There is an alternative version of the ancestry for Robertson Buchanan Stewart and his wife and cousin Martha Stewart regarding their fathers (Robert and John respectively) who were brothers. It arises I think because there is absolutely no trace of the marriage of RBS's parents Robert Stewart and Amelia Robertson in the registers. It is also based on the fact that RBS's father, Robert Stewart, is shown as a weaver on RBS's birth certificate, and the fact that there is a Robert Stewart, weaver, who married an Amily Robin (a similar sounding name to Amelia Robertson) in 1788. This Robert Stewart is in turn given as the son of a Robert Stewart in Kilmachalmaig. This Robert Stewart in Kilmachalmaig was married to Isobel Spence. Now, John Stewart, father of Martha Stewart, is shown on his marriage certificate as also being the son of the said Robert Stewart in Kilmachalmaig.
However, this version of events is based on a confusion of two persons who happened to be born in the same month, namely Amelia Robertson (mother of RBS) and an Emelia Robin. They are both clearly distinct individuals - both being shown on the same page of the register! Emelia Robin is born on the 17th March, and Amelia Robertson is born on the 3rd. Their parents are quite different.
Moreover, there is no record of a John Stewart whose mother was Isobel Spence. There is a James Stewart who is, and in the alternative version, this James seems to be confused with John.
Also the alternative chart shows John (James) Stewart as the elder brother of Robert Stewart, whereas my great aunt and uncle told me John Stewart was the younger of the two.
Amelia Robertson is quite clearly the mother of RBS, not Emelia / Amily Robin. This is clearly shown on the birth certificates for RBS and his brother Andrew Stewart. (Interestingly the father Robert Stewart is shown as a schoolmaster in Kerry Croy on Andrew's certificate, rather than as a weaver as on RBS' birth certificate. On RBS's death certificate Robert Stewart is shown as a merchant -deceased.)
In further support of my hypothesis, Amelia Robertson's mother appears to be a Lamont, a name with strong connections with Buchanan of whom they were a sept.
I think the problem arises because of the missing marriage information for Robert Stewart and Amelia Robertson. I have no idea why the marriage information is missing.
My cousin Joanna Thomas states that Amelia Robertson had an uncle Neil who was a coal merchant in the Broomielaw, Glasgow where Robertson Buchanan Stewart set up in business and who left money to him (RBS). Amily Robin seems to have had a brother Neil (Robertson or Robin, not sure).
She rightly points out that a lot of names were changed after the 1745 rebellion to avoid being associated with the Jacobites (for safety) and this may explain some of the issues.
To confuse matter further, apparently there is also an Emily Robson (born 1767) who is also supposed to have married Robert Stewart, son of Robert Stewart in Kilmachalmaig and Isobel Spence. However, I have not found any evidence of this Emily Robson in the registers. It is most likely to be an alternative spelling for Amily Robin.
Further confusion arises because there is yet another alternative version in which James Stewart, brother of Robert, marries an Isobel Mackay. The whole issue of Robertson Buchanan Stewart's and Martha Stewart's parentage is a quagmire of chaos, as is the issue of whether or not their forebears originated from Appin.
| Andrew Robertson or Robin | ||
| Neil Robertson b 23 Sep 1762 |
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| Agnes Robertson b 1764 |
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| Helen Robin b 09 Jun 1771 |
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| Margaret Robin b 09 Jun 1771 |
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| m bef 1761 | Amelia Robertson or Emelia / Amily Robin b 20 Mar 1768 or Emily Robson |
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| Mary Campbell | ||
| m 22 Dec 1788 Rothesay | Robertson Buchanan
Stewart b 25 Apr 1793 c 28 Apr 1793 Rothesay d 08 Nov 1871, Blythswood, Glasgow AS MAIN CHART |
|
| Robert Stewart b 7 Feb 1720/21 Rothesay d Bef 1786 Kilmachalmaig, Rothesay |
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| Robert Stewart b 22 May 1766 Rothesay |
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| Isobel Stewart b 10 May 1760 Rothesay |
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| m 17 Feb 1754 | m 19 Feb 1819 Glasgow AS MAIN CHART |
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| Margaret Stewart b 1 Nov 1762 Rothesay |
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| James (John)
Stewart b 3 May 1755 Rothesay |
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| Isobel Spence b 10 May 1724 West Kames d aft 1766 |
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| m 13 Jul 1786 Rothesay | Martha Stewart b 18 Nov 1800 Rothesay d 12 Sep 1831 AS MAIN CHART |
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| Janet Stewart b Sep 1787 Rothesay AS MAIN CHART |
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| Isobel Stewart b Nov 1789 Rothesay AS MAIN CHART |
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| Mary Stewart b Jan 1792 Rothesay AS MAIN CHART |
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| Bryce McConechy b 1738 Rothesay d before 1786/7 AS MAIN CHART |
Catharine Stewart b Dec 1793 Rothesay AS MAIN CHART |
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| Margaret Stewart b Dec 1795 Rothesay AS MAIN CHART |
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| James Stewart b Dec 1797 Rothesay AS MAIN CHART |
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| John Stewart b May 1804 Rothesay AS MAIN CHART |
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| Robert Stewart b Jul 1806 Rothesay AS MAIN CHART |
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| m 11 Feb 1763 Rothesay AS MAIN CHART |
Catharine / Katherine McConachy / McConechy b 18 Dec 1766 Rothesay AS MAIN CHART |
|
| Janet Muir b 1742 East Kawes, Rothesay AS MAIN CHART |
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