I am researching a Church of Ireland & England Minister - the Rev James Thomas McLear (1768 – death not known). Information about his career from or other records would be very helpful.
He has some connection with the Church of Ireland parish of Ardstraw, in Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland. His son Thomas was born there, in the Rectory at Moyle Glebe in 1794, though Rev James himself doesn’t appear in the published list of Rectors of that parish. But his wife Mary b 1772 also died there in 1864 and so there must be some long established connection.
Crockfords Clerical Directory appears to only start c 1860. Are there earlier records of Church of Ireland/England Ministers careers?
The McLear family generally were high achievers with several listed in Wikipedia and one was a distinguished astronomer who has a blue plaque in Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone, but it’s Rev James I am particularly interested in at present. Where was he born, trained, where did he serve and where did he die?
