Over the Years the Fife Family History Society Journal Has Reviewed Many Published Fife Family Histories
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
PUBLISHED FAMILY HISTORIES [Over the years The Fife Family History Society Journal has reviewed many published Fife family histories. We have gathered them all together here, and will add to the file as more become available. Many of the family histories are hard to find, but some are still available on the antiquarian market. Others are available as Print on Demand; while a few can be found as Google books] GUNDAROO (1972) By Errol Lea-Scarlett, tells the story of the settlement of the Township of Gundaroo in the centre of the Yass River Valley of NSW, AUS, and the families who built up the town. One was William Affleck (1836-1923) from West Wemyss, described as "Gundaroo's Man of Destiny." He was the son of Arthur Affleck, grocer at West Wemyss, and Ann Wishart, and encourged by letters from the latter's brother, John (Joseph Wiseman) Wishart, the family emigrated to NSW late in October 1854 in the ship, "Nabob," with their children, William and Mary, sole survivors of a family of 13, landing at Sydney on 15 February 1855. The above John Wishart, alias Joseph Wiseman, the son of a Fife merchant, had been convicted of forgery in 1839 and sentenced to 14 years transportation to NSW. On obtaining his ticket of leave in July 1846, he took the lease of the Old Harrow, in which he established a store - the "Caledonia" - and in 1850 added to it a horse-powered mill at Gundaroo some 18 months later. He was the founder of the family's fortunes, and from the 1860s until about 1900 the Afflecks owned most of the commercial buildings in the town. THE AITKENS OF THORNTON by the Marquis de Ruvigny and Raineval appeared in the Genealogical Magazine from August 1900 to February 1901. The title is rather misleading, for it also deals with the cadet branches - Aitkens of Cupar; Aitkens of Hill of Beath; Aitkens of Windie-edge; Aitkens of Torbain (in Abbotshall parish) and Boglilly (in Kirkcaldy parish). The family of Aitken is of considerable antiquity in Scotland. According to one account it is of Swedish origin, and the name was originally d`Archan; and to another it was a sept of the McArthur Campbell clan. The common ancestor is stated to have been a Patrick Aitken of St Andrews, but the first Aitken of whom Ruvigny has found mention is Edward Aitken, who was M.P. for Dunbar in 1599-1608. He was possibly the father of John Aitken, tenant of Blairinbathie, in Beath parish, whose tombstone is still to be found in the local Churchyard: "Here lyeth the Corps of John Aitken, in Blaerinbathy, who died in the month of October, this year of our Lord 1676." He married at Dunfermline, November 7 1620, Christian, daughter of Robert Dalgleish, Laird of Tinnygask. Their son was David Aitken (d September 1674) of Blairinbathie, whose testament, dated 26 October 1674, was proved by his brother John Aitken, first Laird of Thornton, who was married to Christian Kellock (baptised Dunfermline May 15 1643), daughter of John Kellock of Over Lassodie Easter, or Whitehouse, and Marie Wemyss. This John Aitken had acquired Thornton, or Over Lassodie Wester, in July 1666 from William Gray of Combie, and Windie-edge some 9 years later in a disposition by James Crawford, Collector of HM Customs in Fife. Windie-edge passed to his brother, David Aitken The Cupar branch was descended from George Aitken (1761-1831) of Todhall (in Dairsie parish), Colonel of the Cupar Militia in 1815 and banker in Cupar, who was married to Janet Paton of Edinburgh. He was the son of John Aitken of Thornton and his second wife, Betty (b 1722), daughter of David Betson of Mitchell`s Beath and Helen Wyld. This Colonel George Aitken suffered heavy losses by the failure of the Western Bank of Cupar in 1830, and was obliged to sell Todhall. He died December 10 1831, aged 70 years. His son was John Aitken (1792-1852), writer in Cupar, who was married to Jane Christie, daughter of Andrew Christie of Ferrybank, banker in Cupar. Their sons included George Aitken, Captain of the 20th Bombay Native Infantry who died in India in 1850, and Robert Hope Moncrieff Aitken, V.C. (d 1887), of the 13th Bengal Native Infantry, one of the defenders of Lucknow in the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Another two sons, John Christie Aitken (b 1821) - 3rd but eldest surviving, and James Aitken (d 1894), who was married to Jessie Bouchier, settled in Australia. The Aitkens of the Hill of Beath were descended from George Aitken (b 1712), fourth and youngest son of John Aitken, 2nd Laird of Thornton, and Janet Moodie of Cocklaw. This John Aitken had succeeded his father in about 1710 and died in about 1742. This George Aitken appears as tenant of Lassodie, in Beath parish, in June, 1739 when he married Margaret Moodie, eldest daughter of John Moodie of Cocklaw. Their son and heir was John Aitken (1751-1824) was described as of Hill of Beath in July 1783 when he married Elisa Donald of Dunfermline. Their son, George Aitken (1784-1826) of Hill of Beath died unmarried, aged 42 years, and he was succeeded by his sister, Janet Aitken (b 1785), who probably also died unmarried. The Aitkens of Windie-edge were descended from David Aitken, second son of John Aitken, the first of Thornton. He had a sasine of a quarter of the town and lands of Windie-edge, October 27 1675. He was married to Marion Sim, probably of the Whitehouse family. He was succeeded by his son, David Aitken (b 1700), who was married (1730) to Janet, daughter of Deavid Betson of Mitchell`s Beath. He was still alive in 1762. His son, David Aitken (1734-1809) appears as "Younger of Hill of Beath" up to 1762, then as "Tenant of Hill of Beath" until 1770; is styled "of Lassodie" in 1772- 78, when he eppears as David Aitken "of Windie-edge." He was married to his cousin, Marion Couston (d 1826) of Keirsbeath. Their second, but eldest surviving son, Robert Aitken (1764-1832), who was married to Elizabeth Watt (d 1844), succeeded to Windie- edge, and he in turn by his only son, David Aitken (1800-1881), who served himself heir to his grand-uncle, John Couston in Dunfermline, once tenant in Keirsbeath, June 29 1836, and to his father, May 31 1859. He died unmarried, 9 November 1881, and was succeeded by his niece, Mary Craig. She died unmarried, October 8 1899, leaving Windie-edge to Alice, Jeanie and Minnie Aitken, the daughters of her late cousin, James Aitken of Eskbank. The progenitor of the Aitkens in Australia was James Aitken (1774-1865), 7th son of David Aitken of Windie-edge and Marion Couston, who was married to Agnes Anderson. His heir was David Aitken (1807-1884), tenant of Torbain, and later of Chapel, both in Abbotshall parish, who married his cousin, Isabella Marion, daughter of John Stenhouse of South Fod, in Dunfermline parish. Three of his sons emigrated to Australia: James (1836-1905), who was married (1860) to Jeanie Lewis; George (d 1887), married to Helen Anderson; and David (d 1907), who was married to Ellen Tod. The most prominent was the eldest son, James Aitken, who had arrived Victoria in 1859 to become manager of the Carngham Estate under Philip Russell, and was subsequently admitted partner in the latter`s Langi Willi property. Later on, with his brothers, he leased the Lake Bolac and Hopkin Hill sheep stations, and purchased the Banyenong Estate in the Wimmera District. In 1879 he came to Melbourne as manager of the British and Australian Trust and Loan Co Ltd. In 1882 he became partner in the pastoral Messrs Dalgety, Blackwood & Co, and in 1884, when the firm became a limited company - Dalgety & Co Ltd - he was appointed its first managing director. The Aitkens of Kirkcaldy were descended from George Aitken (1820-1894), who was the 7th son of James Aitken, the 7th son of David Aitken of Windie-edge and Marion Couston. He was tenant of Tyrie, near Kirkcaldy, and married Helen Lewis of Boglily. Their son was George Lewis Aitken (b 1855), who was writer in Kirkcaldy and tenant of Boglily. He was married to Harriet Walker, with two sons and two daughters. The Aiktens of Lockhead in Beath parish were descended from George Aitken (1677- 1757), a younger son of John Aitken of Thornton and Christian Kellock, who was married to Helen Peacock (d 1719). His only son and heir, George Aitken (1713-1800) appears to have either bought or inherited the estate of Lockhead from his father. He was described as "of Salton" at the time of his marriage at Beath, May 20, 1769 to his cousin, Elizabeth Aiken (1743-1826), daughter of George Aitken of Lassodie. Their second, but eldest surviving son, John Aitken (1776-1803), succeeded to the estate, and he in turn by his brother, Henry Aitken (1781-1817), and then by his sister, Marion Aitken (d 1845). There is an old tombstone to this family in Beath Churchyard. Ruvigny also deals with cadet Aitken families in Edinburgh and also in London, descended from the Thornton branch, but we will pass on these. Perhaps we may mention them in a future Journal. JAMES AITKEN OF TORBAIN. From Torbain, Fife, to Melbourne; The Story of James Aitken and his Family in Australia, 1858-1982 (2007). By Robert Russell Aitken. The author, who was senior partner in the Australian legal firm of Aitken, Walker, and Strachan, was the family historian.