Dublin to Marblehead - Rev. William Boyd in July, 1718, five or six hundred men, women and children had come over to settle.

ULSTER AND THE PRESBYTERIAN MINISTRY IN 1718

This agent, the Rev. William Boyd, was ordained at Macosquin,a village three miles out of Coleraine on the road to Aghadowey,in January, 1709-10. The Rev. Thomas Boyd, probably his father, was an Episcopal clergyman at the neighboring town of Aghadowey, and although deposed in 1661 for non- conformity, continued to preach there until his death in 1699, holding services also at Macosquin for the last ten years that he lived.

The Rev. William Boyd upon his return to Macosquin continued his work there until 1725, when Monreagh in County Donegal called him. This parish, on the west bank of the Foyle between Londonderry and Lifford, promised to build a meeting house and to secure to him œ40 per annum. He was installed April 25, 1725, and died there in service May 2, 1772, leaving children. He last attended a synod in 1762, when he was probably in feeble health. His career was a troubled one, on account of a rival minister who built a church at St. Johnstown within his jurisdiction, and alienated many of his people. The General Synod took his part steadily, but was finally forced to recognize the new organization.

Two dissenting societies were organized in 1716 to study the language, and McGregor was appointed to preach to one of them at a meeting in Dungiven in August. A few years earlier he had become associated in this work with the Rev. Archibald Boyd, and we find them both as followers of the Rev. William Boyd on New England soil in 1718.

Archibald Boyd was deposed for sins against morality in 1716; he appeared in Boston in 1718, but no reference was made to his former ministerial position.

The Rev. Alexander Boyd of New-Castle, Maine, labored there first in 1754. The presence of many Congregationalists raised dissention soon after, and he was removed in 1758. He had studied divinity at Glasgow, and being approved by the Boston presbytery in 1749 he preached at Georgetown, Maine, and elsewhere on the Kennebec for a year or two.

Aghadowey Session Book-Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland, and preserved at Belfast:

 At the twenty-fourth session, in 1704, the old adage "the better the day the better the deed" seems to have been disregarded: "It having been evident to this session that John Boyd did join in company with David Lawson to bring away Mr William Hustown's daughter unknown to her parents upon the sabath day in order to be married to the said Lawson & being very Active in this Affair upon the sabath day, this being a general offence to this session and to all good people, this session appoints Hugh Hendry to cite John Boyd to our next session, the foresd Lawson not receeding in this congregation we cannot cite him."

THE ARRIVAL OF "FIVE SHIPS" IN AUGUST, 1718

Boston News-Letter

The News-Letter for July 21-28 mentions:

The "William and Mary" brought over the Rev. William Boyd of Macosquin, the leader of the movement;

We know little of the feeling towards these Scotch emigrants from Ireland shown by Boston people, although elsewhere they were disliked. An important incident of the next winter throws some light upon the subject, and for that reason it will be mentioned here. Benjamin Gray, a bookseller and publisher, offered for sale books on religion, and from time to time published works by Scotch presbyterians. Naturally then the Rev. William Boyd became a frequent visitor to Gray's shop. Boyd, as a leader of men, as an able preacher, and as a writer, was for a few months a prominent figure in Boston. At this period he was living in Charlestown at Captain John Long's hotel, or "the great tavern," as it was called.

Boyd's farewell sermon which was delivered March 19, 1719.

NUTFIELD AND LONDONDERRY, 1719-1720

The Scotch Irish petition, signed in Ireland, bears the date "this 26th day of March, Annoq. Dom. 1718," a few weeks only before the Rev. Mr. Boyd set sail for New England, where he arrived about July 25th.

MEMBERS OF THE CHARITABLE IRISH SOCIETY IN BOSTON:

Adam Boyd, 1737

The Rev. Thomas Craighead- By his wife, Margaret, Mr. Craighead had:

JANE, married, October 23, 1725, the Rev. Adam Boyd, pastor of a church at the forks of the Brandywine. Their son edited the Cape Fear Mercury.

HOME TOWNS OF ULSTER FAMILIES, 1691-1718

Since the ministers of dissenting congregations had little or no legal standing during the earliest years of the emigration to New England their records of births, marriages and death do not appear to have been preserved, except in isolated cases. But the records of presbytery and synod were kept with great care, and the latter have been printed to the year 1820. They give the name of the ruling elder in each congregation for the year of the general synod, and often the names of commissioners sent to the synod to represent local interests. Names of witnesses in cases which came before the synod also help to establish the home towns of Presbyterian families. Names of Ulster towns are usually given here as they are spelled in the records. A complete list of Irish townlands was printed at Dublin in 1861 under the title "Census of Ireland. Index to townlands and Towns, Parishes and Baronies." The meeting houses stood in the towns here given, but some parishioners lived in adjoining towns. The site of the meeting house and the bounds of each church's influence were subjects for contention at the meetings of presbytery and synod.

by Charles Knowles Bolton published Boston 1910 ; with maps and illustrations drawn by Ethel Stanwood Bolton. Includes index.

Microfilm of original published: Boston: Bacon and Brown, 1910. 398 p.:

FHL Film #847631