Stark, Mark Young

Identity area

Type of entity

Person

Authorized form of name

Stark, Mark Young

Parallel form(s) of name

    Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

      Other form(s) of name

        Identifiers for corporate bodies

        Description area

        Dates of existence

        1799-1866

        History

        The Rev. Mark Young Stark was born on 9 November 1799 in Dunfermline, Scotland. His mother, Elizabeth Young of Cleish Castle, died when he was just an infant and his father died when he was fourteen. His stepmother was Mary Bannatyne, whose family operated the Glasgow to Stirling Railway. He studied in Essex, England and then took his MA at the University of Glasgow, graduating in 1821. He continued his studies in the theological faculty and upon completion in 1824 was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Glasgow in the Church of Scotland. However, he was unable to secure the required patronage to receive a charge and instead spent time as a tutor and later conducted further studies on the European continent. During this time he also learned several languages, studied art in Rome, and developed a keen understanding of botany. By the early 1830s he was still without a charge in Scotland and decided to serve as a missionary for the Glasgow Colonial Society. He was appointed to Upper Canada and shortly after his arrival was ordained as minister at Dundas and Ancaster. He served as minister in Ancaster until 1854 and in Dundas until his retirement in 1863. In 1844 he presided as moderator over the Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Canada in Connection with the Church of Scotland, and although he desired unity within the church, he eventually sided with those who broke away to form the Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Canada (generally known as the "Free Church"). Following this disruption he was elected moderator of the new Synod. He served as clerk of the Presbytery of Hamilton for many years and also as convener of the Home Mission Committee. Mark Young Stark married Agatha Georgiana Street, daughter of Colonel Street of Ancaster, in 1835. They had five children together: Robert, Mary Ann, Elizabeth Mary, Willis Geddes, and Mark Dugald. Mark Young Stark passed away on 24 January 1866.

        Places

        Legal status

        Functions, occupations and activities

        Mandates/sources of authority

        Internal structures/genealogy

        General context

        Relationships area

        Access points area

        Subject access points

        Place access points

        Occupations

        Control area

        Authority record identifier

        Institution identifier

        Rules and/or conventions used

        Status

        Level of detail

        Dates of creation, revision and deletion

        Language(s)

          Script(s)

            Sources

            Maintenance notes