were colonial born (12%).
 
With regard to the mothers; the names of five were not recorded and the arrival 
details of a further seven remain unknown whilst in two cases the ship of arrival 
remains unknown (18%).
 
Four were convicts or former convicts (8%), 8 came free (16%) and 27 were 
colonial born (54%).
 
Eight (16%) of the births were illegitimate.
 
There were two duplicate entries.
 
The Reverend John McGarvie arrived in the colony in May 1826 on board 'Greenock' 
to take up the inaugural chaplancy of the Presbyterian church at Portland 
Head on the Hawkesbury where many pioneers of Scottish descent had settled.
 
Where the mother's surname has a second name separated by  a slash, the 
surname after the slash is her married name at the time of the recording 
being made if she was married more than once. 
 
The reference number would direct the reader to the relevant entry in the 
original source document. 
 
Entries on this list have the reference identifier "EKPH" on List 1. To locate 
an entry on this list; firstly an alphabetical search on the name would be 
made on List 1 from which the date of baptism would be retrieved, secondly using 
the appropriate date, the baptism would be located on this list and finally 
an alphabetical search on the name would be made on the baptismal date if 
there should be more than one entry for that date. 

Proceed to Church Register

Return to 1821-1830

Return to Home Page
This work is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.