Patrick-Kilpatrick-Kirkpatrick family is confusing me so much. Any advice?

Question

First, the downside is that, back in 1940, Dr. Wellington Patrick wrote a nice essay about this family, and got a bunch of stuff wrong.  Then, in 1983, Lee Wellington Patrick wrote a book about this family, building on the information from the 1940 essay, and still got a bunch wrong.  Now, everybody accepts what they wrote as true and has built that tree here, which I have to fix.  To make it more confusing, this is a Patrick family, in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland.  Not anywhere near Clan Lamont lands.  One branch of the family changes their name to Kilpatrick, and when Reverend Hugh Kilpatrick travels from his church at Cumnock, Scotland to the new church in Ballymoney, Antrim, Ireland, he changes his name to Rev. Hugh Kirkpatrick (histories of the churches in both countries match on the locations, and first names).  Also, besides one person changing their name from Patrick, to Kilpatrick, then to Kirkpatrick, the church in Cumnock though he came from Ireland, because he served their first, and the church in Ireland though that he was from Dumfriesshire Scotland, since that is the home of the Kirkpatrick/Kilpatrick clan.  This is back in the late 1600s.  The person I am trying to find in the records is hidden, however.  He is referred to by John Burke in the 1834 Gentry as Robert Kilpatrick, a writer in Edinburgh.  This was probably around the mid 1600s.

Comments

Hi David, I can see the problem.  After I looked through a few profiles can see that copying has been carried through and sources are few.   It appears that you have been researching the principal families of Patrick and sure that you have read through books of James Patterson and George Robertson in regards to the genealogy of the families.   Patterson's book on The History of the Counties of Ayr & Wigton Vol111: Cunninghame 1866 gives a fair accounting but certainly not as thorough as George Robertson's 1820 Genealogical Account of the Principal Families of Ayrshire as far as the Patrick family you are researching is concerned. Mr Robertson had two books on the families of Ayrshire, one printed in 1820 and another in1823.  I believe that 1823 is now an ebook and reprinted for sale but 1820 is not as of yet.  I do feel fortunate to have an original copy of Robertson's 1820 book and I am happy to help as I can.  Today I read through his accounting of Patrick of Trearne & Hessilhead (sometimes named Hazelhead)  Interesting, as he speaks in the present of the Patricks living at that time.

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Not sure, but I MAY descend from the Hugh (with brothers John, William and Robert)  

My ancestor is Hugh Kirkpatrick b ca 1697 d 1768 in Chester Co, PA (right on the Lancaster line and straddling the Mason-Dixon Line.)  His son, John Hugh Kirkpatrick moved to VA then TN and was said to have been "a near Relative of Robert Kirkpatrick" who  was killed by Indians while serving under Gov Sevier.  Hugh had an older brother, John, b 1687 and d 1772 in Chester Co., PA John was devoute Presbyterian and helped start the Lower Brandywine Presb. Church and the lower Nottingham Presb Ch in Sunris MD. He was very knowledgeable theologically (His Brother-in-Law was Rev. Patrick Vance of Burt, Donegal, N Ire).  Hugh also appeared to have a brother named William as is evident by he and Wm got a land grant in Christiana Hundred of Newcastle Co., DE in 1722.  John appears to have been in Chester Co., PA by 1720.

So many coincidences with what I've read that  is excerpted from Lee Meriwether Patrick's book, Patrick in Retrospect.  

By the way, does anyone know how I can obtain a copy of that book?

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Tom,
The book is currently out of print, and largely unavailable.  I was fortunate to have a Mormon cousin living in Salt Lake City ap was able to take some pictures of their microfilm copy.   I have about 100 pages of it.   Most of the info about Patrick's in America is accurate,  but mostly focuses on the Patrick families from Kentucky.  A lot of his info about the first generation of Patricks is contradictory. He seems to have grabbed any records about any Patrick in America ay that time and claimed it.  He says Robert Patrick, born in 1705, came to America as sn indentured servant on board the Amity in 1725, but then he references 2 Robert Patrick arrivals in Boston in 1715 and 1720.  That means there was at least 1, maybe 2 other Romney Patrickda in Amwrica at that time.

Answer 1

Looking in Scotland's People (while being a pay site is it affordable about $10 to $11 dollars US for 30 credits. 

There are 3 Robert Kilpatricks born in the 1600s

One is son of John Kilpatrick and Agnes Williamson born 18 May 1679 Corstorphine parish about 4 miles west of Edinburgh

One is son of James Kilpatrick and Anna Waters 22 March 1691 St Cuthbert's parish which is in Edinburgh

One is son of Johne Kilpatrick and Chisteine Polloclk (those are the spellings on the website)  7 Nov 1650  Glasgow which is not in Edinburgh.  

There are 4 marriages in the 1600s  for Roberts

Margaret Crawfurd 30 Nov 1685 Campbelltown  this one is listed twice with 2 different reference numbers  this is in  Argyll and Bute, Scotland.

Isobel Alcorne 20 June 1686 Kelso n Roxburghshire, Scotland.

Cathrin Broun 15 May 1692 Dairy in North Ayrshire, Scotland

None of the marriages are in Edinburgh but lie either east or west of it. 

There is a will for one who died 10 of May 1687 in Currie Parish which is a suburb of Edinburgh

I checked for a Hugh born to a Robert but of the 4 who came up none were born in 1600s or early 1700s.  The earliest was 1799.  You had to pay for births and marriages to be published in the Kirk records so often people we are looking for before 1855, when mandatory recording began in Scotland, are missing. 

 

 

 

Answer 2

Interestingly in Scotland Kil and Kirk both meant church.   I used to live in East Kilbride which was named for the Church of St Bride.

Comments

Yes, Kil from the Gaelic “cille”, originally referred to a monk’s cell. Kirk from Germanic, ”kirch”, common root of Kirk in Lowland Scotland and Church in England.

Answer 3

Search for Robert Kirkpatrik in Edinburgh, Scotland 1640-1666 results:

Robert Kirkpatrik Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910	marriage: 27 December 1653 Edinburgh Parish, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
Robert Kirkpatrik Father Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950
Robert Kirkpatrik Father Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

 

Comments

I like the result that shows Robert Kirkpatrick married to Isobell Dowglas on 27 Dec 1653, but you would know best.

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I believe Robert and his wife had a son by the name of Hugh, if that helps narrow it down.

Answer 4

Dave I  wouldn't put too much trust in Burke's Landed Gentry being correct.

I found a source about James Patrick/Kilpatrick, supposedly Robert Kilpatrick's brother, that names him as son and heir of James Kilpatrick or Patrick, portioner of Byres, Kilwinning, rather than a John Patrick, See here top of page on left and slightly down from top on right.

The best idea, might be to see what you can find in other sources that confirms or contradicts Burke's and perhaps go from there.

Comments

Well, James was one of the sons. I believe a third son.  Byres was one of the territories James Patrick owned,  along with Dalgarven and Whitehirst.  The 1834 edition of Burkes refers to him as Minister of Pennycuick, who's daughter Christian married Baronet John Clerk of Pennycuick.

Answer 5

This is not going to help you, but it may be tangentially helpful to me. What demonination is your fellow's church in Ballymeny?

Comments

They were Presbyterian.

Answer 6

Hello John,

Being an Kilpatrick of Ayrshire descendant, I have looked at what info I might have in my data base.  I have copied a few things that may be of interest.   Also there was a Matthew Frew who was a merchant in Kilwinning who married an Agnes Patrick.  She was born to Wm. Kilpatrick  and Helen Thomson  and born in 1673 as Kilpatrick but. is noted in other records as Agnes Patrick.  Their children were born in Dalgarven, Kilwinning.

The Kilpatrick name could be derived from the Gaelic word Cil or Kil meaning a hermits cell or
church dedicated to St. Patrick. Since early Christian times there must have been hundreds of
Churches in Ireland and Scotland called St. Patrick.There are now at least 22 townlands and
four parishes in Ireland named Kilpatrick.There are also localities in Scotland called
Kilpatrick.

People who lived at a place called Kilpatrick may have been known as, say, William of
Kilpatrick or Humphrey of Kilpatrick later the name simply became William Kilpatrick or
Humphrey Kilpatrick.In this way someone could come by the surname Kilpatrick but not
actually be a descendent of the MacGillapatrick clan.

The first of this type name to be found is Stevene de Kilpatric del counte de Dumfries (Stephen
of Kilpatrick of the County of Dumfries) who rendered homage to the English crown in 1296
and had his lands restored. Nigel Kilpatrick was a Scots prisoner of war confined in Kenilworth
Castle in 1302.Thomas de Kylpatrick was rector of the Church of Suthek in 1468.  Kirk is the old Middle English word for church so Kilpatrick and Kirkpatrick can
mean the same thing. and have often been used interchangeably.

Although Kilpatrick may be either of Irish or Scottish derivation, Kirkpatrick is entirely of
Scottish origin.As the word Kirk is often used to mean the Presbyterian Faith stemming from
the Scottish Reformation, the name Kirkpatrick appears more definitely Protestant.
 

Comments

I have no direct help to offer as I’ve yet to get my Patrick’s to Scotland. Family lore has suggested that several of the brothers came from Scotland through Ireland before settling in the New York area prior to the revolutionary war. The other tidbit is that the family name originally was Kirkpatrick and that they were devout Calvinist Presbyterians.

I’ve not been satisfied that I’m following the right Patrick’s in America yet so haven’t continued the line beyond that to Europe.