Watters-Lowry family, Antrim Co.

[erined]

I am looking for information about my third great grandfather, James Watters, born 28 September 1811 in Antrim County, possibly Bushmills/Dunluce.  Unconfirmed family tradition says that his father was John Watters and his grandfather was Samuel Watters, who had a position at Bushmills Brewery.
James married Ann Lowry, possibly the daughter of the Presbyterian 'manse' in Bushmills.  We have information that they were married in 1834 - we have no marriage location.
He immigrated to America between about 1832 and 1835, and  lived in Pennsylvania.  James died in Butler County in 1888, and Ann died in the same place in 1899. 
Any help that can be given will be very greatly appreciated.

[HughC]

No such thing as "Antrim County".
The only Irish counties with names of that form were King's County (now Co. Offaly) and Queen's County (now Co. Laois).

[Kiltaglassan]

Welcome to RootsChat, Erin 

As HughC said, the counties in Ireland start with County xxxxxx. Apart from the old King's County and Queen's County. 

[Elwyn Soutter]

Tradition was to marry in the bride’s church so if Ann Lowry was a Minister’s daughter I would expect her to have married in his church. Bushmills Presbyterian has marriage records from 1821  onwards.  I don’t think they are on-line anywhere but there is a copy in PRONI (public record office) in Belfast. Personal visit required to view them. The only snag is that my guide to Presbyterian congregations says that the Bushmills Minister from 1820 until 1864 was a Rev Hugh Hamill. So maybe not the right church.

The problem you face is that in Ireland marriages were only recorded formally by the state from 1845 onwards. Prior to that you need to know where the couple married, and hope that the church records have survived. Not all have.  There are 2 more Presbyterian churches near Bushmills ie Toberdoney & Mosside but neither has marriage records for the 1830s. (Neither had a Minister named Lowry in the 1830s either). And even where records do survive, frequently they are not on-line. You often need to go to PRONI to view them.

Bushmills is famous for having a whiskey distillery, not a brewery. (Possibly there was a brewery in the 1830s too but it’s the distillery that it’s most famous for).

No Watters in the parish of Billy (where Bushmills is situated) in the 1803 agricultural census. No Wat(t)ers in the parish in Griffiths Valuation c 1860.

[erined]

Thank you all for this information.  Can you please tell me which county Bushmill's would have been in, in 1820? 
Also, would you have a recommendation for a professional genealogist, perhaps in Belfast, who could check the PRONI records for me when I get ready to search there?
Thank you again.

[Jon_ni]

Bushmills has not changed counties, same then as now, google will assist you.
The records are on microfilm and have to be loaded and scrolled through individually reading the names. The old registers for Billy Church of Ireland were lost in the Dublin Record Office fire 1922 and some of the nearby Presbyterian churches do not have registers old enough (the churches are). You could end up with a large bill and nothing to show for it.
These are the Co. Antrim churches that have been transcribed on RootsIreland
https://rootsireland.ie/antrim/online-sources.php
and this pdf the guide to church record coverage https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/guide-church-records
Look under Billy and Dunluce the Civil Parishes Bushmills town is in.
https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/irl/ANT/Billy

If you think she was the daughter of a minister than joining the Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland may be worthwhile so you can consult the Minister Lists https://presbyterianhistoryireland.com/web-resources/minister-lists-fasti/
Toberkeigh (1830) & Croaghmore in Ballintoy parish are as close as Mosside.

[Elwyn Soutter]

Genealogical Researchers in the PRONI area: http://sgni.net

But I agree with Jon_NI that asking the Presbyterian Historical Society in Belfast to search for Lowry Ministers in that area at that time is a good way forward (and hopefully will not cost anything).

[erined]

Again, thanks for your very quick replies and valuable assistance.  I will check them out.

[aghadowey]

I can't see any minister named Lowry in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland for that period listed in my reference book, A History of Congregations in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 1610-1982, that fits in with the original post here. It's possible her father was an Elder in a church near Bushmills rather than an ordained minister. Equally possible that she was some other denomination besides Presbyterian.