HomeMy WebLinkAbout691Duotang bound book, 23 pages, written and donated by Eleanor Todd, a history of
Annie Beattie Wannop Beer.
"from Annan on the Solway Firth in Dumfries to Brougham in Pickering Township,
Canada in 1881
Beattie,Graham
Annie Beattie Wannop Beer
1864- 1951
This is my effort to research and record my paternal grandmother's Scottish ancestry.
PICKERING PUBLIC library
These pages are photocopied
from a family tree I made for my children.
Ms. Eleanor Todd
PO Box 43
Goodwood, ON, L0C 1A0
"
"PEOPLE OF THE SCOTTISH BORDER
Granny Beer's ancestors were border people in the Lowlands of Scotland as far back as
I was able to trace them. If they had always been border people, their lives must have
been filled with uncertainty, hardship and violence to put it mildly. They were always in
or near the path of invading armies from both the south and the north and often the target
of cattle rustlers from the Highlands, or - it is just possible that they may have been
rustlers themselves 500 years ago. The border area between England and Scotland
has been described as a No Man's Land dividing two hostile armies, being taken and
retaken by one side or the other for most of its history.
I found the BEATTIES and MURRAYS in Canonbie parish within three or four miles of
the border with England, and the GRAHAMS in the parish of Cummertrees on the north
shore of the Solway Firth, to the west of Annan, all in Dumfriesshire.
Back in the first couple of centuries AD, the Romans had penetrated as far north as
Dumfries and there are the remains of Roman forts and a Roman road crossing through
it. Hadrian's Wall is not far away, crossing England from the Tyne to the south shore of
the Solway Firth, but it didn't stop the Picts, who eventually drove the Romans out.
Dumfries was a Pictish kingdom called Rheged for a couple of centuries and then the
Anglo-Saxons came along and added Rheged to Northumbria. The Anglo-Saxons
never managed to conquer the rest of Scotland but they no doubt tried, and you can
imagine where the warring factions met to settle their disputes.
Also from about the 4th century there were Scots from Ireland always seeking to enlarge
their domains in Galloway to the west of Dumfries. By the 9th century they had
succeeded. Then in the 10th century the Norse raids increased and the Norse firmly
established themselves as masters of Northumbria, which still included Dumfries.
So, by the time the Normans crossed the channel to conquer England and add their
bloodlines in 1066, the people of Dumfries were already a thoroughly mixed race -
some Gael (like the Highlanders), Briton (a Celtic race}, Roman, Teutonic
(the Anglo-Saxons), and Norse.
"
"Stories of Robert the Bruce have flourished in Dumfries because it was his home
territory (his grandfather, a Norman, had been made Lord of Annandale along with his
other territories on both sides of the border) and the people were his vassals,
obliged to follow him into battle whenever the need arose. At the end of the 13th
century King Edward I of England burned and massacred everything in his path as
he pursued, first William Wallace, and then the legendary Robert I who was the king of
all Scotland until 1329. The invasions and border raids continued through the 14th
century by Edward's successors and if they didn't obliterate some of Granny's ancestors,
then surely the Black Death did, for the plague had reached Scotland by 1349 and took
the lives of a third of the people before it finally died out 25 years later.
There was little security for the people along the border until the 16th century when the
King of Scotland married Margaret Tudor, the daughter of the King of England, in 1503.
Even then the border was a lawless place with the various lords and earls feuding among
themselves. The high ground of Dumfries is dotted with the ruins of peel towers where
men were stationed for the purpose of lighting beacon fires on the parapets to warn of
oncoming armies or raiders. Margaret Tudor's son, James V, is said to have led an
expedition into the border country in 1529 to enforce peace. He took 8000 men with
him and killed many, even those who surrendered. The fiercely independent border
people must have resented authority no matter which direction it came from, or maybe
they just enjoyed a good fight.
According to legend, a clan of BEATTIESONS occupied the wild lands around
Eskdalemuir (parishes of Ewes and Esk) in the 16th century but James V gave these
lands to Lord Maxwell in return for favours. Most of the Beattiesons were expelled when
they plotted to murder the new landlord. I'm merely jumping to conclusions of course,
but it seems likely that these were the forebears of Granny's people and some of them
must have ended up a few miles to the south in the parish of Canonbie, some of the
lands belonging to the Earl of Buccleuch. Some of the MURRAYS also found their way
there at a later date. They appear to have originated farther west, being a significant
clan in the vicinity of Murraythwaite. But then feudalism had caused the clan
"
"system to disappear in the Lowlands long before it died out in the north.
I'm getting ahead of myself here. When James IV married Margaret Tudor the event
should have brought some peace and stability to the border lands but unfortunately the
relative calm was short-live because James tried to break the treaty after his wife's
father died and in retaliation, Margaret's brother, the infamous Henry VIII, decimated the
Scots at Flodden in 1513. Margaret's son, James V, was only a child at the time but he
suffered his own disaster when 3000 English wiped out 10 000 Scots at Solway Moss
(about 5 miles from Canonbie) in 1542. No doubt there were Beatties losing their lives
in that battle but I can't help wondering how they felt about fighting for James after so
recently losing the land they considered their own on his orders.
After the Battle of Solway Moss Henry VIII sent 12 000 men north to totally devastate
the border country. Surely that would have been enough to dampen the enthusiasm for
independence but the religious conflicts were just beginning. The Scots, especially in
the south, threw all their passions into converting to Protestantism, the Presbyterian kind,
and resisted all attempts to make them more Episcopal, the Anglican kind.
The conflict was always over church government, not creed.
The 17th century is full of legends about the persecution of the Covenanters,
The Annandale area especially has stories about them holding secret meetings on
remote hillsides and hiding out in the upper reaches to avoid slaughter when their true
convictions became known. The period was called The Killing Times
(Reign of Charles II) because so many were killed, tortured, hanged or imprisoned.
Both Annandale and Canonbie have their legends about witch burning too.
Most of these were older ladies, well versed in healing and midwifery.
I tend to think that if Granny Beer had been born a few centuries earlier she would
have been a prime candidate for persecution, especially when I remember the story
about her wrapping herself in a sheet and going to the cemetery to scare people on
Hallowe'en.
In 1689 William of Orange was in charge of the kingdom and promised religious
freedom for all. Presbyterians in Scotland were able to ""come out of the closet""
at last.
"
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"THE PEOPLE IN CANONBIE PARISH
Religious freedom was declared in 1690 and that is approximately when the old parish
records for Canonbie begin. Although the first pages are next to impossible to read,
the Beattie and Dixon surnames are certainly there, as well as a number of Grahams
who may or may not be the forebears of those who were found in the Annan area later.
Canonbie itself was originally a priory, at the very least from the 12th century, and the
lands around it would have been priory lands. Perhaps that is why it would have made a
good refuge for the Beattiesons expelled from the lands a few miles farther up river.
The river Esk splits the parish into two parts, both sides together making it about half the
size of the former Township of Uxbridge. When Granny's people lived there, about 1000
acres were under cultivation and the rest was treed. There are no great hills as in
Eskdalemuir but the land is uneven. There as some good farmland close to the river
but apparently, before the days of drainage systems, there was also much land that only
produced well in dry seasons and wet seasons were the norm. A lot of the cultivated
land was kept in grass for cattle and sheep.
The Church lost its lands when Protestantism came to Scotland. Henry VIII is said to
have demolished the buildings at Canonbie after the battle at Solway Moss.
The parish probably became one of the Buccleuch holdings circa 1596 when Sir Walter
Scott of Buccleuch was the Scottish Warden of the Marches. Sir Walter Scott who wrote
Ivanhoe and Lochinvar was a descendant of one of the younger sons of the family.
The Earls of Buccleuch never kept a residence at Canonbie but sometimes spent part
of the year 3 or 4 miles away at Langholm. An estate manager would have lived at
Canonbie the year round, probably at Irvine where there is a rather fine manor house,
and rented out the various farm complexes to tenants, many of whom were Beatties
if the Monumental inscriptions are any indication.
Granny Beer's two Beattie lines were found at the two practically neighbouring farms
of Torcoon and Toomshieldburn and were probably related but I wasn't able to find the
connection. The Murrays moved from the neighbouring parish of Westerkirk to another
nearby farm called Bogg and also lived and worked at Glenzier where Granny's
grandmother was born.
"
"Before the agricultural revolution at the end of the 18th century, and even for a number
of years afterward, these farms were like self-contained villages with no roads as such
connecting them. When people travelled they walked. In the 1730s there were only two
carts (no wagons or carriages) in the entire parish. This suggests that the only produce
grown was for home consumption. The land was used for sheep and cattle and when
they went to market they were driven on foot (no cowboys here) but more about that later.
At each farm there would be a large farmhouse where the tenant farmer and his family
lived, along with several unmarried year round servants. There would also be several
cottages where married servants would live with their families, and some of the cottages
would house workers such as blacksmiths, weavers or carpenters who paid their rent by
sending their wives and daughters to help with the farm work when extra hands were
needed. Often a couple of acres for a worker's personal use went with a cottage.
He could keep a cow and some chickens and grow his own potatoes.
Most of the wages were paid in produce so workers didn't suffer the same degree of
hardship as workers in the south when food prices skyrocketed as they did during the
Napoleonic wars.
Many of the cottages had dirt floors, thatched roofs, and turf walls so they were easily
pulled down as mechanization increased and fewer workers were needed.
The agricultural revolution was well underway by the 1790s and the Duke of Buccleuch
(not an earl any more) had authorized a number of improvements in Canonbie,
Roads and bridges were being constructed. Two open-face coal mines were operating
and trees had been planted to replace those that had been used for fuel and building
materials. Several orchards had been planted and some new farms and farm buildings
had been laid out on land that hadn't been ploughed before. This included enclosures -
hedges and stone walls, so that the parish could take advantage of the high wartime
prices for grain, but it also meant less land for livestock to range freely.
Actually wheat was only successful on the farms nearest the Esk so outlying farms such
as Toomshieldburn and Torcoon were probably still relying on oats and barley along with
hay crops for the cattle which were still the main source of income.
"
"THE BEATT1ES AND MURRAYS HERE ""COWBOYS""
In 1851 Granny Beer's father, James Beattie, was still unmarried and living at
Toomshieldburn, By then the land had been divided into two farms of about 200 acres
each and there was only one cottage left at each farm. James' cousin, Simon Dixon,
was operating one farm with the help of two servants plus his own family, and a weaver
was living in the cottage. The other 200 acres were being farmed by James'
Uncle William, His Uncles James and John had already left home and were seeking
their fortunes in the vicinity of Annan. (At some point John migrated to Canada.)
His older brothers had also left Canonbie to work elsewhere by that time. James'
parents and sisters lived in the farmhouse along with Uncle William's family and another
male servant.
At Torcoon the main farm was tenanted by his Aunt Agnes Armstrong's family but
David Beattie was leasing 18 acres and the three still occupied cottages housed two
weavers and their families and a tailor. Barngleis, which was more isolated, still had two
farmsteads and four cottages, and there were seven full-time servants housed with the f
arm families. There were seven more cottages out at the March where Granny's father
had been born. I think the chief occupation at the March was sheep-rearing but
some cattle were being fattened for market as well.
Thomas Beattie (James' father) and William Murray (his grandfather) were cattle
dealers, not farmers. This probably meant that they spent a lot of time away from home,
meeting drovers from the Highlands or Galloway at the Trysts, selecting and buying
cattle and droving them on foot back to Canonbie to be fattened, and on south to the
markets in England. They may have owned a few head themselves but most of the
cattle they bought and sold would be for the large landowners or the tenant farmers-
By the 19th century drovers and dealers had a great reputation for honesty,
working for several men at the same time and being trusted to handle all the
negotiations and expenses, and to divide the profits fairly at the end of each drive.
Granny's father no doubt assisted either his father or grandfather when he was a
young man. Granny had a letter in her possession from a man thanking her father for
telling him about the days when the men went into Galloway to purchase Polled
Angus cattle. But by 1850 the droving days were coming to an end.
With better farming methods cattle
"
"could be fattened where they were bred and there were better ways of getting them to
market, ie: railroads and ships.
Cattle droving hadn't always been an honorable occupation. From the earliest times
cattle had been the main form of wealth in Scotland and cattle raiding seems to have
been the chief occupation of the Scots (when they weren't fighting) up until the 17th
century. When Henry VIII laid waste to the Border country after the Battle of Solway
Moss, his men drove 10,386 cattle and 12,000 sheep back to England, animals which
various lairds no doubt had been previously stealing from each other. From that time on
there were many laws and regulations passed on both sides of the border to try to
bring law and order to cattle dealing, but thievery was practically a tradition and was
hard to stop.
Cattle dealers supposedly had to pay a tax when crossing into England but most of
them were experts at finding secret locations for smuggling the herds through.
Host droving was done on foot and for obvious reasons the drovers were allowed
to be heavily armed, even after the general population was prohibited from carrying
weapons in the mid 1700s. The drovers also had to carry large sums of money with
them. It was ""protection"" money for passing through the wild areas, and pasture
money for areas where the land had been enclosed. Usually farmers didn't object to
providing pasture because a lot of manure was left behind. They say you can still tell
where those old drove roads existed because the grass is noticeably greener.
At the time of the wars with France the droves might be in the thousands with cattle
stretching back along the trail as far as the eye could see. In Granny's father's time
there were also a lot of sheep being moved along the drove roads. Perhaps this is
where James Beattie got his experience as a shepherd.
At some point during the 1850s, or perhaps after his father died, (July 9, 1859 at
Scotsdyke Toll Bar) Granny's father left Canonbie Parish and moved down to the
Annan area to seek work. His Uncle James Seattle was established at Newbie
by this time, as a cattle breeder and proprietor of the 270 acre farm, also the
employer of 20 or more men at Newbie Fishing. All the land in the area had once
belonged to the Marquises of Annandale and Wardens of the West Border;
there were the ruins of a castle on the property, but at this point in
"
time a tat of lana in Scotland was being sola to wealthy, untitled
individuals, many of them English. A man named McKenzie had purchased
a lot of land including Howes, Waterfoot and newbie on the outskirts
of Annan.
James' brother, Simon Beattie, had been working for their Uncle
James as a general purpose man and learning his expertise in cattle
judging but he had left for Canada by 1854. Granny's father probably
worked for his uncle some of the time. His occupations in various
records ranged from farm labour, flasher and flshe[man to farmer.
He tended to change residence often as well, mostly in the Annan
area but Granny and her sister Elizabeth were born at Dalton several
miles away.
When Simon Beattie cam a to Canada he sailed with William Miller
to help him look after some livestock he had purchased to improve the
breeds on his father's farm north of Brougham. The Millers had
emigrated from Dumfries to Ontario some 20 years earlier. Simon
stayed in Canada working first for George Miller of Markham and
marrying his daughter Mary in 1860. Then he went to work as farm
pager for M.H. Cochrane in Quebec. Mr. Cochrane had the money and
Simon had the expertise and the two built up a championship herd of
shorthorns. Meanwhile Simon was putting his own savings into cattle
and was able to start farming for himself in Pickering and Scarborough
Simon and Mr. Cochrane not only imported stock from Scotland but they
improved the breeds here in Canada and resold animals in England for
headline -grabbing prices. Apparently Simon wasn't above bragging a
little about his success.
s. There was a scratch on the glass in
Granny's china cabinetthat was supposedly put there by Simon using
the stone in his diamond ring.
Simon not only made a name for himself a5 a stock importer but
also as an international cattle judge and all around expert. For
instance, the Chicago Stock Yards sent him to Kansas in 1884 to
investigate a possible breakout of foot and mouth disease. Simon was
married three times but only stayed home long enough to produce two
children. He returned to Dumfries to live when he retired and died
in 1888, not at home but in a hotel at Ecclefechan.
No doubt Granny's father thought he might experience some of the
same good fortune when he came to Canada in 1881 in charge of some
139
more thoroughbred stock (sheep I think) for the same Miller family. But times had changed.
First he was much older than his brother had been, and he had a large family to provide for.
And the boom times were over. There was no Crimean War or American Civil War to
boost the Canadian economy. Granny's father got work with the Millers as a shepherd
and his sons worked for various farmers in the district, probably the same as they would
have done if they'd stayed in Scotland. Besides, I think Granny's dad may have been a
little too fond of his whiskey. Mrs. Wannop had a story about him and her grandfather,
Mr. Littlejohn, in the hotel driving shed taking a swig from a bottle that someone had
urinated in. Even the house that James Beattie lived in at the end of his days was
bought by Granny out of her earnings.
"THE GRAHAMS AND VIVERS OF CUMMERTREES PARISH
In 1856 James Beattie married Granny's mother, Mary Graham at Howes, Annan.
Mary's father, James Graham, had moved there from the farm at Justinlees about six or
seven years earlier. It was a smaller farm but he may not have been farming at all and was
concentrating on bacon curing which had always been a sideline. His son, James Jr.,
also a bacon curer, died there shortly after the family moved.
His older son, William Graham, had married Granny's Aunt Sybella Beattie and farmed at
Waterfoot near Newbie. My guess is that Granny' s father and mother met through the
connection at Waterfoot. William Graham was a witness at their wedding along with
James Beattie's cousin, William James Pool Beattie of Newbie House.
Both the Beatties and the Grahams had connections to the Pools. a family long established
in Annan and many of which were bacon curers. Uncle James Seattle's wife was Mary Pool
and its a good guess that his marriage had helped him finance the beginnings of his
thoroughbred herds, James Graham's mother had been Ann Pool, but I think (not proven
yet) that she was the widow of William Pool and had several Pool children.
James Graham and his father before him were from Annan originally but they had leased
Justinlees Farm from the agents of the Marquess of Queensbury (the principal landowner
in Cummertrees Parish) from at least 1817, and probably several years earlier around the
end of the war with Napoleon. It was difficult to learn anything specific about the Grahams
except that Cummertrees Parish was full of them, and that they had once been a powerful
border clan.
Granny's Graham grandmother had died when her mother was only seven years old.
She was Elizabeth Vivers, born probably at Murthat, a farm about a mile away from
Justinlees. Her father, William Vivers, and his father before him had been tenants at
Murthat since the 1750s. But the Vivers family wasn't native to Dumfries.
They had originated in Yorkshire and probably France before that.
William Vivers died a year before Elizabeth and James were married.
The marriage was recorded in both Annan and Cummertrees parishes
(This was a common practice.) and fascinating, for me at least,
Elizabeth was called ELEANOR. It could have been an error, but twice?
More likely she had two names. I couldn't find her christening record to prove it.
"
"1. Beatties of Canonbie Parish Dumfries shire Scotland
Lines for my great grandfather, James Beattie, 1837-1911 on the maternal side from
Old Scottish Registers, Memorial Inscriptions, Census, Bible etc.
Arthur Beattie & Jean Irving (1698-1771 Toomsheildburn) Possible ancestry for both
Beattie lines:
John (1730-1744),
Andrew (Feb.3, 1934),
David (July 6, 1738-April 23, 1764).
William Beattie (ca 1730-Dec.26, 1907 at Torcoon) & Isobel Rae (ca 1743-Sept.23,
1843 at Beckside):
Lvd Toomshieldburn and Torcoon
Jean Beattie (b. Jan.30, 1768 Toomshieldburn) m. Glenzierhead June 22, 1792 William
Murray (Jan 30, 1772 Bogg),
Andrew (Nov.23, 1769-Apr.1, 1837) m. Jane Scott,
Jannet (June 18, 1772),
James (Aug.5, 1773-Apr.28, 1817),
John (July 11, 1784),
Margaret (1791-Apr.22, 1826).
Jean Beattie (b. Jan.30, 1768 Toomshieldburn) & William Murray (Jan 30, 1772 Bogg)
m. Glenzierhead June 22, 1792:
John (Aug.16, 1793),
Libby (March 15, 1795),
John (Jan.9, 1797),
Rebecca Murray (Sept.3, 1799 Glenzier-Oct.30, 1871 Annan) m. Toomsheildburn
Oct.9, 1818 Thomas Beattie (Sept.6, 1793 Torcoon-July 9,1859 Scotsdyke),
Thomas (Apr.6, 1797),
James (Feb.24, 1802),
Janet (Nov.3, 1805),
David (Sept.13, 1808).
Rebecca Murray (Sept.3, 1799 Glenzier-Oct.30, 1871 Annan) & Thomas Beattie
(Sept.6, 1793 Torcoon-July 9,1859 Scotsdyke) m. Toomsheildburn Oct.9, 1818:
Jean (chr. Mar.24, 1819),
William (b. Feb.8, 1821),
John (Oct.13, 1825),
Simon (Sept.15, 1827),
John (c. 1831),
Janet (b. May 30, 1835),
James (b. Jan.1, 1837),
Janet (c 1838),
Marion (c. 1840),
William.
"
"2. Beatties of Canonbie Parish, Dumfries shire, Scotland. Lines for my great
grandfather, James Beattie, 1837-1911 on the paternal side from Old Scottish
Registers, Memorial Inscriptions, Census, Bible & letter from Hugh Beattie.
John Beattie & Isobel (or Eliz.) Carruthers:
Thomas Beattie (c. March 2, 1740).
Thomas Beattie (c. March 2, 1740) & Elizabeth Elliott:
Lvd. Torcoon
Daughter (chr. Apr.19, 1761),
Agnes (Nov.28, 1762),
William Beattie (chr. Oct.28, 1764 Torcoon- March 18, 1843 Toomshieldburn) m.
Torcoon June 22, 1792 Jean Dixon (chr. April 10, 1771 Hillyholm- Oct.17, 1851
Toomshieldburn),
Andrew (March 2, 1762),
John (Apr. 17, 1774),
Agnes (Aug.___1776),
Thomas (Sept.7, 1777),
James (May 9, 1779),
Thomas (Sept.3, 1779),
Francis (March 3, 1782),
David (Oct. 10, 1784).
William Beattie (chr. Oct.28, 1764 Torcoon- March 18, 1843 Toomshieldburn) &
Jean Dixon (chr. April 10, 1771 Hillyholm- Oct.17, 1851 Toomshieldburn) m. Torcoon
June 22, 1792:
Thomas Beattie (Sept.6, 1793 Torcoon-July 9, 1859 Scotsdyke Tollbar) m.
Toomshieldburn Oct.9, 1818 Rebecca Murray (Sept.3, 1799 Glenzier-Oct.30, 1871
Battlehill, Annan),
John (b. Jan.5, 1795) m. Margaret Dalgleish to Canada 1830s,
Agnes (b. March 10, 1797 d. infant),
Andrew (March 28, 1797) m. Jean Moffat lvd. Half Morton ch: Jane, Janet, James,
Agnes,
Simon (Aug.24, 1800-Mar.6,1824 London),
Nannie (Agnes) (c 1802) m. Robt. Armstrong lvd Torcoon,
William (c 1806-Oct.28, 1883 Battlehill, Annan) m. Helen Oliver ch: Jane, Robt., Jennet,
James (c.1809-May.2, 1895 Newbie, Annan) m. Mary Pool Nov.21, 1833,
Francis (c.1811-Feb.22, 1900 Powfoot, Annan) m. Eliz. Hope,
David (c. 1812-Age 3),
David (c. 1815- June 1, 1901 Moat Rd. Annan retired butcher) m. Helen Hope.
Thomas Beattie (Sept.6, 1793 Torcoon-July 9, 1859 Scotsdyke Tollbar) & Rebecca
Murray (Sept.3, 1799 Glenzier-Oct.30, 1871 Battlehill, Annan) m. Toomshieldburn
Oct.9, 1818:
Toomshieldburn
Jean (c. Mar.24, 1819),
William (b. Feb.8, 1822),
Barngleis
John (b. Oct.13, 1825),
Simon (b. Sept.15, 1827),
John (c. 1831),
Toomshieldburn
Janet (b. May 30, 1835),
Barngleis March
James (b. Jan.1, 1837),
Janet (c. 1838),
Marion (c. 1840),
Nannie.
Nannie (Agnes) (c 1802) & Robt. Armstrong:
lvd Torcoon
John,
William,
Simon,
David,
Andrew,
Marg.,
Robt.,
Agnes (d. June 20, 1845).
James (c.1809-May.2, 1895 Newbie, Annan) & Mary Pool m. Nov.21, 1833:
Helen,
Wm. Jas. Pool,
David,
Mary Jane,
Agnes,
Matthew J.,
Martha,
John A.
Francis (c.1811-Feb.22, 1900 Powfoot, Annan) & Eliz. Hope:
William*,
Thos.,
Fanny,
MaryJane,
James,
Joseph,
Eliz.
*Wm. Beattie (Sept.26, 1841-Jan.27, 1895 bur. Stouffville, Ont.) m. Eliz. Sommerville.
Ch: Robt., Annie & Archie. In Can. By 1871 working for cousin Simon farmed in
Mongolia S. of Stouff.*
David (c. 1815- June 1, 1901 Moat Rd. Annan retired butcher) & Helen Hope:
James,
Francis,
Mary,
Agnes,
David,
Jane,
Helen,
Eliz.,
Wm.,
Thomasine.
"
"Dixons of Canonbie Parish, Dumfries shire Scotland
Lines for Jean Dixon who married William Beattie
from Old Scottish Registers & Memorial Inscriptions
John Dixon & Jean Irving:
Elizabeth (Sept.19, 1702),
Jennet (June 30, 1706),
James (Sept.24, 1709),
Francis Dixon (Dec.2, 1711) lived Howland Hill and Chaleleugh head,
John (Sept.8, 1714).
Francis Dixon (Dec.2, 1711) & Mary Gibson, lived Howland Hill and Chaleleugh head:
John Dixon (Nov.25,1739-Sept.1,1795 Toomshieldburn),
Betty (Jan.25, 1745),
Francis (May 3, 1747),
James (Dec. 31, 1749),
Jean (Sept.17, 1752),
Mary (Dec.28, 1754).
Simon Little & Isabel Thompson:
Jean Little (Sept.13, 1730 Langholm-Feb.4, 1819 Toomshieldburn),
John (Dec.28, 1733),
Helen,
Grizal (Nov.5, 1738),
Margaret (Feb.1, 1741),
David (May 29, 1743),
Janet (March 24, 1745),
Isobel (Nov.18, 1748),
Janet (Jan.22, 1750),
Isobel (Nov.25, 1754).
John Dixon (Nov.25, 1739-Sept.1, 1795 Toomsheildburn) & Jean Little (Sept.13, 1730
Langholm-Feb.4, 1819 Toomsheildburn):
Simon (March 13, 1760 Langholm- June 30, 1838 Barngleis) m. Mary Tinning,
John (Jan.2, 1762-Jan.27, 1836 Toomshieldburn) m. Janet Hill,
David (Dec.18, 1763),
James and Isobel (Apr.23, 1767- both died in infancy),
Dau. (Sept.25, 1769),
James (chr. May 7, 1771 Hillyholm),
Jean (chr. May 7, 1771 Hillholm- Oct.17, 1851 Toomsheildburn) m. Torcoon June 22,
1792 William Beattie (Oct.28, 1764 Torcoon- March 18, 1843 Toomsheildburn).
"
"Murrays- Canonbie Parish, Dumfries shire, Scotland
Lines for Rebecca Murray who married Thomas Beattie
Constructed from Old Scottish Registers & Memorial Inscriptions
Matthew Murray (1703 Crooks Westerkirk- March 3, 1787 Bentpath, Ewes) &
Agnes Pervis (1707-Jan.15, 1798 Bentpath, Ewes) m. May 14, 1734:
Jean (Nov.16, 1735),
David Murray (Aug.23, 1737 Crooks Westerkirk-July 19, 1789 Barclosehead Kirkpatrick
Fleming) m. Sarah Telfer (1747 Telford-Sept.27, 1824 Kerr),
John (Aug.29, 1739-Sept.15, 1743),
Thomas (Feb.14, 1741) m. Aug.4, 1770 Janet Armstrong,
Agnes (chr. Aug.28, 1743),
John (Feb.9, 1746) m. Jan.1, 1787 Isobel Fairbairn,
Matthew (Aug.11, 1748) m. Jan.4, 1774 Mary Telfer.
David Murray (Aug.23, 1737 Crooks Westerkirk-July 19, 1789 Barclosehead Kirkpatrick
Fleming) & Sarah Telfer (1747 Telford-Sept.27, 1824 Kerr):
John (1769/70 Bogg- Apr.16, 1770 Conhess),
Matthew (Aug.28, 1770 Bogg, Canonbie- May 23, 1849) m. Jane Graham,
William Murray (b. Jan. 30, 1772 Bogg, Canonbie) m. Glenzierhead June 22, 1792 Jean
Beattie (b. Jan.30, 1768 Toomshieldburn),
David,
Robert (1776),
John (Apr.25, 1778 Bogg- March 31, 1866 Netherton) unm.,
Sarah (April 21, 1780 Bogg Canonbie- Dec.19, 1811 Wattaman) unm.,
Betty (Apr.24, 1785 Barclosehead),
Thomas (June 25, 1789 Barclosehead- July 26, 1789).
William Murray (b. Jan. 30, 1772 Bogg, Canonbie) & Jean Beattie (b. Jan.30, 1768
Toomshieldburn) m. Glenzierhead June 22, 1792:
John (Aug.16, 1793 Glenzier),
Libby (Apr.15, 1795 Glenzier),
John (Jan.9, 1797 Glenzier),
Rebecca Murray (Sept. 3, 1799 Glenzier) m. Toomshieldburn Oct.9, 1818 Thomas Beattie
(Sept.7, 1793 Torcoon- 1859 Scotsdyke),
James (Feb.24, 1802 Glenzierhead),
Janet (Nov.3, 1805),
David (Sept.13, 1808).
"
"Vivers and Graham
Lines for Mary Graham, wife of James Beattie and mother of my grandmother Annie
Beattie. Constructed from Old Scottish Registers & Memorial Inscriptions in Annan &
Cummertrees & a letter from Robin Vivers.
Richard Ivers (born Franch & left Nantes in 1685/6 for England as a Huguenot refugee):
Richard Vivers (ca 1705 Yorkshire-Oct.10, 1790 Murthat bur. Annan churchyard) m.
Elizabeth Kindred (ca. 1720 Yorkshire-Dec.2, 1810 bur. Annan churchyard).
Richard Vivers (ca 1705 Yorkshire-Oct.10, 1790 Murthat bur. Annan churchyard) &
Elizabeth Kindred (ca. 1720 Yorkshire-Dec.2, 1810 bur. Annan churchyard):
William Vivers (ca 1745-Dec.24, 1813 Murthat) m. Elizabeth Esbie (ca 1753-Dec.3,
1801),
Janet (1755-1784) unm.,
Richard (1757-1817) m. Agnes Irving,
Sarah (d. May 9, 1784),
Ann (m. John Rae).
William Vivers (ca 1745-Dec.24, 1813 Murthat):
Richard (June 15, 1780) mother Rachel. illeg. M. Sarah Bell
William Vivers (ca 1745-Dec.24, 1813 Murthat) & Elizabeth Esbie
(ca 1753-Dec.3, 1801):
Thomas (May 28, 1785-Apr.7, 1859) m. Sept.2, 1819 Margaret Walker,
Sarah (ca 1792-May 28, 1832) m. Wm. Burnie,
William (ca 1794-Jan.1, 1857) unm. To Australia,
Elizabeth (ca 1795-Oct.1, 1845 Justinlees) m. Murthat Dec.9, 1814 James Graham
(ca 1792 Annan- Nov.15, 1863 Howes),
Robert (ca 1797- Feb.25, 1868) m. Nov.13, 1838 Catherine Adamson.
John Graham (ca 1735-Jan.18, 1818 at Annan) & Jean Graham (ca. 1733-March 13,
1808 at Howes):
James Graham (ca 1756-March 19, 1843 at Justinlees),
Mary (1766-1850).
James Graham (ca 1756-March 19, 1843 at Justinlees) & Ann Davidson/Pool
(ca 1749-July 5, 1840 at Justinlees, prob. widow of Wm. Pool):
James Graham (Graham (ca 1792 Annan- Nov.15, 1863 Howes).
Elizabeth (ca 1795-Oct.1, 1845 Justinlees) & James Graham (ca 1792 Annan-
Nov.15, 1863 Howes) m. Murthat Dec.9, 1814:
Ann (c 1816),
Mary (1818-1834),
Janet (c 1823),
William (c 1825) m. Sybella Beattie,
Agnes (c 1825-July 30, 1827 Justinlees),
James (c 1827-Apr.26, 1852 Howes),
Sarah (c 1829),
Agnes (chr. July 11, 1830),
Robt. (c 1831),
John (b. Feb.18, 1835) m. Catherine Dempster,
Mary (b. July 26, 1838) m. Howes June 19, 1858 James Beatty,
Margaret (b. Jan.4, 1841).
"
"THE BEATTIES CAME TO CANADA IN 1881
Perhaps it is wasted effort to speculate about the reasons why Granny's family decided to
emigrate to Canada but there were a number of factors that could have prompted their
decision. Agriculture had been in a depressed state for a number of years and that could
have been the reason why Granny's father seemed to have changed jobs and residences
so often. His brother Simon Beattie had moved back to Scotland and probably had
glowing tales about the opportunities across the ocean. William Beattie (Simon and
James' cousin, son of Francis) was farming successfully at Mongolia south of Stouffville.
He had got his start in Canada working on Simon's farm. Maybe the final decision was
made when the Miller family sent their son Robert to Scotland to purchase more
thoroughbred stock. He would have been looking for help to return the animals to Canada.
Robert was listed as a visitor at Uncle James Beattie's Newbie House in the 1881 Census.
Granny's oldest sister Rebecca, and her brothers James and Thomas were servants at her
Uncle William Graham's Waterfoot Farm in 1881 and Granny, who was about 16 at the
time, was a witness at Rebecca's wedding in June so the family must have left shortly
after that. Rebecca stayed behind and Thomas may have also but Granny had a story
about one of the brothers getting separated from the family upon their arrival in Canada
and never being heard from again. I always thought she was talking about Grandad's
family but that proved to be impossible since they were all accounted for. I found no
evidence
"
"of Thomas in Canada. He would have been about 13 years old in 1881.
Thistle Ha, the Miller farm north of Brougham, was managed like the farms in Dumfries
and I believe that Granny's family lived in a cottage on the farm when they first arrived
while James worked as their shepherd. The Millers tell me that their grandfather was a
good friend of George Brown, Father of Confederation, publisher of the Toronto Globe
and owner of Bow Park Farm near Brantford. They say that their grandfather persuaded
George Brown to hire Granny as a cook at Bow Park. The problem is, George Brown was
shot by a disgruntled employee at his Globe office in 1860 and died before Granny and her
family arrived in Canada.
Now Bow Park Farm was a gigantic estate taking in close to 2000 acres with seven acres
set aside for buildings alone. There were implement and storage sheds, an engine shed,
stables for 24 horses, an enormous barn and housing for up to 35 workers and Granny was
indeed one of them but it couldn't have been George Brown who hired her. In the 1891 C
ensus she was listed as Anne Wannup, servant. Her husband, Christopher Wannop
was listed in a separate place as Farm Servant (apparently he too was a shepherd)
so I expect that Granny worked in the great house. Granny had been married the previous
year. Now she must have been earning good wages and able to save her money because
she had bought the Brougham house for her parents in 1888.
Mrs. Wannop said that she thought Granny also worked for a time at the Blind Institute in
Brantford but I wonder if it wasn't really an institute for the deaf. Alexander Graham Bell's
father lived on the property next to Bow Park and both he and his son were teachers of the
deaf. If so, Granny must have met the famous man himself because while he lived in the
U.S. where he got the funding to develop the telephone, he was often home visiting his
parents.
Granny came back to Brougham to look after her father in 1904 when her son Clifford
was nine years old. By then her brothers and sisters had all gone their separate ways.
William had set out for Colorado in 1895. Elizabeth and Mary were married and if they
weren't already, they soon would be living in Kansas. I think her youngest sister
Janet who later moved to Toronto with her husband, died young before having a family.
Her sister Rebecca who stayed in Scotland, died in 1897.
"
"It is just fancy on my part but I think Granny may have been courted briefly by John Miller
before she married my Grandfather. Certainly I can recall her being teased about him.
And he did occasionally bring gifts of produce from Thistle Ha. But that may only have
been in deferance to her father, a once valued employee. In any event, in 1906 she married
Tom Beer who lived across the road with his parents in the off seasons, and my father was
born the next year. I was always told that Granny went on her honeymoon alone.
In the photo above, Granny is feeding her chickens. The shed behind the pump is the one
that was burned down the time my brother and sister and I went inside to try to smoke
hollow weeds. We left to go poking about at Merv Annis's creek and when we got back
there was nothing but ashes. The fire department had saved the larger building.
Granny had quit keeping chickens by that time so I expect it wasn't a great loss.
"
"Brougham Feb.21, 1901,
Mr. John Little
Dear Sir,
no doubt you will be surprised to hear the death of my dear ould woman trouble leagrip
and brown kadas set into her lung about one month sick -yours truly,
James Beattie
DIED.
In Brougham, on Thursday, February 21st, 1901,
Mary Graham,
Beloved wife of James Beattie, aged 63 years.
The funeral will leave the family residence at 1:30 p.m., on
Saturday, 23rd inst.,
And proceed to the Presbyterian
burial ground, 7th con.,
for interment.
Friends and acquaintances will please accept this intimation.
"
"Beattie from Canonbie to Annan, Dumfries- then on to Brougham, Ont. in 1881.
William Murray (b. Jan.30, 1772 Bogg) & Jean Beattie (b. Jan.20, 1768 Toomshieldburn)
m. Glenzier, Canonbie June 22, 1792:
Rebecca Murray (Sept.3, 1799 Glenzier- Oct.30, 1871 Annan) m. Toomshieldburn,
Canonbie Oct.9, 1818 Thomas Beattie (Sept. 6, 1793 Torcoon).
William Beattie (Oct.28, 1764 Torcoon-March 18, 1843 Toomshieldburn) & Jean Dixon
(Apr.10, 1771 Hillyholm-Oct.17, 1851 Toomshieldburn) m. Torcoon,
Canonbie June 22, 1792:
Thomas Beattie (Sept.6, 1793 Torcoon).
Rebecca Murray (Sept.3, 1799 Glenzier- Oct.30, 1871 Annan) & Thomas Beattie
(Sept. 6, 1793 Torcoon) m. Toomshieldburn, Canonbie Oct.9, 1818:
Toomshieldburn
Jean (c Mar.24, 1819) m. Dec.11, 1843 John Sawyer Jr. at Newbie,
William (Feb.8, 1822-Nov.9, 1846 Blaceketlees),
John (Oct.13, 1825),
Barngleis
Simon (Sept.15, 1827-Dec.31, 1888 Ecclefechan) m.1. Mary Miller Dec.3, 1861
Markham Ont. m.2. Janet Sommerville Aug.21, 1867 Lanark, m.3. Margaret Torrance
May 8, 1872 Lanark,
Toomshieldburn
John (c 1831),
Barngleis March
James Beattie (Jan.1, 1837- May 14, 1911 Brougham, Ont.) m. Howes,
Annan June 19, 1858 Mary Graham (July 26, 1838 Justinlees Cummertrees-Feb.21,
1901 Brougham Ont.),
Toomshieldburn
Janet (b. May 30, 1835),
Janet (c 1838) m. ____ Rae,
Marion (c. 1840) m. Geo. Blake Dec.31, 1867,
William (ca 1840s-Jan.27, 1895 bur. Stouffville, Ont.) m. Eliz. Sommerville
Simon (Sept.15, 1827-Dec.31, 1888 Ecclefechan) & Margaret Torrance m. Lanark May
8, 1872:
Mary M. (Aug.14, 1862-July 3, 1892) m. William Grant,
Robert (c 1869).
James Beattie (Jan.1, 1837- May 14, 1911 Brougham, Ont.) & Mary Graham
(July 26, 1838 Justinlees Cummertrees-Feb.21, 1901 Brougham Ont.) m. Howes,
Annan June 19, 1858:
James (1858),
Rebecca (1860),
Elizabeth (1861),
Thomas (1862),
Annie (1864),
Elizabeth (1865),
Thomas (1868),
Isabella (1869),
William (1871),
Robert (1873),
Mary (1876),
Janet (1881).
Marion (c. 1840) & Geo. Blake m. Dec.31, 1867:
Lvd Battlehill
Janet (Apr.14, 1871),
Ann (Nov.19, 1868),
Robert (July 15, 1873).
William (ca 1840s-Jan.27, 1895 bur. Stouffville, Ont.) cousin see p.143 & Eliz.
Sommerville:
Robert (July 23, 1884),
Annie (March 13, 1887),
Archie (Aug.20, 1889).
"
"James Beattie (Marglies March Jan.1, 1837-Brougham Ont May 14, 1911) &
Mary Graham (July 26, 1838 Justinlees, Cummertrees-Feb.21, 1901 Brougham Ont.)
m. Howes, Annan June 19, 1858:
James (b. Nov. 21, 1858 North St. Annan),
Rebecca (Mar.14, 1860-June 6, 1897) m. June 17, 1881 James Johnston at Waterfoot
Farm didn’t emigrate,
Elizabeth (Sept.20, 1861 Battlehill-Nov.2, 1861),
Thomas (Aug.11, 1862 Houghgillbank-Feb.18, 1863),
Annie Beattie (March 10, 1864 Gateside, Dalton- Oct.__, 1951 Brougham, Ont.)
m.1. Sept.5, 1890 Christopher Wannop m.2. 1906 Thomas Beer (1873-1945),
Elizabeth (June 17, 1865 Gateside Dalton) m. James Chaplin lvd. Bonner Springs
Kansas dau. Mae Blair,
Thomas (b. Jan.6, 1868 Butts St. Annan) probably didn’t emigrate,
Isabella (Nov.24, 1869 Port St. Annan – Feb.28, 1871),
William (b. Sept.27, 1871 Port St. Annan) went to Colorado in 1895,
Robert (b. July 8, 1873 Windermere) m. Dec. 1899 Ella York,
Mary (Sept.6, 1876 Howgill- Feb.3, 1958) m. James Alexander lvd. 4325 Walnut
St. Kansas City Mo ch: James Jr. and Mary Frances,
Janet (b. Feb.8, 1881 Welldale d. young I think) m. Henry Wheeler lvd Parliament
St Toronto.
Annie Beattie (March 10, 1864 Gateside, Dalton- Oct.__, 1951 Brougham, Ont.) &
m.2. 1906 Thomas Beer (1873-1945):
Clifford Christopher Wannop (Jan.8, 1895 Brampton Ont.-Dec.4, 1970 Brougham Ont.)
m. Ethel May Wilson (April 26, 1902- Dec. 29, 1993),
Donald Alexander Beer (April 12, 1907 Brougham Ont.-Jan.30, 1969 Brougham Ont.)
m.1. Aug.9, 1932 Charlotte Elizabeth Varnum (Oct.12, 1909-April 11, 1996) m.2. 1946
Lela Elliot Bates.
Clifford Christopher Wannop (Jan.8, 1895 Brampton Ont.-Dec.4, 1970 Brougham Ont.) &
Ethel May Wilson (April 26, 1902- Dec. 29, 1993):
Dora (Apr.9, 1923),
Arden (June 16, 1925),
Gilbert (Apr.3, 1927),
Cyril (June 5, 1929),
Donald (Dec.10, 1931),
Marjorie (July 28, 1934),
Richard (June 24, 1938).
Donald Alexander Beer (April 12, 1907 Brougham Ont.-Jan.30, 1969 Brougham Ont.) &
m.1. Aug.9, 1932 Charlotte Elizabeth Varnum (Oct.12, 1909-April 11, 1996):
Eleanor (July 21, 1933),
Shirley and Kenneth (twins) (March 13, 1936).
"