After contact from a distant relative, I’ve spent the weekend revising my BROWN information and basically doing a kind of stocktake on the records I have for the family.
James BROWN (abt 1801) had 3 successive wives, 8 children and one more potential child born out of wedlock (see Antenuptial Fornication). These lives centred around the farm, Woodhead of Dardarroch in the Glencairn parish of Dumfriesshire. After tidying up my records, I rewarded myself with a quick search for Dardarroch and lo and behold, the gravestone of James’ parents was revealed to me (or at least the location and inscription):
screenshot from findagrave.com
Birth:
Jun. 11, 1793
Dumfries, Scotland
Death:
Apr. 29, 1870
Dumfries, Scotland
In memory of Daniel BROWN who died at Moorhouse, Keir 29th April 1870 aged 77 years. Also William his son who died 1st May 1865 aged 34 years. Also Mary his daughter who died in 1848 aged 7 years. Margaret his daughter who died in Sept 1858 aged 28 years.
[West Side]
Here lyes Margret BROUN who died Mrch 14 1796 aged 2 months. Margt BROWN spouse to William CLERK, who died 27th Oct 1820 aged 25 years. Also Jean MAXWELL, spouse to John BROWN, who died upon the 19th Jan 1827 aged 66 years. Also the said John BROWN who died at Woodhead of Dardarroch the 15th of April 1840 aged 80 years. Erected by John BROUN, father in Crosford. 1796.
While in Devon I paid a visit to the lovely village of Broadhembury. I had hopes of finding the graves of my STILING forebears to give me some new leads – this wasn’t to be. I did however, find the graves of some other Stilings. These Stilings are bound to be related somewhere along the line so I post these photos of their gravestones to help out distant family members who may be looking for these guys.
Affectionate Remembrance of
Thomas Stiling
Died Sep 18th 1848
Aged 38 years
[…] in death
ALSO Jane his wife
Died March 26 1875
Aged 75 years
Thy Will Be Done
ALSO John their son
Died November 27 1892
Aged 63 years
In Loving Memory
Of
William Stiling
Who died March 20 1865
Aged 43 years
*note* – These inscriptions were extremely difficult to read. Most of the last one was deciphered through touch and educated guesswork so may not be entirely accurate.
Sometimes as genealogists we have to wait years for answers.
Waiting for the required records to become available.
Waiting for the chance to visit somewhere that may hold the key. Waiting for some kind of miracle.
But by some extraordinary stroke of luck, I didn’t have to wait long at all (or do much work) to find the answers to the puzzles I listed on my Emigrating to New Zealand post.
As I searched for more information on the Rimutaka (there were a few ships with this name), I came across The Northern CemeteryThe Northern Cemeterysite. This site, I’m told, “brings together information from many different research sources to offer you a unique view of one of New Zealand’s most interesting cemeteries”. On this site I found excerpts from the book “From Peterhead to Passchendaele” written by Roy Buchan, who also turns out to be one of my distant relatives.
It also contains the following transcribed monumental inscription for some members of this family buried in the Northern Cemetery, Dunedin:
Monumental Inscription
(1)
In memory of
CHARLES BUCHAN
1830 – 1910
and Wife
JANET BUCHAN
1830 – 1915
JESSIE RITCHIE BUCHAN
1888 – 1908
JOHN BUCHAN
1858 – 1926
and Wife
JESSIE BUCHAN
1860 – 1910
Arrived in NZ on ship Rimutaka, 1893
from Peterhead, Scotland
and lie buried here.
(2)
In loving memory of
ROSEMARY ANN BUCHAN
Died 5th June 1988
Aged 41 years.
(3)
In loving memory of
ANNIE ROSS BUCHAN
Dearly loved wife of ROBERT
And loved mother of
LORELEI, ROBIN and ROSEMARY
Died 22nd March 1972.
Also ROBERT BUCHAN
Died 4th January 1995
Aged 90 years.
“Keep a green bough in your heart,
And God will send you a singing bird.”
(4)
In loving memory of
Henry J.D. SCRYMGEOUR
Dearly loved husband of LORELEI
Loved father of ROSS, MURRAY & ALISTAIR
17-11-1926 – 6-1-1999
(5)
CHRISTINA BUCHAN
1894 – 1978
The information I found on this site allowed me to answer the questions I had on my Emigrating to New Zealand post :
* Which Jessie and John are recorded above Alex’s family and how do they link to my family?
Jessie is Alex’s sister and John Buchan is her husband – I would now like to find out if John’s family were closely connected to Jessie’s.
*What happened to Alex’s sister Jessie (is she the Jessie mentioned above) and brother Charles?
Jessie also travelled to New Zealand on the Rimutaka (see answer above). It appears Charles stayed in Scotland:
“Four of their children were: Peter (1858), Jessie (1860), Alexander (1862), and William (1872). These sailed with their parents to New Zealand, but there is thought to be at least one other who stayed behind”.
* Which Jessie Buchan is buried in the family grave with Charles and Jessie (born Janet RITCHIE)?
“Their daughter Jessie died at the age of twenty in 1908 of meningitis and is buried in the same plot with her mother, who died two years later in 1910”.
* Who is Master John? I’ve had no record of this person so far – is he Charles and Jessie’s son?
He is John & Jessie’s son, apparently just tagging along with his grandparents.
I also now have more family members to fit into the tree.
“From the Road to the Northern Cemetery” by George O’Brien found on Auckland Art Gallery
NOTE: I did find an error in this information, which should be a warning to all of us NOT to accept all that we’re given without question. It appears the author confused Janet/Jessie Buchan (1833) with her daughter Jessie Buchan (1860) when he writes that her maiden name was also Buchan. I have much evidence to prove that her maiden surname was RITCHIE.
Thank you to all the people involved in sharing the information I found on The Northern Cemetery site – it is VERY much appreciated.
