Please help MCLEANS Campbeltown--> PEI Canada

[bhuseland]

Hello,

This is my first time on the Kintyre Forum. Hello to all of you. I'm hoping that someone out there might be able to help me.

I have to go back quite a way to get to my Kintyre heritage. My ancestor Joseph McLean left in 1771 on the ship Edinburgh from Campbeltown, Argyllshire for Prince Edward Island (Called St John's Island at that time), Canada. Here's one of the sources for that passage, paid apparently by Robert Stewart, who was a merchant in Campbeltown before starting a settlement in PEI.
http://vre2.upei.ca/islandmagazine/fedo ... ch2-523/OJ

What I don't know is where Joseph came from. It seems that he was from Campbeltown or nearby, in order to have a relationship with the Stewarts. I have no clear idea when he was born, although he had a daughter Margaret who was married in 1793 to Thomas Simpson in PEI. He died in 1829 or 1830, when his will was probated.

1. Does anyone have a suggestion of what records I could search pre-1771 in Kintyre? Are there any such records?

2. If that's impossible, can you say that most McLeans from Campbeltown were descended from any common ancestors? I'd like to know if it's an old Kintyre family or if it's likely he came from some other part of the Highlands/Western Isles.

Thanks so much!
Brian Huseland
Spokane, Washington state (west coast), USA

[Shona]

Hello and welcome to the Kintyre Forum.

I have a number of McLeans in my family tree and they are notoriously difficult to pin down - except for Kintyre's own grave robber, John McLean.

Yes, there are old parish records for Campbeltown that cover this time period (they go back to the mid 17th-century.

The following may be of interest to you - it's not about the McLean family, but the Stewarts. The article is from the Kintyre Antiquarian and Natural History Society Magazine from Spring 1984

Sons of the Highland Manse
A. I. B. Stewart

The Revd. Charles Stewart (born 1682), Minister of the Highland Church in Campbeltown, from 1708 till his death in 1765, married Annabell Campbell, the daughter of John Campbell of Killdalloig, by his marriage with Elizabeth, daughter of Lauchlan McNeill Buidhe of Tirfergus, founder of the families of Ugadale and Lossit. The Highland Manse produced a remarkable family who are enumerated in the MacNeal genealogy compiled in 1748 by Annabell's brother, Archibald Campbell of Danna, Sheriff Clerk of Argyll as follows:-
(1) Archibald Stewart, a surgeon who died unmarried.
(2) Peter Stewart, Writer in Campbeltown.
(3) Robert Stewart, a Storekeeper in Virginia.
(4) Dugald Stewart, Merchant in Campbeltown
(5 ) Elizabeth, married to Mr. Robert Thomson, Minister in Killean, died without issue.
(6) Allice, died unmarried.
(7) Mary, unmarried, and
(8) Annabell, married to Robert Stewart, Merchant in Campbeltown.

Robert, described in 1748 as being a. storekeeper in Virginia, in 1754 exchanged the abacus for the sword and, joined the 1st Virginian Regiment. In 1755, he commanded a troop of Light Horse under the British General Edward Braddock, to whom George Washington was aide, in the disastrous opening action of the Seven Years War. The Battle of the River Monongahela or Fort Duquesne was a disaster. Braddock, a brave officer but completely unused to jungle warfare was ambushed by the French and Indians while crossing the river with colours flying and band playing. He had paid no heed to the advice of the Virginians who had experience of fighting Indians. Stewart's troop acted as a body guard to the General who, in the action, was remounted four times by Stewart who himself had two horses killed under him. The army retreated and Braddock, who was mortally wounded, would have been left to the fate of a prisoner of the Indians, had not Captain Stewart assisted by four of his troopers, carried him from the field. General Braddock died of his wounds a few days later, murmuring "we'll know better how to deal with them next time."

Captain Stewart was eventually promoted Lieutenant Colonel and formed a firm friendship with Washington, with whom he continued in correspondence even after he had returned to England, and Washington became President of the United States. Some 121 letters between the friends survive in the Library of Congress. They cover the period 1755-1784. They were obviously on intimate terms and Stewart visited Washington at Mount Vernon. When the War of Independence broke out, Stewart, who had returned to this country, endeavoured "to remove the very erroneous opinions the Ministers of that day had formed of the General's Character and military abilities." Unfortunately other advice prevailed. Towards the end of the war he was brought to London from Scotland to be sent with overtures for peace to General Washington but indecision and the resignation of the Ministers prevented this happening.

In 1763 British settlers were required for lands in Canada taken from the French. Among these was St. John's, now Prince Edward Island, and in a lottery held in 1767 Stewart along with Captain Allenby R.N. obtained a grant of 20,000 acres there. He never took personal occupation having accepted the post of Comptroller of Customs in Jamaica where it appears his health deteriorated.

In 1783 he wrote his old friend, now President Washington, asking for an appointment as Ambassador or Military Attaché to one of the European Courts but the President replied that such posts were, naturally enough, reserved for those who had fought for the Colonies in the War of Independence. Colonel Stewart died at Hampstead in January 1809 and was buried in the vaults of St. James' Chapel, Tottenham Court Road.

His oldest surviving brother Peter Stewart (1725-1805) after attending Edinburgh University Practised as a lawyer in Campbeltown. His copy of "Lectures on Rhetoric by Dr. Hugh Blair" written in a beautiful script survives. He was Provost of Campbeltown between 1757 and 1769. The Minutes of the Town Council of 29th September 1775 baldly announce that he had left the town. In addition to his law practice had had been engaged in partnership with his sister's Annabella's Husband, Robert Stewart, in an unsuccessful fish merchanting business.

The sad story of this venture is told in a letter dated 22nd August 1775 from his kinsman Hector McAllister (another descendant of Lauchlan of Tirfergus) in Arran to his brother in North Carolina reporting the death of Hector's brother-in-law Fullerton of Corse in Arran. The latter's father had given security for debts of a fishing company in Campbeltown. "Provost Peter Stewart of Campbeltown, our cousin, and Robert Stewart that is married to the Provost's sister had the management of the company concern. They are both left the country and gone to the Island of St. John's on the coast of North America and have left security of my father-in-law to a considerable amount behind them for which I am to be distressed."

Peter had married Helen daughter of the chief of Clan Mackinnon in 1758. Her father had been taken prisoner shortly after parting from Prince Charles Edward in 1746 by yet another descendant of Lachlan McNeill Buidhe of Tirfergus, namely Lachlan McNeill, Surveyor of Customs at Campbeltown and an officer on General Campbell's staff, searching the Highlands for the Prince.

Peter Stewart had heard from his brother Robert that the post of Chief Justice of Prince Edward Island was vacant and having secured the post he set out with his wife and family for the New World to join his sister Annabella and her husband who with their children had preceded them in 1770. A vivid account of the voyage in 1775 and subsequent shipwreck was left by his daughter Penelope who in due course married the first James McNutt (See footnote).

They sailed from Greenock in the last week of July in an English, brig chartered by her father with an English crew accompanied in addition to the family and servants by "several of my father's people who intended settling in the Colony, for he had two townships granted him by King George III. We had made ample provision for ourselves and added an additional supply of pork and oatmeal, sufficient to last two years................ Although I was only ten years old I felt very lonely on leaving dear old Scotland and the well beloved home that I shall never forget."

The weather during the voyage was "capricious" and an error in navigation brought the vessel to the north, instead of the south coast of the island where the ship was driven ashore in a heavy gale. Fortunately as it happened the ship soon broke up bringing wreckage and casks of beef, oatmeal and flour on to the shore. Two encampments "one for our family and attendants, the other for the ship's company and emigrants" were erected and provided adequate protection. Her brothers attempted to penetrate the forest but because of the depth of snow and severe frost this was impossible.

They were saved by an Indian hunter who with snowshoes could travel 40 miles per day. He advised them of their position and told them he'd return in the Spring. A couple of weeks after the cries of geese announced the advent of Spring, the Indian appeared and conducted Peter Stewart in his canoe to Malpeque, 40 miles across the Island.

Penelope concludes by stating that it was towards the end of June, eleven months after leaving Scotland, some five months of which were spent in frozen isolation, that a schooner arrived and took them to Charlottetown P. E. I.

Dugald, the Rev. Charles' youngest son, and apparently a "stickit minister" had become master of his own brigantine the "Annabella" in which he conveyed his sister Annabella and her husband Robert and family along with many Kintyre settlers to Prince Edward Island in 1770. Among the names of passengers were Galbraith, McMillan, McNeill, Montgomery, McGougan, McArthur, McDougall and McKay. Dugald Ramsay's ancestor who had been a tenant of "Baron" Neal McNeal of Ugadale was also with them. (See footnote.) Dugald Stewart (1730-1791) continued seafaring and died in London in 1791 of a stroke sustained shortly after the arrival from Leghorn of his ship Endeavour which was owned by a Mr. Cambridge. (Could this have been a Kintyre McCambridge?)

Annabella's husband Robert (1731-1787) was a grandson of the Revd. Dugald Stewart of Rothesay and a cousin of the distinguished Mathematician and Philosopher Professor Dugald Stewart of Edinburgh University. He became the first speaker of the P.E.I. Parliament founded in 1773 and up till his death was recognised as the leader of the community.

Mary, stated to be unmarried in 1740 was the only one of the family to remain in Scotland. She married about 1765 the Rev. George Robertson whose presentation in 1766 to the Lowland Kirk by the Duke of Argyll against the wishes of the members was the occasion of the secession of most of the congregation and the setting up of the Relief or Longrow Kirk.

Peter had seven children by his first marriage and four by his second. Dugald is only known to have had one daughter. Annabella had eight children. Descendants of these Stewarts are known to have lived all over the English speaking world.

NOTE:
This article was stimulated by "Malpeque and its people" published by the Historical Society of this little Canadian Community and by the late Mr. Dugald Ramsay to whom it is dedicated. I am indebted to Mr. James McNutt for permission to quote from it and to Mr. Donald Stewart of Charlottetown, P.E.I. who although of Perthshire stock has done much research on the Campbeltown Stewarts and has provided me with the bulk of the material on which the short biography of Colonel Robert is based and also with Penelope's account of the voyage and shipwreck.

[duncanmclean1]

Hi Brian,

Having spent considerable time and energy over the past few years trying to answer similar questions regarding my own ancestor (John McLean, b. abt. 1742, living in Aros then Campbeltown) I can say that yes, there are some records surviving from C18 Campbeltown but I've been through all of them and haven't come across any relating to a Joseph McLean in that period I'm afraid.

I've also been trying to answer your second question for some time. The traditional areas of Scotland occupied by members of the MacLean and MacLaine Clans was further north in Argyll - typically Mull, Morvern, Coll, Tiree and parts of Islay. They were a seafaring clan and travelled extensively in the Inner Hebrides and mainland. There are some records of visits to Kintyre but mostly in the north, around Tarbert and the Isle of Gigha. There weren't many McLeans in Kintyre before C18 but the Dukes of Argyll had large estates there and as many McLeans were living on other Duke of Argyll land elsewhere in Argyll I wonder if some families were encouraged to relocate to Kintyre to assist with development of the area.

What I would be interested to know is what your ancestor's occupation was - do you know? Possibly a sailor or fisherman? The fact that he hasn't shown up in Parish Records isn't significant as there are many gaps in the records. However, have you considered that he might have been Irish? The south of Kintyre is only a few miles from the Antrim coast and there was considerable trading between the two places. Also, Joseph is more typically an Irish forename than Scots.

In my own case I'm turning to DNA testing in an attempt to track down when my ancestors lived before they came to Kintyre. Have you done the same? I've been tested by ftdna through the MacLean/MacLaine DNA Project and there are many other McLeans already on the database, including some from PEI.

All the best,

Duncan McLean