Tighsolas Who's Who
A genealogy from family documents
( I put this page up May 20, 2006 in response to a rather nice review of this website on the exceptional George Mason University History and New Media website.: Women in World History Feature which is just being completed at this time.
There are oodles of genealogy websites featuring Lewis Scots, it's almost a cottage industry. See this essay available online (warning: some advertising.)
Here is a short history of the McLeods (my husband's branch).
Murdoch McLeod (from Lewis, Scotland) marries Margaret McLennan (who lived to 98!) Lewis women were long lived.
They beget: *yes I know 'beget'means sire, but I'm using it for women anyway...
John, Murdoch, Catherine (Neilson) John (Number 2) Marion, Maggie, Flora, Donald.
John Number Two and family arrives in Quebec 1838 and a few years later marries Sarah Marion McLean newly arrived from Coll. Read sister Maggie's revised will from 1907 (when the stock market crashed)which likely launched this entire website!! .They beget Murdoch, Sally, Mary Jane (Brownlow)who dies during the letters, Flora (Lapham) Margaret (Nicholson) in 1854 and Christie (Gymer) who lives to a ripe old age, for in 1954 the Evansville Illinois newspaper featured a photo 5 Generations of Gymers, Donald (Dan of the letters who dies in 1912), Sara (Wood) of Sarnia and Isabella (Hill) of the letters.
Margaret marries Norman Nicholson of in 1883, Norman spending 5 dollars on a ladies' ring and 50 cents on a frying pan and 136. plus 45. dollars, a lot, on furnishings, and has Edith, Herb, Marion and Flora. Pic above from 1902. They build Tighsolas in 1896 for $2,700 and some dollars. Marion marries Hugh Blair in 1913 and begets Margaret, Marion (my recently deceased mother in law) Stella and Robert.
Mary Jane McLeod-Brownlow begets Florence (Pepler)who lives across the street from the Nicholsons in 1910. The Peplers have a daughter during the letters and Margaret says "Don't feel sorry for them. They are very pleased."
The Peplers only beget girls, Esther, Edith, Stella, Christina, Jean, Myrtle, Marion and Dorothy. Jean Pepler was a prominent educator, like Marion Nicholson Blair. Edith Pepler, an elegant woman, was President of Richmond Historical Society, which may account for why Marion Nicholson Blair's picture is on the wall of their archives. Alice Dresser founded the RHS and wrote this letter.
The Nicholsons
Kenneth Nicolson, a fisherman and coal oil salesman from Uig Lewis, Hebrides but originally from Skye, marries Catherine Buchanan. He arrives in Port St Francis, Quebec with wife and nine children in 1841, on the Lady Hood and this group is described at the time "as some of the poorest settlers ever to land in Canada." Some walk, some ride to Lingwick where they settle, almost perishing that first brutal winter, except for help from the First Nations People and St Andrew's Society. The issue are Malcolm (father of Norman Nicholson, of Tighsolas) Murdoch, Marion, Angus, Mary, Donald, Anne, Christie and Nicol.
Malcolm marries Anne Stalker in Flodden, Brompton Gore, Richmond County. Their issue, Norman, Christina, Gilbert, Sophia. Pic of Christina and Sophia. Here's a map of the area, 1910. Lingwick and "the Gore" aren't on it, though. I have a great letter from 1893 where an old friend of Norm's reminisces about an adventure as a young man at home in Quebec in 1867 during St Andrew's Day.. This letter illustrates how the Lewismen spread out all over North America (not to mention Australia.) I have 1000 Nicholson letters, 1879 to 1938. Margaret, the heroine of Tighsolas, died in 1942. A few samples..from 1900 era.CLICK
