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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Topic started by: joni kay on Saturday 21 April 12 22:26 BST (UK)
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I found your link to rootschat.com by searching brownlee and torfoot lanarkshire scotland.
However, the topic I was interested in was already closed. :'( So happy I found your site. :)
I, too, have brownlees, even a brownlee that married another brownlee! :o
I am looking for the actual birth date of James Brownlee that married Jane Leman and he was a patriot in the american revolution. Also, another James Brownlee that married Jean Rankin was also a patriot in the american revolution.
The daughters of the american revolution in usa has the birth date for the James married to Jane Leman as 1-4-1745 in Lanarkshire Scotland and the James married to Jean Rankin as 1745 Torfoot Scotland. As I understand it, Torfoot is a farm near Lanarkshire Scotland. Could anyone verify Torfoot and Lanarkshire and Scotland? I could be way off base...
Could anyone help me? Thank you so much for your time.
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joni, these Brownlie's were apparently the Lairds of Torfoot in the parish of Avondale or Strathaven (pronounced Stray-ven) Lanarkshire, http://rpc12437.tripod.com/history.htm The Old Parish Registers might be what you're after.
Skoosh.
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Joni, welcome to Rootschat
More info is required to establish the birth of James Brownlie
Do you know his parents names?
When and where did he marry Jane?
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Thank you, Skoosh and sancti, for your quick replies. :D Thank you for the warm welcome.
Unfortunately, I do not know where to look for the old parish registers. Are these registers listed on this website?
Yes, these are the lairds of torfoot families.
james brownlee's (married to jane lemen) parents are:
archibald brownlee, born ca 1710 in lanarkshire scotland, died 1788 in canton township, washington county, pennsylvania, usa
and agnes margaret hamilton, born 15 aug 1713 in strathaven scotland, died 1785 in washington county pennsylvania usa.
archibald and agnes margaret were married 18 may 1732 in strathaven scotland.
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Joni, these folk, being lairds, will appear on all sorts of records, the Register of Sasines (land transfers) Bonds & Deeds, and also Wills. Try a an online search of the National Archives, this is free, type Brownlie in the search box and see what comes up, Brownlie's not all that common a name,
http://www.nas.gov.uk/onlineCatalogue/
For the OPR's, (Old Parochial Registers),
www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
Will access is apparently free, Scotlandspeople charge for searches etc'.
Good Luck,
Skoosh.
P.S, just checked the NAS matches for Brownlie, 733 records.
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I recently became a member of the DAR on the basis of my ancestor James Brownlee. I saw your post, and I can tell you that we found that there were two James Brownlees, cousins, born on the same day, 1-4-1745 in Torfoot Lanarkshire, Scotland. He married Jane Lehman. He originally settled in York County PA, then moved West to Washington County where he farmed and is buried in North Buffalo Cemetery. I hope I can help.
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Hello,
I am a descendant of Jean (Brownlee) Allison (1735-1818), a sister of James Brownlee. I am a member of the SAR through Jean's husband, John Allison (he had patriotic service).
I have researched the Archibald Brownlee families in Avondale Parish, Lanarkshire County, Scotland. There were at least 4 Archibald Brownlee families living at the same time around Strathaven. None of these Archibald Brownlee men were recorded as having a son named James Brownlee, from the Avondale Parish birth records. The recorder of these early records did not state the name of the mother for these children.
The birth date of January 4, 1745 for James Brownlee was from pages 47 and 1080 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago) 1893.
What is happening with James Brownlee?
The only Archibald Brownlee family near Torfoot Farm and Strathaven, which matches the research done by U. S. Brownlee family descendants from the 1890's (which was included in the above Washington County history), is:
Archibald Brownlee – Maltster/Maltman in Strathaven, Lanarkshire County, Scotland.
Children:
Archibald, b. 14 January 1742 (Strathaven, Lanarkshire County, Scotland)
Janet (twin), b. 7 July 1743 (Strathaven, Lanarkshire County, Scotland)
Margaret (twin), b. 7 July 1743 (Strathaven, Lanarkshire County, Scotland)
William, b. 15 September 1745 (Strathaven, Lanarkshire County, Scotland)
John (twin), b. 29 July 1750 (Strathaven, Lanarkshire County, Scotland)
Thomas (twin), b. 29 July 1750 (Strathaven, Lanarkshire County, Scotland)
My ancestor Jean (Brownlee) Allison appears to have been this person:
Archibald Brownlee – Side, Lanarkshire County, Scotland
Child:
Jean, b. 23 July 1735 (Side, Lanarkshire County, Scotland)
Much of the early Archibald Brownlee family history from the 1890's, does not match or fit into the actual birth records of Avondale Parish, Lanarkshire County, Scotland. Do you have any thoughts?
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Torfoot was gifted to Thomas Brownlee by Hamilton in 1680 for his participation and writing of the Battle of Drumclog (1679).
And don't get your hopes up of a large country home; its a small farm. In 1771 James Brownlee of Torfoot was assessed on a value at £ 24
The good news is Torfoot still stands in the same place it always has which is on the B745 south of the A71 at Drumclog so you can see it on Google Maps. Today it is called North Torfoot. In the early 1800's there was another farmed acquired to the south and renamed South Torfoot but that didn't last.
Don
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Old map and satellite view https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=15&lat=55.62371&lon=-4.16132&layers=5&right=ESRIWorld
Modern photographs https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NS6438
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I suspected that the claimed status and wealth of the Torfoot Brownlee family has been overstated. Archibald Brownlee (1709-abt. 1788), the likely maltster/maltman of Strathaven, Scotland, reportedly paid the passage for him and his family to cross the Atlantic ocean and settle in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, about 1752. Archibald would have used the profits from his business in Strathaven, to do so. He had a successful life in Pennsylvania:
Archibald was a yeoman, a farmer who owned his own land. He married Margaret Hamilton. About 1752, Archibald and his family emigrated to Pennsylvania. The family settled in Martic Township, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In 1754, Archibald was first recorded as paying taxes in Martic Township. He paid taxes in 1757, 1758, 1759, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 (some of the tax records for Martic Township are missing). Archibald was an investor in the Martic Furnace and Forge, in Martic Township. The forge was built in 1751 and 1752. This business was operated by Thomas Smith and William Smith. Archibald Brownlee was a co-owner (including 12 other men) of 1,570 acres of land, which was part of Martic Forge. By 1768, Archibald had sold his investment in Martic Forge. On May 29, 1766, Archibald bought, for 162 pounds and 5 shillings, 150 Acres of land in Chanceford Township, in York County, Pennsylvania, from Elijah Sinclare/Sinclair. Chanceford Township was across the Susquehanna River (the York County and Lancaster County boundary) adjacent to Martic Township. Archibald made mortgage payments on the land, until May 11, 1772. It is not known when he sold this land. In 1770, Archibald acquired 50 acres of land, in Martic Township. He owned 100 acres of land by 1771. In 1775, Archibald purchased a farm in Canton Township, in Washington County, Pennsylvania. On March 19, 1778, Archibald sold 150 acres of land in Martic Township, to William Gorman. Archibald and his family were members of the North Buffalo Associate Church (later United Presbyterian). In 1786, Archibald owned 400 acres of land. Margaret (Hamilton) Brownlee died before September 1785. Archibald Brownlee died in 1788, in Washington County, Pennsylvania.
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Here is an update to my posted biography of Archibald Brownlee (b. 1705- d. abt. 1788). After reexamination, Archibald Brownlee was not an investor of the Martic Furnace and Forge:
Archibald Brownlee was born on September 9, 1705, in Torfoot, Lanarkshire County, Scotland.
Archibald Brownlee married Margaret Hamilton. Archibald was a Maltster in Strathaven, Lanarkshire County, Scotland. About 1752, Archibald and his family emigrated to Pennsylvania. The family settled in Martic Township, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In 1754, Archibald was first recorded as paying taxes in Martic Township. In Pennsylvania, Archibald was a yeoman, a farmer who owned his own land. In Martic Township, Archibald Brownlee acquired 225 acres of land. He paid taxes in 1757, 1758, and 1759. Prior to 1766, Archibald sold his 225 acres of land to Martic Furnace and Forge, in Martic Township. The forge was built in 1751 and 1752. This business was operated by Thomas Smith and William Smith. On May 29, 1766, Archibald bought, for 162 pounds and 5 shillings, 150 Acres of land in Chanceford Township, in York County, Pennsylvania, from Elijah Sinclare/Sinclair. Chanceford Township was across the Susquehanna River (the York County and Lancaster County boundary) adjacent to Martic Township. Archibald made mortgage payments on the land, until May 11, 1772. It is not known when he sold this land. In 1770, Archibald acquired 50 acres of land, in Martic Township. He owned 100 acres of land by 1771. He paid taxes in 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773. In 1775, Archibald purchased a farm in Canton Township, in Washington County, Pennsylvania. On March 19, 1778, Archibald sold 150 acres of land in Martic Township, to William Gorman. Archibald and his family were members of the North Buffalo Associate Church (later United Presbyterian). In 1786, Archibald owned 400 acres of land. Margaret (Hamilton) Brownlee died before September 1785. Archibald Brownlee died between 1788 and 1791, in Washington County, Pennsylvania.