Search for Buchanans

Bruce and I are planning a trip to Scotland in late June. We will be traveling the countryside by car (praying we stay on the right – NO, left, side of the road), staying at B&Bs and small hotels. We will see as much of Scotland as we can. We both have ancestors from Scotland – but the names probably give that away.

    On the McDougall side, a young George McDougall accompanied the Andrew Muir family to the U.S. in 1827 and they were instrumental in the settling of Augusta Township in Washtenaw County, Michigan. It was said of the Andrew Muir farm, Shieldhall: “his chimney was the first that smoked” in Augusta Township. He and his wife, Mary Donaldson, had nine children (eight living when they emigrated as son, Gabriel, died as a young man in Scotland). They brought three with them (Mary, Sarah and Andrew, Jr.) and eventually three married daughters (Anna, Margaret and Jane) and their families joined them. We believe a son, William, and a daughter, Jean, stayed in Scotland. Many of the Michigan descendants (Campbell/Gardner/Rambo/Pearson and McLouth) are still in the Washtenaw County area.

    George McDougall, born in Moncton, Ayrshire, Scotland, married a Muir daughter, Mary, probably in New York, on their way to Michigan and settled in the same area. George eventually ran a flour mill in Ypsilanti. Several years ago, a distant cousin took George’s family back another four generations and the Muirs one generation in Scotland. They all came from Ayrshire, the same area where Robert Burns, the poet, had lived during his lifetime.

    The Buchanan line had not been researched until I did some initial work about 12-13 years ago with help from Bruce’s father, Stanley Mackie Buchanan. I was smart enough to ask Stan’s mother Annie Mackie (McAlister) Buchanan questions before she died.

    Bruce’s father was born in Scotland. His parents, David Buchanan (1887-1953) and Annie Mackie McAlister (1889-1986) were the first (and possibly the only ones from their family) to come to the U.S. David arrived about 1913. He served in the Army for a few months during WWI, before a heart murmur was detected. Because of his service, he was eligible to become a citizen. Due to the war, Annie had to wait until it ended in 1919 before joining him. They got married soon after she arrived. When she became pregnant and her time got closer, she went back to Scotland and Stan was born in Glasgow on 16 Dec 1921. When Annie and Stan returned about a year later, they remained in the Boston area where she and David had initially settled.

    Bruce is in a Buchanan Name Project with his YDNA, and has had additional testing done to determine his clan. For those who don’t know – YDNA follows only the direct line male ancestors while mtDNA follows only the direct line female ancestors. The Autosomal DNA test is for all relatives in between. Apparently, Bruce and five other men are outliers. They don’t fit into the ancestral groups or known clans within the project as of now and lots of investigation and research is going on.

    Following is a summary of my research to date:

James Buchanan   - died bef 1865  (hand loom weaver)
  +Helen Laidlaw     - died bef 1865    
         2   Robert Buchanan   ca 1823/24–1870 
              +(M1) Elizabeth Allan     1825-1864
               3      Helen Buchanan      1849-bef 1858
               3      Elizabeth Buchanan  1852 -
               3      James Buchanan  ca 1855-1865
               3      Margaret Buchanan 1856-1906
                       +John Benwood
               3      Helen Buchanan      1858 -
               3      Robert Buchanan    1860-1914
                       +Mary Anderson     1861-1913
                     4    Janet "Jennie" Buchanan  1883-1967
                           5    Hugh Buchanan  1910-1952                                   
                     4    Robert Buchanan    1885-1922
                     4    David Buchanan    1887-1953
                          +Annie M. McAlister 1889–1986           

                     4    Elizabeth Buchanan 1892-1968
                     4    Allan Buchanan     1894-1937
                            +(M1) Catherine Clark
                            +(M2) Clara Stewart 
                             5    Allan Buchanan  
                     4    George Buchanan    1897-1942
                              +Elizabeth Murray 1895-1924
                             5    Irene Buchanan    1924- 004
                                 +William Lauder    - 1974
                             5     Pearl Buchanan   1924-1983
                                  + Adam O'Neil
                      4    James Buchanan  1900- 1970
                             + Margaret Truman    - 1976
                            5     Living Truman Buchanan
                                   + Henry "Harry" Lynn   - 2008
                            5     Stanley A. Buchanan 1925-1974
                            5     Hilda Walker Buchanan  1929-2001
                            5     Living Buchanan               
                    +(M2) Helen Deans  1829 – Aft. 1910
             3     George Buchanan  1867 -
             3     Charles Campbell Buchanan 1869 -

     The first Robert listed above (#2), is Bruce’s 2xgreat-grandfather and was identified by birth/death and marriage records. His second marriage record and death certificate say his parents are James Buchanan and Helen Laidlaw. They were both deceased when he married a second time to Helen Deans, in 1865. Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire is where Robert says he was born on the 1851 and 1861 censuses. As noted above, I have identified a James and Helen (Laidlaw) Buchanan in the Dumfriesshire area. They had several children, but so far – no record of a son, Robert. I NEED a connection!

    On various websites and with the help of friends, I have found the following:

Buchanan – Dumfries  (Dryfesdale), probably Lockerbie

1806, Jun 15 (bp) – Archibald, son of James Buhannan, Dryfesdale

1808, Jan 17 – William, son of James and Nelly (Laidlaw) Buchannan

1810, Jan 14 (bp) – Agness, dau of James Buhannan, Dryfesdale, Dumfries

1812, Feb 01 – Archibald, son of James Buhannan, Dryfesdale

1813, Feb – James, son of James Buhannan, Dryfesdale

1815, Aug 13 – George born, son of James and N.__ (Ladlaw) Buhannan

1817, May 4 – Alexander Marti(ne?) and Benjamine Bell, sons of James Buchanan (Dryfesdale)

1818, May 17 – Archbald Buhannan, son of James and N. __ (Ladlaw) Buchannan

1822, Jun 14 – Benjamine Bell, son of James and Hellen (Laidle) Buchannan (Dryfesdale)

1822, Jun 14 – James Bell, son of James and Hellen (Saidle) Buchannan

(obviously these two are another set of twins).

1823-24 – (no record) Robert Buchanan, son of James and Helen (Laidlaw) Buchanan 

    So, are these all children of the same couple? I believe yes. Why wasn’t Robert registered like the others? One assumes the first two Archibalds and the first Benjamin Bell died since the name is repeated. Where did the name Bell come from? Maybe Helen’s mother or James’ mother was a Bell? The search goes on!