Baillies of Fraserburgh - William Kelman

[O1dgobbo]

Hi

I am researching William Kelman, who was Baillie of Fraserburgh about 1800, and I was wondering if anybody has access to a list of Baillies and dates of office covering William's tenure.

At present I have just the following information about William.  ScotlandsPeople has baptism records for three children of William, Janet 1797, John 1798 and William Dalrymple 1800: all these records describe William as Baillie.  SP also has a copy of his will and I have managed to retrieve page 1 but unfortunately so far not the other 20 pages: page 1 refers to the presentation of an inventory of the property of William Kelman Baillie of Fraserburgh in Aberdeen on 29 Sep 1812 by his relict, Jean Kelman, and Alexander Kelman Baker of Aberdeen.  William wrote his "latter will"in 1808 describing himself as Baillie sso I presume his death fell some time in the interval 1808-1812.  At the moment I presume that he remained Baillie up to his death.  He is mentioned, as Baillie, on a number of records, held by Scran and which I can access; these cover problems with fishermen and also a lost lighter and cargo of wood.

All the best

Gobbo

[Grothenwell]

Sorry Gobbo don't have an answer but it might be worth contacting the family history society of Buchan:

 fhsb.org.uk

[O1dgobbo]

Hi Grothenwell

Thank you for your suggestion - I have just joined the fhsb.

All the best

Gobbo

[Archivos]

Aberdeen City Archives, who hold records on behalf of Aberdeenshire Council might have records relating to the burgh.

Their website is at www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/archives and there is a link to information about records held for Aberdeenshire, including Fraserburgh.  I'd try contacting them.

[O1dgobbo]

Hi Archivos

Thank you for the suggestion.  I  have chased up a lead with the Aberdeen City Archives and they do have a number of records describing William Kelman's role in the volunteer militia in the early 19th century.  One muster roll looked particularly promising since it listed all the men with some biographical details such as civil occupation and birth: unfortunately William was listed as an Officer and the biographical details of the officers were not included.

The British Library on-line newspaper archive, 1800-1900, includes the Aberdeen Journal and I was able to locate William's death as some time between March 1811, when he was placing advertisements as Baillie and the end of April, 1811, when a meeting considered the appointment of a replacement.  Unfortunately there seems to be no death record on SP.

I don't properly understand how the administration of Fraserburgh worked in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  The account in the Scottish statistical reports talks of two baillies being nominated by a town council and appointed by the Superior, who was the mostly absent Lord Saltoun.  The Kelmans must have been quite loyal to Lord Saltoun since William's son, William Dalrymple Kelman, named his Australian estate Kirkton after part of the Saltoun holdings just South of Fraserburgh.

Thank you very much for your help - I seem to be making some progress but it would be very slow without the help of RootsChatters.

All the best

Gobbo

[Xenasdad]

Hi - I thought I had more on William Kelman but all I can add is that he was "Factor" (Land Steward) to Lord Saltoun, prior to being appointed "Baillee" in Fraserburgh. There is the suggestion in family papers that he died in Europe while serving with the Fraserburgh Voluteer Artillery Company.
His son - William Dalrymple Kelman - completed his apprenticeship under Lewis Chalmers while Lewis was serving as "Factor" to Lord Saltoun, prior to emigrating to Australia.
Good luck with your research.

[O1dgobbo]

Hi Xenasdad

My Australian relatives are descended from William Dalrymple Kelman and I had hoped to help them research their tree by pushing the line back a bit further.  My family thought that William Dalrymple Kelman had been Mayor of Fraserburgh and had fled to Australia after some dodgy business.  This story  was a bit of an embellishment and your information that he was an apprentice factor to Lewis Chalmers is very interesting and much more likely.

William Kelman's will shows that on 14 Dec 1805 Lewis Chalmers was his clerk.  In 1824 a Lewis Chalmers married Janet/Jessie Kelman, who was the elder sister of William D Kelman.  Their eldest child, also called Lewis Chalmers, became Baillie of Fraserburgh but took the title, Chief Magistrate.  He seems to have given this up for work in London and then became a silver miner in California before returning to London at the end of his life.

I have not managed to find any information on William D Kelman's elder brother, John, beyond his birth in Fraserburgh about 1798.  I wonder if he was the Kelman who died in Europe.

All the best

Gobbo

[Xenasdad]

Gobbo -
I too am a descendant of William Kelman, but have not had much luck in researching the Kelmans back beyond William Kelman. I have the an unsubstantiated line that goes back 3 further generations - James K, William K, William K, William K, William Dalrymple K - but it requires more work to validate.
As to William Dalrymple Kelman - I have detailed & confirmed information on him and his descendants in Australia. It seems unlikely that he fled from Scotland after dodgy business, as he arrived in Australia (aboard the Triton in 1824 with a servant, equipment and livestock), with appropriate letters of introduction, and received a land grant first in Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania), which he subsequently swapped for a land grant in the Hunter Valley in NSW. He also married well - Catherine Busby - whom he met on the journey to Australia.
His elder brother John served as a surgeon with the British army in India.
His sister Jessie married Lewis Chalmers.
His sister Harriet married a Mr Crocker.
And one source indicated he had a younger brother Lewis, but I have no information on him and he is not mentioned in William's will.
Does this help - I have heaps more on the Australian end of things.
Xenasdad

[O1dgobbo]

Xenasdad

Thank you very much for all this information.  I had no idea of John's career as a surgeon with the army in India.

Henry Crocker was a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy.  The Crocker family moved about the UK quite a bit, presumably because of his work.  After his death Harriet seems to have moved back to Fraserburgh.

In his will William Kelman mentions five siblings, Mary, Elizabeth, James, George and Alexander.  I looked for Kelman families with these children in Aberdeenshire and found the family of William Kelman and Elizabeth Club but I don't think this is more than an indication.  The family could come from outside Aberdeenshire and there are gaps in the Old Scottish parish registers plus William Kelman and Elizabeth Club had other children not mentioned in Baillie Kelman's will.

All the best

Gobbo