Leiper family in Aucheneross,New Cumnock

[Kylie B]

Intriguing family - I never guessed the name was Scottish!!

Do you know the parents of your William Leiper born 1783?? I have a Thomas Leiper born 1778 - parents were Thomas Leiper and Marrion Biggar.

Your William is born at the right time to be a possible sibling or cousin....

Kylie B

[boswells]

Hi Kylie B
Sorry that is as far as my information goes.  They are right at the end of a branch of my family so only came up in passing as it were.  The only other place I have have found the family is in Berwick-upon-Tweed where they ran a fruit and vegetable business for many, many years.
Boswells

[boswells]

I have been studying several farming families in Avondale.  While many of the children of the many powerful farming families have moved away to make their fortunes in Scotland and abroad, it is amazing how many of the core families are still there and often in the same farms. 

This is certainly true of the Leipers, Lindsays, Alstons, Hamiltons, Patersons, and many others.  Their surplus children left the locality but were not always the youngest.  In most cases the succession to the farm depended on who was there at the time that the father died or wanted to retire. The security of the livelihoods of the parent were reliant on picking a successor who was a good farmer and that sometimes meant picking a son-in-law or a nephew.   

With all of these families it is worth going back to their roots in Avondale or East Kilbride in Lanarkshire or the neighbouring parish of Loudoun in Ayrshire.
Hope that may help
Boswells.

[Kylie B]

Boswells,

Does this mean there are descendants of the Leiper clan/family group still in Avondale??  How would I go about finding out where the family farm or property was, and then tracing its occupancy?

I had never thought of this before, and I am really intrigued - how amazing it would be to discover the actual residing place of the family, and even more incredible if there were still Leipers there!!!

Many thanks
Kylie B

[boswells]

Kylie B
I don't live in the area but I have come accross the following in my researches.
William Leiper 1783-1867 married Jean Hamilton 1792 - 1865 on 13th April 1811.  They farmed at Drumboy, Loudon.
John Leiper died 6.1.1838 farmer at Underlaw Newmilns. I have another who became a minister in Brandon, Manitoba. and another who went to Wyoming. I have little doubt that descendants are still in the Avondale or Loudon parishes today.  Some of them married into my family over the past 200 years and my family are still strongly represented in those parishes.
Boswells.

[RobertW]

"I only ask because  the only Auchenross I can find is in Perthshire. The only Leipers at the time specified are in Lanarkshire.  You are referring to the New Cumnock area which is in Ayrshire."

I have only just joined RootsChat so apologise if I have not followed the correct conventions about replying.
There is an Auchincross farm on the Ordnance Survey map about 4 km west of New Cumnock village. The Mormon transcript of the 1881 census spells this as Auchencross so this may well be the Aucheneross referred to.
I have not had time yet to transcribe what I have got about the Leiper family from Drumboy but will do so soon. There seem to have been 12 children born between 1812 and 1835 to William Leiper and Jean Hamilton, but only 5 died young. Thee youngest was the John Leiper who became a minister. I'm not sure tey if there is any connection to the various other Leiper families mentioned in the thread.
RobertW

[Kylie B]

This farm sounds very promising! It seems most likely tht Boswells William Leiper and my Thomas Leiper were related somehow, given the proximity of the families - please let us know what more you find on the family!!
And welcome to Rootschat Robert!

[boswells]

I have some of the information on William Leiper born 9.12.1783 married Jean Hamilton born 1792 on 13th April 1811 at Stonehouse, Lanark. My source shows three sons died in infancy plus:
William b 1814
Marion b 13.6.1816 m Thomas Morton Farmer of Henryton, Loudon, Ayrshire
John b 1835 d 31.12.1886 Minister at Chapelton Free church and Barrie Presbyterian Church, Ontario, Canada
Robert b. 17.3.1812 died aged 6.
My interest is with Marion and the Morton connection.
If anyone has any more information I would be delighter to have it.
The Leipers and all of the families in the area seem to have moved from place to place as the leases on their farms ended and they had to find new homes.  There are several Leipers in Kilmarnock and in Berwick-upon-Tweed today.
Boswells

[Leiper48]

I saw the posts on Leipers and Drumboy Farm so thought I should join Roots and see if I can contribute and maybe learn something about the Leipers who went to Canada and USA.
I am descended from James L. (b1828) the older brother of John who went to Canada. I have visited the area recently and have photos of Drumboy farm and the graves of William L and Jean Hamilton etc at Newmilns. I have quite a lot of info about the family, I too found 12 children.
I'm also descended from the Mortons (John M. b 1807 at Brancefield Fm, Darvel), but have not yet managed to connect these with the ones Marion L married into. If anyone can help I'd be interested.