Hi Erato, Sorry for the delayed response. I was on the road today.
I can find hide nor hair of the MacDiarmids in New Zealand. Where did that story come from, you ask?
A cousin of my mum's wrote a piece back in the 1970s. He quotes his grandfather (brother to Donald MacDiarmid's wife) as saying that Donald's mother & unmarried siblings left for New Zealand in 1883 or 1884. (Donald came to Canada in 1883.)
I then contacted a fellow who researches for the Benbecula Historical Society. He thought they had left for New Zealand as well, though had never followed through to determine if that was so.
Then, last week, I came across a descendant of Donald MacDiarmid who came to Canada. He said the family story was that there was a doctor - in Florida he though - & claimed there is a NZ connection as well.
I don't think that they would have left before 1883 to head for New Zealand as the croft re-org on Benbecula was in 1879 & the family is definitely there in the 1881 census. It doesn't seem that a crofter family could afford to go to New Zealand in 1882 & then be in Georgia, USA by 1883.
So, back to the story. The new found cousin, descendant of Donald MacDiarmid in Canada's info about Florida started me off on my search in the USA which uncovered Angus MacDiarmid's 1921 passport application. It had his father listed along with date of death so I knew it was the right fellow. It also indicated when he had arrived in the USA & the places he'd lived between 1872 and 1921. When I found census data for him, surprise of surprises, I found his mum living with him in in Shake Rug, Fayette in 1900 (emigration year 1883), and a younger brother, John, living with him while he was still in Atlanta.
John is the one that appears to have been the doctor. I have an e-mail in to the Deland Library to see if they can dig anything up. Chatter Sheldonesque has found a pay-for-view obituary for him (thank you Sheldonesque
. I'm hoping the library can provide a bio of John's time as mayor (and maybe a picture.
)
Late last night, I found a death record for Donald John MacDiarmid (transcribed as Dony John McDirmid) dated 28 Aug 1920 in Tyronne, Fayette, Georgia. It had the right parentage, birth year & birth place.
So, now (in the event I can't find a ship's manifest) I need to prove:
- John's parentage (1900 census has the right arrival year); doesn't look like he married, but I'd like to confirm that.
- track down Archibald. I think I can see an Archibald/Archie in a few Atlanta directories, but can't be sure it's him unless I can find the ship's manifest or a death record with parentage. If I can prove this Archibald to be mine, I'd like to determine if he married & had children.
- find a death date for Angus - sometime after 1921, I'd guess in Shake Rug, Fayette, Georgia. It doesn't look like he married as no one is ever shown with him in the Atlanta directories, but I'd like to confirm that.
- find where mother Effie was between 1883 & 1900 (possibly working in someones home
) & a death date for her which I'd guess is between 1900 & 1910 in Shake Rug, Fayette, Georgia
So, the story of New Zealand is perhaps just a mistake
, but there is often some truth to things like this, particularly when they come from multiple sources. Perhaps I'll never know.
Cheers,
