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Messages gleaned from the RootsWeb Islay Mailing List
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Editor's note: This page of listings were the original messages garnered from my Gilchrist research on Islay - not actually from the RootsWeb Islay Mailing List, but another part of the genealogical recipe for the Isle of Islay! Also note that you will find Gilchrists on some of the other pages here as well...
11.1998 A branch of the Gilchrist family came from Ontario to Alberta in the last 1800's and settled in a community called ISLAY. Subsequent family members moved to Edmonton. My uncle in Green Valley, Arizona may be able to fill in some details to help you. His name is Dr. Milton "Gil" Gilchrist and his address is 3360 Calle de Albano, Green Valley, Arizona, 85614. Uncle Gil tried to do a little genealogical sleuthing in Scotland some years back. He told us he gave up when he learned that our most immediate ancestor might have left Scotland to avoid being hung for sheep stealing. I don't know if he really found this out or if it just made a good story.I have also been told by one of my colleagues from Northern England that the Gilchrist were "border reevers". That is, they lived in the border region between England and Scotland and robbed travellers, regardless of nationality.Sounds like we come from a band of brigands and thieves. I also find it very interesting with respect to the names. I have a brother named John Gilchrist and another named William Angus Gilchrist. Third brother is named Tom. Guess these are good names for the family. Keep up the good work. If you can establish a connection between the Ontario family and the Alberta one - perhaps I can help you fill in details of the newer generations. Dawna Gilchrist MD Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
11.1998 Our Gilchrist forebearers are also from Islay. My great grandfather, John Gilchrist was born at Port Ellen, Islay in 1932; and emigrated to Austrailia in 1857. He eventually settled at a place called Woodend, about 45 miles northwest of Melbourne, where he and his wife, Christina (originally from Nova Scotia) ran a general store. My grandfather, William Alexander Ross Gilchrist worked for a civil engineering firm in Melbourne. He died at Brighton, a bayside suburb of Melbourne, in 1923, more than 20 years before I was born. His eldest brother, Eneas Fraser Gilchrist, was city engineer of Brisbane in the 1920's and 1930's. There is a Gilchrist Avenue there, a thoroughfare of some significance, which was appearently named in his honor - we think anyway!
Richard B. Gilchrist, GPO Box 1211 M, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
I also have more information from Richard that I need to review. If anything looks familiar, contact Steve Gilchrist for more
11.1998 I am just starting to look for information about the family of my great-grandmother, Margret Gilchrist, believed born on Islay, Scotland, about 1826. Her husband was Donald Carmichael, born 1807, also, we believe, on Islay in Scotland. In 1851, they were living near Islay, Fenelon Township, Victoria County, Ontario. Most of her children went west after the 1880's, to Manitoba and we know little about the relatives left behind. In 1851, James Gilchrist, 15 and Diane Gilchrist, 5, lived near my great-grandmother's family. We believe they were her nephew and niece. Apparently other Gilchrist relatives lived at Woodville and Hartley, Ontario.I would be grateful for any information! Diane Rogers, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
11.1998 YES, I finally found
the connection between my ancestors in Simcoe County Ontario and Scotland. What
Joy! Like several on the list my family are from Islay, specificly Killarrow parish,
Argyll. Here are three generations for your perusal. If you see a connection
please let me know. Also if you happen to know what towns/villages are in Killarrow
parish I would appreciate the information.
Descendants of Hugh Gilchrist
1 Hugh Gilchrist
.. +b: 1775 Janet McEacharn
......... 2 b: 05 June 1799 in Killarrow Argyll John Gilchrist
.................... 3 Alexander Gilchrist
........................ + Sarah
......... 2 b: 08 September 1796 in Killarrow Argyll Catherine Gilchrist
......... 2 b: 05 November 1804 in Killarrow Argyll Alexander Gilchrist
......... 2 b: 12 April 1807 in Killarrow Argyll Duncan Gilchrist
Dan Woodrow, Comox, British Columbia, Canada
11.1998 Donald Gilchrist
(born 1890) came from Glasgow, and he told me all the stories he knew about his
families travels. But over the last 25 years, it has been my father's family
(Lucraft) that I have been researching and so have only begun to scratch the records, with
the help of a couple of researchers in
Edinburgh, and my own access to LDS records here is Sheffield.
Donald's father, Alexander John Gilchrist, born Govan 1856, was illegitimate, and
this cast a shadow over his knowledge of his roots. In fact the story was that he
had been born out of wedlock on Islay, and
given to a kind couple to bring up. It now appears that his mother, Flora Gilchrist,
born ca. 1835, was the daughter of Donald Gilchrist, (born Kildalton ca. 1800) and
Catherine McDonald, (born ca. 1807,
Kintyre). Donald and Catherine raised their grandson, and other grandchildren, at
Kilnaughton, and at Tigh na Traghe, on Islay.
Alexander John Gilchrist married Henrietta
Auvers Brown, the daughter of a sea-captain, in 1888, in Kinning Park, Plantation, Govan.
Her family is another branch of Scottish families, including the McMillans and
Watsons of Campbeltown.
Several of their children died young, only three surviving to adulthood. Jimmie
Gilchrist fought with the Seaforth Highlanders in the First World War and then emigrated
to Detroit, where he raised a family, who still thrive in America. Jessie Gilchrist
married a butcher in Glasgow, who sadly died a few months later; she lived on in Glasgow
to old age, and died about 1980.
Donald Gilchrist, my grandfather, fought in the cavalry, with a sword(!), in the
First World War, before the cavalry was disbanded and he was wounded while serving with
the Highland Light Infantry. He married after the war and settled in Epsom, Surrey,
the home of the Deerby, where my family still live. Ian Gilchrist Lucraft, Sheffield, England
As far back as I've been able to trace takes my Gilchrist roots to the area of Islay called Cragabus on the Oa. My earliest ancestor at this point was named Angus Gilchrist. His date of birth would have been around 1765, and information only suggests he was born in Argylshire. Specualtion suggests his wife's name was Janet Graham, and they were married 24 Jan 1790, Kildalton, Bowmore, Islay. I know of five children; Alexander, b. 27 Jul 1794, Killarow, Islay; William, b. 1795, Argylshire; Mary, b. 8 Jun 1800, Paisley, Renfrewshire; Catherine, b.23 Jul 1802, Rothesay; David, b. 11 Mar 1811, Glasgow. Catherine (Katherine) married Neil Colquhoun, 6 Nov 1831, Glasgow.
William and his wife, Sarah McCuaig (m. 1824), left Islay in 1833, and came to Glengarry, Ontario where his brother Alexander had come the previous year. William and Sarah came to Oro, Ontario in 1834 and lived out their lives there. They had three children on Islay (presumably at Cragabus), John, b. 12 Jan 1827; Jessie, b. 16 Mar 1829; and Margaret, b. 20 Jul 1831. After arriving in North America they had five more children. I can document all relatives since their arrival in North America. Steve Gilchrist, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., you can also click here for my complete Gilchrist family tree.