There has been rather a long gap since I last posted
anything here, but I do have some progress to report, in part because of some
travels I have undertaken and my meeting up with some distant cousins for the
first time, and in part because of some people who have been in touch with me
through the blog.
Going back to my grandfather’s generation (Robert McW: 1873
– 1931), he and his two eldest brothers (James and Alex) all remained as
farmers at Glencorrie or at Clunymore), but the three youngest brothers, William,
John and Peter all emigrated to the USA – to New York City. I mentioned this in
my 2012 post entitled “McWilliam(s) around the world”. John died in Chester, Pennsylvania aged just 36
in 1921. Peter worked as a civilian engineer with the US Navy in Brooklyn, and died aged 67
in 1958 – when his widow Helen (nee Cruickshank and known as Elma) chose to
retire back to Scotland. Neither John nor Peter had children.
William and his wife May (nee Younie – and originally from
Elgin) had a son Robert (Bob) born in 1918 and who lived till 1978. Bob and his
wife Florence had a family of 5, and I am pleased to be in touch now with many
of these folks and their families. William was remembered as Willie, but in the
US, became better known as Mac or Mr Mac and (like many others) added an “s” to
the surname to become McWilliams.
And going back further to my GG-grandfather James McWilliam,
as recorded earlier in this blog, he spent some years in the US (NY state) back
in the 1830s and 1840s, returning to Schenectady briefly in 1853. Well I was
pleased to be able to make a sentimental visit there and further north to the bit
of railroad that he had helped to create – from Saratoga up to Whitehall.
