Published in the LCGS newsletter, November, 1996.
Surnames have been put in bold type to aid viewing. The list is presented here as published. It seems to show the names in family groupings, thus the names have not been sorted alphabetically. THE RAMSAY FREE CHURCH OR CANADA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
These people seceded from the Church of Scotland, the Auld Kirk in 1845 and in 1846 built the Free Church, a large frame plaster cast Church on Lot 15 West Concession 8, across the corner from the Auld Kirk. The church was destroyed by fire in 1926. It had been used as a barn. The manse, a white frame house still stands and was long used as a farm dwelling. In it Dr. Robert Tait McKENZIE was born and later it was the dwelling of Mr. & Mrs. Wm. ALLEN, Mr. David WILSON and Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth McGREGOR. The ministers who lived there were:
1846 – 185 Rev. Wm. G. JOHNSTON
1853 – 185 Rev. James SMITH
1859 – 1868 Rev. Wm. McKENZIE
1870 – 1874 Rev. Howard STEELE
1875 – 1890 Rev. Robert KNOWLES at Blakeney and Clayton
When St. John’s Church was opened in 1868 services were continued in the church on the 8th line, but in a few years it was decided by the Ramsay Presbyterians to close it and a church was built in 1873 in Clayton and one in Blakeney in 1876. The Free Church building was sold to the Reformed Presbyterian Church in 1876 and used until 1891.
This story on the Ramsay Free Church was documented several years ago as a New Horizons Project of the North Lanark Historical Society.
Rev. Wm. G. JOHNSTONE, first minister Anne AITKENHEAD Mrs. John ANDERSON Mrs. Wm. YOUNG Mrs. HUTCHESIN (sic) Jas. YUILL William YOUNG Thos. POLLOCK Mrs. Jas. YUILL William YOUNG Alex. ERSKINE Mrs. Thos. BROWNLEE Mrs. Wm. YOUNG John NAISMITH Thos. BROWNLEE Peter YOUNG Jane NAISMITH Mrs. Wm. DRYNAN Margaret YOUNG Lawrence NAISMITH John BRUCE Agnes YOUNG Mrs. Lawrence NAISMITH Mrs. C. BRUCE Elizabeth YOUNG James ROBERTSON Alex. NICOLSON Isabel McINTYRE Jas. RAE Mrs. Alex. NICOLSON Jas. KELLOUGH Agnes LAWRIE Mrs. ROCHE Jane KELLOUGH Wm. LAWRIE Wm. PHILIP Jas. DUNLOP Helen LAWRIE Mrs. Wm. PHILIP John KILPATRICK Thomas LAWRIE John McPHERSON Mrs. Andrew RAE Jessie LAWRIE Mrs. John McPHERSON Jane LINDSAY James AITKENHEAD Mrs. Robt. McLAREN Walter BLACK Thos. KENNEDY Jane JOHNSTON Mrs. Walter BLACK Mrs. David LECKIE Widow BROWN Mrs. Alex. LINDSAY David LECKIE David SUTHERLAND Mrs. Wm. LINDSAY Robt. YOUNG Angus SUTHERLAND Mrs. Alex. FERGUSON Mrs. Robt. YOUNG Christina SUTHERLAND Mrs. Robt. RAMAGE Stephen YOUNG Matilda SUTHERLAND Robt. RAMAGE Mrs. Stephen YOUNG James SUTHERLAND Robt. YOUNG Stephen YOUNG junior Mrs. Wm. DRYNAN jr. Walter WOOD Mrs. George CHARTERS Mrs. John RIDDELL Mrs. Walter WOOD Mrs. Thos. KENNEDY John RIDDELL Jas. DUNLOP John CROSKIE Thos. McKEARD Wm. DAVIE Mrs. SERVICE Mrs. Thos. McKEARD Jas. McLEAN Robt. CARSWELL Robt. LECKIE Mrs. Eneas TOSHACK Mrs. Robt. CARSWELL Catherine MOIR Eneas TOSHACK Joanne CARSWELL Isabella MOIR Margaret PENNY Andrew SMITH Jas. MOIR James LEITCH Mrs. Andrew SMITH Gilbert MOIR Mrs. Jas. LEITCH Isabella CRAM Wm. MOIR Harriett CANNON Duncan CRAM Mrs. Wm. MOIR John CANNON Mrs. Duncan CRAM Isabella BAIRD Mrs. CANNON Peter CRAM Mrs. John BAIRD Mary CANNON John CRAM Catherine MOIR Greville TOSHACK Jane BAIRD James IRVINE Andrew TOSHACK Robert BAIRD Mrs. Jas. IRVINE Mrs. And. TOSHACK Isabella MacINTYRE Alex. HUTCHESON James TOSHACK Mrs. PATERSON Jane HUTCHESON Mrs. John TOSHACK Andrew PATERSON Mrs. Alex. HUTCHESON Janet TOSHACK Mrs. Andrew PATERSON Cecilia MITCHELL Agnes TOSHACK William BOWES Elizabeth CRAIG Chrisiana ROBERTSON Elizabeth BOWES John BEATON Isabella BANNERMAIR Christina DUNLOP Jas. TURNER Donald STEWART Archibald McLEAN Andrew COCHRANE Elizabeth STEWART Margaret McLEAN Mrs. Andrew COCHRANE Margaret BINGHAM John BENNIE David McPHERSON Jas. BIGGAM Mrs. John BENNIE Thos. SIMPSON Catherine RORISON James BENNIE Mrs. Alex YUILL David WYLIE Mrs. James BENNIE Mrs. KESSEN Anne WYLIE David WATSON James YUILL Andrew MacARTHUR Mrs. David WATSON Mrs. James YUILL Margaret MacARTHUR Wm. PAUL John GRAHAM John BANNERMAN Jane PAUL Agnes GRAHAM Jas. SMITH Wm. KEMP Margaret SIMPSON Mary SMITH Mrs. Wm. KEMP John PORTERFIELD John SMITH Widow KEMP Jas. PORTERFIELD Catherine McDELLAN Robert KIRK Mrs. Jas. PORTERFIELD Mary BROWN Mrs. John TAYLOR Sarah PORTERFIELD Helen McMILLAN Wm. RAY Janet BEATON Barbara YUILL Duncan BAIN Janet HOUSTON Euphemia YUILL Donald BAIN Alex PETERS George HOUSTON Mrs. Donald BAIN Mrs. Alex PETERS Wm. HOUSTON Sarah BAIN Mary PETERS Agnes KENNEDY Marianne KIRK Jas. GREGG Robt. ORR Hugh McMILLAN Mrs. Jas. GREGG Adam PEDEN Jane SIMPSON Wm. RAE Mary PEDEN John TAYLOR David RAE Agnes PAUL Martha KIRK Susan RAE Jessie PAUL Janet KIRK Wm. TOSH John NICOLSON Catherine DUNCAN Margaret NISEMAN Janet NICOLSON Alex DUNCAN Marion BRUCE John McDONALD Agnes DUNCAN Christina BRUCE Ann FORGIE Walter SCOTT Jane BRUCE Graham FORGIE Mrs. Walter SCOTT Mary BRUCE Janet DAVIE John GALBRAITH Robt. SUTHERLAND Mary ANDERSON Mrs. JOhn GALBRAITH Jas. SUTHERLAND Annie KILPATRICK Hugh RAE Thos. LECKIE Agnes LECKIE Jessie LECKIE Susanna LECKIE Elizabeth DRENNAN Wm. HENRY Anne HENRY Mary PATERSON Mrs. STRUTHERS Jas. MURDOCK John TOMLINSON Matthew ANDERSON Mrs. Matthew ANDERSON Jane SCOTT Jas. MACHAN Elizabeth McARTHUR Mrs. Anne FOSSET Helen NAISMITH John MILLIONS Mrs. John MILLIONS Mrs. KIRKWOOD Jessie STEWART Margaret STEWART Janet STEWART Alexander STEWART Thos. MacLAREN Isabella MacLAREN Wm. RIDDELL Margaret RIDDELL Robert KING Mrs. Robert KING Mrs. John TURNER Samuel McLELLAN Mary WATSON Janie HOUSTON Mrs. KIRKWOOD Martha KIRK Mary KIRK Jane SUTHERLAND Christian SUTHERLAND Isabella SUTHERLAND Margaret SUTHERLAND Margaret SUTHERLAND Caroline KESSEN Wm. PEDEN Mary PEDEN Marianne Brown PEDEN Catherine NICOLSON Wm. McCORMICK Widow NICOLSON Archibald MacARTHUR Alex MACARTER Mrs. Alex MACARTER Elizabeth PETERS Agnes SUTHERLAND Mary BAIN Barbara BAIN Thos. LAWRIE Jane LAWRIE John KELLOUGH Thos. C. McFARLANE Elizabeth KELLOUGH Wm. BLACK Jas. BLACK Catherine BLACK John BAIRD Andrew BAIRD