Hi Bill, To paraphrase the Introduction to the County of Derry in Place-Names of Northern Ireland, Vol 5, County Derry 1: The Moyola Vallley (Gregory Toner, Institute of Irish Studies, University of Queen's, 1996), In January, 1610, the London Companies agree to lay out a plantation of the county of Coleraine as well as a bit of Donegal, some land on the Antrim side of the Bann at Coleraine and the barony of Loughinsholin, which had been in Tyrone. They got the formal grant three years later. Then they formed the county of Londonderry. In the charter, they renamed Derry to Londonderry (the city) and it is from the city's name that the county took its name, in the fashion of the time. However Derry was retained by the main churches. London is from Celtic origin. It was Lugudunum "Lug's Fort". Lug has parallels with Lugh Lumhfhada (Lugh of the silver hand). This name change has always been a political issue. Probably less so in the past than today. Also in the past until about 1800 many Presbyterians in Ulster (there was no "Northern Ireland" then) had no rights of religious freedom and were excluded from holding office. They were not too fond of the word "London". Hence my ancestors, Presbyterians with both Irish and Scottish surnames, who moved to the new world in the 1700's, didn't call it "Londonderry". They called it "Derry". If you view a map of the Scotch Irish homelands in the USA -- say Pennsylvania -- you will find lots of Derrys and not very many Londonderrys. The early 1718 Bann settlers who went to New England, on the other had , many were "Defenders of Derry" who had fought in 1690. They were fonder of the word "Londonderry". It underscored their victory. If you research early Orange banners in Ulster you also find use of the word "Derry". So the politicalization of the name is rather recent. A man named John Scott is most likely Protestant. That's all it means. What should be your friend's concern is whether the city of or the county of is meant. "Stroke County" (a reference to the politically correct form: "London/Derry" is a dang big place to be looking for a guy named John Scott in. I'd be focussing on a clue to the exact location. The important part of what you said (ie the thing that gives some hope that she can find him) is that he was a Baptist. There were not a lot of Baptists in Ireland in the 1700's. There were a lot at the time of the English Commonwealth (1650's and 60's). They were among the "Independents" like the Puritans (Congregationalists) and Quakers, etc, etc. These people were one set of extremists. You had the high church Anglicans who morphed into Roman Catholics, who wanted bishops -- which is rule from the top. Ie the king and/or his archbishops decided what the sermon (10 minutes) would be on Sunday. Everyone had to go. They took roll and fined you if you skipped. You were duly brainwashed on Sunday along with every else. You had your English Presbyterians, who wanted the ministers and elders to elect representatives to a synod or to parliament.A form of theocracy practiced (at the 15.000 foot level) in Geneva. They would have oppressed the ungodly (in their opinion) and those with a high church or Roman Catholic leaning. We have just emerged from the Cold War era. Some of us recall the fear which we had of an invasion from the USSR. The USSR of their day was the Spanish and it did come to pass with the Spanish Armada that they would try to invade England and persecute Protestants. It wasn't an ungrounded fantasy. To the left you had an assortment of sects called Independents. They felt it was a matter of conscience and didn't want to enforce any particular form of religion (while beleiving theirs was the only correct one, much like ourselves). They also invented Communism (The Diggers). They were an amazing lot. However they were too creative for Cromwell, who needed to enforce a compromise. So he sent off as many of them to Ireland, no doubt hoping the Irish would finish off a few (they did). So Ireland, during the Commonwealth, was "blessed" with many Protestant extremists who in particular hated Roman Catholics. After the Commonwealth, when Charles as invited back to England to rule the three kingdoms, the high church was in along with bishops. The Independents were persecuted in England, where tolerance of English Catholics improved. Unlike the IRish, they didn't threaten the national security-- and it was feared an army of Irish Catholics who could invade England -- did. In Ireland, the Church of Ireland had been run by the Independents (Baptists). They kept no baptismal records during the Commonwealth, for instance. Now they were out. Many fled to the New World. Others, settled in the Irish countryside, just kept attending the local parish church, where of course the personnel changed and the service. They became --or remained --Established Church. The Baptists hadn't set up a system outside of the Church of Ireland, so they faded away. Many English or their sons married Irish women and adopted Catholicism too. Today their descendents perceive of themselves as Irish. So your John Scott is a most amazing man -- he remained committed to Anabaptism. Or perhaps he was new to it. The Anabaptists of the continent were among the most hated and persecuted people. They were persecuted by Lutherans and other protestant groups because they maintained a belief in freedom of religion and separation of church and state, which threatened the medieval basis of every state in Europe. The Swiss imprisoned a lot of them. The Dutch Gov offered to send them to the new world if they were sent down the river to Holland. Many died on the trip. They were in such horrible condition the Dutch let them off the boats, and many were absorbed by the Dutch Mennonites. The rest came to Pennsylvania. Just one Anabaptist horror story. If your friend goes to a library and reads the chapter on Baptist records in Falley "Irish and Scotch IRish Family Research" (a two volume $75.00 book), she'll find out where to find Baptist records. The book is FULL of history and is well worth a read from front to back. Derry Cathedral or Tobermore has very old records from before the Commonwealth period. These have been published. Check them -- the professionals say, check them no matter what you think your ancestors' religion was. You find many, many O' names among the records. Trouble with Baptists is they didn't baptize though. Falley will help locate the Baptist records in Ireland. The Irish independents left earlier than the Presbyterians. The Irish Quakers largely evacuated in 1706 (or 8...), anyhow, a decade before the emigrations of Irish Presbyterians BEGAN. Best wishes, Linda Merle