Author Topic: Crawford and Campbell's in Callander area  (Read 5603 times)

Offline Magsy41

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Re: Crawford and Campbell's in Callander area
« Reply #9 on: Friday 03 July 15 16:58 BST (UK) »
Hello Billiegirl,
Firstly thank you so very much for your message. i was in complete ignorance about the Argyll and Bute archives and your message got my grey cells moving.
The nephew of May campbell/Crawford was George Campbell, he was a ships captain and had been a prisoner in France during the Napoleonic war.  When he came home he secured a ship which sailed to PrinceEdward Island where he wrote to his wife c/o Agnew Crawford (my husband's 3xGrtGrandfather), in it he asks her to give his best respects to his Aunt Crawford but hopes she will not go to the big house too often as there are always a lot of visitors and she cannot appear as he would wish her to be.
Can you tell me how you knew about the Marion Campbell archives as I also found information regarding an Alexander Campbell plantation owner in Jamaica who had Agnew Crawford as the executor of his will and both Agnew's sisters Arabella and Marion as beneficiaries.

As to the name May being short for something else, the sister Marion above was named as May or Marion on quite a few documents, so maybe May Campbell/Crawford had been baptised Marion.

I had a look at the Argyll and Bute web site but you have to go to visit to see the archives. Unfortunately they are on the West coast of Scotland and we live on the East. Will have to persuade my hubby to have a few days there before the summer ends.

Thank you very much again.
Magsy

Offline Billiegirl

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Re: Crawford and Campbell's in Callander area
« Reply #10 on: Friday 03 July 15 23:23 BST (UK) »

You are very welcome, Magsy. I've spent a fair bit of time researching these Campbells as my gt gt gt grandfather (Graham Campbell) was the steward at Kilmory for Peter Campbell III, and is mentioned in his will. Graham worked there from at least 1805 to the 1820's, so I've been trying to find out more about him.

I have Marion Campbell of Kilberry's book "Letters by the Packet" which has some correspondence between the Campbells in Jamaica, Kilberry, Kilmory etc. (they were all related). She died in 2000 but had transferred all the papers from Kilberry to Argyll and Bute Archives. They are called the "Kilberry Papers", and I believe include the extensive Campbell trees.

In a letter from Marion's book dated May 2nd 1732, from Peter 1st of Fish River, Jamaica, (also Kilmory) to Archibald Campbell of Knockbuy, Peter writes about their youngest sister Molly being "most in want" and "very base of apparel". In a footnote Marion Campbell writes:

             Molly (Mary) was probably unmarried and living with her father. Eventually she married George Scott, Controller of Customs at Greenock - a useful contact for her brothers when they shipped their produce to the Clyde.


When I saw your post Magsy, I immediately thought May must have been in one of those advantageous Campbell marriages, that's why I think it a strong possibility that she's related to these Jamaica Campbells. I know from my gt gt gt grandfather's travels with Peter III that they spent a fair amount of time in Perthshire, too, so they probably had property there as well.

Definitely worth looking into, I hope your husband thinks its worth a trip! I'd love to go to Lochgilphead myself but I'm stuck in freezing cold Australia (minus 8 this morning!)
All the best with your fascinating search, Billiegirl  :D