Neil Sinclair of Argyllshire, Scotland is an ancestor of John Engelbrecht's wife. In the generation of Neil, another ancestor is William Taylor, born in 1777 in County Antrim, Ireland, on the north coast, in other words in Northern Ireland. Much history comes from these people. The violence in Northern Ireland that spilled into Britain (bombs) in the 1970s through 2000s comes from the Protestant and Catholic wars going back to the 1600s. When John Engelbrecht's children were born, Northern Ireland was still wracked by violence. Annual marches in Ulster and Belfast, such as by the Orangemen and the IRA, kept the bitterness alive. Riots happened. The violence was partly Protestant and Catholic and partly dominance by Britain.
An ancestor of Neil Sinclair lived in 1601 at the time of a rebellion and great slaughter in Ireland. 20,000 Irishmen were sold as slaves.
In 1690, another rebellion concluded with the Battle of the Boyne. 300,000 residents had land confiscated.
In the rebellion of 1796-1798, William Taylor (mentioned above) was on the side that lost. He may personally have aided the losing side. He assaulted a British officer, fled to his home, gathered money and family, and headed for the nearest port, 20 miles away, that could take them to America. Taylor avoided arrest. They traveled by "steerage," the poorest way. (On the return trip to Europe, ships that provided steerage to emigrants had the steerage compartments discarded, and cargo from America to Europe took the space.) They landed on the U.S. east coast. From an account by Thomas M. Taylor, William was "glad to have escaped from the iron heel of British oppression."