Wee Drams

   Contents:  Marilyn MacNeill Caswell   Siegfried Gates   Mary Breer   Nicole May   
Carolyn (Porter) Fugedy    Beverly Rainey    J. H. MacEachran   Fiona Sinclair  

Crarae Gardens      Argyllshire Queries / Campbeltown Life / Internet Guide      

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Ian, greetings again from Washington State. Since my last message I have gleaned further information. First of all, my 4th great grandfather John McNeill was chr. 29 Aug 1754 in Campbeltown, Argyll, Scotland......not 1750! I have his parents as Malcom McNeill and Euffen (have also on a parish record seen it spelled Euphan) McAlester (have seen her christening record with the spelling McAlaster). I have also found a brother, Donald christened in 1751 and sister Agnes christened in 1759....all in Campbeltown. The new information is : my Malcom McNeill chr. 15 Aug 1731 is the son of John McNeill and Kristian McEacharn and his wife, Euphan McAlaster chr. 17 Dec 1730 is the daughter of Hector McAlaster and Katharine McEacharn. Now I am searching to connect Kristian and Katharine as possible sisters. I thought that if I found the father of Malcom McNeill I would take my genealogy back to the beginning of time......but, was I wrong. New wrinkles since my last correspondence is the question of whether some of these families were with the Argyll Colony of 1739-40 and later to the Carolina's? I do believe that Malcom and Euphan McAlaster McNeill stayed in Campbeltown, BUT, some of the others may have left. Their son John left in 1770 on the ill-fated ANNABELLA that shipwrecked off Prince Edward Island......he stayed.....BUT......was his destination to relatives in the Carolina's? My Canadian roots may have been completely wiped out if he had made it to South Carolina......then I would have been a SOUTHERNER! I just don't think I could have handled that!!!!

My trip to Scotland is still on for May and I have eliminated some English destinations to spend more time in and around Campbeltown.....digging roots! I have convinced my husband that his Wilson family also came out of Argyllshire and so he is willing to give me more time there. If you know of anyone looking for my surnames, please let me know.
Thanks,
Marilyn MacNeill Caswell
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From: Siegfried Gates  sgates@infi.net

Hello.

My name is Siegfried Gates. My wife is Joyce Gates. From 1973 t o1975 I was stationed at RAF Machrihanish in the US Navy. My wife and I fell in love with Scotland then and still love it now. Whilst there we joined the local Antiquarian Society which was at the time chaired by a Mrs. Wotherspoon. I availed myself to the local history, and visited Inverary Castle, (His Grace the Duke was kind enough to autograph my book called 'Inverary and the Dukes of Argyll' by Iain Cosh and Mary Lindsay), Saddell Abbey, and Saddell Castle and House. I also spent time climbing about on High Ranachan.
I also spent a pleasant afternoon in the company of Mr. Angus McVicar. We had occasion to play bingo in Victoria Hall where my wife managed to subsidize a vacation back to the USA to a considerable degree with her winnings! We also attended adult evening education classes at the local grammar school under Mr. Pat Innes of Peninver to learn more about history.
In the last 10 years we have become very interested in genealogy. My wife's family hails from Fayetteville (Campbelltown prior to that 1776 bit of nastyness) North Carolina. Her family name on her mother's side is Williams with connections to a Neil Gilbreath/Galbraith (Culbreath and other variants in spelling). And there appear to be connections to a "Neill McNeill" of Kintyre who took a boatload of emigrants to the Cape Fear River in North Carolina.
I'd like to know more about Mrs. Wotherspoon - we send her our regards - and any conections to Scotland in my wife's family.
Thanks,
Siegfried Gates
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From:  Mary Breer dbreer@mars.ark.com

Hi, I am looking for information about Craig farm at Kilberry, my grandfather Donald Galbraith was born there 24 March 1868 and my father John Archibld Galbraith was born there 27 February 1904. According to the 1881 Census this was a 2000 acre farm? Isn't that a very large farm? Or was there some kind of agricultural program at that time that would have been called Farm 2000? I know it was a sheep farm and they were tenant farmers there as the land belonged to John Campbell. If anyone has any information I would be happy to hear to hear from them.
Thank you,
Mary Breer

I thanked Mary for her e-mail and she replied:

Good Morning Ian, the wonders of this electronic medium! I assumed you were probably in Campbeltown or at least somewhere in Kintyre.
Firstly, let me thank you for making access to the Kintyre Antiquarian possible for those of us half a world away, I have been enjoying it very much.
The Galbraith families that I am searching actually come from Gigha, but my g-grandfather Malcolm Galbraith and wife Christy Wotherspoon moved from Gigha to Craig Farm in Kilberry about 1850, the family remained at Craig Farm till c1914.
My question about the size of Craig farm according to the 1881 Census is because the Highland Clearances were taking place at this time and I wondered if this area had been cleared to make way for sheep?
Yes, you have my permission to post my question to the Wee Drams whenever you have space and I shall watch for a response.
You may know Efric Wotherspoon who belongs to the Kintyre Antiquarian Society. She is the widow of Iain Wotherspoon who would have been my father's cousin.
Many thanks,
Mary Breer in rainy British Columbia
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I am seeking information on the parents/ancestors of Neal(or Cornelius) GILLESPIE who was born circa 1740 in Argyll, Scotland. He went to Clonmany Parish, Innishowen, Co. Donegal, Ire. circa 1760 to work on the estates of the DOHERTYS.
He was Protestant. He eloped with Eleanor DOHERTY( "dau. of the Lord of the Estate" according to family tradition) who was Catholic circa 1765 and they went to New Castle, DE and later to Fayette Co., PA. In PA, Neal began a business supplying settlers going down the Ohio River and became wealthy. He built a home on the banks of the Monongahela River which was called "Eleanor's Castle." Their grandson, James GILLESPIE BLAINE ran for president of the USA against Grover Cleveland. I have much information on descendants.
Thanks for any help.
Nicole May
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Ian,

You make me feel that Campbeltown is home! My name is Carolyn (Porter) Fugedy and I am descended from quite a few of the Campbeltown residents. I live in Rogers, Arkansas, USA, and I am the cousin of Carl Slater Porter who has been a visitor to Campbeltown on two separate occasions.

My father is Robert Porter, son of Charles Porter and Caroline Pemberton. They are descended from the Porters, McMurchys, Lanes, Greenlees, Langlands, McNairs, Stewarts, Thompsons, Galbraiths, Armours, Mitchells, Bairds and Pickens of Campbeltown. So you can see why I think of Campbeltown as home, even though I have never had the privilege of visiting.

Your magazine (on line) is a most awaited monthy occurrence for me. The pictures are beautiful and make me yearn to see it for myself. And the articles so frequently reflect the times and happenings of those who preceded me.

Thank you for such a good job and please let me know how I can order the entire magazine on a monthly basis in dollars.

I would love to hear from anyone interested in hearing of the events of their relatives here in the USA.

My best regards and hope to visit one day soon.

Carolyn Fugedy

And again:

Hello, again, Ian,

Many thanks for your quick reply to my e-mail. I do not at all mind if you enter it in the magazine. There is something else that I would like to enter.
My gr-grandmother was Elizabeth McMurchy, daughter of James McMurchy and Margaret Langlands of Campbeltown. James was born ca 1772 and married 03 Feb 1800. He left Campbeltown after Margaret died in 1820.
Who were his family? He is as far back as I seem to be able to find. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Regards and thanks for all the info on you, the magazine and the look-up on Robert Picken.
Keep up the good work!

Carolyn

And again, even

Hell-o, Ian in sunny Campbeltown!

Have a query I wonder if you would post in "the" magazine, for Margaret Baird and  her husband Edward Armour.
Does anyone know who the family of Margaret Baird could be and any information on her that might be available.
Edward was the son of John Armour and Jean Stewart.
John was the son of James Armour and Janet Clark.
Edward was christened 26 Dec 1719 in  Campbeltown.
Any information most gratefully appreciated.
Best regards from the heart of America.

Carolyn Fugedy

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Sir

We have found yet another link to our Campbeltown connections through your web page, discovered through Sandy Muir's new genealogy page on the MUIR family. A few months ago, I found the Campbeltown webpage, contacted both Sandy Muir in Australia and Ken Muir in Manchester.....to discover that we are all relatives...(of sorts!)

While our research is not nearly as extensive as Sandy's, last year while in England we found a 1906 bio and picture of our great grandfather, John Muir in a Manchester newspaper...it indicated that Campbeltown was his place of birth, so yet another piece of the puzzle fell into place.

We will be in Campbeltown, staying at the Dellwood Hotel, during the last week of this month.....Will try to find your office so we can purchase back copies of the Antiquarian, if available, and become subscribers.

Any information regarding family research in and about the town which you would be willing to share, would be greatly appreciated.

Best Regards

Beverly Rainey
Barbara Lee
South Carolina, USA

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My great uncle Archie McEachran used to send me The Magazine of the Kintyre Antiquarian & Natural History society when I was a child. We have named our farm in New Hampshire Kilblaan Farm after the farm where he lived in Southend. We had the pleasure of visiting Campbeltown several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed finding bits of our family history, although we did not find any living relatives.
Sincerely,
John Hugh MacEachran
See our web site at http://www.kilblaanfarm.com
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I have just browsed your site - wonderful information and I have book marked to return at leisure I would like to propose that we forge a link - our website is at www.crarae-gardens.org we are on the main road to Kintyre - this of course would be reciprical
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Return to Page One

Page  2:   Some Campbeltown Memories

Page  3:   Pigs, Police, The Peace and Dr. Pirie

Page  4:   Sheriff Court, Tarbert, 1683 - Part 2

Page  5:   Campbeltown Whisky

Page  6:   The Galbraith Poet-Harpers of Gigha

Page  7:   The Victorian Largie Castle

Page  8:   By Hill and Shore

Page  9:  Hamilton, Prince Edward Island // Castlehill Church Glebe // Gigha Tenants, 1779 //
                Gigha Fisheries in 1792 // The Whalers // McShannon Harpers // Geneaology

The A.I.B. Stewart Page