St. Michael's Old Churchyard

[apanderson]

Anyone up for searching for a gravestone in St. Michael's and maybe taking a wee photo or two? 

I found information contained in an online book on a family I'm interested in saying that they have a gravestone in St. Michael's.

The area is described as the second interior section:

"... proceeding eastward, we reach the narrow cabins occupied by numerous masons and carpenters, who, when alive, helped to build that part of Dumfries which rose up between the time of the Jacobite occupation and the first twenty years of the current century. In the records of that period such names as Frew, Tweddle or Waddell, Harley, Mein, Aitken, Watson, Samson and Crombie frequently occur in connection with building operations ........."

The stone I am looking for is described as a table stone bearing the names of the following:

Robert Biggar, Mason died 14th January 1798 aged 48
Wife Isabella McWhir
Daughter Mary Muller died died 1832 (Cholera epidemic)
Son-in-law John Christopher Muller, Professor of Music, died 1832 (Cholera epidemic)

Anne

[Johnner Kid]

Hi Anne
Your book quote looks as if it came from McDowall "Memorials of St Michaels"
McDowall was writing 150 years ago and many of St Michaels'stable stones, by their very nature of lying flat, are now mostly unreadable.
I have photographed many of them in in the past.  Have alook at http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dfsgal/  you may be lucky.
Next time I'm in St Michael's I'll have a look to see if i can identify the location you refer to.
Sy

[apanderson]

Hello Sy,

Thanks very much for replying.

You're quite correct - the quote was from that book. I thought that maybe someone with a local knowledge might know, or have an idea of the section described.

I have visited your site on many an occasion, well done on a beautifully presented site and fantastic photos.

I'm not holding my breath that the stone is still legible or even still there, but being ever the optimist, I'd be quite happy if even parts of the inscription could be made out to 'match' with what the original inscription was.

John Christopher Muller & Mary Biggar's many descendants went on to have extremely fascinating lives not only in Scotland, but all over the world.

Anne

[Lyntochter]

I was very interested to come across your posts of 2012 concerning Robert Biggar, Mason, b. approx 1750 and died 1798.  It was concerning the family gravestone in St Michael's Old Churchyard, Dumfries.  My grandfather was a John Biggar and I have recently been carrying out some further research into the family background and it appears that Robert Biggar, Mason was his 3 x great-grandfather.  so:

Robert Biggar & Isabella McWhir's 5th child:
John Biggar (1781-1858)
John Biggar (1813-1884) - first child
Robert Biggar (1855-1887) - last child
John Biggar, my grandfather (1884-1946)
Evelyn Biggar, my mother (1912-1998)

I should be most grateful for any information you have about the family - are you related in any way?

Diana Stevens

[Rosinish]

I was very interested to come across your posts of 2012 concerning Robert Biggar, Mason, b. approx 1750 and died 1798.  It was concerning the family gravestone in St Michael's Old Churchyard, Dumfries.  My grandfather was a John Biggar and I have recently been carrying out some further research into the family background and it appears that Robert Biggar, Mason was his 3 x great-grandfather.  so:

Robert Biggar & Isabella McWhir's 5th child:
John Biggar (1781-1858)
John Biggar (1813-1884) - first child
Robert Biggar (1855-1887) - last child
John Biggar, my grandfather (1884-1946)
Evelyn Biggar, my mother (1912-1998)

Hi Diana,

Am I reading that correctly 

1st child John born 1813 & last child Robert born 1855 to Robert & Isabella.............42 yrs having a family 

Annie

[Lyntochter]

Oh dear, sorry!  I have obviously not made this clear

Should have put 1st generation, 2nd generation etc. 

Robert Biggar & Isabella McWhir's 5th child:
John Biggar (1781-1858)

John Biggar (1813-1884) - first child of John Biggar above (1781-1858)
Robert Biggar (1855-1887) - last child of John Biggar, above (1813-1884)
John Biggar, my grandfather (1884-1946) only son of Robert Biggar (1955-1887)
Evelyn Biggar, my mother (1912-1998)

It would help if they were not all called either John or Robert!

Hope that is clearer now.  I was trying for shorthand but obviously not successful.