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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Aberdeenshire => Topic started by: Jeanne K. on Thursday 05 April 07 03:29 BST (UK)
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When my husband's great-grandfather was about 20 years old, in 1878, he left Scotland charged with the care of a load of Aberdeeen Angus bound for America. His name was James Ferguson Blakie King. The story goes, that his family left the area of Old Deer for Aberdeen so that his unmarried sisters could learn some trade, other than domestic service. When his family arrived in Aberdeen, James found work as he could. While he was working on the docks, he was asked by a man named Findlay to join a crew which was to take a boatload of Black Angus cattle to the United States. Family lore has it, that this shipment was the beginning of the Black Angus breeding program in the United States. On docking in America, the herd was shipped by way of the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes to Chicago. From there it was herded to it's final destination, a Kansas farm belonging to the Findlay-Anderson family. Is there anyway, from the Scotland end, that I can learn more about this shipment of cattle? Name of ship? Depature date? Number of cattle? Who Findlay may have been? As an aside, James married a woman he met in Yorkshire, that he met on the way over. He became the City Clerk of Lake Forest. Illinois. James and his wife preceded to have 8 children. All of his grandchildren, 16 in all, graduated from college.
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I have gained quite a bit of information in the last couple of days, re my original post. I Googled "Findlay & Anderson", the cattle operation that imported the herd that James accompanied. That brought me to a brochure which told all about their cattle operation, as well as more about the herd. The full names of "Findlay and Anderson" were George Findlay and James Anderson. It was George's brother, William, who was a cattle dealer in Aberdeen, who picked out the cattle to be included in the herd. I also contacted the American Aberdeen-Angus Association and the UK Aberdeen-Angus Association. The American Aberdeen-Angus Association was able to provide me with 8 pages out of a book written about the Aberdeen-Angus breed, published in the 1930's, that pertained to Findlay & Anderson's cattle operation, as well as specific information about the herd. A man named Grant brought in the first Aberdeen-Angus into the US in 1873, but they were all bulls. The Aberdeen-Angus that James accompanied was the first herd of Aberdeen-Angus, a bull and 5 females. Using birth dates provided for James Anderson and George Findlay, in the Aberdeen-Angus breed history book, I went to the ScotlandsPeople site and found that the were both born in Old Deer, which is where my husband's great-grandfather's family was from. Using info from the brochure and the history book, I now knew where the herd entered North America. It was Quebec. I now also knew it was summer of 1878 that the arrangement was made for shipping the herd and that they had to have arrived in Illinois in time for "annual show of Christmas fat stock in Chicago,
starting December 1878". I then went to the Ship'sList website and found James King, cattle tender, on the ship's manifest for the SS Canadian leaving Glasgow on 16 Aug 1878 and arriving Quebec 29 Aug 1878. Just thought you would like to know my additional info.
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Hi Jeanne
:) Welcome to RootsChat
You seem to have been very resourceful and successful in finding out as much as you have to date. Is there any additinal help that you need with your research here in Scotland?
Regards.
Monica
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Monica-
Thank you for your reply. I have a number of directions I want to take my research in Scotland but I can save most of it for other posts. What I would like to find out now, is in regards to this post on James Ferguson Blakie King and the Aberdeen-Angus herd he brought to America. What I would mainly like to know for now is how the James and the herd left Aberdeen for Glasgow. When did they leave Aberdeen? Did they go by ship, from Aberdeen to Glasgow, or by rail? Is there a paper trail, ie. records of their purchase etc? This herd is considered an historic herd in America, as it was the first herd of Aberdeen-Angus to reach our shores. This is what I now know about the herd, based on the information in the Aberdeen-Angus breed history book from the 1930's:
- The bull was Nicolis 1102, bred by James Walker, Westside of Brux. This bull's great-grandsire was Black Prince of Tillyfour. Nicolis's dam was Bess of Bogfern, who traces back to Keillor(?)
- [The 5 females were: (1) Jeannie Gordon, a two-year old heifer, bred by James Smith of Burnshangie; (2) Lazy 3D, also bred by James Walker, breeder of the bull, Nicolis; (3) Violet of Brucehill; (4) Diana 4th, bred by Col. Ferguson of Pitfour; and (5)Waterside Fanny, bred by George Wilken of Waterside of Forbes/li]
I would also like to find out what I can, about the cattle dealer, William Findlay, who arranged for the purchase and transportation of the herd. He was the one that hired my husband's great-grandfather.
I have attached two pages of the Anderson & Findlay brochure regarding this herd.
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And here are the 3rd and 4th pages of the write up on Anderson & Findlay. The program wouldn't let me upload all four pages in one post, as the file was too big.
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- The bull was Nicolis 1102, bred by James Walker, Westside of Brux. This bull's great-grandsire was Black Prince of Tillyfour. Nicolis's dam was Bess of Bogfern, who traces back to Keillor(?)
Hi - the Keillor here refer's to Hugh Watson's (Angus) livestock as distinct from the Aberdeenshire animals. Hugh Watson's animals hold pride of place in the first Scottish Aberdeen and Angus Herd Book when published in the 1860's.
Regards
Jack
http://linebrederica.com/
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Regarding the Angus cattle. It was my greatgrandfather William Findlay auctioneer and cattle dealer in Peterhead who exported the cattle to his brother George Findlay and their Uncle James Anderson. I understand from family history that the first animals exported were lost in a snow blizzard. Barry Findlay.
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hi all :)
i seem to remember a film about a bull in america
at the end of the film the bull is found dead in a snowdrift in the spring :'(
but the camera pulls back to show all his newborn offspring
probably nothing to do with this topic :P
ev
added - it was the rare breed with james stewart and maureen o'hara
about english hereford cattle ;)
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Hi Jeanne,
How far back are you with the Findlays? I have genealogy on William Findlay who married Helen Rae Milne & their family.
Lisa
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Hi Lisa, William Findlay the auctioneer married Isabella Scott, so it is a different family. His son William K. Findlay took over his business and sold it to come to New Zealand in 1913. He married Jessie Anderson Smith from Meethill Peterhead. Regards Barry.
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quote....(1) Jeannie Gordon, a two-year old heifer, bred by James Smith of Burnshangie; [/b]
I am researching into the history of this Smith family and information is extremely "thin-on-the-ground"!
Does anybody have information/photos etc of James Smith, born 1835, his wife Susan from Peterhead, or their children Mary born 1870, Elizabeth born 1872, William born 1873, and Lucy born 1880.
William Smith married Helen Beech of Painsley Hall in Staffordshire on September 9th 1902 and became an extremely talented, well-liked orthopaedic surgeon in Stoke on Trent.
John.
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Hello, Jeanne! I am Rick Black. I am related to James King. My grandmother’s father is James Ferguson Blaikie King. Her name is Ester King. I am assuming your husband’s grandfather or grandmother is one of James’s children. Please reach out to me because I would love to learn about my family’s ancestry!
- Rick Black