Cameron's of Appin and Kinlochleven

[jjeonchapman]

Hi Chris,

Thank you for your careful study of the photos I sent to you. Little Angus's photo by Dingman is very cute indeed. Say, I noticed that I no longer have the image of the boy with a straw hat--I think I accidentally deleted it. If I sent you a copy of that one could you send me a copy back?

I know nothing of the military history of England, but also thought that the military man with medals seemed to be holding a typically English tall hat. I'll try googling around to see if I can find a medal that looks like the star-shaped one.

Thank you for each and every bit of information about my ancestors. and about Cockenzie House. Major Angus is indeed lucky (as am I) that his fall didn't have worse consequences for him. He seems to have been a very busy fellow and to have moved around a lot, perhaps due to military orders? I wonder if he went to Ontario, where he died, still in the employ of the military, and I wonder which town in Ontario he lived in. His mother, Una, seems to have had a difficult life, widowed twice and yet struggling financially.

You mentioned that Major Angus was a Trustee for the estate of Glencoe at the death of Alexander Macdonald of Glencoe in 1814. Is that the Major-General Alexander MacDonald's portrayed in the miniature portrait my family has? It must have been awkward to be involved in a legal issue opposing his sister-in-law's husband, Coll MacDonald.

I wonder which of Major Angus's sons were at the taking of Quebec. I found Donald MacBean in the list of officers present, and noticed a number of Camerons also present. I'll have to try to find that article again. It was a 19th century highlands publication now online. I can't remember the name of it.

Was the Cockenzie House a retirement home, or was Mary Cameron paying to reside there? Or was she a house guest? Do you know if she married and had children?

I wonder if Ann Cameron was married previous to her marriage with Edmond Boyle in Ontario or if she had any biological children.

Any idea who the "Miss Amy Lyons" might be? Hers was one of the few photos labeled in the album.

Angus Cameron, father of Archibald, was manager for Coll MacDonald at his office located at 18 Great King Street in Edinburgh. I wonder what that means and if I might be able to find him in a business directory. I was able to find Coll in a directory of that sort, although it didn't render any more information. It did verify, however, that the address given in the papers I found was correct.

More leads, and so little time. Thank you for all your effort, Chris! I look forward to anything else you might be able to uncover.

Judy

[ChrisDoak]

Hi Judy,

Glad that the young man with the straw boater got back to you safely.

Alexander Macdonald of Glencoe,who died in 1814,was the 16th chief of the Glencoe family,and son of John Macdonald of Glencoe (Una's brother),and his wife Catherine Cameron (daughter of John Cameron of Fassifern).Keeping things in the family,Alexander married his first cousin Mary,daughter of Ewan Cameron of Fassifern.

Incidently,I found the source I had for the names of the seven children of Major Angus and Marjory McBean.It was from a manuscript dated 1833,entitled "Mackintosh Genealogies",by S.Fraser Mackintosh.In the manuscript,he clarified that Major Angus was married to Marjory McBean (and named their children),and that she was the eldest daughter of Donald McBean of Kinchyle,afterwards of Tearie(?),by Ann,2nd daughter of Mackintosh of Woodend,afterwards of Kellachy.McBean was the only surviving son of Gillie More McBean,killed at Culloden.

Cockenzie House would have been a private dwelling when Mary Cameron died there.Unfortunately,living in Glasgow,I only have access to the Census films for the West of Scotland,so I cannot check who was living there circa 1860 - 1880.Incidentally,do you know when Mary died?

With regard to Amy Lyons,I cannot trace anyone of that name in Scotland (assuming she was baptised with that first name).By her photograph,she would appear to be in her late 30s in circa 1870,and that would fit in nicely with the only entry I found on the IGI(www.familysearch.com):

-AMY LYON b.3 November 1833 St.John,Eltham,Kent,to John and Mary Lyon.(I think this is the couple John Lyon and Mary Ann Scott,who married nearby in 1830).

Anything there seem familiar?

Regarding finding Archibald Fraser Cameron in the 1841 Census,I checked out all the appropriate entries listed in the West of Scotland ,but without any luck.I suspect he was in Scotland at the time of the 1841 Census,but I would hazard a guess that his entry has been lost.The 1841 Census books for nine Parishes in the County of Fife (just across the River Forth from Edinburgh),were lost when the ferry boat carrying them sunk.Given that some of your anonymous photographs were taken in Auchtermuchty,Fife,this is a distinct possibility.

Anyway,enough for now.

Cheers,Chris.

[jjeonchapman]

Greetings from the Bay State,

According to the papers I found, Mary Cameron died in Cockenzie House on 18 July 1818. I wonder if she was the owner, wife of the owner, or house guest. If she is listed as Mary Cameron does that imply that she never married?

Thank you for clarifying Alexander Macdonald of Glencoe's role in the family. But I feel a tad uncomfortable with all this marrying of first cousins. Was that very common at the time?

Is the manuscript by S. Fraser Mackintosh available online or in libraries? My ancester who wrote the papers I found said that Donald MacBean, father of Marjory, was the son of Gillies MacBean, himself son of a daughter of MacPherson of Ballendallach, and she didn't mention any ancestors in between. She said that the Duke of Cumberland saw Gillies dead on the battlefield the following day and bemoaned the fact that such a handsome fellow had been killed, had the body stood up against a wall and put a scottish bonnet on his head. After doing this, he summoned Gillies' widow and offered a military position to Donald, her 13-year-old son and she accepted the offer on his behalf much to the astonishment and annoyance of the rest of her kin, especially her brother, McPherson Grant, who was all for Bonnie Prince Charlie. She claims that this Donald MacBean was the father of Marjory MacBean and that he was at the taking of Quebec, and that Marjory's mother (Donald's wife) was Ann MacIntosh, daughter of MacIntosh of Kinchyle and aunt of the famous Sir James MacIntosh. If I understand it properly, your source seems to place a number of other folks in between Gillies and Donald. All those "afterwards" are rather confusing.

The sleuthing that you have done in regards to Miss Amy Lyons is impressive. The names don't sound familiar right now, but maybe I'll run into to those names down the road.

That is indeed discouraging news about the County of Fife ferry going down with all those precious documents. Archibald seems to leave very few traces despite his marriage and children, perhaps due to that boat sinking and a church burning down in Ontario along with its precious registers where Archibald's marriage and the baptisms of his children might have been recorded. There is a story that Emily Cameron, one of Archibald's daughters, was living in the USA and wanted to get married to George Betts, but didn't have a birth certificate, nor did her fiancé, who was also from the same area around Picton, Ontario. So they both went back to Picton to look for the birth certificates, but they never found them. They gave up the search, assuming the records had burnt down in the church, and got married there and lived in Canada the rest of their lives.

In regards to Archibald, I did find a curious document that I almost didn't consider looking at because the baptismal certificate was from Quebec and too late. It reads that the minister baptized into the Church of Scotland an Archibald Cameron, lawful son of Angus Cameron and Sarah (last name unreadable) at St. Philippe d'Argenteuil in Grenville on 4 Oct 1835, but mentions that Archibald was born 15 May 1826. I don't know what to make of this. The birth date doesn't match the one given on the papers I found.(31 Aug 1832). The papers specify that he was born in Edinburgh, but what if he wasn't baptised until he reached Canada? More mysteries to ponder.

By the way, Edmond Boyle and his wife Anne (Cameron) Boyle (Anne spelled with a final "e") show up in the 1860 and 1871 Canadian census records. Edmond's oldest son, Robert, was very eloquent when signing Eva Cameron's autograph book, and it turns out, according to the census of 1871, that he was a newspaper publisher, and a later census lists him as a "Gentleman." Perhaps the Boyles were titled gentry from Ireland.

That's all for now

Judy

[jjeonchapman]

Re-reading my post written way too late last night I realized that if Mary Cameron died in Cockenzie House on 18 July 1818, then the photo I that I thought I had of Mary Cameron taken in Scotland cannot be the sister of Angus Cameron 6th of Kinlochleven as that's well before commercial photography.

Of all the photos I have it is the faintest so I thought it was older. But checking my notes, I see that it was taken by Moffat at the Princes Street address where he was from 1861 to 1873. I should have scanned the back of it where it was labeled with the name "Mary" but the "Mary" was rather a scrawl. Did Marjory MacBean live long enough to have her photo taken? If so, then perhaps what I saw was "Marj" instead of "Mary." I can't remember now if the name "Cameron" was written there, but my son Cameron says that he only remembers seeing the first name scrawled.

I found this photo separated from the rest being used as a bookmark in a hand-written 19th century book found along with the genealogical papers. The book was entitled "Important Inquiries," but the author of the theological treatise is not given. That is another item I would like to investigate as it is very erudite and well-written. I don't see why a person would take the trouble to copy a book by hand if they could buy it, so I wonder if it is a manuscript kept by the family. Marjory MacBean's niece was married to the famous Lord Charles Neaves, a lawyer, theologian and writer, and from the quick searches I've conducted on the internet it seems that many of his writings were not published. I would like to think that this might be one of his books. Eva Cameron tended to keep things in a logical place, like newspaper clippings of death notices in the page of her autograph book where that person had signed, so I think the photo is somehow linked to the book.

The book begins: "Letiticos was a young gentleman who passed his life immersed in all the dissipation of London. If he was a lover of pleasure more than a lover of God of whom he knew nothing it was no wonder. Tho' a good moral man, of sound understanding, & an honest heart, he had no tincture of religion; nor had he, since he left school, ever once been within a church. His excellent classical education was useless, & the little time he could spare for reading was dedicated to newspapers , pamphlets & Voltaire." I thought that the name "Letiticos" was unusual enough that I would be able to locate it using Google, but nothing popped up immediately.

More material to ponder...

Judy

[ChrisDoak]

Hi Judy,

A quick reply - you were nearly right with the date of death for Mary Cameron - it was 18 July 1881 (a slip of the pen).

I managed to get a look at the 1881 Census entry for Cockenzie House (in the Tranent area of Haddington Parish,East Lothian),which reveals that Mary was living with the Cadell family there.Her entry reads as follows:

-Mary CAMERON,boarder,unmarried,74,occupation - Family Governess,born Argyle,Glencoe.

The Cadell family comprised of 3 unmarried sisters,and three of their young nephews and nieces(hence the reason that Mary was living there,presumably).

Mary featured in a big volume of Confirmations and Inventories that I consulted,here in Glasgow,and it revealed that her estate,on death,was worth £3,834 (a tidy sum for the time),and that her Executors ,nominated in her Will of 8 July 1879,were John MATHESON,merchant,39a George Street,Edinburgh,and John Thomson MOWBRAY,LL.D,W.S.,also of Edinburgh.

I checked on the www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk website,and her Will is available online,though it does cost £5 (or the equivalent) to purchase it.It states that the Will is 8 pages long,so it might have a lot of useful names and information in it.

I am not too sure if Mr S.Fraser Mackintosh ever got round to publishing his book on the Mackintosh Genealogies,but his son was also a notable author/historian who had a lot of books published at the end of the 19th century.The facts of Marjory McBean's family seem to match those that your ancestor recorded - Mr Mackintosh just seems to have had a bit of a flowery,and very Georgian,way of putting it!

Regards,Chris.

[jjeonchapman]

Hello Chris,
Another masterful find! I went immediately to the site you mentioned and downloaded Mary Cameron's will which I read with great interest. She was working in Cockenzie House for the family of Major General Robert Caddell. She bequeathed 300 pounds sterling to Harriet Isabella Caddell, youngest daughter of the deceased Hugh Francis Caddell, esquire of Cockenzie. 1500 pounds sterling were to go to that adorable Angus Lochiel Cameron whose photo taken in Picton, Ontario you so admired, described as son of her deceased nephew, Archibald Fraser Cameron. At the time of the writing of the Will, Angus was residing with his adoptive parents, the Diedericks, in St. Paul, Minnesota, which is mentioned in the will. The remainder of her estate was to be divided equally among Archibald's other three children. She mentions my Great-Grandmother, Eva Cameron, as the eldest child, who should be consulted regarding the testament. Aside from the lawyer and his clerks, only the gardener and assistant gardener are listed, and they served as witnesses to the will: David and John Sanderson. Sadly, I must report that cute little Angus died before reaching adulthood, so he probably never benefitted from this will.

After reading this will, I suspect that my bemedalled officer might well be Major General Caddell, and the girls who reappear so frequently in Eva Cameron album might be the children Mary Cameron looked after...

It is wonderful to have this document, the will of my 3x great aunt, in which my great-great grandfather, my great-grandmother and great uncle are featured so prominently. Thank you for finding it and directing me to it.

A very fine day of genealogy indeed!

Judy

[ChrisDoak]

Glad to hear that we have hit the target at last.

The family that were living at Cockenzie House,at the time of the 1881 Census when Mary was living there,were as follows:

CENSUS 1881:Haddington,East Lothian.
At Cockenzie House,Tranent:
-Martha CADELL,unm.,62,Head of Household,b.Haddington,Tranent.
-Mary,sister,unm.,52,b.Haddington,Tranent.
-Harriet,sister,unm.,37,b.Haddington,Tranent.
-James D.CADELL,nephew,7,Scholar,b."IDI".(India?)
-Marion B.S.,niece,6,Scholar,b.IDI.
-Thomas,nephew,4,b.IDI.

In addition to Mary Cameron,there were five servants listed - a cook,a nurse,two domestic servants,and a lady attendant.

I checked in Who's Who for the Death of the children's father,Major General Robert Cadell,and it confirmed the following (precis):

-Sir Robert CADELL,KCB,1825 - 1897.Entered the Madras Artillery in 1842.Colonel Commandent 1885.Served in Crimean War and India Mutiny.Inspector General of Ordnance,Madras 1877 - 1881.Married to Elizabeth Cunningham.

I also see that Robert's younger brother ,Colonel Thomas Cadell,served in the Indian Army,and was awarded the Victoria Cross at the Siege of Delhi.

Yes,I too think there is a good chance that Robert Cadell is the military man in the photograph.Some of the other anonymous photographs might be of his children,or possibly of some of Mary's earlier charges.I will need to have a good look at them again.

A shame that wee Angus did not live long enough to enjoy his large endowment,but I am sure that his sisters would later benefit from his share.Can we take it,I wonder,that as Mary did not leave anything to any other family members,there were no other nephews and nieces,and no further dependants?I am just wondering too,if the brothers of Angus (Archibald's father) never married,never had children,and the Cameron of Kinlochleven line died out with wee Angus?

Regarding the name "Letiticos",try googling the name with a "u" for the "o",and I think you will see what influenced the name.Be aware though,that not all the entries which will come up will be for family viewing!

Regards,Chris.

[ChrisDoak]

Judy,
Just when I thought I had it all sorted out at Cockenzie House,I find out that the children living there in 1881 were three of the daughters and sons of Colonel Thomas Cadell,rather than his brother Robert.

I am not now too sure which of the two brothers the photo of the military man is,but there is a photograph of an elderly Sir Robert,in uniform,that I came across on the internet.Have a look at it by googling "Cadell Cockenzie",and then clicking on Images at the top.What do you think?

Chris.

[jjeonchapman]

Hello Chris,

All very exciting to go from having no clue at all who those folks might be to having a pretty reasonable idea that they are from the Cadell family.

I think that the photo I have from late 1860's to early 1870's might be a younger version of General Sir Robert Cadell. Thomas received the Victoria Cross in 1857, before the photo I have was taken, and I would think he would wear it if he had received it. The man in the photo I have has a 7-pointed star medal and three round medals. Nothing that looks like a cross or a VC. I'm not at all knowledgeable about military medals, but when I googled the VC they all looked very cross-like, not round or starry. It's hard to be certain, but the portrait you referred me to online of General Robert Cadell resembles the man in the photo I have in that they both are slender, both have the same shaped face with eyes that slant slightly downwards, similar mustache. The organization that published a reprint of General Cadell's book recently mentioned the difficulty in finding a portrait of the General, but located one in a museum, I think.

The Cockenzie House has a very fascinating history indeed. And the Cadell family is very interesting. I downloaded General Cadell's book available free online and ordered the book about his explorer brother, Francis, who was murdered by the cook's mate on his last adventure. I skimmed Sir Walter Scott's memoirs, also available free online, and there are many references to Robert Cadell, uncle to General Cadell (perhaps his namesake?) who was his sole publisher in later years, and good friend. Sir W. Scott mentions Cockenzie House also, and visits there, and seeing the General when he was but one of the fine fat children (he sure thinned out). As Robert Cadell was a publisher, I wonder if the manuscript I have was given to Mary Cameron by him or his family and then Eva inherited it...

Speaking of which, I did as you suggested and google Letiticos with a "u." I suppose that it was a good name symbolic of a good yet godless man whom the writer would like to bring back into the fold. I didn't get a chance to read the entire book, but skimmed enough to see that the writer was, like Pascal, appealing to the educated agnostic.

The photographs of young children that I have could match up to Thomas' children, as the photo of the youngest looks to be of a 4 year old. There are photos of two women who appear to be sisters when they were quite young and then when they were older, and of them with two brothers. I think that they are brothers because they look similar and the two women are embracing, as if the photographer wanted us to know that they were sisters and that what we were viewing was not two couples. I'm hoping that the book I ordered about Capt. Cadell will have some family photos. Probably not, but I can hope.

That's all for now. I'm just quite happy about the Sir Walter Scott connection, not that it's certain that Mary Cameron would have known him, but just because he's always been a favorite author of mine, and Kidnapped in particular a gem.

Judy

[jjeonchapman]

Chris,

I forgot to respond to your comment about the possible end of the lineage of Angus Cameron 6th of Kinlochleven with the death of young Angus Lochiel Cameron in St. Paul. That too was my suspicion upon reading Mary Cameron's will. Although there are reasons that Archibald's family could have been her favorite among others. The fact that Archibald ended up marrying Mary's sister Anne's step-daughter must have made the family ties especially close. But the fact that she singled out Angus to receive a greater sum suggests his important genealogical position as last hope for the male line to continue. As far as the female line is concerned, I assure that it's very healthy and numerous, and my son, my father and my nephew all have Cameron as part of their names.

What was the name of Major Angus' illegitimate son had with cousin Janet? Did his name begin with an "L"? Because Anne Cameron wrote in her diary that a Mr. L. Cameron died 15 Dec. 1863. What became of him, I wonder? You mentioned earlier that you assumed that Major Angus' first born son, John, continued with the Kinlochleven title, but I read a reference (of course I can't place it at this moment, but it might have been the "Highlander") that mentioned that Major Angus was asked to legally renounce any claim to KInlochleven, and that he did. Perhaps that's why we don't see Major Angus' son John on the Kinlochleven radar. The notes from my ancestor say that the brother or brothers of Anne and Mary Cameron were at the taking of Quebec. They must have survived that or I think she would have mentioned that he or they died there. I think I saw a list of the members of the Fraser Highlanders in the Highlander or elsewhere, but I was looking for Donald MacBean at the time and noticed by didn't focus on the Camerons mentioned. I'll have to look for John, Alexander and Donald Cameron. My mother tells me that my grand-mother from the Cameorn side wanted them to name a child Donald...

Also, this Major Angus sure moved around a lot. I wonder if he chose to go to Ontario later in life or if he was assigned to go there. I read that Kingston, Ontario, where we see the Boyles and Archibald at the beginning of his marriage, was Canada's first capital in a very stratgic position geographically and that there was a fort nearby. The name of the military base was Fort Henry, which was rebuilt 1836-1838. Maybe Major Angus was involved with that. Now tourists can visit the fort. I wonder what drew Anne Cameron to Ontario. Perhaps she followed her father there.

I might contact the Cadell family at [e-mail] and see if they have any photos to compare mine with. It's worth a try.

Judy

Judy

[jjeonchapman]

Chris,

I did contact the Cadell family and Ian Cadell responded immediately! He will consult with the great-grandson of Thomas Cadell in the near future to see what he can make of the photos that I forwarded to him. This is a wonderful connection and I am grateful for their willingness to help with the mystery of Eva Cameron's photo album. Hopefully we'll discover if our theses about the identities of the individuals in the photos are correct.

Judy

[jjeonchapman]

Chris,

I just found an entry regarding the death of Major Angus Cameron of Kinlochleven in "Scots in USA ad Canada 1825-1875," p. 14. It reads as follows:

Cameron, Major Angus. Born 1761 late of Kinlochleven, Inverness-shire, died in Seymour, Montreal, Upper Canada, 23-8-1847 [AF#5203] [EEC#21556].

If this record is correct, then you had the correct year of death and the right country, but the province and city listed here are different. I wonder if he was involved in the repression of the revolts against British rule in Quebec.

I was trying to learn a bit more about Canadian history as the papers I found mentioned that Anne Cameron's brother or brothers were at the taking of Quebec. The taking of Quebec by the British was too early for Major Angus' son(s), being closer to the middle of the 18th century, but there were rebellions in Quebec in the early 19th century that were put down by the British military, and Major Angus (as an advisor perhaps) and his son(s) might have been involved in that action.

I wonder if Major Angus was stationed in Ontario and was called up to Quebec to put down the rebellion.

What do you think?

Judy

[jjeonchapman]

Once I mentioned something about Angus 6th of Kinlochleven being called to renounce his claim on the land. I was mistaken. I came across that elusive source again, and it wasn't Angus 6th, it was Angus 4th of Kinlochleven being asked to renounce Kinlochbeg, not Kinlochleven.

RE: Kinlochleven. from the Celtic Monthly: a magazine for Highlanders, 1899, p. 132: "The lands of Kinlochbeg had previously pertained to John Cameorn of Kinlochmore...There appears to have been some doubts as to the title to Kinlochbeg, as it was found necessary for Angus Cameron of Kinlochleven, son and heir of above John Cameron to grant formal renunciation and discharge of any right or pretension he, the said Angus Cameron, or his father, John, had over Kinlochbeg. " (early 1700's)

Sorry about that.

Judy

[jjeonchapman]

Hello Chris,

Looking for information about Major Angus Cameron of Kinlochleven I came across a reference to his grandfather Angus C. of K. in the Register of Apprentices 1701-1755 in Midlothan, Edinburgh: "Cameron, Alexander, son to Angus C. of Kinlochleven, p. to John Morison, barber (B.) 18 Aug. 1731. Looking at the genealogical chart you posted, said Angus, widower, remarried a servant, Janet Cameron in 1733. I gather this is another sons he had with his first wife, or perhaps he started his second family early, Or perhaps this is just another Angus Cameron who happened to live in Kinlochleven. How can one tell?

Judy

[jjeonchapman]

Another note about the death of Major Angus C. of K in Montreal. I looked up the history of Montreal summer of 1847 and discovered that there was a major outbreak of typhus brought in by ships filled with Irish immigrants. The government quarantined then, built many "fever sheds" near the docks and solidiers tried to keep the ill-fated passengers within the bounds of the quarantine. Thousands of the immigrants died of typhus that summer and many of the nuns and priests who cared for them. Soldiers involved with the quarantine also fell victim to the disease and the mayor himself, who made a point of nursing the infected himself, died of typhus. He is referred to as the "Martyr Mayor."

Since the date of Major Angus' death coincides with this outbreak, I wonder if he was one of the officers who fell victim to this disease. I looked up Seymour in Montreal, and the only reference I found was to a centrally located street in the older section of Montreal. I have actually been on that street myself as I prefer to stay near Old Montreal when I vacation there (they have a wonderful international jazz festival).

Judy

[ChrisDoak]

Hi Judy,

You have managed to answer a lot of the questions I was going to refer to,including the possible confusion over the Fraser Highlanders' participation in the Siege of Quebec in the late 1750s.I am not familiar enough with Canadian history to comment upon any military events that took place there in the early 1800s (can anyone else out there oblige?).

I have certainly come across a reference to one of the sons of Angus being a member of the military,and came across a synopsis of a letter of 1814,from John Cameron of Fassifern to his father back in Scotland.Cameron,who was a Colonel in the 92nd Regiment (also known as the Gordon Highlanders),complained to his father that "Cameron of Kinlochleven has turned up without any money".Colonel Cameron was killed at the Battle of Quatre Bas not long after,and the 92nd Regiment was actively involved in the Waterloo campaign thereafter.It might be difficult to determine which son participated,as there were maybe a 100 Camerons serving with the 92nd Regiment,and many of them had the common first names of John,Donald,and Alexander.

I suspect that Major Angus had left the Army a long time before he arrived in Canada,and whilst the typhus may have finished him off,he had done pretty well to get to the age of 87!Thanks for clarifying that he may not have been kicked off Kinlochleven,or though I suspect something like that may have happened (or he might just have sold up).Certainly,I have a note of a John Cameron being a renter there in 1827,but whether he was one of the family,or totally unrelated,I do not know.

I am unaware of the name of the child that Major Angus fathered with his cousin in 1788.I have only seen the basic description of the Court Action to determine its paternity,and it does not name the child,or give it a sex.The Court documents,hidden in a dusty vault in Edinburgh,would,I am sure,reveal a lot more about the child.

It is a tricky one trying to speculate who "Mr L.Cameron" was who died in 1863,as he could have been an old man,or merely a youngster.Equally,we do not know whether he died in Scotland,Canada,or the US.

Glad that you have made contact with the Cadell family,and that they are interested in your connection.There is no doubt in my mind that the portrait and your photograph are of the same person - what clinched it for me was the identical hair style and parting (us guys notice things like that),and the similiarity of the medals.The Cadell name may not have been familiar with yourself,but over here in Scotland we associate it with the great painter FCB Cadell - a cousin of the family - who produced some great works at the beginning of the 20th century.One of Scotland's finest artists,his works now command prices in the £500,000 bracket.

Incidentally,I gave you a precis of the Who's Who entry for Sir Robert,and here is one for his brother (the children's father):

-Colonel THOMAS CADELL V.C.,Indian Army,born 1835,died 1919.Victoria Cross at the Siege of Delhi.Married to Anna Dalmahoy.Served with the 2nd European Bengal Fusiliers at Siege of Delhi,and with 3rd Bengal Cavalry in the Oude Campaign.Commanded a Flying Column in Bundelkhand.Entered Political Department,and held various appointments in Central India and Rajputana.Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands 1879 - 1892.Victoria Cross for saving two lifes at the Siege of Delhi,and CB for services during the Indian Mutiny.

Regards,Chris.

[jjeonchapman]

Hello Chris,

That 1814 letter complaining about the Cameron of Kinlochleven who showed up without money is interesting. Is it clear to you that this was a son of Cameron and not the Major himself?

After reading the passages from the will of John Cameron of Kinlochleven that you posted, it does appear that money was definitely a problem for this family.

I read that in Montreal the British had a great advantage in the early 19th century, in businesss and government as well. And land was often granted to British soldiers who had served in Canada.

Thank you for posting the bio of Col. Thomas Cadell. Quite an impressive fellow, and from such a gifted family. I'll have to look up the painter FCB Cadell also. I hope that you're right about the identity of the officer in the photo my family has. That would really be something.

Judy

[ChrisDoak]

Hi Judy,

I am a bit perpexed about the "Alexander,son of Angus Cameron of Kinlochleven" who is listed as becoming an Apprentice in Edinburgh in 1731.Assuming the boy was about 12,it would certainly rule out the Alexander born to Angus during his second marriage.I can only think that this was a son from his first marriage,and who subsequently died between that date,and the death of Angus in 1754.Certainly,of documents that I have seen relating to the affairs of Angus on his death,only the two known children from his first marriage are acknowleged as heirs - John and Margaret.

John,as we know,went on to marry Una Macdonald,and his sister Margaret moved to Edinburgh.Last year,purely by chance,I came across a Civil Court Action she had taken out in 1772,against a Katherine Stewart:

The papers revealed that "Mary Cameron,daughter of deceased Angus Cameron of Kinlochleven",had kept an Inn in the Grassmarket of Edinburgh up till 1763."Mary",also referred to in the documents as Margaret (the Gaelic for Margaret is Mairead,so I can understand how she was known by both names),was the spouse of a Robert Stewart,soldier.She was also known,confusingly,as "Mary Macdonald".In 1763 she had been accused by a guest,Katherine Stewart,of stealing a gold watch and money from her,and as a result of this,Margaret spent three months in the gaol in Edinburgh.

In the 1772 Action,Margaret was attempting to clear her name by claiming that the watch never existed.She clarified for the Court her background,that "her brother had followed his cousin (Cameron of Lochiel presumably) in 1745,and was involved in the common ruin of that family for their unnatural Rebellion".She continued that "she had been a child of distress and misfortune of her family,and had to go into service to earn her bread".She denied that she had kept a disorderly house in Edinburgh,and with the aid of a number of character witnesses,convinced the Court that she had been wrongly accused.Katherine Stewart was unable to provide any character witnesses (even her daughter),and Margaret was awarded compensation,and her name cleared.

Regarding the "Cameron of Kinlochleven" that appeared to serve with the 92nd Regiment in 1814,I would be confident that this was a son rather than Major Angus.He was busy at this time getting involved in all sort of Legal Actions for the Glencoe Estate,and I think it is unlikely he would have been fit to fight.

Cheers,
Chris.

[jjeonchapman]

Hello Chris,

I don't know what to make of Alexander either. If Angus C. of Kinlochleven did have children with his second wife, the one his family didn't approve of, why didn't he recognize them in his will? Had they all died before him? On the other hand, if Alexander were born previous to his second marriage, but by Angus' future second wife while his first wife was still alive, then perhaps he could have been old enough to enter into an apprenticeship.

Poor Margaret/Mairead/Mary! Wrongly accused and tossed in prison! Luckily she cleared the good Cameron name. It didn't sound like she was a big fan of Bonnie Prince Charlie at the time, as her family's involvement hurt them so much. Were the Camerons of Kinlochleven ever well off? Did they have a manor house?

You did mention one legal affair that Major Angus had been involved with in a previous post. What sorts of legal affairs was he involved in? Do you know when his wife, Marjory MacBean, died?

Judy

[ChrisDoak]

Hi Judy,

I am not convinced that Margaret Cameron was not a fan of the Young Pretender.Even 25 years after the Rebellion,it would not have been a good idea to proclaim your affection to him and his cause - certainly not in a Court of Law in Edinburgh,where you are trying to convince the Judge that you are of good character.Best to blame your brother,and claim it had nothing to do with you!

It is likely that Margaret would have been aware that her brother's participation in the 1745 Rebellion was well known.Certainly,John would have been a major participant in the Cameron of Lochiel Regiment.An espionage report to the Earl of Albemere in November 1746,entitled "Rebel Officers at Home",reported that "Captain Cameron of Kinlochleven gives pay to his Rebel men,and spirits them up".

John Cameron,yr of Kinlochleven,(as he was titled prior to his father's death in 1754),seems to have been a formidable character,with whom you would be inadvisable to mess with.In an agreement of 1744,between Cameron of Lochiel,McDonell of Glengarry,and McDonell of Keppoch,they determined to clamp down on lawlessness by their clans.John Cameron,yr.of Kinlochleven was appointed a Deputy to the Dochinassie area,along with Donald Cameron of Clunes(Dochinassie is the area of Lochaber inhabited by the McMartin tribe of Camerons).He would not have been appointed unless he had held respect,and had been somebody to be feared.

Looking through all my notes again,I discovered I had missed a reference to John and Margaret having siblings.This would possibly mean that the Alexander Cameron in Edinburgh in 1731 was their brother.Maybe having died soon after,his half-brother,born in circa 1735,was named after him.I came across the reference to a sibling in an Action taken out in 1780 against Janet Cameron,2nd wife of John and Margaret's father Angus.

The Court Action was taken out by (the later Major) Angus Cameron of Kinlochleven,with the consent of his Curators - Duncan Campbell of Glenure,John Macdonald of Glencoe,and John Cameron,Tacksman of Kinlochbeg.Angus wished to dispossess his step-grandmother(?) from the lease of Kinlochleven.

Angus Cameron clarified to the Court that his grandfather Angus Cameron of Kinlochleven had married Margaret Campbell,daughter of Alexander Campbell of Barcaldine,in November 1709.She died before 1730,and the following year Angus had a fling with his servant Janet Cameron.A son,James,was born the following year,and in order to legitimise the boy,Angus proposed to marry Janet.His family,however,were vehemently against this,but in order for the marriage to go ahead,Angus had,under the terms of his 1709 marriage contract,to give up his claim on the lands of Kinlochleven.He was forced to dispose of Kinlochleven to John "his eldest son of his first marriage".

Angus Cameron of Kinlochleven died in 1754,and Janet,she informed the Court,was left with nothing for herself and her 4 young children.The Court found in her favour though,and she was allowed to retain an interest in Kinlochleven,and she was awarded £125 expenses.

I have never come across a description of the house at Kinlochleven,but it would not have been palatial - probobly just a single-storey,stone farmhouse with a turf roof,albeit much bigger than any of the neighbour's.The family seems to have been well-off,though their considerable household possessions were sold off after John's death in 1762,and they may not have been so wealthy thereafter.The cousins in Kinlochbeg were at this period,described in a letter I have seen,as "devilishly rich".

I'll get back to you on what legal Actions Major Angus was involved in,and I'll see if I can find out anything on Marjory's death.

Regards,Chris.