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Church of Scotland Records


Down to Baptisms and Marriages in Entre Rios
Down to Baptisms in the Scottish Church 1914-18
Down to Baptisms in the Scottish Church Bahia Blanca 1922-1932

As the Scottish communities grew in Buenos Aires and provincial centres, so presbyterian churches were established in major centres, and ministers of the Church of Scotland were appointed to charges, either to a particular church or with a remit to visit on a regular or occasional basis those Scots dispersed over large provinces. St. Andrew’s Church in Buenos Aires was founded in 1833, and was followed among others by churches at Florencio Varela, Chascomus, Jeppener and Bahia Blanca through into the early 20th century. Scots in Patagonia Austral were served by occasional visiting ministers. Very extensive records of baptisms, marriages and burials survive, as do items such as subscription lists and communion rolls. James Dodds’ “Records of the Scottish Settlers in the River Plate and Their Churches” is an essential published source.

Chascomus: The Rancho Kirk and St. Andrew’s Church

Over a hundred miles south of Buenos Aires, Chascomus and its extensive territories became an important area of Scottish settlement. A chapel, Rancho Kirk, was built on the Adela estancia in 1857 and was followed in 1872 by St. Andrew’s Church in Chascomus.


Reverend M P Ferguson


Reverend M P Ferguson


St Andrew's Church, Chascomus


St Andrew's Church, Chascomus


St Andrew's Church, Chascomus


St Andrew's Church, Chascomus

                              The Chascomus Communion Roll up to 1884

Mr. & Mrs.George Burnett, San Felipe

                      1873

Mrs. Henry Bell, San Felipe

Mr. Thomas Bruce, sr., Valle Sta. Ana

Mr.& Mrs. James Dodds, Adela

Miss Olivia Ayliffe, Las Mulas

Mr.&Mrs.Ninian Johnstone, Las Mulas

Miss Annie M’Kiddie, Las  Mulas

Mr.&Mrs.Samuel M’Gaul,Laguna las Padres

Mr. Jas. Allan, jr., San Roberto

Mr.&Mrs. Geo. Sheill, Las Mulas

Mr. John Donaldson, San Roberto

Mr.&Mrs.Joseph Johnstone, Las Mulas

Mr. Michael Henry, Adela

Mrs. Thomas Bruce, Valle Sta. Ana

Mr. Wm.Bell, Las Mulas

Mr.&Mrs.Hugh Robson, Esperanza

Miss Luisa Blake, Chascomus

M.r & Mrs. Wm. Dodds, Adela

                      1874

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Burnett, San Felipe

Miss Ellen Balleny, Sta. Elena

Mr. John Young, San Felipe

Mr. Robert Bruce, Chascomus

Mr. & Mrs. John Dodds, Las Mulas

Mr. Robert Hope, Chascomus

Mr. Thomas Black, San Pedro

Miss Lizzie Dodds, Las Mulas

Mr. John Purvis, Valle Sta. Ana

Mr. Archibald Auld, Chascomus

Mr. James Harrow, Magdalena

Mr. James Church, Espartillar

Mr. James Bell sr. Valle Sta. Ana

                      1875

Mr.& Mrs. James Greig, Las Mulas

Mr.&Mrs. Geo. Bruce, Chascomus

Mrs. James Bell, sr., Valle Sta. Ana

Mrs. Neill Black, Chascomus

Mr. & Mrs. James Sinclair, Adela

Miss Mary Robson, Esperanza

Mr.& Mrs. Geo. Cribbs, Valle Sta. Ana

Mr. Geo. W. Ferguson, Adela

Mr. James Blackhall, Adela

Miss Janet Allan, San Roberto

Mr. George Foggo, San Felipe

Miss Agnes M’Revie, Chascomus

Mr.& Mrs. John Grant, San Pedro

Miss Elizabeth Purvis, Las Mulas

Rev.& Mrs. M.P.Ferguson, Chascomus

                     1876

Miss Catherine Crampton, Adela

Miss Grace Burnett, San Felipe

Mr. Robert Harvey, Las Mulas

Miss Annie Johnstone, Las Mulas

Mr.& Mrs. John Hattrick, Las Mulas

Miss Elisabeth Robson, Esperanza

Mr.& Mrs. Roderick Cameron, Las Mulas

Miss S. Manzano, Esperanza

Mr. John Anderson, Espartillar

Mr. James Dodds, Las Mulas

Mr. Joseph Shillinglaw, Espartillar

Mr. John M’Cargo, Las Mulas

Mr. Andrew Shillinglaw, Espartillar

Mr. Anthony Walker, Vivot

Mr.& Mrs. Alex. Bell, Las Mulas

Mr. Charles Weiss, Las Flores

Mr. & Mrs. John Corbett, Las Mulas

                     1877

Mr. W. Blake, Las Mulas

Mrs. Smeaton, Espartillar

Mr. P.V.A.Reid, Espartillar

                     1878

Mr. Joseph Millar, Espartillar

Mr. Henry Burnett, San Felipe

Mr. Robert Johnstone, Las Mulas

Miss Isabella Burnett, San Felipe

Miss Janet Johnstone, Las Mulas

Miss Annie Clelland, Valle Sta. Ana

Mr. James Cribbs, Magdalena

Mr. James Liddle, Regreso

Mr. Sam. Bowen, San Pedro

                     1879

Mr.& Mrs. James S. Ritchie, Magdalena

Miss Cristina Ballena, Sta. Elena

Mr. Henry Ritchie, sr., Magdalena

Miss Lizzie Crosbie, Chascomus

Mr. David Redpath, Adela

Mrs. Lucio Sutton, Chascomus

Mr. Thomas Lynch, Adela

Mr. Wm. Dodds, Las Mulas

Mr.&Mrs. Alex. M’Gaw, Esperanza

                     1880

Miss Elena Burnett, San Felipe

Mr. Geo. Bell, Barros blancos

Miss Mary Johnstone, Las Mulas

Mr. Wm. Bell, Barros Blancos

Mr Thomas Ronaldson, San Felipe

Mr. Thomas Wilde, Barros Blancos

Mr.&Mrs. Geo. Sinclair, Adela

Mr. John Clelland, Barros Blancos

Mr.& Mrs. Thomas Young, Adela

Mr. Charles Corff, Barros Blancos

Miss Susan Sinclair, Adela

                     1881

Mr. John Henry, Adela

Miss Martha Young, Adela

Mr. Thomas Sinclair, Adela

Miss Elisabeth Burnett, San Felipe

Mr. Geo. Talmadge, Magdalena

Miss Mary Jane Burnett, San Felipe

Mr.&Mrs. James Sproat, Magdalena

Miss Elsie Bell, Sta. Elena

Mr.& Mrs. James Allan, Magdalena

Mr. Richard Allan, Las Mulas

Mr. Thomas Clelland, Chascomus

Mr. Thomas Cowes, Espartillar

Miss Mary Hosie, Chascomus

Mr. Robert Chisholm, Espartillar

                  1868

Miss Mary Dodds, Las Mulas

Mr. Neill M. Auld, Chascomus

Miss Margaret Young, Adela

Miss Jane Robson, Esperanza

Miss Jessie Bell, Barros Blancos

Mr. William M’William, Sta. Ana

Mr. Wm. Ferguson, Espartillar

Mr.&Mrs. James Buchanan, Las Mulas

                    1882

                  1869

Mrs. Alex. Barclay, Samboronbom

Miss Ellen Dodds, Adela

Mrs. James Barclay, Samboronbom

Mr. James Erskine, Las Mulas

Miss Ellen Barclay, Samboronbom

Miss Mary Bruce, Valle Sta. Ana

Miss Margaret Johnstone, Las Mulas

Mr.&Mrs. John Johnstone, Las Mulas

Mr.& Mrs. Edward Chandler, Church

Miss E. Johnstone, Las Mulas

Mr.&Mrs. Alex. Craise, Espartillar

Miss Helen Johnstone, Las Mulas

Mr.& Mrs. John Martin, Espartillar

                  1870

Mr. James Drysdale, Lezama

Mr.&Mrs. Wm. Attwell, Sta. Ana

                     1883

Mr.&Mrs. James Yorston, Sta. Ana

Miss Martha Grant, Regreso

                  1871

Miss Margaret Bell, Sta. Isabel

Mr. Wm. Robb, Esperanza

Miss Isabella Bell, Sta. Elena

Mrs. John Black, Esperanza

Miss Mary Burnett, Los Tojos

Mr. John Allan, Adela

Mr. Alex. Sproat, Porvenir

                  1872

                     1884

Mr. James S. Dodds, Adela

Miss Marion Bell, Sta. Elena

Mr. John Bell, Valle Sta. Ana

Miss Mary M’Gaw, Esperanza

Mr. John Burnett, San Felipe

Miss Jane M’Graw, Esperanza

Miss Catherine Burnett, San Felipe

Mr. John Johnstone, San Jose

Mr. Henry Dodds, Adela

Mr. James Burnett, San Felipe

Miss Annie Camp, Adela

 

Mr. John Young, Adela

Note: The list up to about 1873 contains

Mr. John Niven, Chascomus

 the names of original members of the

Msr. James Pettigrew, Chascomus

church.Those following are principally

Miss Mary Pettigrew, Chascomus

children of the former,

Mr. Thomas C. Watson, Chascomus

 

Mr. Andrew Sinclair, Adela

In 1881: 180 on the roll

Mr. James M’William, Las Mulas

                47 have died

Mrs. Robert M’Kean, Chascomus

                73 have left the district

Miss Margaret Allan, Adela

                  3 have lapsed

 

Index of Baptisms – Entre Rios/Banda Oriental

Introduction

The following table contains an index of baptisms of the children of persons with British surnames, recorded by the Presbyterian Church of Scotland in Argentina for the period between the late 1850’s and early 1900’s, for the province of Entre Rios in Argentina and the Banda Oriental, now better known as Uruguay. Located to the west and the east of the River Uruguay, these lands attracted both major landowners and ordinary settlers from Scotland, England and elsewhere. Among them were numerous Scottish Presbyterians, while some belonged to other nonconformist denominations and chose to use the services of the Church of Scotland. Probably their best known minister was the Rev. Lachlan McNeill, who served the scattered communities between 1866 and 1877. His “parish” was so large that he travelled on horseback across the territories, holding services in English and sometimes Gaelic at four preaching stations: the estancias of Thomas Drysdale, James Mohr Bell and James T. Ramsay in the Banda Oriental, and at Concordia in Entre Rios.

Among those who attended his services in the Concordia area were Scots, some Gaelic speakers, who had established themselves at Colonia Nueva Escocia, south of Concordia. This community of McNeills, MacDonalds, Sinclairs, Frasers and others prospered; some moving later to the north of Entre Rios, and into the province of Corrientes, where they established their own estancias, some named after places in Scotland such as Clyde, Kintail and Mossgiel.  Descendants of these pioneers still live there, where they have had for over a hundred years a chapel and burial ground. A monthly service in Spanish is still held, and some of the earliest settlers are buried there. Sources of the above information are the oral history of a MacDonald descendant and correspondence by the Rev. Lachlan McNeill recorded in James Dodds’ “Records of Scottish Settlers in the River Plate and Their Churches”.

 Further, it should be noted here that the Church of England was also present in these territories, with churches in Concordia and Salto. A substantial body of baptismal, marriage and burial records, including those of some Scots, is now available on Jeremy Howat’s excellent website at http://argbrit.org

The following index has been transcribed from the microfilm record and then edited. Perhaps inevitably, some names have been difficult or impossible to decipher, but generally the record is clear. A large proportion of the surnames indicate Scottish origins, but there are other Britons and some that indicate parents of other nationalities.  It is a remarkable record, not least because some of the later children would still have been alive in not so distant times.

Father

Mother

Child

Date of

Baptism

Allan, Hugh

Bonallie, Eliz.

Robert Barclay

Ellen B.

James

Eliz.

24/05/1861

04/03/1863

13/08/1865

18/06/1868

Allan, Jas.

Gilmour, Ann

James Robt.

20/05/1862

Arthur, Alan

Crozier, Ellen

George

James

Anita

May

30/12/1862

03/08/1864

19/08/1867

08/10/1872

Anthony, Evan

?

James

08/10/1863

Aycliffe, Thos.

Ritchie, Ann

Thos. Ford

25/07/1870

Anderson, Robt.

Wilde, Mary L.

Margaret

Robert

William

Henry

11/02/1872

13/06/1875

05/09/1876

--/04/1875

Acosta, Julio

Maxwell, Barbara

Julio

Gregorio

Barbara

25/01/1889

07/01/1886

27/??/1887

Allan, Jas. Lawrie

Morini(?), Virginia

James Griffin

Edward

Albert Allan

27/09/1886

29/10/1893

?

Alexander, Hugh

Moody, Elizabeth

James Agerton        

25/06/1890

Anderson, James

Oughton, Margt.

Arthur

John

27/12/1896

27/12/1896

Ahlberg, Jno. Gustavo

Johnson, Jane

Charles

13/08/1897

Aitken, Thomas

Montgomery, Mary

James  

   Montgomery

21/02/1869

Anderson, Peter

Matilda Georgina

Peter

Honra Micaela

22/12/1878

17/12/1882

Barclay, John

Bonallie, ?

Ellen Bone

Agnes Bone

03/08/1857

24/05/1861

?Ballion, Thos.

Bell, Jane

Henry Jas. Bell

21/09/1857

Burnet, Jas.

Bell, Eliza

Grace

Isabella

Eliza Marrian

14/12/1857

14/11/1859

15/09/1865

Barclay, Allan

Bell, Marrian

Robert

Alice

James

19/10/1858

31/10/1859

-

Brown, Wm.

Watson, Agnes

Emma

William

15/11/1858

03/01/1860

Buchanan, Robt.

Wright, Ellen

Robt.

Jas.

15/05/1859

20/04/1861

Brown, Jas.

Fulton, Agnes

Alex.

29/06/1859


Bell, Wm.

Baird, Eliz.

William

Jessie

James

Andw.

Margt.

31/08/1859

25/04/1862

27/04/1864

02/08/1865

09/12/1867

Brown, Jno.

Dunlop, Jane

Margaret

David

14/10/1859

21/04/1861

Barnet, Wm.

Cribbes, Isa

Matt.

Wm.

16/10/1859

15/12/1861

Blake, Wm.

Cook, Mary Ellen

Annie

19/05/1860

Brown, Saml.

Juanes, Juana

Eliz.

19/05/1860

Barnet, Robt.

Cribbes, Mary

Susan

Jno.Jas.

Wm. Chas.

16/09/1860

19/04/1862

22/09/1871

Barton, Thos.

Cooper, Hannah Mary

Thos. Jno.

Eliz.

Francis

21/10/1860

16/11/1861

02/08/1868

Barclay, Jas.

Barclay, Mgt.

Robert

John

Isabella

01/??/1861

08/12/1865

19/10/1867

Burns, Sam.

Purvis, Jessie

Jessie

17/03/1861

Brown, Reuben

Moodie, Jane

Caroline

17/05/1861

Bell, Jas.

Bell, George Jeanie

Alison Porter

27/05/1861

Brown, David

Reeves, Eliz

Thos. Reeves

20/10/1861

Bray, Thos.

Purvis, Ellen

Thos.

15/11/1861

Brown, Henry Wm.

Gillard, Mary Jane

Eliz. Jane

16/11/1862

Bell, Jas. Mohr

(or Mohr Bell, Jas.)

Robson, Mary

Alfred

Thos. M.

Ellen M.

Albert M.

Leonard M.

Septemus M.

03/07/1863

14/04/1865

25/06/1867

08/12/1869

12/12/1878

25/12/1880

Bell, Ramon

Shillingworth, Manuela

Isabella

11/10/1865

Barclay, Alex.

Bell, Marrion

Ellen

Allison

09/03/1864

27/06/1866

Brown, Joshua

Thomson, Marian

Mary Jane

Alice Lola

Lily Eleanor

25/03/1867

19/09/1882

19/09/1882

Bell, Archd.

Buchanan, Mgt.

George A.

Josephina Boyd

Adelina

Beatrice

07/04/1868

11/10/1870

08/11/1872

18/11/1875

Buchanan, Jno.

Buchanan, M.A.

Neil

Alex.

Margaret

09/03/1869

28/10/1871

31/08/1886

Bell, Andw.

Woollens, Mary Ann

George

James

Andrew

William

Mary A.

Lily

Margaret

14/07/1869

20/10/1870

26/10/1871

11/03/1875

23/10/1876

19/12/1877

19/07/1880

Brown, Wm.

Hardy, Cath.

Alison Smart

James

Catharine Hardy

20/04/1871

30/06/1874

27/05/1883

Barnes, Jas.

Maughan, Mgt.

Joseph

Margaret

Annie

Timothy

Luela

All baptised 26/09/1871

Bogue, Fred

Curran, Sarah

John and Helen

28/10/1871

Behrens, John

Miller, Margt.

? Hy.

Adolfo

18/01/1875

29/02/1880

Buchanan, John

Law, Jane

Jas. E.

25/04/1875

Brown, Jas.

Gibson, E.J.C.

Jessie

Thos. Wm.

Ernest Alex.

Alfred Carron

30/03/1876

25/11/1883

25/01/1885

30/01/1887

Brydge, Berry

Orrell, Nancy

Alice

Berry

20/12/1876

18/12/1878

Behrens, Cristobal

? Matilda

Frederico

14/03/1878

Boyle, Francis

Purvie, Elizabeth

Mary Ann

Agnes

Frances

David

James

22/10/1878

30/05/1880

22/06/1884

27/06/1886

23/06/1889

Bell, James A.

Gray, Ann

John

15/03/1879

Behrens, Carlos

Miller, Guillermina

Christina Juno

Carlos L

Guillermina

Dorotea C.

29/02/1880

08/01/1884

23/10/1885

10/02/1888

Buchanan, Duncan

Maxwell, Helen B.

Helen

Agnes

Virgin

John &

Duncan (Twins)

Annie

John A.

07/12/1882

26/04/1883

27/03/1885

10/09/1886

22/05/1888

06/02/1890

Buchanan, Dugald

Maxwell, Margaret

Dugald

Wm. Alex.

Margaret M.

Albert

Robert B.

Grace

James

22/02/1882

27/03/1885

04/03/1887

25/09/1889

22/09/1892

13/06/1895

11/07/1897

Bale, James

Preston, Margaret

Marion

Robert

Janet

John

19/03/1889

20/09/1885

??/04/1876

22/02/1875

Benger, Henry

?, Mary

Alice

17/05/1883