Odd Surnames Chizet and Gaa in Grange?

[Lindsaycoleman306]

Hi Carolbee!

I’d be very interested in connecting you! I am a descendant of Alexander Bruce and Jane Gall.
My line goes through James Bruce (their son) who moved to Nova Scotia. He had a daughter Jane Bruce who married Peter Cruikshank!
Happy New Year!

Thanks for the info on James and Jean's parents. I think you did mention James' father was Thomas.

So your wife is related to Isobell?  That's interesting - so she and I are distantly related!  William and Isobell Bruce were brother and sister:

This was the family:

Isobell BRUCE, christened 12 January, 1768, Grange, Banff
Margaret BRUCE, christened 5 May, 1770, Grange, Banff, married John Christie
William BRUCE, christened 21 May, 1772, Grange, Banff
Alexander BRUCE, christened 1 January, 1774, Grange, Banff
James BRUCE, christened 13 January, 1780, Grange, Banff

William was employed by the Earl of Fife as a personal assistant, and his brother Alexander was in the Napoleonic wars. I have letters written to William by Alexander, in the early 1800's, saying how much he wanted out of the army and asking William to put in a good word for him with the Earl, to get him out. I don't know what the replies were! 

Well, if I haven't mentioned them already, James Gall's parents were:
Thomas Gall and Margaret Lawrence (Thomas was in Balnamoon in 1695 when he begat a child through fornication with Margaret Thomson)
James was baptised 03/05/1702

His wife Jean Craib's parents were:
William Craib and Margaret Gairden
Jean was baptised 25/10/1702

I would be interested to know how William and Isobel Bruce are connected if you have evidence of that, as my wife is a descendant of Isobel.

[Fordyce]

Lindsaycoleman306, first, your commemt "My line goes through James Bruce (their son) who moved to Nova Scotia". I believe you've got the wrong James Bruce. The Nova Scotia pioneer James Bruce was in fact son of Joseph Bruce & Jean Ord, bapt 14 Mar 1773 Rathven; he married Elspet Petrie in Grange eventually moving to Limeburn Grange by 1803. They had seven children in Grange, moved to Nova Scotia and then had another five children in Bruce Settlement, his youngest (Jane) indeed marrying Peter Cruickshank.

The killer evidence as to the identity of this James Bruce comes from the Presbyterian Witness (a Canadian newspaper) 14 Jan 1854: "BRUCE, James D.[died] 18th ult. at Musquodoboit, aged 84 years, n/o [native of] Limeburns, parish of Grange, Banffshire, Scot., emigated 1812, and settled in Musquodoboit." This proves he was this James Bruce and not some other James Bruce (unless something turns up that proves otherwise).

The Bruces were typical tenant nothing-special farmers, James Bruce being the youngest of 10, the first nine born at Crannach in Grange. He was the fourth son with his eldest brother taking over the Crannach tenancy, so it's no surprise he decided to make his way to Canada with his family.

Joseph Bruce & Jean Ord are my 5xgtgdparents.

Secondly, regarding (now) the two Bruce lines, the Joseph Bruce line can be traced back to 1680s still in Grange and then it gets all vague and ambiguous. William Bruce (father of Alexander Bruce subject of this thread) married Margaret Keith 16 Apr 1724 in Grange (his third marriage seemingly) but doesn't appear connected to the other Grange Bruces which suggests maybe he came into the parish from elsewhere.

Margaret Keith is d/o William Keith & Jean Smith who are my 7xgtgdparents, and they did move into Grange from Ruthven & Botarie before 1703.

So, Lindsaycoleman306, that could be a lot to take in and you might want to consider a bit of a genealogical reset.  Happy New Year in return!