June 2005 RootsChat Challenge

[Paul E]

Carleton Sentinel Newspaper Feb 12, 1898

Robert Rankin Dead
The death of Robert Rankin occurred recently at Liverpool, Eng. He was at one time in New Brunswick, head of the firm of Rankin, Pollock, Gilmore & Co. the most prominent lumber dealers in this province. Many years ago he removed to Liverpool of which place he was one of he wealthiest citizens. Mr. Frank Rankin is a brother and the late Mrs. Robert Brown was a sister of the deceased and Dr.Rankin, of Woodstock, is a nephew.

from http://www.rootsweb.com/~nbcarlet/newspage30.htm

Ah well, better get some kip!

cheers

Paul   

[Paul E]

Ewing - Orr - Leckie - Buchanan

I've been playing around with the 2 Ewing lines connected to our family, but can't make them link up.  Can anyone find something I've missed?

Branch A (Orr-Ewing)

Allan's aunt Helen Robertson married James Ewing.  James was the son of William Ewing and Susanna Orr.  His older brother Archibald became Sir Archibald Orr-Ewing, 1st baronet, and Archibald's descendants used the surname Orr-Ewing with a hyphen.  Other descendants of William and Susanna frequently used Orr as a middle name, but stuck to the surname Ewing.

Susanna Orr was chr. 1 May 1785 in Paisley, dau of John Orr and Agnes Anderson.

William Ewing's birthdate is given in a Gilmour family history at http://homepages.luc.edu/~pgilmou/familyhistory.pdf as 10 Feb 1773, but there is no entry for him in the IGI.  Can anyone verify this?

Rambler

I think this is the same Gilmour line that the Rankin family is linked to commercially, but I have real problems reading and searching through that pdf.

[Manchester Rambler]

So while we're on this puzzle, how is Margaret McIver aunt to Eleanor Crouchley Robertson nee Pendlebury? Or is she aunt to WWR? Not found that connection yet.......

It's Agnes Robertson who is listed as Eleanor's aunt, but I presume she's really WWR's aunt, married to a brother of Archibald.  (Agnes is staying with Margaret McIver on the 1871 census.)  I'm still trying to find a likely-looking marriage between a Robertson and an Agnes, but haven't had any luck so far.

Rambler

[CatOne]

Ooooppps, you're right Rambler, just checked back at census entries. Think the sun affected my brain yesterday 

Will carry on trying to find Robertson connection on BVRI tonight (at work today  )

Paul, your Rankin/Pollock firms are mentioned a number of times in that Gilmour link Rambler posted, including the branch in Mobile, Ala, so you've definitely found a connection there. I see what you mean about it being hard reading though, all 181 pages!! 

CatOne

[Manchester Rambler]

Gilmour, Rankin, etc:

I've ploughed through some of the Gilmour history, and as I understand it, Allan Gilmour who married Isabella Buchanan Ewing was the son of James Gilmour and Clementia Stuart (which explains nicely why their 8th child was called Agnes Stuart Gilmour).  James was a younger brother of Allan Gilmour, founder of the firm Pollok, Gilmour & Co, and was active in the firm.  Allan and James' parents were Allan Gilmour and Elizabeth Pollok.

So we have an indirect connection between our Robertson family and the Gilmours via the Ewings.

I've never researched a trade empire before!

Rambler

[Paul E]

My pdf reader kept crashing, Cat!  

I know some time back Liverpool Annie counselled us about not confusing the two lines (the shipowners and the  merchants and chandlers) but I think there's a link somewhere awaiting discovery!

Gilmour, Rankin, etc:

I've never researched a trade empire before!

Rambler

Makes me grateful for all the miners and farm labourers in my own tree!

As Al Crighton said, some time back:

There should be a special prize for the first person to find an Ag. Lab. in this tree

Not sure anyone could claim the prize yet!

Paul

[Manchester Rambler]

I think we're bound to find connections, because these are families from the same social circles, with the same business interests - on a purely material level, marriages are to their mutual benefit.  Big shipowners like the Dunbars are probably a cut above our families, although I think a smaller one would happily ally himself with a prosperous merchant or chandler.

I'm still hoping we can find that Robertson-McIver connection, because if it does exist, it might help push the Robertsons back another generation or so. 

Rambler

[Manchester Rambler]

Boyd-Robertson

OK - I think I've found a connection, but still don't know if they tie in to Allan Robertson's family.  Here goes:

Thomas Boyd married Mary Dow 20 Aug 1781 Ardrossan, Ayr.  Their children:

Helen Boyd - chr. Greenock, 23 Oct 1787
Thomas Boyd - chr. Greenock, 16 May 1790
Jean Boyd - chr. Greenock, 14 3 1792
Mary Ann Boyd - chr. Greenock, 20 Aug 1794
James Boyd - chr. Greenock, 28 Jun 1796
Margaret Boyd - b. Greenock, 26 Aug 1798
Agnes Boyd - chr. Greenock, 31 Mar 1801
Bethia Boyd - chr. Greenock, 15 Jun 1803

Margaret Boyd - right kind of age and birthplace to be the one who married Archibald Robertson in Greenock on 15 Feb 1819.

Agnes Boyd - an Agnes Boyd married John Robertson in Greenock on 19 Oct 1824.  This would make her a good candidate to be William Wood Robertson's aunt Agnes Robertson on the census entry.  Age and birthplace fit.

Questions!

1.  Are Archibald and John brothers?  Agnes would still be WWR's aunt even if the 2 Robertsons are unrelated!

2.  Are these Robertsons part of Allan's family?   

3.  Is Thomas Boyd related to David McIver's wife, Jane Boyd?

Rambler

[CatOne]

Will have to keep digging, we'll get there in the end 

On a different subject, does anyone speak Spanish?? The reason I ask is I've found an article about the Hamilton families connection to the Canary Islands....it seems to be about our Hamilton family, including Lewis Gellie Hamilton, the brother of Agnes Hamilton (who married Archibald Robertson Jr in 1822). It refers to Greenock and Lords/Ladys/Earls etc, particularly Lady Emma Hamilton (Lord Nelson's lady I believe)!!! Another famous connection?? (it seems to be saying that the Hamiltons can trace their lineage back to James 11 King of Scotland, I think)

I'll also put this in as it brings us back to the Orr's and Morrisons (if we'd already got it, sorry!) -

Agnes Hamilton b. 1797 Parents John Hamilton and Isabella Gellie

John Hamilton's parents Agnes Hyndman and Mary Orr m. 02/12/1737 Inverkip, Renfrew

Mary Orr's parents Thomas Orr b.c1688 Inverkip and Janet Morrison b.c1692 Inverkip, Renfrew

Will look forward to a translation of the article  -

http://serra-hamilton.com/documento.htm

CatOne