Maternal lines

I am pleased to show that I am not only interested in paternal ancestry, and can offer the following for now. I hope eventually to be able to show this in a chart and also to be able to include some more photographs.

My grandfather Robert McWilliam married Janet (known as Jessie) Pirrie in 1905 – and they had 10 children. Jessie was born in Inveravon parish in 1882. Here again is the only picture I have of a young Jessie - aged 16 in 1898. (Thanks to cousin Susan.)

                                                                     

Inveravon is a rural parish, south of Dufftown and stretching from Chapeltown through Tomnavoulin, Auchbreck and Glenlivit across to Ballindalloch on Speyside. Excellent whisky country these days, but otherwise mostly pretty difficult hill farming! The parish includes most of Ben Rinnes – one of my favourite hills. It borders Mortlach and Cabrach parishes to the north-east.

Jessie was the 9^th child in a family of 13. Her parents were George Pirrie (1848 – 1920) and Jane Stuart (1848 – 1914). George Pirrie was the eldest of 5 born to John Pirie (1816 - ?) and his wife Margaret Anderson (1817? - ?). John Pirie was a cooper by trade, i.e. he made wooden barrels – no doubt for the whisky industry, which began to grow significantly (and legally) after the excise act of 1823. Please note that the variation in the spelling of the Pirrie/Pirie surname is an accurate reflection of the records! Jane Stuart was the youngest in a family of 3 born to her parents James Stuart (1806 – 1877) and his second wife Ann Sharp (? - ?). James Stuart also had 3 children with his first wife Mary Grant (1817 - ?).

And James Stuart (1806 – 1877) was the youngest of 3 children of William Stuart (1770 – 1845) and Jean Riach (dates?). James and William Stuart were both shoemakers by trade.

So for those of you who are my first cousins, William Stuart and Jean Riach are great great great grandparents. John Pirie and Margaret Anderson are great great grandparents.

And thank you to cousin Diana for much of the above!

Grandfather Robert McWilliam’s parents were Robert McWilliam (1844 – 1915) and Elizabeth Green (1848 – 1934). Elizabeth was the daughter of Alexander Green (1801 – 1890) a crofter at Sandyhillock, Glack of Pitglassie, and his wife Ann Spence (1815 – 1895) who was born in Drumachter (presumably an old spelling of Drumochter).

Alexander Green’s parents were Robert Green and Elizabeth Donald. Ann Spence was the daughter of John Spence and Janet McWilliam.

Great grandfather Robert McW was the son of great great grandfather James McWilliam (1804 – 1872) and Margaret Shearer (1802 – 1873), who was born at the Raws (another Mortlach farm). Margaret’s parents were Alexander Shearer and Isabella Donald.

I have no dates or further information on these six who were great great great grandparents to me and my cousins, but I will try to look into this. They must have been roughly contemporaries of Lewis McWilliam (1760 – 1840).

So, just to repeat some of that, 8 of our great great great grandparents were Lewis McWilliam and Anne Munro, Alexander Shearer and Isabella Donald, Robert Green and Elizabeth Donald, John Spence and Janet McWilliam. Farming or crofting stock all the way, with a couple of minor variations in whisky and in shoe-making! Who needs anything else?

Thanks to Helen Bennett for this information.