Matthew Smellie of Medrox

[alys]

I’m quite new to this website and have enjoyed reading previous posts.  I’ve noticed interest in the family of Matthew Smellie of Medrox here and elsewhere on the web.  I can share some information on Matthew and hope that someone can expand on the gaps that I have.  My information about Matthew comes principally from the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh. 
Through looking at sasines for Medrox I found  that the father of Matthew was Robert Smellie (Smailly) and that Matthew had brothers called Adam, David and John.  Robert Smellie is described as a portioner of Wester Gartshore (Dunbartonshire).  Robert was a Quaker and gave a piece of his land at Wester Gartshore to be a “burial-place” for the Friends of Truth in 1674.  I discovered in the Records for the Society of Friends that “Matthew Smailly sone lawful to Robert Smailly and Agnes Thomsone in garshore was born upon the twentie one day of the eleaventh month 1681”.  I believe Matthew was baptised into the Church of Scotland in 1719 (following the death of his father?).  He married Jean Anderson, daughter of Andrew Anderson of Mossfinnan, about Feb 1719 at New Monkland.  The baptismal records for New Monkland parish indicate that Matthew and Jean lived at Medrox, but Matthew also inherited property at Wester Gartshore following the death of his brother Adam about 1730.   
Matthew had a sister Mary who married James Gray of Wester Muckcroft in 1720 at a Quaker ceremony “at the broken Cross of Hamilton”.  The form of the ceremony is given in the record along with a list of witnesses, one of whom was Mathow Smily.  Their father Robert was dead at the time of the marriage.  I know that Mary and James Gray remained Quakers.
I’m curious to know why and when the Smellies finally left Medrox.  I have births for Matthew’s eldest son John and his wife Elizabeth Shanks at Easter Medrox till 1773, and there are births for Matthew’s grandson John and his wife Margaret McLean till 1811 at East Medrox.  By 1817 - 21 they might have lived close by at Craigend.
My line is through the daughter of John Smellie and Elizabeth Shanks, Jean, who married Robert Black, a weaver in Airdrie.
I would love to hear from anyone who has further information to add, or I'd be happy to help anyone researching this line - if I can.  I have more information than I have given here and could follow any leads at NAS in Edinburgh - always providing I can read the handwriting!

[Forfarian]

John Waddell farmer in Ryden and Mary Shanks made a joint will on 31 December 1798 in which they stated that they had 'no child of our own'. They appointed as executors Alexander Waddell, mason at Glasgow and John Smellie of Easter Medrox. They mention Gavin Waddell farmer in Airdrie and he gave "... a receipt to Mary Shanks widow of John Waddell whose death happened in the month of September 1799."

Mary Shanks widow of John Waddell farmer at Ryden residing at Gordronan made a will dated 5 October 1822 in which she appointed as executors John Smellie of Easter Medrox, Alexander Waddell of Stonefield [her brother-in-law], David Shanks of Gain and James Mochrie of Gordronan.
She mentions James Mochrie, and Robert Mochrie merchant in Airdrie her nephew
Her sister Elizabeth Shanks
Adam Smellie, James Smellie
David Shanks, Elizabeth Shanks and Helen Shanks all children of the deceased James Shanks portioner of Gain, her brother
James Shanks, Thomas Shanks and Jean Shanks children of her deceased sister Margaret Shanks
John Smellie, Thomas Smellie, James Smellie, Robert Smellie, David Smellie, Jean Smellie, Margaret Smellie, Helen Smellie and Elizabeth Smellie all children of Elizabeth Shanks.

I have a copy of the full wills somewhere, and a tree based on them. PM me your e-mail address if you would like a copy of the tree.

Mary's husband John Waddell was my 4th-great-granduncle. He was the son of John Waddell and Helen Wotherspoon.

James Smellie and William Waddell (not, as far as is known, cloesly related to John W above) seem to have exchanged pieces of land in 1817, because the Abridgments of Sasines contain the following: "No 8497 1817-12-06 PR 59.206 William Waddle, Portioner, North Medrox, and James Smellie, Portioner, Craigend, Seised, for their respective interests, Nov 24 1817 in 18 Falls and 35 ells of ground being part of the lands of Medrox, small park or inclosure measuring 1 Rood 4 falls and 13 ells of ground being parts of the lands of Craigend, par New Monkland; on Con Excamb between them, Oct 22 Nov 24 1817." (Con Excamb is short for 'Contract of Excambion', excambion being a Scots Law term meaning exchange of lands.)

[alys]

This is music to my ears!  I have these other surnames and places you mention in my tree, as well as Blacks of New Monkland that I see you are interested in too.  I will send you a PM after this.

[Forfarian]

Great!

I am interested in knowing who Robert Black was - so far I don't have him attached to any family.

[Gary Bragg]

Hi:
  I have just become a new member.  I have researched my mother's ancestry of Smellie's back to  Robert Smellie (Smailly) married to Agnes Thomsone.  Although I do not have any additional information  on Robert and Agnes, I know that their son Mathew Smellie (Smailly) b. 1694  (married 1719 ) Jean Anderson.  Matthew and Jean lived on a farm in Medrox, New Monkland, Lanark, Scotland.
I have the line of this branch of Smellie`s  in Scotland until a John smellie married to Jane Miller (who died) and John remarried and  left Scotland and immigrated to Huntingdon, Quebec, Canada.  His 2nd wife (name unknown) died on the voyage to Canada.

  I would sincerely appreciated any info, or family tree you may have on this Smellie clan  while in Scotland , and  I am most willing to answer any questions that you may have in regard to this line
from the info I have collected to date.

I look forward to future correspondence.

Sincerely,
Gary Lanark Bragg   (son of Kathleen Joan Smellie ) born Huntingdon, Quebec - 1918

[Gary Bragg]

Hi Forfarian:

Robert Black (a weaver in Airdrie) was the husband of Jean Smellie b. 1754.   Jean was the daughter of ........John Smellie b. 1735  ... Medrox, New Monkland, Lanark, Scotland ... was married to Elizabeth Shanks b. 1736.

Regards,

Gary

[Forfarian]

Robert Black (a weaver in Airdrie) was the husband of Jean Smellie b. 1754.

Thank you.

When I say I would like to know who Robert Black was, I mean that I would like to know who his parents were, to see whether he is one of the many Robert Blacks in my tree.

[alys]

Hi Gary
I tried to post a reply to you the other day but it hasn't appeared.  I'll try again but keep it short.  A PM might be better.
You can find information on Matthew's birth in 1681, his parents' marriage in 1679, his sister Marie's marriage to James Gray in 1720, in the Historical Search Room at the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh.  I have photos of entries in the Records of the Society of Friends. (Quakers) relating to the Smellie/Smailly family.
I have a public tree on Ancestry with all the sources which I can try to make available to you or I could try a gedcom.
Alys

[Gary Bragg]

Good Morning ALYS:

  Thank-You very much for your help and the information you have sent.  I am quite new to the site and my computer skills are very limited.  Unfortunately, I do not know what you mean when you state a "PM" might be better ?  Again, your information will take me to avenues of information I never thought I would  ever see  and for this I am very greatful.

Gary