Family Histories

Pedigree Chart for John Borthwick

Descendants of Robert McOrnock (1774-1842) of Carsphairn

The Family History of Samuel BENNET (ca 1820-1896) and Elisabeth “Betty” McCORMICK (1811-1895), their children and grandchildren.

Seaton Family History 5

This file contains the following items relating to members of the Seaton family,
specifically John Seaton and his grandson Company Sergeant Major Thomas
Anderson Seaton of Cornharrow, Dalry.

McAdam (2) Family History

Life of Quentin McAdam (1740 - 1805) of Craigengillan (Berbeth)

McAdam (1) Family History

The McAdams of Waterhead, Grimmet and Craigengillan

McCutcheon Family History

Decendants of James McCutcheon B.1804 & Mary Wright B.1813 of Cadgers Hole, Carsphairn

Family tree Thomas Cannan and Margaret Cannan (Kennedy)

Article: The Adventures of Quintin Campbell - son of Rev. John Campbell

written by Rev. David Bartholomew in 2020

Article: Rev John Campbell of Carsphairn, and the church’s central communion table

written by Rev. David Bartholomew in 2020

Tags Church of Scotland

Shiel Folk

Article by Richard Genner detailing the inhabitants of the Shiel from 1841 - 1901

Seaton Family History 4

This folder refers to the Sitons and Seatons of Tynron, Dumlriesshire and the James Seaton Family of Penpont (referred to in Seaton (3) and the Robert Seaton Family of New Abbey, Kirkcudbrightshire.

This folder refers to the Seatons of Chanlockhead, a remote farm some distance from Penpont in Dumfriesshire.

‘The first page of the folder sets the scene for the story of this branch of the family and at the end there is a family tree.

James Sitton born 1787/88 was a son of John Siton and Margaret McCall (the earliest Sitons on record) who are referred to throughout the Seaton folders.

Seaton Family History 2

This folder covers the family of John Seaton (1802/5 — 1861) who was born in Carsphairn but went to Breconshire in South Wales where he became firstly a tea dealer and grocer and later a bailiff and sheriff's officer.

John was a grandson of John Siton and Jean McCall

Seaton Family History 1

This is a compilation of papers’ relating to the Seaton/Siton/Sittlington family that have been given to us over the years by several branches of the family.

There are four folders relating to this family.

In this one there is most detail for the descendants of John Siton and Jean McCall with several generations being examined in detail. The local descendants in Carsphairn and Dalry parishes are mainly in this folder and illustrate how local families married into one another.

Also included are Scottish Church records which give lists of names with the varying forms of the spelling of the name Seaton. These are interesting as they give the name, date and place where these people lived. Most of them come from Dumfriesshire and Kirkcudbrightshire.

McTurk Family History

The McTurk family has had a presence in Carsphairn Parish since the 1660s. They have been landowners since that time and their family trees have been well documented.

In this folder are photocopies of original documents (with a transcription of one) together with the descendants of Alexander McTurk 1680 — 1756, John McTurk of Knocksting 1789-1867 and Robert McTurk 1745 ?

Articles included are The McTurks of the Glenkens and Dr William McTurk, Lawyer’s Nightmare , Genealogists dream

MacMillan of Strahanna

We do not know how long this family lived at Strahanna but we do know that they were there in 1841 and that the family grave is in the Kirkyard at Carsphairn. After Carsphairn they moved to Moniaive but several of the sons and daughters went to industrial parts of England.

There is a photograph of John and Catherine McMillan’s daughter Catherine with her husband Alexander Livingston and family displayed and their names are given here.

MacMillan of Carsphairn Family History 2

The second folder on the McMillans of Carsphairn contains information about Campbell McIntosh McMillan who was killed during the Second World War and some extracts from Jane Abel’s (nee McMillan) book “Reflections of a Grandmother” which include her memories of holidays in Carsphairn with her McMillan relations in the 1920s. The book is also on display on this table.

MacMillan of Carsphairn Family History 1

This family are descended from Hugh Campbell and Grizel Gordon. Their granddaughter Agnes, born in 1807 married Robert MacMillan in 1829 and thus was founded the Macmillan/McMillan family which made a huge contribution to
community life for the next 160+ years.

Their descendants live locally and further afield. The information here in the folder gives the descendants of Hugh Campbell and also contributions about or written by other members of the family.

Photographs and other material about the family are on display on the boards.

The second folder on the McMillans of Carsphairn contains information about Campbell McIntosh McMillan and some extracts from Jane Abel’s (nee McMillan) book Reflections of a Grandmother which include her memories of holidays in
Carsphairn with her McMillan relations in the 1920s.

McCrae Family History 2

This folder the second of two about the McCrae family is mostly about the Canadian descendants of Marmaduke McCrae.

There is a section on John McCrae.

The last section is on the McCrae family in Carsphairn. It is not known if they, too, are descendants of Marmaduke.

McCrae Family History 1

There were several McCrae families who left Carsphairn in the middle of the nineteenth century but they appear to be descended from Marmaduke McCrae who lived at Bridgend and is buried in Carsphairn Kirkyard.

Marmaduke had at least three sons, David, Robert and William.

David went to Canada with his family around 1850. David’s great grandson was John McCrae who wrote the poem In Flanders Field whilst he was on active service in France during the First World War and so on Remembrance Day each year a poppy is laid beside Marmaduke’s gravestone.

Robert’s son, another Robert went to Australia in 1852 and we have papers on his descendants given by Australian visitors some years ago.

A third son William stayed in Carsphairn and his descendants are included in the Milroy family papers.

Other McCraes lived in the village. In our very first newsletter published in January 1988 there is an article about Mary Kerr or Mary McCrae assaulting Mary McCrae, her sister in law at the Crosskeys Inn in Carsphairn, an event which took place in 1860.

By sheer co-incidence in New Zealand Alexander McKay met a man from Carsphairn, Rab McCrae who had been at the village school with him.

There are two folders on the McCrae family available for you to peruse which have information on the different branches of the family and there is a board about them too.

Harper Family History 2

The Harpers at Furmiston

Harper Family History 1

McCulloch Family History (2)

In the inside cover of this folder is detailed information on seven generations of the McCulloch family as well as births, marriages and death certificated as well as family photographs.

There is more information on James McCulloch, the poet.

Hugh McCulloch and Elizabeth Cooper had several sons, one being Robert who emigrated to Canada. His obituary and that of his son Hugh are here.

There are census returns, inscriptions for gravestones in Carsphairn Kirkyard, a family tree, OPR extracts, marriage and death registration included.

Tags memorials & inscriptions

McCulloch Family History (1)

The McCulloch family were very good dykers (builders of stone walls) who lived in Carsphairn for many years.

Here, there is a family tree with miscellaneous family information and extracts from registers for Hugh McCulloch born 1822 and his descendants - some of the extracts being from Dalmellington Parish.

Photographs of some of the McCullochs are disaplyed on a board and one of the family gravestones which can be found in Carsphairn kirkyard is on the "gravestone" board.

Some information about dykes built by them as well as an amusing story about them is included.

There is a considerable amount of material about James McCulloch, his poetic works but largely about his dealings with Presbytery and the later building of the United Presbyterian (UP) church. His book of poems if displayed in this exhibition.

The family has left a surviving lagacy which we can all see, firstly many of the superb dykes which can be still seen today, as stockproof as when they built them over 150 years ago and secondly the United Presbyterian Church built through the single mindedness of James McCulloch and the community who felt let down by the Clerical Scandal.

This is the first of two folder about the family.

Sloane / Dick Family Line 1821-2012

This folder was presented to Carsphairn Heritage Group by Diana Dick, a descendant of the Sloan family, during her visit from Tasmania April 2018.

Alexander McLellan / Jean McLellan (nee McAdam) Family Tree

Wilson family Tree

Charles Wilson, the manager at the Woodhead leadmine lived there around 1838/40 until 1871 when he moved to New Abbey to live with his son James Stewart Wilson who was the minister there.

The family tree starts with Charles' grandfather, William Wilson, born in 1702 who lived at Leadhills.

Much of the information has come from Germany from the descendants of Charles Wilson's son Peter who first went to Norway in 1852 and then to Germany where he settled permanently.

James Stewart Wilson was a highly respected minister at New Abbey for 47 years and in the church there is a wonderful stained glass window dedicated to the memory of him and his wife.

Also included are some fascinating sketches of Carsphairn and the leadmine in the 1890s drawn by Peter's daughter Isabella during a visit from Germany to visit her relations in Scotland.

McMath Family Tree

This is the family tree of James McMath born c 1788 and his wife Margaret McMillan born c 1790.

There is a photograph displayed of David McMath in Loch Doon Castle when it was on the island. He was born at Woodhead leadmine in 1843 and lived there until after his son David died in a snowstorm in 1926.

The story of David McMath who died in the snow in included at the end. The cairn and plaque to him is visible from the A713 north of the turning to Holm of Daltallochan.

There are several McMath graves in Carsphairn Kirkyard.

McKay Family Tree

The McKay family were in Carsphairn parish for over 100 years. Some of John McKay and Janet Welsh's descendants are listed in the booklet here and there is greater details on Alexander McKay their grandson who went to New Zealand in 1863 to become an eminent geologist.

He is perhaps the only Carsphairn man to have two natural features named after him - a waterfall (Alexander McKay Falls 115 metres high in Sixteen Mile Creek, a tributary of the Shotover River) and also the Alexander McKay cliffs a feature about 30km long forming the north wall of the Geologists Range in Antarctica.

His notes about his childhood years in Carsphairn gave a great insight into life in the community in the 1850s and include lots of names of other families living in the community as well as details of his childhood adventures. Extracts are included here. There are further extracts in Newsletters 59 - 63.

McFadzean Family Tree

McFadzien / McFadzean

The McFadzean family has lived in Carsphairn for around 170 years. James McFadzien came to Castlemaddie around 1838 from Minnigaff near Newton Stewart. He and his wife Mary (nee McWhirter) has 7 children who survived infancy. 4 of them spent all their lives in Carsphairn, two moved to Ayrshire and one son emigrated to New Zealand.

Some of the next generation's surname was spelt McFadzean. It is not known why the spelling changed.

There are family group sheets for James born 1802, his son Robert born 1832, Adam born 1845, William born 1852 together with some photocopies of family photographs, birth and marriage certificates and other information.

McAdam Marriages and Births Part 3

McAdam family tree.

We are grateful to Karyl Richards for allowing us to use her work.

McAdam Marriages and Births Part 2

McAdam Marriages and Children 1640-1854 in Aberdeen, Angus, Argyll, Banff, Berwick, Bute, Clackmannan, Caithness and Dunbarton.

We are grateful to Karyl Richards for allowing us to use her work.

McAdam Marriages and Births Part 1

McAdam Marriages and Children 1640-1854 in Ayrshire.

We are grateful to Karyl Richards for allowing us to use her work.

Jamieson Family Tree

Descendants of Richard Jamieson born about 1694 from 'The Tweed', Peeblesshire, Scotland.

We are grateful to Wendy Brockhouse for allowing us to publish her work.

Weir/Paterson Family History

Details of the nine children of James Weir and Ann Menzies including intermarriage with the Paterson family can be found here. Three of the nine children went to America and one, Robert fought in the Civil War.

The Weir family originally came from Leadhills. Extracts from the 1841 and 1851 Leadhills census are included. In 1851 James Weir and his family lived at the Woodhead leadmine in the row of houses known as Weirs Row.

Park Family History

These papers chronicle the story of Richard Park whose connection with Carsphairn was probably relatively shortlived but it is a fascinating story of upward mobility in Victorian times in the Glasgow area.

Richard is in the Woodhead leadmine census of 1841 as being aged 11 and living there with his parents, John, an overseer, his mother and two older brothers oth leadminers. There is also included a certificate for the marriage of James Park to Marion Ferguson on 24 August 1860 and a copy of their son Adam's birth certificate on 11 September 1860. A relationship between James Park and Richard Park has not been established so far. Another Park was Christina who married Alexander Martin. More details about her are included in the Martin Family History.

Milroy Family History

Peter Milroy and his wife and nine children came to the village when he was appointed as policeman in the early1890s. The family played a big part in village life for the next 30 years or so.

Some of the boys were very keen sportsmen as they took part in carpet bowling tournaments, cricket and sports days as is seen in the extracts from the local newspapers. In the family trees there are connections to other parish families, the McCraes and the Bells.

The family belonged to the United Free Church opened in the village in 1893 and there is a photograph of the opening ceremony in which several members of the family are identified as well as ones of other family members.

There is a family grave in the Kirkyard. The inscription and site of the grave can be found from looking the catalogue and plan of gravestones in Carsphairn Kirkyard which is available here.

McTaggart Family History

James McTaggart was born in Carsphairn but probably left as a young man as he married in the parish of Tynron in 1839. From then the family moved to Ayrshire and most of these records relate to the parish of Barr. The Laing family is also included here.

McGill Family History

Three generations of the McGill family lived in Carsphairn from before 1841 until after 1881 but not a great deal is known about them and we would welcome more information.

Thomas McGill, his wife Mary Douglas and son Archibald are all buried in Carsphairn Kirkyard (number 153 shown on kirkyard map).

Archibald McGill, born in 1818, married Grace Martin whose family lived at the leadmine. Grace's family is well documented in another folder and on the boards. His sister Sarah married a leadminer.

McDonald Family History

Within our card index containing records of the leadminers there are 17 McDonalds whose lives are linked with the Mitchell, Bone and Hastie families. Again Megan Hastie has kindly allowed us to use her research notes.

Within these the name Sophia appears in successive generations — not a common name in Scotland but it does help us track successive generations.
The deaths of several small children are noted and from other records we have found out the causes of their death. Poignantly in Carsphairn Kirkyard there is the following sad epitaph.

"Erected by Jean and Alexander McDonald in memory of their children as follows:
William, 12th December 1854, aged 5
Thomas, 19th December 1854, aged 13
Margaret, .. ..August 1857 aged 13
William, 12th December 1861, aged 5
Jesus said Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not as such is the Kingdom of Heaven."

McCormick Family History

This information on the McCormick family is primarily a collection of gravestone inscriptions in Carsphairn Kirkyard together with some 1871 census extracts from the Glenkens parishes with correspondence regarding missing links in the family tree.

Tags memorials & inscriptions

McCall Family History

The descendants of Alexander MacCaul and Margaret Williamson are given here with a focus on Margaret McCall, their granddaughter who married William Lammie. Their descendants are listed.

Birth, marriage and death registrations of Thomas, Alexander's son, his marriage to his first wife Violet Yule and second wife Elizabeth Gilchrist are included as are the birth and sadly, in two cases, the early deaths of two of his children. Census records are also here.

Thomas first worked as a leadminer at Woodhead but later moved to Benquhat near Dalmellington to work as an ironminer and on his death certificate in 1907 he was a coalminer.

Martin Family History

This family who lived at the Mine spread themselves far and wide. Alexander Martin 1808-1871 married Christina Park 1798-1867 a woman ten years older than himself.

Out of their 11 children the ﬁrst two died in infancy, the ﬁrst being born when her mother was 30 years of age. Another died in childhood but they brought up eight children — four boys and four girls. William died of consumption at Woodhead in 1863 aged 23 and is buried in his mother’s grave no. 135 in Carsphairn Churchyard.

In about 1853 four of them, three boys and a girl emigrated to America and their time at Pittston Pa. is mentioned in the history of the lead mining families who went there. Alexander senior followed his family to Pittston after his wife Christina died in 1867. He died there in 1871 but is recorded on the grave of his wife in Carsphairn Churchyard. (No 135)

Much of what we know about those who went to America is on the display boards and from those who remained here it is their oldest daughter Mary 1834-1916, who gave this area the largest legacy out of all this family. No less than eight different local families can trace their roots back to Alexander and Christina Martin.

Another daughter Grace married Archibald McGill — that information is in a separate folder

Jamieson Family History

Jamieson letters.

1,400 letters are stored in the family ofﬁce at the farm in Western Victoria. These come mainly from members of the family in Scotland to Robert and William, the two brothers who went to Australia.

These letters have been read and catalogued and the reader paid respect to the authors with the following words

“None of the people who wrote the letters probably ever expected them to last more than a few weeks after their receipt and certainly for not more than a hundred years and so at times it almost seems unfair to the long ago writers to “look over their shoulders” and, as it were, take them at a disadvantage. However there now exists of many of these people, little that is now recognisable except what is contained in these letters ..... .. ”

Those on display here have been transcribed and show a lively insight into country life in South West Scotland from the early 18403. Farming prices are of great interest, the concept and impact of the railways are mentioned and family gossip prevails in the letters from the sisters.

To us it is a privilege to read these letters for they give us a ﬁrst hand snapshot of what life was like here in Carsphaim and in Scotland in the middle of the nineteenth century.

Hunter Family History

The papers here are extracted from the Old Parish Registers, census records from 1841 to 1901and marriage and death registrations. Details of the descendants of James Hunter and his wife Isabella McCartney are included.

There was a lot of intermarriage between families in the community and from these papers the names Good and McFadzien/McFadzean are connected to the Hunter families.

Hastie Family History

Megan Hastie has done some superb research into her ancestors who worked at the Woodhead leadmine. Her Hastie family came there near the beginning of the lead mining operations in 1839 and they were joined by many of their friends and relatives, also lead mining families from the Wanlockhead and Leadhills area.

At Woodhead they lived and worked together and in several cases there was intermarriage. After a relatively short period of time the prosperity of the leadmines declined and around 1852 many of the miners and their families left. Some of them together with their relatives from the McDonalds, Mitchell, Whitﬁeld and Bone families went to Dalmellington and other parts of Ayrshire to seek better times in the coalﬁelds or in the ironworks. Other members of the same families chose to emigrate, many to Pittston in Pennsylvania.

Megan has researched many of these families and we are most grateful to her for sharing her work with us.

In these notes about John Gladstone Hastie the following families are noted:-

Whitﬁeld.
McDonald.
McMurtrie
Gladstone
Martin.
Williamson
Dobie
Allan
Park

Guffie/McGuffie Family History

This rich collection of material about this family comes mainly from Australian sources which is hardly surprising given that eight of the nine children who reached maturity went to either Australia or New Zealand.

Their father who was a carter in Carsphairn was a widower for 21 years and kept in close touch with his family on the other side of the world. His children who died before him are named on his gravestone in Carsphairn Kirkyard. He took the care to name where they had died thus giving us an insight into how and where they died - seeking their fortune in the frenzy to ﬁnd gold.

Included here are birth, marriage and death certiﬁcates taken from the Carsphairn registers — births in 1862, marriages in 1865, 1890 and 1916 and deaths in 1866, 1867, 1868, 1871, 1885, 1887 and 1899. Each certiﬁcate has several different names on it covering other families so if you are looking for records in those years these might help.

Good Family History

The Good family were in Carsphairn as far back as 1714.

There are three separate family trees for Thomas Good (1755), Adam Good (1813) and William Gilchrist and Margaret Good.

There is intermarriage between the Good family, the Hope, Hunter and Gilchrist families. Particular reference is given to James Good who lived in Shotts in Lanarkshire. Included are several OPR birth extracts, marriage and death registrations and census returns.

Gilchrist Family History

The descendants of William Gilchrist (1789 — 1851) are noted. His son Robert, whose marriage certiﬁcate is included went to Breconshire in South Wales to work for John McTurk’s family who owned a large estate there. William’s daughter Janet’s marriage certiﬁcate (1861) is also included. William is buried in Carsphairn Kirkyard in grave 177.

There was marriage between the Gilchrist family with the McFadzean, McCall (McCaul), Good and Clement families.

The obituary is for David Gilchrist, William’s nephew who died in Carsphairn in 1906 He is buried in Carsphairn in grave 186.

Garmory/Clement/Montgomery Family Histories

The information on this family starts with Robert Germerie who married Isobel Wilson in 1758. Some of the information focuses on Fergus Clement highlighted on the family tree who emigrated to Australia. The fascinating story of his descendants together with some photographs is included.

Some Garmory descendants are also detailed, together with Montgomery and Foster family details.

Robert Montgomery is buried in Carsphairn Kirkyard with his wife and ﬁve sons and daughters.

Bone/Mitchel Family Histories

Both these families were related to the Hastie family and it is again thanks to Megan Hastie for her research.

Their history focuses on the story of families who moved around for work with the aim of gaining a better life. They came to Carsphairn from Wanlockhead and Leadhills where they had been leadminers and from Carsphairn they left to work in the new industries in Ayrshire associated with the nineteenth century industrial revolution or they moved to the New World where mining work was easily available.

These notes on the two families inevitably overlap with those about the Hastie and McDonald families such was the extent of marriage amongst the closely knit mining communities which, after all, in Scotland were situated in very remote, isolated settlements. Children who grew up together at the leadmines later married.

Those highlighted in the notes spent some time at the Woodhead leadmine. John Bone died in an accident at the leadmines and the account of his death in the Dumfries Standard is displayed on the board which relates to the leadmine. He is buried in Carsphairn Kirkyard.

Affleck / Cameron Family Histories

There are two family trees included here. One starts when James Affleck married Agnes Chapman at Crawfordjohn in 1791 and follows the line through Agnes Afﬂeck, the daughter of James Afﬂeck and Janet Murdoch. The second follows other descendants of James and Janet.

The family were leadminers at Woodhead sometime after 1843 and as is so often the case one of their daughters, Helen married their lodger, fellow miner Alexander Cameron.

The National Archives of Scotland holds papers in the case of Mr Robert Afﬂeck, minister at Carsphairn 1780 — 1783. Interestingly he is not included in the Fasti (list of ministers) at Carsphairn so we must do some more investigating.

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