McPherson & Downie Families
Replies: 6
Downie, Glen Orchy
| Frank Bigwood (View posts) | Posted: 17 Feb 2001 12:00PM GMT |
Classification: Query
Could I suggest that a confusion with Glenurquhart would have to be a modern one whereas the source of the information is an 18th century document where the information came from the emigrants themselves. As Gaelic speakers they would use the form Gleann Urcha. Even to an English-speaking customs officer Gleann Urchardainn would sound quite different. Glen Orchy is correct because the emigration in 1774 is well known and involved familes from Glen Orchy and from Kintyre who apparently travelled to Greenock to join the vessel. The ship Ulysses sailed in August 1774 from Greenock to Wilmington and Glenurcha is the spelling on the passenger list on which Malcolm McPherson and Christian Downie appear.
To turn to the original posting, there is a Downie family in Glen Orchy which may fit. The likelihood is high but it cannot be said to be 100% certain. In 1766 John Downie, merchant in Craig in Glen Orchy (on the North side of the River Orchy about a mile east of Glen Orchy Church), died in considerable debt. His creditors raised a number of court actions against the widow and children to claim payment of the debts and the documentation of these actions has survived and is to be found in the records of the Commissary Court of Argyll in the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh under the references CC2/2/67/3, 8 and 10. These cases record that the relictÂ’s (widowÂ’s) name was Ann McIntyre and that there were 7 children: Donald, John, Duncan, Malcom, Mary, Christlack and Christian. We are also told that Mary was married to John McIntyre in Drisaig (now Drishaig at the head of Lochawe about two miles west of the village of Dalmally) and that ChristlackÂ’s husband was Malcom McVurich in Kinachreckan (now Kinchrackine just at Dalmally). Christian was apparently unmarried at the time. However, a John McIntyre and Mary Downie appear on the Ulysses list and the fact that Christian, now with a husband, appears on the same list makes it quite likely that this is a case of family members emigrating together.
The word merchant at this time in Argyll could mean anything from shopkeeper to a shipowner and major exporter. In this case it appears that John Downie was a chapman, a travelling merchant who would go round the townships selling his wares.
Could I warn that, if you are going to try to follow this further, the parish name Clachandysart is often used instead of Glen Orchy and that to follow up John DownieÂ’s wife may be difficult because of the very large number of McIntyres in the area.
Frank Bigwood
To turn to the original posting, there is a Downie family in Glen Orchy which may fit. The likelihood is high but it cannot be said to be 100% certain. In 1766 John Downie, merchant in Craig in Glen Orchy (on the North side of the River Orchy about a mile east of Glen Orchy Church), died in considerable debt. His creditors raised a number of court actions against the widow and children to claim payment of the debts and the documentation of these actions has survived and is to be found in the records of the Commissary Court of Argyll in the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh under the references CC2/2/67/3, 8 and 10. These cases record that the relictÂ’s (widowÂ’s) name was Ann McIntyre and that there were 7 children: Donald, John, Duncan, Malcom, Mary, Christlack and Christian. We are also told that Mary was married to John McIntyre in Drisaig (now Drishaig at the head of Lochawe about two miles west of the village of Dalmally) and that ChristlackÂ’s husband was Malcom McVurich in Kinachreckan (now Kinchrackine just at Dalmally). Christian was apparently unmarried at the time. However, a John McIntyre and Mary Downie appear on the Ulysses list and the fact that Christian, now with a husband, appears on the same list makes it quite likely that this is a case of family members emigrating together.
The word merchant at this time in Argyll could mean anything from shopkeeper to a shipowner and major exporter. In this case it appears that John Downie was a chapman, a travelling merchant who would go round the townships selling his wares.
Could I warn that, if you are going to try to follow this further, the parish name Clachandysart is often used instead of Glen Orchy and that to follow up John DownieÂ’s wife may be difficult because of the very large number of McIntyres in the area.
Frank Bigwood