Ardfour Inverkeithny

[renard]

Looking for any information on Ardfour farm mid to late 1920S
I know that there are crofts of Ardfour and littlemill of Ardfour
Information on a birth certificate. father James Rennie farm servant Ardfour farm Inverkeithny.
Would appreciate any information on the farm e.g location, who owned it in this time period, or James Rennie.
In fact any information relating to the farm or area.

Renard

[Forfarian]

 See http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NJ6547 and adjacent squares.

Ardfour is about two miles downriver from the village of Inverkeithny, on the right bank of the River Deveron, opposite Netherdale and Mains of Pittendreigh.

To find out who owned it you would need to consult the Valuation Roll. There are copies of this in libraries and archives in Aberdeenshire (the modern version, which takes in chunks of Banffshire) and in Edinburgh, so you'd need to get someone with access to one of these to have a look for you.

[MonicaL]

Hi Renard

Is this an old post of yours or maybe someone else researching the same line:

Looking for any information relating to James Rennie born about 1900
Known addresses in 1920's were Back Wynd, Old Meldrum and
Ardfour Farm, Inverkeithny
Known to have fathered a child with Dorothy (Dora) Low.
Sorry thats all the info I have

http://news.rootsweb.com/th/read/ABERDEEN/2001-04/0986596139

I think Ardfour Farm is still in to be found on current map sites (although abandoned buidlings by the look of the photos). Address for current map sites: Ardfour Farm Turriff AB53 4JB

Current photos available at http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=4370912

Monica 

[Forfarian]

Ardfour Farm is still in to be found on current map sites (although abandoned buidlings by the look of the photos).

I don't think Ardfour is abandoned. It's listed in the 1998/99 post code directory as a delivery address, and the farm house looked inhabited when I took the photographs referred to above.

Like so many farms in Banffshire and Aberdeenshire, the house and original buildings are surrounded by trees planted for shelter, so that the more recent outbuildings are the most prominent feature of any photograph.

I'll take a closer look next time I am over that way.

[MonicaL]

You are probably correct Forfarian  Just found a planning permission granted in 2005 for the erection of a Dutch Barn 

Monica

[renard]

Thanks Forfarian for the information on Ardfour.
Hi Monica no its not an old post of mine but I recognize the e-mail address its my sister who started the search some years ago
she was successful in tracing Dora Low but gave up on Rennie
James Rennie and Dora Low were our grand parents our father was illegitimate and he was brought up by foster parents.
As I said my sister managed to trace Dora and her family but
Rennie is a bit of a mystery all I have found out is that he worked at Ardfour farm for quite a few years this is unusual in its self as farm workers at that time tended to move around quite a bit
he lived in the bothy at Ardfour but also had an address in
Oldmeldrum, this seems to have been lodgings as I can make no connection between him and the other person who lived there
 [a spinster] they do not seem to be related as have checked her family and can find no connection to Rennie,s to big an age difference to be cohabiting.Although don't know Rennie's exact age but did have contact a few years ago with a man who worked with him at Ardfour[now dead] he said as far as he could remember he would have been between 25 and 30 in the mid twenty's. I thought at first this person may have been his mother
but can't find any trace of her having a child. Seems he spent what time he had off from work at this address. so why would someone who had accommodation with his work also pay for lodgings especially on a farm workers wages, as I say its a mystery probably a simple explanation but so-far I have been unable to find it.
Thanks again for your help.

Renard

[renard]

Thanks to all who replied.
I have now got the information I required, it has taken me twelve years to find James Rennie only to find that he was also illegitimate, hope it doe's not take twelve years to find his father.
Thanks again.

Renard

[MonicaL]

Oh Renard, I'm really pleased for you   

Tell us more, who was James Rennie, how did you finally make the connections?

Monica 

[renard]

Hi Monica,
               He was also illegitimate born James Rennie Smith
he was the son of Elsie lived with grandmother for a time
later dropped the Smith and added Alexander as a middle name
seems to disappear in the late 1920S no death record neither as Smith nor Rennie.
I have posted what information I have on the Aberdeen board
as he was born in Oldmeldrum with a bit of luck someone may be able to help.
Thanks again
Jim [Renard]