|
|
For more information on the McLatchy Family see the Descendants of John McLatchy (1756 - 1832) (http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/mclatchy/) website by Bill McLatchy (mclatchy@nbnet.nb.ca). (Note: as of April, 2004, this website can no longer be found, and I have lost contact with Bill McLatchy.) Bill McLatchy wrote in a 1999 email regarding his research into McLatchty ancestors: "A couple of months ago, I hit the genealogical goldmine with one of our
ancestors. Through different lines, we are both descended from James Harris (b.1740
Colchester, Conneticut). His grandmother was Sarah Rogers b.1676 who married James Harris b.1673. Sarah Rogers has a very, very well documented
ancestry, including some well known people. According to the info I have come across, we are descendants of Kings and Queens, Earls, Counts and Countesses, Dukes and Duchesses, etc., etc..
Edward I "Longshanks", King of England. Ever heard of him? Ever seen the movie
"Braveheart"? Anyway, once I hit royalty, the files are very extensive.
I suppose they had people who just looked after that kind of stuff. Leofric III, Earl of Mercia (England), you probably haven`t heard of him
but what about his wife, Godiva, Countess of Mercia? Yes, Lady Godiva. How about Charlemagne, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire... or his
grandfather, Charles Martel? If you want to check it out, go to: http://www.familysearch.org/
An amazing ancestry website by the Mormons. Gotta run, Bill McLatchy" And, he emailed on July 23, 2000: Subj: Hello
Another email from Bill McLatchy on September 23, 2000: Subj: Robert Laird Harris I met with John Hatt about 4-6 weeks ago. I have copies of info that he had on hand. There is a mountain of papers, and I am going through them as meticulously as possible. 99% of the info, I already have, but that 1% can make all of the difference. Anyways, it will take me some time to go through it all. I have just come across info about Robert Laird Harris, Mary Jane Harris` father. I recall that you mentioned your aunt Jean searching for more details. Here is what I have now: Robert Laird Harris was the son of Abel Harris and Christina Jane Hill. I have some info about the ancestors of Christina Jane Hill. Her father was John Thomas Hill Senior, the High Sheriff for King`s County, Nova Scotia, from 1792 until 1800. As for the Harris line, I have too much info to relay and am currently adding. If you would care to wait for my new work to be completed, you will find many details. I presently have about 4200 names (not all descendants - some spouses and their ancestors), but I have added details to many of the previous entries. I seem to be addicted to adding every little fragmant of info that I come across. It`s important to me to add all that I can, even though it will add more time to publish. Anyway... for now, you need the name of Robert`s wife. I can give you this: Robert Laird Harris born 21 Dec 1809, at Horton Township, Kings County, Nova Scotia married on ? to Susan J. Rathburne They had six children, although, I only know the name of one - your great great grandmother, Mary Jane Harris. Who was Susan J. Rathburne? I cannot locate anything. Was she of the Rathbone (or Rathbun) family in Nova Scotia? The further you go back, the more likely you will find "corruptions" of spelling. We see this over and over with the name McLatchy. I will tell you that I have uncovered information that states John McLatchy, (born 1756 Scotland and emigrated to Nova Scotia in 1783), was in fact Christened as John McLatchie (ie) at Dalmellington, Ayreshire, Scotland in 1758. His father was James McLatchie (99.99999% certain). John also had brothers, William and Ivie, and sisters, Margaret and Janet and Isobel. These siblings all remained in Scotland. It is also believed there was another brother, Walter McLatchie, who was Christened 7 June 1753. This indeed fits in, but was he a brother or perhaps a cousin? It is quite likely he was a brother, but what became of him? Did he die young, or did he emigrate like John? I have just recieved copies of letters written to John from the family in Scotland. They mention all of the brothers and sisters (with many details), except Walter. Some of the letters are dated as early as 1802. Some are signed McClatchie, but most as McLatchie, and none are signed McLatchy. John appeared to have a goodEducation, with elegant handwriting, yet, records show that he was a blacksmith. How did he ever acquire the wealth to purchase such a large tract of land (about 3600 acres) in Albert County in 1811? He later purchased an adjoining 300+ acres. Sometime later, he transfered the Albert County lands over to his sons John Junior and James. He frequently bought and sold properties in Nova Scotia. When he died in 1832, he had no less than a half a dozen properties which he divided among his children there. I have seen his last will and testament, as a matter of fact I actually held it in my hands (I had to enter the climate controlled vault to preserve - they don`t want such old documents exposed to outside air). It was quite fancy handwriting, and a large document. Because the writing differs from today, I did not have time to decipher it. I did get a copy. I later noticed that it was signed John McLatchy, ESQ. I thought that this implied that he was an attorney, but when I checked with a professional at the Provincial Archives of Nova Scotia, I was informed that quite often an owner of land would consider themself as Esquire. This was a "title" that was personally attached. Regardless, John wrote his will with anEducated penmanship and clearly signs it as John McLatchy. Why would a literate man have changed the spelling of his surname? Was it done intentionally? Did he want to be certain that he was the progenitor in "Northern America"? When John came to Nova Scotia, he was a 27 year old Blacksmith. I believe that in the late 1700`s most people were illiterate. Let`s consider the possibility that he only learned to read and write after he came to Nova Scotia. You know how to pronunciate the name, now spell it! None-the-less, a question remains... how did a blacksmith become so wealthy? There is the old "yarn" passed down the in the family. Some know it only as the tale, others may have heard it but prefer not to pass it on. As a genealogist, I want to know everything. It is, however, difficult to find anybody to even entertain the thought. There is no proof, nor do I believe it may ever be proven true or false. Although, it may explain the influx of wealth and it`s not that unbelievable. I am not ready to publish this, so I would appreciate your discretion. It has been told that there was a child brought up in the home of John McLatchy, that was not John`s child. Here`s the kicker, the youngster is said to be the illigitimate child of a "roving" member of "The House of Hanover". Let`s face it... it`s not so hard to believe, yet it remains much harder to prove. I have only once been told who this child was, and that was by one of her descendants. It was told to me that she was brought up in the family, yet, did not have the surname McLatchy, so it was appropriate that she marry a McLatchy. I do not believe that somebody woke up one day and just decided to make up such a tale. The person I was told doesn`t seem to fit into the time frame, but her mother does, and perhaps this was an oversight by the descendant. Anyway, I spend too much time sending personalized e-mails now. I wish I had all of my info entered into the gedcom, so I could move on. I really enjoy talking to my cousins and trading info. I have been communicating with some new cousins in the past few weeks, they just find me even though I have yet to advertise the site. Anyway Mike, I still need a little info from you. Only specifics, so I will ask later. Robert Laird Harris + Susan J. Rathburne daughter Mary Jane Harris If you find more, or can verify, let me know. I still may, or may not, be having trouble with the e-mail. Please let me know if you recieve this,
(Note: as of April, 2004, I have been unable to contact Bill McLatchy.) |