As members of the Salubria Committee, Kathy Ellis and Katharine Brown have been doing some research on the background of the Reverend John Thompson, who was the established church minister of St. Mark's Parish, Culpeper (which included Little Fork Church where Germanna ancestors in the Little Fork community worshipped). Rev. Thompson was, as you know, the man who built  Salubria.
 
Rev. Thompson was born in what is Northern Ireland today, apparently at an estate called Muckamore Abbey. Katharine Brown actually lived in nearby Belfast on a British government fellowship one year and she has researched there over the years on a variety of history topics related to the Scotch-Irish who emigrated to America. So, Katharine thought it would be a good idea to get some of her contacts there working on trying to learn more about Rev. Thompson's background.
 
On January 23, 2010  an article appeared in the Belfast Telegraph that grew out of Katharine's efforts. The Belfast Telegraph is the principal newspaper in the city of Belfast, Ireland.   It is great to see that the members of the Salubria committee are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to learn more about this wonderful house that Germanna has the privilege of owning.

To read the article as it appeared in the Belfast Telegraph, click here.

Katharine reports that, so far, we have not had any response to the request in the article, but you just never know. . . .