Hello kooky,
A little bit more about Cauldhame families, from various newspaper reports.
October, 1881. Mr James Strath, Cauldhame took a lease of the farm Greystone, Tullynessle.
ROTHNIE - At Cauldhame, Tarves, 12th Sept., 1905, George Rothnie Jnr., in his 37th year, beloved son of George Rothnie, farmer there.
August, 1910. Miss Rothnie, Cauldhame, Tarves, who recently resigned the position of infant mistress at Udny Green School, was invited to present the prizes for religious knowledge. Miss Rothnie, who was leaving to be married, was then presented with a silver epergne as a token of appreciation from pupils and parents for her years of service at the school.
HENRY - At Cauldhame, Tarves, on 1st June, 1941, (residence of his son-in-law, James Rothnie) James H. Henry, aged 82.
and finally, this very short notice,
December, 1947. General Wtd. for farm. Rothnie, Cauldhame, Tarves.
(Would that be General farmworker wanted?)
Looks like more than one generation of Rothnie family farmed Cauldhame and were still there within living memory. George Jnr., who died 1905, was buried in Tarves Churchyard so headstones there might be worth a look.
A distant relative on the paternal side of my family was the minister of Craigdam U.P. Church from 1873 to 1909 when he retired due to ill-health. Although Craigdam, was only a mile or so from Tarves, and usually addressed as Craigdam, Tarves, some paperwork, including letters written by the minister, have the address, Craigdam, Old Meldrum. (I think the nearest station was Old Meldrum, so perhaps mail from outwith the area came into Old Meldrum Post Office to be sorted)
Craigdam is famous for being the first Secession Church in the North East of Scotland. The church closed in 1958 when it was found to be unsafe and later demolished. The pointed arch, east window of the church was preserved in the north wall of the church hall. To mark the site, stone from the church was used to build a cairn with a plaque. This is within the grounds of the former church hall, which, like the manse, still stands and both are now private houses.
Regards, Dod.
