Homecoming!

This is exciting news for all the Nelsons, today, I went back to the little village in County Down where we trace our Irish ancestry. The town of Saintfield (Tonaghneave) has a population of about 2,000 people, and is situated just Southeast of Belfast, in Northern Ireland. Our direct ancestor, William Samuel McConnel and his wife Susannah came from this village in the year 1798, settling in Vermont and then eventually, Ohio. Today, I went back and actually found the church our ancestors went to, the graves of William Samuel's father, and the town where they lived.

As I got off the bus in Saintfield this morning, the church bells were ringing, calling the people to the service that was about to start. I rushed into the churchyard and up the stairs of a little stone church, the First Presbyterian Church of Saintfield, that our ancestors were members of. A man greeted me at the door and gave me a bulletin. He asked me if I was visiting, and when I said yes, he looked at me and asked where I was from. I told him America, and he said he could tell from the accent, and wanted to know "how on earth I had found myself in Saintfield, and at the Presbyterian church for a Sunday morning service." As I told him the story that I had traced my genealogy back to this congregation in the 1700s and come out to see the church for myself, his look of confusion turned to one of amazement and excitement. He welcomed me in and and immediately took me in to introduce me to the other members of the congregation, the deacons, the trustees, and the minister. As we went from person to person, he told my story, of how I had "come all the way from America to find my old home in Saintfield." The old women hugged me and told me "Welcome home" and the men shook my hand and asked what the name of my family was. I told them McConnel and the older and more involved ones shook their heads and said yes, that was one of the old names, from the families that founded the church in 1658. By the time I had made the rounds with this usher, named Kenneth Finlay, it was time for the service to start, so I took a seat and the minister announced from the pulpit that "this young man (me) has come all the way from the States to join us today, as one of our own. His family belonged to this congregation in its earliest roots, and let us welcome him today." It was an incredible feeling of homecoming, as everyone welcomed me and greeted me so friendly.

After the church service, my new found friend Kenneth introduced me to the church historian, who told me more information about my family. They have the marriage record of William Samuel's parents, dating from 1739, and a record of McConnels in the church from its founding in 1658. They also showed me the gravestone of William Samuel's father, behind the chapel in the old church plot. He was buried there in 1780. Then, they told me the most exciting part of our family history of the day:

        In October of 1791, in Ireland, a society known the United Irishmen movement was formed, with the goal of a Republic of Ireland, free from British rule, and achieved through a coalition of Catholics, Anglicans and Presbyterians. They based their ideas off of the American Declaration of Independence, and in essence, became the foundation for Modern Irish Republicanism and the sense of a United Irish State. They began planning for a revolution against the British under the leadership of Theobald Wolfe Tone. Excitingly enough, the First Presbyterian Church of Saintfield, where our ancestor William Samuel McConnel served in the leadership, was one of the strong supporting congregations of this movement in the northern counties. His minister, Reverend Birch, was a firebrand, who preached treasonous anti-British sermons from the pulpit.  Tensions between the British and Irish escalated over the course of the following years, as Revolutionary France began to support the goals of the United Irishmen, and finally, in 1798, the Irish revolted against British Rule, and our ancestor joined in the Rebellion, fighting on the side of the United Irishmen's Movement.
       The previous year, a local loyalist family had reported Reverend Birch and his congregation to the authorities for seditious activity, and when the warrant came for their arrest in June of 1798, the United Irishmen attacked the fortified blockhouse of the loyalists in order to oppose the arrests. William Samuel McConnel participated in this attack and the battle to come. As the Irish laid siege to the blockhouse, English reinforcements marched from Belfast to put down the rebels. As they marched into Saintfield, the rebels ambushed them just as they were crossing the stream behind the First Presbyterian Church. The battle that ensued became known as the Battle of Saintfield, June 9th 1798, and was an Irish victory over the British forces. Our ancestor went on the fight at the Battle of Ballynahinch, where the rebels were defeated three days later. In the aftermath of the battle, the British forces massacred many of the surrendering Irishmen, but luckily, our ancestor managed to survive the bloodletting and flee to Killarney with his wife, son, and other leading members of the First Presbyterian congregation. From Killarney, they sailed with their minister, Reverend Birch, to America, and accompanied their fellow fugitives to Vermont before finally coming to settle in Ohio by 1800.

Saintfield Town Center

Sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church

The Bell Tower of the church was built in 1777, but the original sanctuary dates back to 1658, and is where, in 1739, our ancestor, William McConnel Sr. was married.

These guns, bayonets, swords and Pike-heads belonged to the United Irishmen of the First Presbyterian Brigade, who fought in the Battle of Saintfield on June 9th 1798. They are housed in the church's historical collection.

Site of the Ambush, in which William Samuel McConnel took part.

Graveyard where our ancestors are buried

The Irishmen lost between 30-40 in casualties while the British suffered 58 men dead and another 10 captured (later to be executed) during this engagement

Myself, in front of the First Presbyterian Church of Saintfield, just after our tea and scones

After the gentlemen of the church told me this incredible piece of my family history, and showed me both the cemetery and the battlefield where our ancestor would have fought for Ireland, I thanked them and said I had to catch my bus back to Belfast. They immediately protested though, and told me that I must stay for lunch to celebrate my homecoming. They took me to the meeting hall connected to the church, where we all (the congregation and I) had tea and scones first, for everyone to celebrate, and then my friend Kenneth Finlay took me back to his house for a Sunday Roast. With his family, I ate a lamb roast, potatoes, peas and carrots, along with lemon tart and custard for dessert, and they made me feel very at home. They even sang a song for me, called the "Star of the County Down," to welcome me back to the county of my family. It was incredible, and I didn't end up getting back to Belfast until 5:00 tonight, but it was worth it. We exchanged emails and phone numbers to stay in contact, and they even sent me some church mugs they had made for their 350th anniversary, to give to my grandma, whose branch it was that came over. It was, by far, the most exciting highlight of my trip so far.