James Waddell, James Waddell and James Waddell

[mosstrooper]

As promised here is more info on the Waddell family, this is taken from a book entitled "The Lost Villages" namely Whiterigg, Darngavil, Arden, Ballochney, Craigmauchen, Miekle Drumgray, North Stanrigg & South Stanrigg. This book was bought from Airdrie Library - ISBN No 1-902516-15-X
I was raised from nothing to the age of 21 in this place. My first job on leaving Whiterigg School was at Easter Moffat Golf Club mentioned in this article once occupied by the Waddell family, my next job was Apprentice Engineer at the Caldercruix Paper Mill owned by Robert Craig & Sons built in 1875, I have photos of that inside and out. The Craig family mentioned also owned Moffat Mills in Clarkston which is also the name of the Village as well as the Mill. The attached scans will I hope be helpful to you.

James Kerr.

[DonM]

Did you look at James, illegitimate son of William Waddell and Janet Waddell born 15 Apr 1824?
Perhaps Alexander had a sister.

Don

[Forfarian]

Yes, that is a possibility. Janet was a sister of Alexander and James senior. But it seems odd that an illegitimate nephew should become a coalmaster, and that there seems to be no trace of a death.

[Forfarian]

Thank you, Mosstrooper. That makes interesting reading, not least because it doesn't all tally with the results of our decades of research into the Waddell family.

There are two definite errors - James Waddell, 3rd of Stanrigg, and Marion Walker were married in 1730, not 1734; their eldest daughter Jean was born at Stanrigg in 1732. I have seen the marriage record and the baptisms of their five sons and three daughters.

And Rankin Waddell's aunt Catherine (Kate) Waddell did not move away from Airdriehill. She actually died there in 1887, on her 26th birthday. Her sister Elisabeth (Aunt Lizzie) died in Glasgow in 1916. I have seen both death certificates.

So I am not inclined to trust the accuracy of the rest of the piece on the Waddell family! I will check it out, however, just in case there is a germ of truth in the bits that don't tally.

[Forfarian]

Another item in Mosstrooper's scan that didn't add up was the bit about William Waddell of Moathill (also spelled Moathall). It didn't seem logical that his sisters would have inherited Airdriehill from his father-in-law. Also, there is no records of him having a a sister Mary or a sister Agnes.

A quick check reveals that Matthew Thomson and Katherine Wardrop had five daughters:
Agnes 1713, Elizabeth 1718, Elizabeth 1719, Margaret 1720, and Mary 1725.

It would make absolute sense that Margaret and her sisters inherited jointly from their father, and that their brother-in-law William Waddell would buy them out.

The index to the Register of Sasines mentions Agnes, daughter of Matthew Thomson of Airdriehill and spouse of Joseph Paton, wright, Airdrietoun; Margaret, daughter of Matthew Thomson of Airdriehill and spouse of William Waddell of Airdriehill and Motthall; and Mary, daughter of Matthew Thomson of Airdriehill and spouse of William Muirhead of Burnhouse. There are several sasines that mention all three. So the book has got it wrong - it was William's sisters-in-law whom he bought out, not his own sisters.