THE STEWARTS OF GARTNAFUARANBy Jared Linn
Olar Outline: Introduction From Royal
Stewart to Stewart of Gartnafuaran (1370-1503) Origin of
the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran (1503) From
Gartnafuaran to Gartnafuaran
Cadets Origin of
the Stewarts of The
Stewarts of Londonderry, N.H., and their descendants Appendix A
– The Blackhall Connection Appendix B
– The Plantagenet Connection Bibliography End Notes ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: I wish to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to several
individuals without whose invaluable assistance this paper could not have been
written. First, to my late grandmother,
Frances Miller Shaw Keithahn, from whom I inherited not only a large amount of
genealogical information, but more importantly, my interest in our family’s
history. Next, to my late cousin, Clyde
R. A’Neals, who shared with me the results of his decades of genealogical
research, and his daughter, Geri Carver, who continued to assist me after her
father’s death. Mary Stewart Clickner’s
help is also greatly appreciated. All researchers of the Stewarts of Londonderry, N.H., owe a great debt of
gratitude to the late Philip B. Stewart II, to whom the credit goes for
discovering the link to the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran. The late Kenneth Robertson also offered
crucial assistance to Philip B. Stewart II, as did the still-very-much-alive
James Dinwoodie. It is thanks to Mr.
Dinwoodie that I was informed of the evidence supporting the Gartnafuaran
connection of the Stewarts of Londonderry, N.H. My fellow participants in The Stewarts of Balquhidder Research
Forum have provided and continue to provide immense assistance, especially Rev. Ryk
Brown, Chuck Speed, Charles Stuart, Kelsey Williams, and Belinda Dettmann. The forum is hosted online at http://www.chuckspeed.com/balquhidder/balquhidder%20stewarts.html. The Stewarts
of Balquhidder Research Forum has particularly benefited from the research
of Gordon
MacGregor. In some way, each of these cousins and helpers, and many others I have
not named, have made their own individual contributions to this paper. Thank you all. The Stewarts of
Gartnafuaran by Jared L. Olar Among the numerous branches that sprouted off that great
Scottish tree of the Royal Stewarts are a group of families who in late
medieval times put down roots in the middle of Along with the Stewarts of Ardvorlich, the family of the Stewarts of Baldorran also gave rise to several other old Stewart families in and near Balquhidder parish, many of which long ago lost their lands or died out in the male line. Among these were the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran, the Stewarts of Glenbuckie, the Stewarts of Ledcreich, the Stewarts of Annat, the Stewarts of Lednascridan, the Stewarts of Glenogle, the Stewarts of Garthill, and the Stewarts of Blairgarry.3 A very great number of cadet branches sprouted off these families. They were affiliated in a clan-like relationship, though there was never anything like a formal succession of clan chiefs or captains. In recent years, professional and amateur genealogical researchers have been reconstructing the histories of these Stewart families, and numerous female-line and even junior male-line descents from them have been identified. Here we shall trace the history of one of those old Stewart families of Balquhidder, the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran, beginning with the Royal Stewarts in the 1300s and continuing to the present day. From Royal Stewart to Stewart of Gartnafuaran
(1370-1503): 1. ROBERT II STEWART,4 King of Scots, founder of the Royal Stewarts, born 2 March 1315/6, died at Dundonald 19 April 1390, buried at Scone. After having served his country as High Steward of Scotland and twice held the post of Guardian of Scotland, Robert succeeded to the Scottish throne as heir of his maternal uncle David II Bruce on 22 Feb. 1370/1. Robert II’s first wife (dispensation by Pope Clement VI on 22 Nov. 1347) was ELIZABETH MURE, daughter of Sir Adam Mure of Rowallan, by whom he had nine children: - John Stewart, Earl of Carrick, reigned as King Robert III, had issue. - Walter Stewart, Earl of Fife jure uxoris, died circa 1362, no issue. 2. ROBERT STEWART, Duke of Albany, had issue. - Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, had issue. - Margaret Stewart, married Eoin MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, had issue. - Marjorie Stewart, married John, Earl of Moray. - Elizabeth Stewart, married Thomas Hay, Constable of Scotland, had issue. - Isabella Stewart, married twice, had issue. - Jean Stewart, married three times, had issue. Robert II’s second wife (dispensation by Pope Innocent VI on 2 May 1355) was EUPHEMIA, daughter of Hugh, Earl of Ross, by whom he had four children: - David Stewart, Earl of Strathearn - Walter Stewart, Lord of Brechin, Earl of Atholl - Egidia Stewart, married Sir William Douglas of Nithsdale, had issue. - Jean Stewart, md. Sir David Lindsay, 1st Earl of Crawford, had issue. Robert II also had eight known illegitimate children: - Sir John Stewart, Sheriff of Bute, had issue. -
Thomas Stewart, Archdeacon of -
Alexander Stewart, canon of - Sir John Stewart of Dundonald, Lord of Burley, called “the Red Stewart.” - Alexander Stewart of Inverlunan. - James Stewart of Kinfauns. - Sir John Stewart of Cardney. - Walter Stewart 2. ROBERT
STEWART,5 1st Duke of In 1406 the king decided to send his only remaining son and heir, James, to France in order to prevent Robert from doing away with him as he had done away with David. But on or about 4 April 1406, the day King Robert III died, James was captured by the English, and he remained a prisoner in England until 1424. Instead of paying James’ ransom so he could return to Scotland and take the throne, Robert consolidated his own power and ruled Scotland with virtually a free hand until his death. Robert’s first wife (dispensation 9 Sept. 1361) was MARGARET DE MENTEITH, Countess of Menteith, only daughter of Sir John Graham, Earl of Menteith jure uxoris, and Mary, Countess of Menteith. Margaret died about 1380. The known children of Robert and Margaret are: 3. MURDOCH STEWART, 2nd Duke of Albany, had issue. - Janet Stewart, eldest dau. of this marriage. Robert’s second wife was MURIELLA DE KEITH, eldest daughter of Sir William de Keith, Great Marischal of Scotland. Muriella died just before Whitsunday 1449. The known children of Robert and Muriella are: - John Stewart, Earl of Buchan, had issue. - Andrew Stewart, died ante 1413 without issue. - Robert Stewart, living 1431. Besides the above children, Robert had the following six daughters, but it is uncertain which of his wives was their mother. Most were probably Muriella’s: - Maria Stewart, married Sir William Abernethy of Saltoun, had issue. - Margaret Stewart, married Sir John Swinton of Swinton, had issue. - Joanna Stewart, married Sir John Stewart of Innermeath, had issue. - Isobel Stewart, married twice, had issue by both husbands. - Marcellina (Marjory) Stewart, md. Sir Duncan, 1st Lord Campbell, had issue. - Elizabeth Stewart, married Malcolm Fleming of Biggar, had issue. 3. MURDOCH STEWART,6 2nd Duke of Albany, Earl of Fife and Menteith, born probably 1362 in Dunreath, Strathblane, Argyllshire, beheaded 25 May 1425 on the hill of Stirling Castle. Murdoch succeeded his father in his ducal and comital titles, also becoming Governor of Scotland. In 1424 he finally achieved the ransom of his cousin James I, and on 21 May 1424 he exercised the Earl of Fife’s traditional duties at James’ coronation at Scone. However, by a stern justice not tempered with mercy, within a year the king had determined to forcibly suppress the political corruption that had grown during his long imprisonment, and to rid himself of the Albany family which had prospered at James’ expense. On 25 March 1425, the king ordered that Murdoch and others, including Murdoch’s sons and father-in-law, be arrested and tried. On 24 May 1425, Murdoch’s eldest surviving son and heir, Sir Walter, was convicted and beheaded at Stirling. The next day, Murdoch, his son Sir Alexander, and his father-in-law were convicted and beheaded. They were all buried in the Blackfriar’s Church at Stirling. Murdoch’s wife (indenture dated at Inchmartin, 17 Feb. 1391/2) was ISOBEL DE LENNOX, eldest daughter and co-heiress of Duncan, Earl of Lennox. Isobel died in 1458 or 1459. Murdoch and Isobel had five children: - Robert Stewart, Master of Fife, died 1421 without issue. - Sir Walter Stewart of Fife, Lennox, and Menteith, had issue. - Sir Alexander Stewart, no issue. 4. SIR JAMES MHOR STEWART, had issue. - Isobel Stewart, married Sir Walter Buchanan of that Ilk. 4. SIR JAMES MHOR STEWART,7 born circa 1400 in Stirling, died in 1451 in Ireland. From his mother he had a charter of the lands of Baldorran (Balindoran), Campsie. When Sir James heard that his father, brothers, and grandfather had been imprisoned by King James I, he raised a small force and came down out of the Highlands, descending upon Dumbarton and killing “the Red Stewart,” his own great-uncle, Sir John Stewart of Dundonald, governor of Dumbarton Castle, one of King Robert II’s illegitimate sons. For the sack of Dumbarton and murder of Sir John Stewart, James Mhor had to flee to England, where he remained in exile until 1429. In that year, he went to Ireland, where he remained until his death in 1451. James Mhor made an unlawful sexual union (perhaps an undispensed consanguineous marriage) with a lady of the MacDonald clan, said in a late source to be the daughter of a MacDonald “Earl” of Antrim, perhaps to be identified with Iain Mor MacDomhnaill, 1st of Dunyveg and the Glens, a descendant of the Lords of the Isles.8 By this MacDonald lady, James had two children: 5. JAMES BEG STEWART, had issue. - Matilda Stewart, married William Edmonstone of Duntreath, had issue. 5. JAMES BEG STEWART,9 1st of Baldorran, born circa 1415-1420, perhaps in Antrim, Ireland, date of death unknown. At some point a pardon was obtained allowing James Beg to return from Ireland to Perthshire, Scotland, where he established himself in Baldorran. In 1466, Easter Baldorran was granted to James Beg by John Stewart, Lord Darnley. The Stewarts of Baldorran were known in Gaelic as the Sliochd tigh an t-eilean, “offspring of the house of the island,” from their stronghold on an island in Loch Vennacher in the Trossachs. James Beg married circa 1438 to ANNABEL BUCHANAN, daughter of Patrick Buchanan, 13th of that Ilk, who was born circa 1415-1420 in Stirlingshire. Four sons of James and Annabel are known: -
John
Stewart, predeceased his father, no issue. -
William
Stewart, 2nd of Baldorran, ancestor of Ardvorlich, Annat,
Glenbuckie, Lednascridan, and their
cadets.10 6. ANDREW STEWART, 1st of
Gartnafuaran, had issue. [SEE BELOW] - Alexander Stewart, 1st of
Garroquhill (Garthill), had issue.11
Origin of the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran (1503): Recent research has established that the founder of the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran, Andrew Stewart, was a younger son of James Beg Stewart, 1st of Baldorran.12 However, the old family tradition of the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran maintained that Andrew was a son of William Stewart, 2nd of Baldorran. This tradition is reflected in Duncan Stewart’s 1739 genealogical history of the Stewarts, where Andrew is listed as the third son of William Stewart. Duncan Stewart wrote that Andrew was “said by some (particularly his descendants) to be the son of William Stewart of Baldorran.”13 Apparently the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran even contested the seniority of their cousins, the Stewarts of Ardvorlich, claiming that Andrew Stewart, 1st of Gartnafuaran, was William’s oldest son, and thus an older brother of the Ardvorlich ancestor Walter Stewart, 3rd of Baldorran.14 However, in other sources Andrew is identified as an illegitimate son of William Stewart, 2nd of Baldorran.15 Those earlier traditions have been shown to be false. In The Landed Families of Strathearn, Scottish genealogist Gordon MacGregor writes that Andrew Stewart “is styled as brother to William Stewart of Balindoran when both were appointed by Royal Letters under the Seal of King James IV dated 16 May, 1495, to give Sasine for the lands of Ardbechlorne to Archibald Edmonstone of Duntreith on 26 May, 1495.”16 In a recent email communication with a genealogical researcher, MacGregor explained, “Firstly it has to be considered that there has been no son Andrew Stewart so far located for William Stewart of Balindoran, and if there had been he would have been nominated as a substitute heir to his brother Walter Stewart in the lands of Duchlas in 1500 as John Stewart (1st of Glenbucky) then appears. Entails were designed to confirm destinations and, so far as was possible, keep lands in the male line. So why exclude other sons?”17 Andrew Stewart had sasine of the lands of Gartnafuaran by 1503. His descendants were known in Gaelic as the Sliochd an tigh mhoil or Sliochd an Toighbhaoil, which means “Children of Voil House,” apparently because they lived near Loch Voil in Balquhidder parish.18 Gartnafuaran is situated just to the southeast of the village of Balquhidder, with the River Balvag along its northern border. Gartnafuaran is a Gaelic place name that is thought to mean “vineyard of the eternal spring” – gart = “corn field or vineyard,” na = “of the,” fuaran = “an eternal spring or a green spot near a spring.”19 The form of the name has changed over the centuries, but the pronunciation seems to have changed but little. In early records and various sources, one can find any of these spellings: Gartnascrow, a scribal error for Gartnafarow. Gartnafoir Gartnafarrell Gartnafarrow, or Gartinfarrow Gartnawharrow Gartnafuara, or Gart-na-fuara Gartnafuaroe, or Gartnafuarae Gartnaferan, or Gartnaferran Gartnafueran, or Gartnafuero Gartnafuaran, the present spelling. Gartnafuaran was the possession and home of this family for ten generations, from about 1500 until the mid-1700s, when Walter Stewart, 10th of Gartnafuaran, sold off their ancestral home. Afterwards the family removed to Torrie near Callander, and then moved to London, England, where they are lost sight of in the early 1800s. But several cadet branches remained in Perthshire, while another cadet is known to have immigrated to Ulster and then to North America. In the old genealogical manuscript known as Stewarts of the South, the lands of the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran are described in this way: “Their property in Balquhidder included the farms of Gartnafuaran, Cean na coille, and Stron
slan and Dail riach in Glenbuckie. Glen Du in Glenbuckie was their sheiling or
grazing place. Gartnafuaran and Stron-slan with Cean a choille and Dail riach were sold to a McLeod from Skye. . . . It is said that the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran had Wester Invernenty before it became the property of the family of Glenbuckie, and they were once laying claim to the barony of Strathgartan on Loch Catherine-side.”20 From Gartnafuaran to London (1500-1815): 6. ANDREW STEWART,21 1st
of Gartnafuaran, born circa 1459 probably in Baldorran, a younger son of James Beg
Stewart, 1st of Baldorran. As
mentioned above, Andrew appears in documents dated to 1495 and 1503. His wife is unknown, but he had two sons: 7.
ALEXANDER
STEWART, 2nd of Gartnafuaran. - John Stewart, ancestor of the Stewarts of Blairgarry.22 7. ALEXANDER STEWART,23 2nd
of Gartnafuaran, born circa 1500 probably in Gartnafuaran. According to a document in the Reg. Privy Seal dated 8 Sept. 1569,
“Alexander Stewart in Gartnascrow” (recte
“Gartnafarow”) and his sons Andrew and Duncan were among several persons from
Balquhidder (including members of the Stewart of Glenbuckie family) who were
involved in the Dec. 1568 murder of Hugh and John Stewart, for which they were
required to pay a gift of an escheat to Alexander Stewart of Pittareg.24 Alexander married (NN) GRAY and had four sons.
After Alexander’s death, his widow married Macnab of that Ilk (either
Finlay Macnab of Bovaine, who died childless prior to 20 July 1574, or Finlay’s
brother and heir Alexander Macnab of Bovaine). Alexander’s sons were: 8.
ANDREW
STEWART, 3rd of Gartnafuaran. -
John
Stewart in Kirkton.25 -
Duncan
Stewart -
Robert
Stewart, ancestor of the Stewarts of Glenogle.26 8. ANDREW STEWART,27 3rd
of Gartnafuaran, born circa 1530 probably in Gartnafuaran. Besides the abovementioned 1569 Reg. Privy Seal reference to Andrew, The Black Book of Taymouth shows that
“Andro Stewart in Gartnafoir,” his brother “Johne Stewart in Kirkton,”28
and several other Stewarts signed a bond of 1557 for their kinsman Duncan
Campbell of Glenorchy.29 Thomson’s Retours says that in 1575, “Andrew Steuart in Gartnafarrell”
served on the jury as a sponsor in the Special Retour of his cousin James
Stewart of Baldorran in the lands of Innercreithan and Croftinterray.30 Andrew Stewart, 3rd of
Gartnafuaran, married his cousin (NN)
STEWART, daughter of Patrick Stewart, 2nd of Glenbuckie. Their
son was: 9.
WALTER
STEWART, 4th of Gartnafuaran. 9. WALTER STEWART,31 4th
of Gartnafuaran, born circa 1560 probably in Gartnafuaran. He married ELIZABETH BUCHAN.32 Their son was: 10. ALEXANDER STEWART, 5th of Gartnafuaran. 10. ALEXANDER STEWART,33 5th
of Gartnafuaran, born circa 1580 probably in Gartnafuaran. According to the Edward S. Gray Papers,
Alexander Stewart, 5th of Gartnafuaran, was the “Allester Dow
Stewart” of the 1636 Trial of Gilderoy.34 However, it is also possible that Allester Dow
was Alexander’s son, also named Alexander.
The trial records state that Gilderoy’s party broke into and stole
articles from the dwelling house of Allester Dow Stewart at
“Gartnafarrow.” James Stewart of
Ardvorlich served on the jury in this trial. Alexander married JANET MACGRIGOR and had four sons: 11.
ANDREW STEWART, 6th of Gartnafuaran. -
Walter Stewart, perhaps “Walter Du
Mor” who fell at
Kilsyth in 1645.35 -
Robert Stewart, perhaps Robert Stewart of
Culgartmore, or perhaps “Rob Dubh Mor”36 -
Alexander Stewart, perhaps “Alastair Og”59
and “Allester Dow”34 11. ANDREW STEWART,37 6th
of Gartnafuaran, born circa 1600 probably in Gartnafuaran. In a 1622 petition by Lord Madertie
for relief against those chargeable with him for the taxation of the Abbey of
Inchaffray, “Andrew Stewart of Gartinfarrow” was charged a sum of money “for a
part in the pendicles of the Kirk of Monzievaird.”38 Andrew married his cousin MARGARET STEWART, daughter of
Alexander Stewart, 1st. of Ardvorlich.
Their son was: 12.
WALTER STEWART, 7th of Gartnafuaran. 12. WALTER STEWART,39 7th
of Gartnafuaran, born 1620 probably in Gartnafuaran. Walter was one of the signatories of the 1654
Bond of Keltney Burn in tacit support of King Charles II.40 The Edward S. Gray Papers say Walter’s will
was probably confirmed 27 March 1679.41 Walter married his first cousin ISOBEL STEWART, daughter of John
Stewart, 6th. of Glenbuckie. Isobel’s
mother was also named Isobel, sister of Walter’s mother Margaret.42 Walter and Isobel are known to have had three
sons: 13.
ALEXANDER STEWART, 8th of Gartnafuaran. -
Robert Stewart, Covenanter, married Janette
Forsyth. [SEE BELOW] - John Stewart 13. ALEXANDER STEWART,43 8th of Gartnafuaran, born circa 1650 probably in Gartnafuaran, died circa 1733. Alexander was confirmed in the lands of Gartnafuaran in 1722 and had sasine of his lord the Duke of Atholl that same year.44 On 13 Dec. 1729, he granted sasine to James Campbell, son of Duncan Campbell, brother of the laird of Edinample, for the eighth part of the lands of Gartnafuaran called Stronslany. A few years later, on 9 Aug. 1732, Alexander and his son James granted sasine in favor of Walter Stewart in Glenfinglas in security for a bond of 600 merks Scots. Alexander married MARGARET CAMPBELL, daughter of Colin Campbell in Dundurn, and had two sons, along with a probable illegitimate daughter: 14. JAMES STEWART, 9th of Gartnafuaran. - Walter Stewart, perhaps baptised in 1696. - Mary Stewart, baptised 2 Aug. 1704. 14. JAMES STEWART,45 9th of Gartnafuaran, married JANET CAMPBELL, daughter of Alexander Campbell of Ardeonaig, relict (i.e. widow) of James Campbell of Leckrip. They had four sons: 15. WALTER STEWART, 10th of Gartnafuaran. - Alexander Stewart, baptised 28 Oct. 1726 in Gartnafuaran. - Colin Stewart, baptised 3 July 1731 in Gartnafuaran. - Robert Stewart, born 15 June 1743 in Callander, Perthshire. - Malcolm Stewart, born 28 March 1747 in Callander, Perthshire. 15. WALTER STEWART,46 10th of Gartnafuaran, baptised 23 August 1725 in Gartnafuaran. Walter sold off the lands of Gartnafuaran. According to Stewarts of the South (circa 1815), “Gartnafuaran and Stron-slan with Cean a choille and Dail riach were sold to a McLeod from Skye, and now the property of John McG[regor] Murray. Sir J[ohn] McG[regor] Murray sold Glen Mor to Capt. Stewart of Glenbucky at the rate of 4,000 pounds double the value.”47 In the Ardvorlich Papers, we read, “Sir John MacGregor Murray bought Gartnafueran from Lord Bannatyne, a paper lord, the brother of his wife . . . . Bannatyne must have bought Gartnafuero from its last Stewart laird, about whom Donald has heard from a man Macintyre who knew him, that he was a grand rider, and when chased by his enemies, could jump on any stray horse’s back, and as he ran away could with his long arms pick up stones from the road, and pelt his pursuers.”48 Walter may be the Walter Stewart who, according to the old parish register of Callander, clandestinely married JANET STEWART in Glasgow, Lanark, on 18 April 1748.49 Janet is believed to be the same as Janet, born circa 1733, eldest daughter of John Ban Mor Stewart of Auchnahard in Glenfinglas. The clandestine marriage in Glasgow suggests that Walter and Janet eloped, presumably because Janet likely was no older than 15. The Walter and Janet mentioned in the old Callander parish register resided in Glenfinglas and had four children, who thus could all be the children of the last laird of Gartnafuaran. In addition, the last laird of Gartnafuaran may have been the father of Walter Stewart, tenant in Auchnahard of Glenfinglas: - Catherine Stewart, born 17 April 1750 in Dowart, Callander, Perthshire. 16. ALEXANDER STEWART, born 1 August 1751 in Callander. - John Stewart, born 8 August 1753 in Callander. - Margaret Stewart, born 2 Dec. 1755 in Dowart, Callander. - Walter Stewart, tenant in Auchnahard of Glenfinglas, had three sons.53 16. ALEXANDER STEWART,50 was certainly a son of Walter Stewart, 10th of Gartnafuaran, and may be the Alexander Stewart who, according to the Callander parish register, was born 1 August 1751 in Callander, son of a Walter and Janet Stewart. Stewarts of the South says Alexander “lived in a decent, respectable manner from a fortune, or small income, which he had by his wife. He resided at a place called Torrie near Callander.”51 Alexander’s wife is unknown, but he reportedly had two sons: 17. WALTER STEWART, a clerk in London. - Alexander Stewart, went to the West Indies. 17. WALTER STEWART,52 born circa 1775 in Scotland, son of Alexander Stewart, son of Walter Stewart, 10th of Gartnafuaran. Stewarts of the South (circa 1815) says, “The real representative of that family at present is a young man (Walter), a clerk in London, grandson to the late Walter Stewart who disposed of the lands of Gartnafuara . . . Walter has also another brother in W[est] Indies, named Alexander, who is said to be doing well.”53 With this generation, this family is lost sight of. Gartnafuaran Cadets: The following seven cadet branches of the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran are listed in Stewarts of the South: 1. The Stuiartich a’ Bhaid, “Second Branch . . . . in ancient times the oldest branch of the family of Gartnafuara.”54 If this family was the oldest branch of the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran, they must be identical with the Stewarts of Blairgarry, who were descended from John Stewart, younger son of Andrew Stewart, 1st of Gartnafuaran.55 Not much is known about either the Stewarts of Blairgarry or the Stuiartich a’ Bhaid. From the mid-1700s to the early 1800s, members of the Stuiartich a’ Bhaid dwelled at Doune, Culntogle in Callander parish, Glasgow, Grodich at Glenfinglas, and Monavrechie in Menteith.56 Living descendants of the Stuiartich a’ Bhaid have been identified. 2. The Sliochd Rob Dhuibh mhoir, “Children of Big Black Robert,” associated with Wester Ardchubry, Balquhidder parish.57 “Branch third, or what is called ‘Sliochd Rob Dhuibh mhoir,’ who was a son of Gartnafuara, tenant of Wester Ardchubry, Balquhidder parish in Strathyre district of Auchlessy, whose descendant was Rob McDonachie, lately one of the four tenants of Ardcheanacnocan . . . .”58 Since Rob Dubh Mor is described as “a son of Gartnafuara,” he apparently was a son of one of the senior tacksmen of Gartnafuaran. He may be the same as Robert Stewart, third son of Alexander Stewart, 5th of Gartnafuaran. 3. The Sliochd Sheun Rob is Alastair oig, “Children of Old Robert and Young Alexander,” which apparently is an error for Sliochd Sheun Rob ic Alastair oig, “Children of Old Robert son (or descendant) of Young Alexander.” They were a group of Gartnafuaran cousins who were associated with Wester Invernenty, Balquhidder parish, and afterwards with Glenfinglas.59 “Branch fourth, ‘Sliochd sheun Rob is (ic?) Alastair oig,’ two brothers. About three generations ago they came from Wester Invernenty in Balquhidder, formerly the property of the family of Gartnafuarae . . . . James, brother to ‘Sean Rob,’ came to Glenfinlas about three generations back and became Tacksman of Grodich at Glenfinlas.”60 The brothers Sean Rob and James, and their father Alastair Og, must have lived in the late 1600s and early 1700s. But if Alastair Og was their ancestor rather than father, he may have been Alexander, youngest son of Alexander Stewart, 5th of Gartnafuaran. Living descendants of this branch have been identified. 4. The Stewarts of Glenogle, also known as the Stewarts of Hyndfield and Stronvar, or the Stewarts of Cloich-glas, descendants of Robert Stewart, 1st of Glenogle, a younger son of Alexander Stewart, 2nd of Gartnafuaran.61 “Branch fifth, commonly called the Stewarts of Glen-ogle or Cloich-glas, near Lochearnhead or Hyndfield, all in parish of Balquhidder.”62 One of the branches of the Stewarts of Glenogle intermarried with the Stewarts of Glenbuckie and temporarily possessed Glenbuckie before it was swindled from them by the Stewarts of Benmore, a branch of the Stewarts of Appin. Another Glenogle branch were the Stewarts of Wester Achtow and their descendants, the Stewarts of Achra, of whom living descendants have been identified. 5. The Stewarts of Coille mhori, who owned farms in Buchanan and Aberfoil parishes.63 “Branch Sixth or what is called the Stewarts of Coille mhori, Buchanan parish, Stirlingshire Loch-Lomondside, to whom belonged three farms now the property of the D[uke] of Montrose, viz. Blair eagen and Claischoil, both in the parish of Aberfoil, Lordship of Menteith and D[uke] of Montrose’s property, with Coille mhori and two other farms which they had free.”64 This branch was descended from Robert Stewart of Culgartmore, who is likely to be the same as Robert Stewart, third son of Alexander Stewart, 5th of Gartnafuaran. 6. The Stewarts of Portnellan, so called from a farm in Strathgartney, near Callander on the north bank of Loch Vennacher.65 “Branch seventh, or what is called the Port-an-ealan Stewarts.”66 This family apparently lived at Portnellan from the early 1700s until the early 1800s.67 7. The Stuirtaich Chireu, or Stewarts of Brackland, Callander parish.68 “Branch eight, commonly called ‘Stuirtaich Chireu’ from their ruddy complexion.”69 Janet Stewart, a daughter of this family, married James Graham, laird of Lennister, in 1808. Living descendants of that marriage have been identified.70 Because the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran were a relatively obscure and undistinguished family, much more research must be done before we can be sure of exactly how these seven cadet families branched off the main lineage. However, genealogical research has successfully identified a Stewart family of North America, the Stewarts of Londonderry, New Hampshire, and Colrain, Massachusetts, as an eighth Gartnafuaran cadet. Research has shown that they were descendants of Robert Stewart, second son of Walter Stewart, 7th of Gartnafuaran. This family is of particular interest to me because it is a branch in my mother’s family tree. Origin of the Stewarts of Londonderry, N.H. (1655): The origin of the Stewarts of Londonderry, New Hampshire, is a question that long had vexed many genealogists.71 Prior to the discovery that they were a cadet of Gartnafuaran, their lineage was known back to a Robert Stewart, born 1655 and died 1714, a Covenanter who fought at the Battle of Bothwell Brigg, 22 June 1679.72 Family tradition affirmed that this Robert was the son of a Walter Stewart who had an estate in Perthshire, and – like the traditions of many Stewart families in North America – this Robert was said to have belonged to a branch of the Royal Stewarts.73 After Robert’s death, which traditionally was in Edinburgh, his widow, Janette, and his children are found in Aghadowey, in the Bann River valley in County Antrim, Ulster, Ireland.74 In 1718, Janette and her children left Ireland with several other Scots Irish families, settling in New Hampshire, where they founded the town of Londonderry.75 From there, the descendants of Robert and Janette have spread throughout North America as well as to other continents. The date of Janette’s death is not known, but she apparently lived until 1750 or so, as we see from this excerpt from B. Frank Severance’s history of this family: “Captain [John] Stewart [born 12 Sept. 1745] had a distinct
remembrance of his aged great-grandmother [Janette Forsyth
Stewart]. He used to relate to [his grandson] Homer her stories of the family’s
persecutions by ‘Bonnie Dundee,’ in Scotland. . . . Homer H. Stuart once
remarked that the character ‘Henry Morton of Milnwood,’ in Sir Walter Scott’s
Romance ‘Old Mortality,’ reminded him of Robert Stuart as portrayed in these
tales of Captain Stewart’s great-grandmother.
For Robert, according to these stories, fought against Monmouth and in consequence was exiled and deprived of his estate.”76 Besides the stories and information handed on by Janette, another very important source of Stewart family tradition was a letter dated 28 Aug. 1818, written by Janette’s grandson, Joseph Stewart of White Creek, New York, born 17 Jan. 1721, to his son John Stewart. The letter contains crucial information about this family’s history, but it raises almost as many questions as it answers. It is worth quoting in its entirety: “I have received your letter and I am sorry to hear of your sickness. “By all accounts of our descent, we are of the royal house of the Stewarts. My Father was John the eldest son of Robert my Grandfather, who was obliged to fly to Ireland when they were newly married. My Granny was sent to Edinburgh and he was born there. As far as I can learn, they belong to the House of White Rose and not altogether separated from the House of Black Hall. My Grandfather’s family’s names was John and Robert and their sister’s name was Juleyan, Samuel, the youngest. My Grandfather had a good estate in Scotland when he fled from it. King William would do nothing about it, neither would Queen Anne, but when King George came to the crown their Uncle Samuel Stewart, by the help of the Duke of Argyle, recovered it. That must be the estate you mention. I was informed that Uncle Samuel died without issue, left no heirs. The way that I came to know of our descent was by old Father James Stewart of Colrain. You may remember young James, who married at last Margaret Anderson your cousin. That descent was from White Rose, for he himself belonged to Black Hall. He had a catalogue of the house of Stewarts for many hundred years, but son Alx carried it away with him to Pennsylvania. I did not know all this until after my father’s death [i.e., 6 April 1741]. This I knew, they belonged to the Rose party, by reason of the high esteem they had for Charles the 1st, who had many good properties. “My father’s eldest son Charles who is your uncle, and my Father and your grand Uncle Robert would never own the last pretender or any of the race by reason of his spurious birth. No man dare assail the name of Stewart that was if he would not forfeit his life. It gives you the reach, James the 1st had two sons James and Robert, James the 3rd had two sons James and Robert. This is the whole I can give you at present. I am afraid you can’t read for since I got that fall at your house I could never hold a pen to write straight. I would beg you would acquaint me of your proceedings therefore I rest.”77 As researchers of this family know very well, Joseph’s letter is not at all easy to interpret, no doubt because at the age of 97 his memory was no longer what it used to be. It seems that “the House of White Rose” refers to the royal line, which would agree with Joseph’s affirmation that his family was a branch of the Royal Stewarts. On the other hand, Joseph later refers to “the Rose party,” indicating not a genealogical link, but rather political support for King Charles I against Oliver Cromwell and the Duke of Argyll.78 Joseph’s reference to “the House of Black Hall” has led many researchers to investigate the family of the Stewarts of Blackhall and Ardgowan in order to find possible links to Joseph Stewart’s ancestors.79 However, since “House of White Rose” seems to refer to political affiliation rather than genealogy, it’s quite possible that “House of Black Hall” is also a political reference rather than a genealogical one. A descendant of this family, the late Clyde R. A’Neals of San Diego, California, proposed that Joseph’s grandfather Robert was the same as Robert Stewart, one of the sons of Walter Stewart of Pardovan, who was the third son of Sir Archibald Stewart of Blackhall and Ardgowan.80 That theory seemed promising, but has been disproved – because Joseph’s grandfather Robert was born in 1655, whereas it has been discovered that Robert Stewart of the Pardovan family was born in 1666 and died without issue.81 In any event, family tradition connected Robert with Perthshire, not Pardovan in Linlithgowshire. Joseph’s confused and confusing references to Samuel Stewart’s supposed recovery of Robert’s lost estate, as well as James the first and James the third (whoever they were – apparently the Scottish kings James I and James III) each having sons named James and Robert, provided no help in the search for the origins of the Stewarts of Londonderry. We still would not know where this family came from, were it not for the discovery of the significance of a series of Stewart names and marriages written in an old Scottish family Bible that had been printed in Edinburgh in the mid-1700s. The credit for that discovery goes to the late Philip B. Stewart II, who was eighth in male-line descent from Robert Stewart (1655-1714).82 With the assistance of two Scots ancestry researchers, the late Kenneth Robertson and James Dinwoodie, Stewart was able to confirm that the Stewart names and wives in that Bible were those of four of the lairds of Gartnafuaran. Stewart discussed the family Bible in an undated letter that he wrote after Robertson’s death in 1988 to Muriel Walker of the Stewart Society in Edinburgh. Here is the relevant excerpt from Stewart’s letter (emphasis added): “In addition I have the data from the Merrell Bible. This book was handed down to Miss Merrell who showed me her Bible which came down to her from her g-g-g-grandmother Margaret b. 1731. She would not let me take the Bible to a copy center. The Bible entries go back to Walter b. 1620 who married Isobel Stewart, Andrew who married Margaret, daughter of Alex Stewart of Ardvorlich and Alexander who married Janet MacGregor. This was enough to show me that we are descended from the Gartnafuarans. These entries appear to have been made about 1760 or maybe as late as 1780-90 probably by Margaret.”83 In another note dated 29 Aug. 1988, Stewart clarified that the Merrell Bible entries also include the names of Walter Stewart and his wife Elizabeth Buchan.84 Thus, in the Merrell Bible the ancestry of Robert Stewart (1655-1714) is taken back four generations in the male line. This Bible had come to the Merrell family from their Anderson ancestors – the Bible apparently had belonged to Margaret Anderson, mentioned above in Joseph Stewart’s letter as the wife of “young James” Stewart of Colrain, Mass., son of the “old Father James Stewart of Colrain” who had informed Joseph of his royal ancestry.85 The information from the Merrell Bible shows that during the 1700s, the old family tradition of the Stewarts of Londonderry, N.H., identified their ancestor Robert Stewart as the Robert Stewart who appears in Duncan Stewart’s 1739 history of the Stewarts as the second son of Walter Stewart, 7th of Gartnafuaran. This agrees with Joseph Stewart’s statement that his family had supported King Charles I during the Civil War and the time of Cromwell, because Walter Stewart, 7th of Gartnafuaran, is known to have been a supporter of Charles II after the assassination of Charles I.86 The Stewarts of Londonderry, N.H., and their
descendants: Here is the line of descent from the Stewarts of Londonderry to my own family.87 Note that my maternal lineage traces back to the Margaret Anderson who is believed to have added the Gartnafuaran names to the family Bible that was inherited by her Merrell descendants. 13. ROBERT STEWART, 2nd. son of Walter Stewart, 7th of Gartnafuaran (see no. 12 above), was born in 1655 and died 1714. Circa 1680, he married JANETTE FORSYTH, perhaps the daughter of John Forsyth and Catherine Morisone. Robert was a Covenanter and fought at the Battle of Bothwell Brigg near Glasgow on 22 June 1679, where the government routed the rebel Covenanters. Robert not long afterwards fled to Ulster – perhaps in or near Carrickfergus, County Antrim, home of his eldest son John’s wife. Robert was said by his grandson Joseph to have later returned to Edinburgh and died there, but his widow Janette, son John, and other members of his family either remained in or returned to Ulster. Robert’s widow Janette, son John, and other family members left Aghadowey, Ulster, in 1718 and came to America, where Janette died circa 1750. According to tradition, Janette was buried at Chandler Hill Cemetery near Colrain, Mass. The children of Robert and Janette
were: 14.
JOHN STEWART, had issue. -
Robert Stewart, ancestor of Nora Stewart Yahl
of St. Louis, Missouri. -
Julianne Stewart -
Samuel Stewart, said to have returned to
Scotland and died there. 14. JOHN
STEWART, born 1682 (traditionally in Edinburgh, but perhaps in or near
Carrickfergus), died 6 April 1741 in Londonderry, New Hampshire, buried in
Forest Hill Cemetery near Londonderry; married 1st. ELIZABETH CLARK of Carrickfergus; married 2nd. ELIZABETH FORSYTH. John came
to America in 1718 with his mother and those of his children then living, and
became one of the “charter” founders or proprietors of Londonderry. Consequently he is often called “Charter John
Stewart” to distinguish him from other men named John Stewart from that general
time and locale. Eight children of John are known: 15.
CHARLES
STEWART, had issue. -
Robert Stewart, married Lydia Blair (?). -
James Stewart -
John Stewart, married Rebecca (Costa) Patten -
Mary Stewart -
Samuel Stewart, md. Alice Atchison (perhaps
widow of his brother James) -
Joseph Stewart, married 1st Margaret
Thompson, 2nd Hannah Hescock. -
Margaret Stewart, married William Aiken. 15. CHARLES
STEWART, born 1705 (?) possibly in Ireland, came to America with his father
in 1718, died 1777 in Colrain, Mass.; married 1st (in 1727) MARY EAYRES (Ayers), dau. of William
and Mary Eayres of Londonderry, N.H.; married 2nd. MARTHA AYERS, dau. of Samuel Ayers of Colrain, Mass.; married 3rd JENNET LINLEY of Pelham, Mass. Charles, who lived at Londonderry, N.H.,
before moving to Colrain, had nine children: -
Elizabeth Stewart, married her cousin John
Clark of Colrain. -
Mary Stewart, married Abraham Peck. 16.
MARGARET
STEWART, married three times. -
William Stewart, md. Elizabeth Clark, sister
of John Clark of Colrain, above. -
John Stewart -
Jennet Stewart, married Joseph Bell of
Halifax, Vermont. -
Rebecca Stewart, married her cousin John
Stewart of Londonderry, NH. -
Lydia Stewart, married Joseph McKown of
Colrain. -
Samuel Stewart 16. MARGARET
STEWART, born 4 Oct. 1731, died 30 Dec. 1830 in Shelburne, Mass., buried in
Chandler Hill Cemetery, Colrain, Mass.; married 1st (in 1751) JOHN KATELY of Colrain, died 1754;
married 2nd (in early 1755) JOHN
ANDERSON, died 22 Dec. 1780; married 3rd (in 1781) her kinsman JAMES STEWART, JR., of Colrain, son of
James Stewart, Sr., of Colrain. (By a
prior marriage, James Stewart, Jr., was the male-line ancestor of Mary Stewart
Clickner.) Margaret was probably the one
who wrote the Gartnafuaran names in a family Bible that was inherited by her
descendants. Margaret had 13 children: -
Hannah Kately -
John Kately -
Mary Anderson, married Matthew Barber. -
James Anderson, married Marcy Stebbins. 17.
REBECCA
ANDERSON -
David Anderson, married 1st. Olive .....,
married 2nd. Mercy Childs. -
Lydia Anderson -
Elizabeth Anderson -
Jonathan Anderson -
Margaret Anderson, married Jonas Torrey. -
Samuel Anderson -
Martha Anderson -
Sarah Anderson 17. REBECCA (“Babra”) ANDERSON, born 3 Sept. 1759, died 20 Dec. 1834; married 13 May 1779 to |