Portuguese Presbyterian Immigrants

History

In 1839 a Scottish Presbyterian missionary named Dr. Robert Kalley arrived in Madeira and obtained permission to establish schools. He also began to preach the Protestant gospel. Despite hostility from the Catholic population, several thousand people converted to Protestantism. Opposition to the new religion escalated as members of the presbyterian faith were imprisoned or had their homes and possessions destroyed by mobs. In August 1846, all Madeirans of the Presbyterian faith were forcibly expelled from Madeira.

There are no known copies of Presbyterian church records from Dr. Kalley’s time in Madeira. Any presbyterian records created at that time were likely destroyed in the violence preceding the Presbyterian exile. However, because there were only seven years of time between Dr. Kalley’s arrival in Madeira and the forced exile, most of the members of his faith can be found in Catholic records, as they were baptized and married in the Catholic faith before their conversion.

The exiles sailed first to Trinidad, where they arrived in the fall of 1846. In the summer of 1849, a large percentage then immigrated to Illinois, where they settled around the cities of Springfield and Jacksonville.

Records in Madeira

There are no known copies of Presbyterian church records from Dr. Kalley’s time in Madeira. Any presbyterian records created at that time were likely destroyed in the violence preceding the Presbyterian exile. However, because there were only seven years of time between Dr. Kalley’s arrival in Madeira and the forced exile, most of the members of his faith can be found in Catholic records, as they were baptized and married in the Catholic faith before their conversion.

To find birth, marriage, or death records created by the Catholic church in Madeira, consult our page Madeira Islands, Portugal Genealogy.

Immigration Records

Madeira to Trinidad

Although the Portuguese government required its citizens to obtain a passport before leaving the country, the Madeiran government waived the passport requirement for the Presbyterian expulsion in 1846.

The majority of the Madeiran Presbyterians arrived in Trinidad on the following ships.

• William of Glasgow from Madeira (197 passengers), arrived on 16 September 1846.
• Lord Seaton, from Madeira (200 passengers), arrived on 9 October 1846.
• Peru, from Madeira (160 passengers), arrived 8 November 1846.
• Dalhousie, from Madeira (216 passengers), arrived 13 November 1846.
• Dalhousie, from Madeira (267 passengers), arrived 9 November 1847.

Trinidad to New York City

The majority of the Madeiran Presbyterians arrived in New York City in the summer of 1849, aboard the following ships.

• Mary Patton, arrived 14 May 1849. Browse the manifest at Ancestry ($)
• Nancy, arrived 21 July 1849. Browse the manifest at Ancestry ($)
• H. Trowbridge, arrived 26 July 1849. Browse the manifest at Ancestry ($)
• Thomas Trowbridge, arrived 6 August 1849. Browse the manifest at Ancestry ($)

The following collections contained indexed records of these passenger lists.

• 1820-1957 New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 at Ancestry ($). Index of passengers arriving in New York City. These records include the Madeiran Presbyterians who immigrated from Trinidad to New York in 1849.
• 1849-1854 Master Shiplist for the Portuguese Presbyterian Exiles -- From Madeira to Illinois (1846-1854) Transcription of the passenger manifests for ships sailing from Madeira to New York and Trinidad to New York, carrying Madeirian Presbyterians.

Church Records in Trinidad and Tobago

The initial surge of refugees became part of the Scottish community of Greyfriars Church on Frederick Street in Port-of-Spain. Although many left for the United States in 1849, the remaining members of the faith built their own church in 1854 under the leadership of Reverend Henrique Vieira. It was named the St. Ann's Church of Scotland also called the Portuguese Church. The following collections contain the church records of Greyfriars and St. Ann's Church.

• 1831-1971 Greyfriar's church records, on microfilm at the Greyfriar church archive and at the University of the West Indies' Alma Jordan West Indiana library. The records are divided across the five below-listed microfilms:
  • Reel 1 Marriage Register; Births & Baptismal Register; Register of Deaths; Session Minutes
  • Reel 2 Board of Management Session Minutes
  • Reel 3 Board of Management session minutes; Special committee minute book; Membership roll; Sunday school attendance; Communion roll
  • Reel 4 Communion Roll; St. John's Christian Endeaour; Youth Service, St. Anns; Trinidad Presbyterian; Annual Report; Congregational Report; Marriage Certificates; List of Honors; Baptismal Register, 1831 - 1947; Marriage Register; St. Anne's Church History, written by Elder Hugh E. Cameron.
  • Reel 5 Annual Report 1900 - 1971
  • To request records from the church, contact the parish secretary at greyfriarscos@yahoo.com or (868) 623 6684.
  • To request records from the library, contact a librarian at almajordanlibrary@sta.uwi.edu or 1 (868) 662-2002 ext. 82132.
• 1846-1849 Some of the Earliest Marriages Among the Portuguese Presbyterians in Trinidad A partial index of the Portuguese marriage records in Greyfriars Presbyterian Church, shared by C.B. Franklin in his speech "An 87-year Reminiscence: Flight of the Portuguese from Madeira in 1846" delivered at St. Ann's Church of Scotland, Port-of-Spain on 17th September 1933.
• 1855 List of Individuals who Donated to the Patriotic Fund. An extract from "The Portuguese of Trinidad" by Jo-Anne S. Ferreira in Gerard Besson and Bridget Brereton, The Book of Trinidad, Paria Publishing Ltd., 2nd edition 1992, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Does not include all members of the congregation, just those who donated to the charity.
• 1881-1947 Portuguese Surnames Found in the 1881-1947 Baptismal Register of the St. Ann's Church of Scotland A partial index of the Portuguese baptism records of the St. Ann's Church of Scotland, compiled by Jo-Anne Ferreira.

Church Records in Illinois

In 1847 the American Protestant Society sent a representative to Trinidad to inquire about the spiritual and temporal conditions of the Madeiran refugees. After finding that many of the Madeirans couldn't find sufficient employment in the island to support their families, the society raised funds to pay for the passage of the Madeiran Protestants to the United States as well as money for them to settle in Illinois. The refugees founded a number of Presbyterian congregations. The following resources contain information extracted from these church records.

• 1849-1999 Alkire, Mary Francis and Bob McCoy. Portuguese records : 150 years in Morgan County, Illinois, 1849 - 1999. Jacksonville, Illinois: Jacksonville Area Genealogical & Historical Society, 1999. View availability at various libraries (WorldCat). Also available at the FamilySearch Library.
• 1849-1939 The Gathering of the Portuguese : 4th Presbyterian Church, Springfield, Illinois. Springfield, Illinois: Wanda Warkins Allers and Eileen Lynch Gochanour, 1984. View availability at various libraries (WorldCat). Also available at the FamilySearch Library.
• 1855-1860 Gochanour, Eileen Lynch and Wanda Warkins Allers. The 1st Portuguese Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville, Illinois, 1855-1860. Springfield, Illinois: Allers and Gochanour, 1986. View availability at various libraries (WorldCat). Also available at the FamilySearch Library.
• 1858-1878 2nd Portuguese Presbyterian Church of Springfield, Illinois, 1858-1878. Springfield, Illinois: Wanda Warkins Allers and Eileen Lynch Gochanour, 1985. View availability at various libraries (WorldCat). Also available at the FamilySearch Library.
• 1875-1900 Second Portuguese Presbyterian Church. The Second Portuguese Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville, Illinois, 1875-1900. Springfield, Illinois: Allers and Gochanour, 1986. View availability at various libraries (WorldCat). Also available at the FamilySearch Library.
• 1882-1890 Marriages in the 2nd Portuguese Presbyterian Church An index of all marriages listed in the session records of the Second Portuguese Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, Illinois.
• 1887-1900 United Portuguese Presbyterian Church. United Portuguese Presbyterian church of Jacksonville, Illinois, 1887-1900. Springfield, Illinois: Allers and Gochanour, 1986. View availability at various libraries (WorldCat). Also available at the FamilySearch Library.
• 1900-1903 Jacksonville Portuguese Presbyterian Church. Jacksonville Portuguese Presbyterian church of Jacksonville, Illinois. Springfield, Illinois: Allers and Gochanour, 1986. View availability at various libraries (WorldCat). Also available at the FamilySearch Library.