Rev. Alexander Gibson (1790-1863) Westmeath, Mullingar, Ireland Part 1

Mary Cooper holding a copy of the booklet, A History of Mullingar Presbyterian Church by John W. Lockington. Printed by Topic Newspapers, 2013.

Rev. Alexander Gibson is my 3rd great grandfather, whom I first found in the marriage record of his daughter, Elizabeth Gibson, to Austin Cooper on 14 Jun 1851. His profession is listed as a Presbyterian minister.

Irish Civil Records. Marriage Registration of Austin Cooper & Elizabeth Gibson, 14 June 1851, Church of Mullingar, County Westmeath. Married by Thomas Woodward. 1851, Quarter 1,  Vol. 8, page 269, No. 78. Microfilm #101,329. Family History Library, Salt Lake City: accessed 12 November 2008.

My next source to investigate was the book (which I found at my local Family History Center, San Diego, CA) A History of Congregations in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, 1610-1982. Belfast: Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland. 1982. (Including a book of corrections)

Rev. Gibson was the first minister of the Presbyterian Church of Mullingar, Westmeath, Ireland (licensed in  Letterkenny) & ordained on 19 Mar 1823. He died on 12 June 1862. The book also mentions that Rev. Gibson was suspended on 8 Feb 1858 and resigned. What is this?!  I really have to find out more about this suspension. But, I now need to work on the clues mentioned here.  

I set up a Research Plan to discover the education and career of this Presbyterian minister of Mullingar. I order several microfilms (2011) and wait patiently. Others I find at my local Family History Center. 

These clues include: 

1) Gibson attends the University of Glasgow from 1813 -1817 graduating with a Masters. Again his suspension is mentioned.1

2) In 1833, I find Rev. Gibson mentioned in the Tithe Applotment Books in Mullingar. In 1832, the Irish Tithe Composition Act was passed to collect tithes to be paid to the State Church, the Church of Ireland.2

3) I also look at those "unknown" documents of Richard Griffith’s Valuations of Ireland. I find Rev. A. Gibson mentioned in records dated 1840-1854, including the Field, House & Tenure Books.3

4) By 1858, I find Rev. Gibson listed as a dweller on Main St. with two dwelling houses, a yard, offices & a garden from the Irish Encumbered Estate Rentals. These records cover the years from 1850-1885 listing the value of lands after the famine from the previous decade. The landowners lost income from the death and emigration of their tenants causing many to foreclose their properties. This was a result of an act passed in 1849, that established the Encumbered Estates Court. These records are very detailed including hand-drawn maps and tenant lists. 4

Rentals of encumbered Irish estates, pre-1860. Westmeath, Vol. 78. Microfilm #258,848. Family History Library: Salt Lake City. Accessed 24 Mar 2011.

Rev. Alexander Gibson is listed on Lot 2 in Space 21, which I have circled on Main Street, a block around the corner from the  Presbyterian Meetinghouse, called "Scots Church" on the map, which is space 26, also circled in red. 

In the above Griffin's Valuations House and Field books from 1846 and 1853, the property observations state "ho[use] & offices well built & furnished & in good repair, yard & garden with [a] back gateway. Not a good situation for a shop [drapery] business."3 

Currently, Harbour St. becomes Castle St. and Main St. is now called Pearse St. in this area.

I investigate the current Presbyterian Church of Mullingar. I find the church on Facebook and comment on the page. The minister in 2011, Stephen Lockington, responded by inviting me to attend services. I responded by stating my interest was in the church history and asked what he knew about it.  I also found out that the church property was up for sale as the present congregation was too large for the historic building with a tiny cemetery. 

A booklet about the church history was later published to raise monies for a new property. I ordered several copies. I was excited to see one whole chapter (7 pages) about Rev. Gibson. It gave detailed coverage of Gibson’s 35 years at Mullingar. 

The book mentions some new information about Rev. Gibson for me. He is the eldest son of John Gibson born around 1790, near Raphoe, Co. Donegal.  He was licensed by the Presbytery of Letterkenny in 1820. He helped with the establishment of several local Presbytery congregations in Athlone and Tully. By 1842, complaints were brought to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, about the ‘peculiar circumstances of Mullingar.’  A special visit with the report was made. The church ministered to 40 families,  with three baptisms and seven marriages. There were Sunday schools that met in the church, a local home and one in the local barracks. Gibson was chaplain to the local jail where he visited twice a week and preached on Sundays. (I also read about his jail visits in local newspapers.) Not mentioned in this report, Gibson also ran a school for further secondary education as also seen in newspaper ads at this time period.  What were the complaints of part of the congregation towards Gibson? “He did not visit the congregation, made and circulated lies to the injury of respectable people and performed irregular marriages for which he took payment.” (He performed marriages to couples who were not Presbyterian.) Another major incident was that the Pulpit Bible was mutilated and pages scattered on the floor. This led to their conclusion that the Presbytery Church of Mullingar was under ‘unfavorable if not a distressful state of religious feeling both in minister and people.’ He was admonished; ordered to apologize, visit his members to read and pray and to abstain from irregular marriages. By the time of the Great Famine, Gibson was involved along with other religious leaders to care for those who suffered greatly. The Midland Great Western Railway line came to Mullingar from Dublin in states starting in 1846. This provided work for many during the Famine. It was finished nine years later. Again, in 1857, the Athlone congregation had complaints about the Mullingar congregation not taking a missions collection with them. It was brought to the Presbytery Synod of Dublin. The conclusion stated that  ”the congregation was in a weak position with no prospect of improvement while Gibson remained its minister.” Gibson In the following months continued to disobey his leaderships‘ requests (marriage on the Lord’s Day, ignore several summonses from the Presbytery, interfering with the settlement of a new minister). Thus, his suspension from office of ministry “for deceit and false statements, for violating an agreed arrangement, contumacy, and obstructing the call of a minister” occurred on 8 Feb. 1858.5

So here I have a “black sheep” in my family tree. I was disappointed that no family members were included. Who was the mother of Elizabeth Gibson? Did Elizabeth have any siblings? How did the church politics affect Rev. Gibson’s family?

1. Addison, W. Innes. A Roll of the Graduates of the University of Glasgow from 31st December 1727 to 31st December 1897: with short biographical notes. Glasgow, Scotland: J. MacLehose, 1898. Microfilm #994098. Family History Library: Salt Lake City. Accessed 13 Jul 2013.

2. "Ireland Tithe Applotment Books, 1814-1855," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VX5D-W8H: 11 March 2018), Gibson,; citing Mullingar, Mullingar, Westmeath, Ireland; Public Record Office, Dublin; FHL microfilm 256,671.

3. "Ireland, Valuation Office Books, 1831-1856." Database with images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org: 5 December 2016. From “Griffith's Valuation 1847-1864.” Database and images. Accessed 29 June 2018.
4. Rentals of encumbered Irish estates, pre-1860. Westmeath, Vol. 78. Microfilm #258,848. Family History Library: Salt Lake City. Accessed 24 Mar 2011.

5. Lockington, John W. A History of Mullingar Presbyterian Church. Topic Newspapers: 2013.