The last of the early Brethren to come to Demerara was Thomas Tweedy who had seceded from the Church of lreland in the early 1830s soon after his graduation from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1833. As a roving evangelist in Ireland he had decided that missionary work was his vocation, but partly on account of ill health and perhaps also because of discouragement from his family he remained in Ireland for some years. It was only in 1842 that he set out for Demerara where he arrived after 'a fine passage' of only 33 days. How effective was Tweedy's work as a missionary is hard to say, as his health was, at the best of times, fragile and the only account we have of his life is written by one who was not particularly interested in the spiritual side of his work. He married a local coloured lady, Elizabeth Thomas by whom he had two children. Henry died when still young, while Elizabeth became the caretaker of the chapel in Georgetown.
From "Leonard Strong: the Motives and Experiences of Early Missionary Work in British Guiana" by Timothy Stunt
There are several hints at Thomas Tweedy in J. N. Darby’s Letters Supplement (Correspondence with G. V. Wigram, vol. 1).
Michael Forbes Tweedie (1860-1938) wrote the book ”The history of the Tweedie, or Tweedy, family: a record of Scottish lowland life & character“ which mentions „our“ Thomas Tweedy on page 183. According to him Thomas Tweedy was born in 1809, was „Clerk in Holy Orders“ and died 1850 in Demerara. He was married 1845 with Elizabeth Thomas. Their issue:
(a) Mary Elizabeth.
(b) Henry Tweedy, died young.
According to another book (page 323) Thomas Tweedy died in George Town (Demerara) on December 7th 1850.
Martin
Kelly had a low opinion of B.W. Newton, but recognised in the Bible Treasury article (1902) that his source for the rapture originating with Tweedy was Newton who told him about it in 1845. Newton said that Darby had written a letter 'many years before' in which he stated that 'a suggestion was made to him by Mr. T. Tweedy . . . which to his mind quite cleared up the difficulty previously felt on this very question [the rapture]'. Without mentioning Tweedy's name, B W Newton independently recalled [Fry MS p.238] a similar episode in which Darby wrote from Cork to say that he had resolved the 'dispute' over the second coming. . . but Newton's recollection (in ?1893) was of Darby propounding a 'Jewish' interpretation of Matthew's gospel — ie. a dispensational solution which validated Darby's view of the rapture. Only Kelly names Tweedy as Darby's source though almost certainly they are two accounts of the same episode. Timothy Stunt
