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Interesting stuff. Not been on for a while. Will reply to what I can.

Jarvis Drysdale, hadn't heard of Jarvis. I have a John Duncan Drysdale born in 1810. Third son after Romeo (1805) and William (1808). Jarvis/John could be the same person.

I did know there was branch that went to Liverpool and Cheshire but I have to admit that I haven't looked into this in detail. Via Ayrshire, or am I mixing up brothers? Interesting that you have John Hargroves as Margaret's father. I don't remember where I got Richard from. It wasn't the marriage certificate, so I suspect that you're correct. Any other information on the certificate?

I have seen two Romeo Drysdales baptised in the Scots Church in Woolwich in London. Woolwich was the home to the Royal Artillery which is where I would expect Romeo to get his training. The two baptisms weren't far apart in date. I never investigated them both. It could be another family, it could be Romeo having another woman, it could be a mistake with the records, it could be the first one died?

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3290612

The above is the web page for the Drysdale Memorial in Dumbarton. I have visited it and it is in a very poor condition but we're lucky it survived at all.

I haven't done any family tracing for quite a few years. The details I have for Master Gunner Romeo Drysdale are, born in Paisley, Renfrewshire in 1766. Died in Dumbarton in 1849. He was discharged from the Royal Artillery  in 1844, aged 78, after 60 years service. I did have his address in Dumbarton but can't find it at present. It's shops and car parking now. He was listed as a weaver when he joined the army in Lanark. Both Paisley and Lanark have weaving histories. I have done an online search through various Paisley church records without success. Some searching in Lanark but again with no success. Paisley does have a very good heritage centre with good records and at some point I will visit it and see if they can find something I've missed.

I'm happy to pass on any info I have or can remember but a lot of the details were on my old computer which died on me a while back. If anybody finds anything interesting, please post it. Always good to find something new.

Hi Helen. Looks like we are cousins several times removed then. I'm descended via Robert's brother William.
Don't know where or when the Romeo name started. I know Romeo had a son, also Romeo, born in London in 1805. I have his baptism as being at the Scots Church in Woolwich. There was another Romeo Drysdale baptised at this church in a different year. Now that could be a clerical error, or a second baptism, or our Romeo being a bit of a lad. Or it could be that the Romeo name was being used in other branches of the family and goes back further. I might have to look at that again, if I can remember where I got the info from.

I was looking at mills on the Water of Milk that had sluice channels. At least one of them is a listed building, over 200 years old and may have been there longer. But that's making guesses, couldn't see or find anything definite. For Johnstones in the area look up the battle of Dryfe Sands. They were one of the big families in the region.

Brushwood Haugh. I've looked for this too and haven't been able to find it on old maps. A long time ago, before I was even in my teens, we were in Lockerbie and my dad visited the local library for information. They sent him eastwards to the rivers Corrie and Milk. There was a 3rd river mentioned but I can't remember it. Sorry, I don't know where they got this info from or exactly what it was. Old farm maps? County maps?