McWilliam history: More old McWilliam photos

Thanks again to Helen Bennett I have managed to lay my hands on some more very old photos from the McWilliam archive – which Helen received from her mother, Margaret McWilliam. The photos seem to date mostly from the early 1870s, and there are several factors which give this away – for instance, my grandfather, Rob (born 1873) features as a very young baby, with his parents and alongside his two elder brothers.

The photos, as was normal for the time, are all posed in studio settings, usually with the photographer details on the back of the pictures. The sitters are sometimes easily identifiable, but some of them we are not so sure of. Many are from studios in Dufftown, Keith, Huntly or Elgin. Others are from Glasgow, Edinburgh or even London – and these tend to be the ones we can’t readily identify. The furthest flung of those identifiable, though, is from Chicago, and we are confident that this is of John McWilliam (1826 – 1884) and his son Edward (1865 – 1924).

I will start with a photo which we believe to be of my gg-grandfather, James McWilliam (1804 – 1872) – who features in his own earlier blog entry here. This is the first time I have seen a photo of him and I doubt very much whether we will ever come across any more! The photo was taken in Dufftown by Wood and Henry photographers.

James McWilliam

If we guess him to be about aged 66 in the photo, this means it was taken around 1870.

And here is a photo of his gravestone on which his daughter Margaret (who predeceased him when she was just 20) is also remembered, but before the addition of the name of his wife Margaret (who died just a year after him in 1873) or of his sons who are also now remembered there. I now have a photo of the updated stone (after James's death) which I will post in my separate entry for him.

Next we have a photo of my g-grandparents, Robert McWilliam (1844 – 1915) and Elizabeth Green (1849 – 1934), a head and shoulders of Robert on his own, and one of Robert and Elizabeth with their three eldest sons (James, Alex and Rob). And one of James and Alex on their own.

Robert and Elizabeth McWilliam (née Green)

These next photos, taken in Huntly, we believe to be of Ann Spence (1815 - 1895, wife of Alexander Green 1801 - 1890) and three of her daughters (probably Ann b.1847, Elizabeth b.1848, Jane b.1854) and taken about 1868. Elizabeth married Robert McWilliam. They were my great-grandparents and are featured as a couple above. And of course Ann Spence and Alexander Green were gg-grandparents.

Now here is the Chicago photo, which we believe to be of John McWilliam (1826 – 1884) and his young son Edward (1865 – 1924) at the age of about 3 or 4. John emigrated to Illinois in the 1850s – after his father James had spent many years in New York State before returning to Smithston. John was the oldest brother of my g-grandfather Robert. I suppose that makes him my gg-uncle. And more importantly he is the gg-grandfather of Lucy, Mark, Chalmer, Glenn and Stuart.