Stewart family, mid 18th/early 19th centuries, Meikle Trochry, Little Dunkeld.

[scorpio2outof6]

Looking for information about John and Christian Stewart (maiden name possibly also Stewart or Stuart), who resided at Meikle Trochry, parish of Little Dunkeld, Perthshire, at the time of the births of their twin sons John and Donald on 1 May 1793 (OPR Births 373/00 0010 0205.  John was a farmer, son Donald also became a farmer, location unknown.  Looking for details of birth, marriage and death of John (senior) and his spouse Christian, also names of their parents.  Would John senior have been a tenant farmer, and if so, who would have been the laird?  Can anyone help, please?

Searched records for Meikle Trochry and came across an entry in the Commisariat of Dunkeld Records in which the testament of a GRISSELL STEWART of Meikle Trochry was confirmed on 24 March 1747, so there were Stewart family members living there nearly fifty years before the births of John and Donald.  Quite possibly Grissell was a grandparent or aunt of the twins, but I haven't been able to find definite records for any more members of the family at that address, although FamilySearch has birth and marriage records for several people names John Stuart or Stewart in the parish of Little Dunkeld between 1749 and 1793, and no record of a marriage of John Stewart to Christian Stuart or Stewart, so possibly Stuart was not her maiden name, although it is recorded as such on Donald's death certificate.

[Cambron]

The Stewarts of Grandtully held the Barony of Strathbraan from the early 17th century and Meikle Trochry was mentioned in the Act of Parliament establishing the Barony.
A branch of this family still held Meikle Trochry in the 1850's according to the Valuation Rolls so your family if they held a tenancy would have held it from them.
The naming of the couple's children before the twins give rise to a number of options for the grandparents but I guess you would have to look at a number of the originals on SP to get the right ones,which might be expensive.The Little Dunkeld OPR's however are good at including place names for this period.

[scorpio2outof6]

Thanks very much for the information.  It is very helpful.  I'll make a visit to a history centre locally, which permits access to all of Scotland's People records for a day for £15 (good value, when you consider the cost of credits, easily used up when you are researching a name like Stewart in its heartland).  I'll think about going through to the national archives in Edinburgh to look at the valuation rolls, but perhaps they might be available for consultation in Perth's Bell Library.  I'll get in touch with the latter.  I haven't yet found any details yet of John and Christian Stewart's children born before the twins, however I'll hold on meantime to the records I ran off from FamilySearch.

I also have a copy of a record of families of Stewart living in Atholl (I think it dates from the late 18th/early 19th centuries).  It lists the head of household, the number of male and female offspring, residence and makes a claim to which branch of Stewarts of Atholl they claim descent, so I'll have another look at that.  I'm particularly keen to trace the (Atholl) Stewart line back as far as I can as that is my husband, son and grandsons' direct paternal line of descent, although he has another Stewart line of descent from his Stewart paternal grandmother, whose maiden name was also Stewart, and whose family hailed from the Caputh area of Perthshire, which I've also partially researched.
Thanks again.

[Cambron]

The Valuation Rolls are in the Perth City Archives(same building as the Bell Library)They start about 1850 and are very detailed.The earlier Cess and Stent rolls are not so detailed.This info is also on Ancestry.
The National Archives has a huge amount on the Stewarts of Grandtully and the Barony of Strathbraan.Of particular interest would be GD121/1/Box37/207 which gives a list of tenants in the Barony at 1797-8.
John and Christian Stewart had Alexander(b1787),Thomas(b1789),Margret(b1791) and Christian(b1795) as well as the twins.

[scorpio2outof6]

Thanks again!  I'll try Ancestry first now that I know what to look for.  Having the names of John and Christian's other children might help me to make a link too.  I've just been reading a huge document about the Barony of Strathbraan which is held by the IGI.  I'll go back to it and run off and bookmark particularly useful and interesting sections.  I'll try to find time within the next cojple of weeks to go up to the Bell Library, but will contact them first so that the documents I need can be available.

[AncesStory]

Looking for information about John and Christian Stewart (maiden name possibly also Stewart or Stuart), who resided at Meikle Trochry, parish of Little Dunkeld, Perthshire, at the time of the births of their twin sons John and Donald on 1 May 1793 (OPR Births 373/00 0010 0205.  John was a farmer, son Donald also became a farmer, location unknown.

Hello, I am researching another family of Stewarts/Stuarts living in the Redgorton area in the 1810's to 1850's period (Thomas Stewart and Christian McFarlane) and found some information about a Donald (also known as Daniel) Stuart/Stewart from Strathbraan, Perthshire. He may have been the son of John Stewart and Christian Stewart, or he may not be related at all, but I thought you may want to follow this up:
Marriage:
24 March 1815 at Tibbermore parish, Perthshire; Donald Stewart and Catherine Taylor

1841 Census
Field Watchman, Luncarty bleachfield. Donald and his family are living at South New Houses, Luncarty with a  Thomas Robertson (HOH)and spouse .
Parish: Redgorton 390; ED: 4; Page: 7; Line: 840; Year: 1841

1851 Census
Night watchman at Luncarty bleachfield, age 53.
Parish: Redgorton 390; ED: 4; Page: 18; Line: 12; Roll: CSSCT1851_81; Year: 1851

1861 Census
Watchman, Luncarty bleachfield, age 66.
Redgorton 390; ED: 4; Page: 2; Line: 9; Roll: CSSCT1861_52

If this Donald Stewart from Strathbraan is the person you are researching, there is a wealth of additional information in these census returns.

It may be that that this Donald's brother, Thomas Stewart, born 1789, is the spouse of Christian McFarlane. The Thomas Stewart/Stuart I am researching lived and worked at Luncarty in the 1810's too.
AncesStory

[AncesStory]

Also, I found this information from rootsweb

This James Stewart, who married Anna or agnes Nicolson may be related to your John Stewart possibly born at Inchmagrannachan?

Marriage 1 Anna or Agnes NICOLSON
Married: 30 Jan 1774 in Little Dunkeld 1
Children
Agnes STEWART b: 9 Jun 1775 in Little Dunkeld
Jean STEWART b: 28 Feb 1777 in Inchmagrannachan c: 2 Mar 1777 in Little Dunkeld
Grizel STEWART b: 8 Dec 1778 in Inchmagrannachan c: 13 Dec 1778
 James STEWART b: 15 Jul 1781 in Inchmagrannachan
Margaret STEWART b: 19 Sep 1783 in Inchmagrannachan c: 28 Sep 1783 in Little Dunkeld
 Janet STEWART b: 19 Sep 1783 in Inchmagrannachan c: 28 Sep 1783 in Little Dunkeld
John STEWART b: 16 Dec 1789 in Inchmagrannachan


http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jimfowler&id=I59

AncesStory

[scorpio2outof6]

Thank you.  It is the same family.  Donald Stewart and Catherine Taylor were my husband's 3xgreat grandparents on his Direct male lne.  His paternal grandmother is from another line of Stewarts who,lived around Caputh, parish of Bendochy/Coupar Angus, but who seem to,have originated around Rattray.

[AncesStory]

Great! The reason I was researching about Donald, is that he was working at Luncarty bleachfield in 1841, and lived in Luncarty for twenty or more years before this (according to birth records of his children). The Thomas Stewart who is my huband's 4 x great grandfather was a bleachfield watchman at Luncarty, and Huntingtower. I cannot find a marriage certificate for this Thomas Stewart and Christian McFarlane, his wife, but they had nine children from 1814 to 1833 in Moneydie, Luncarty and Redgorton. There is a death certificate for a Thomas Stewart at Huntingtower in 1837 that MAY be his. At the moment, I have no way of knowing if this Thomas Stewart is your ancestor, Donald's, brother?

Christian McFarlane, his wife, was born in Blair Atholl, but her siblings seem to have lived in Redgorton. Her father was John McFarlane, a wright, at Cailbruar Blair Atholl.

As you have said, many of the Stewarts living in the rural areas such as Blair Atholl and Little Dunkeld have moved to the urbanized areas around Perth, looking for work in the linen industry.

Does anyone have any thoughts on whether Thomas Stewart could be the older brother of Donald Stewart( both sons of John Stewart and Christian Stewart from Stathbraan)?