<A HREF="http://cgi.ebay.aol.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=163775352">eB ay item 163775352 (Ends 09/19/99, 16:43:22 PDT) - 2- Antique Postcards Train & Observation Car</A> Sorry I forgot to enclose the link to the postcard from MRS. CARL LAIRD. Thanks Kimberly

Hello list, I just wanted to share with you something that I have found recently at an antique store. I was purchasing postcards that I sell on ebay. And I noticed that some of them have writing on the back. Well, one of them has the name MRS. CARL LAIRD with an address of PERRY OKLAHOMA dated September 1926. I am enclosing a link to the eBay page that has the picture with a copy of front and back, scroll to the bottom of the page, it is the 2nd postcard. Hope this belongs to someone, Thanks, Kimberly

I am looking for information on the Laird family which either rented or owned the Kilallan farm in the late 1700's. The farm is next to the ruins of the Kilallan (or Kilellan) church and graveyard. The house is a very attractive one. I have photos of it. There is a low window in it which was used to watch for grave robbers, so the story goes. The Lairds apparently owned or rented it. I can find no records that they did but I do know that a great aunt painted an oil painting of it in 1910 when it was still in the possession of a relative. Any help would be appreciated. Graeme Laird glaird@thai.com

Dear Frank I am in Norway at the moment, and so away from my books. To give you something of an idea, Berwick, where the Lairds were first recorded in the 13th Century, when it was Scots, has been in North East England since the 14th Century, just south of the Scottish Border. Peebles is still in Scotland, but not far from Berwick, and is in the Borders. Renfrewshire is on the outskirts of Glasgow over on the south west coast (I am prepared to be corrected by Graeme Laird on its precise limits, as I am more familiar with the east coast!). Caithness is the northermost county of Scotland, situated on the north east coast of the mainland, and has the famous tourist attraction of "John O'Groats". It is in the modern "Highland Region" but is flat terrain and often thought of as north of the Highlands. The Islanders just to the north of Caithness, in Orkney and Shetland do not really think of themselves as Scots, and feel closer to Scandinavia. All these places are therefore some considerable distance apart (in European terms, not US!). It is a feature of Europe and Scandinavia that relatively short distances can produce considerable changes in the perception of identity and position. I am not sure of the basis of the first records of Lairds as a family, but the majority of references to Scots family names give the surname "Laird" as "Berwick and Peebles in the 13th Century". The Highlands start just north of Glasgow in the West from a line which stretches north east to just south of Inverness in the east. I do not know of a "Castle Berwick" in the Highlands. This does not mean that it does not, or did not exist. I will let you have some more information when I get home. And we keep looking. Yours aye Iain

Good Morning Tena, You are correct. I did send you a copy of Belvas' book on this Laird Family. I visited Tabor IA and the surrounding area this past June for more research on what she had written in that book. I couldn't find anything of mention about Cumberland PA or that area, but do know another branch of Lairds I am researching did settle, for awhile at least in the Cumberland area. Belva was a rather prolific writer. I have copies of six other books she has written concerning the church in the area, history of Fremont County, some poems, etc. Some of her dates are wrong in the Laird History Book, but overall it is a good guide for continued looking. Regarding no Lairds in trouble, I tend to think she was referring to her own little circle of Lairds, as so far at least, all that I have found, her little group appears to have been pretty forthright and upstanding individuals. Now if you will excuse me, Mr. Floyd is creeping up into my backyard. Thanks for help Tena. Jim Laird, FL

Frank, FlashNet has apparently changed the way it represents its origin again, so this message didn't make it to the list as it should have. I am making adjustments so that it will work. In the meantime, here it is.... ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 19:49:03 -0700 (PDT) From: "F.M. LAIRD AA5DT" <fmlaird@pop.flash.net> To: LAIRD-L@rootsweb.com Subject: {not a subscriber} Re: [LAIRD-L] Sinclair digest posted 12 Sep DEAR IAN: When you reference "FIRST" notations of Lairds being in (TWEEDSIDE)Berwick and Peebleshire: 1. what official documents are being referenced and are there possibilities of duplications of those records? 2. even though the marriage and church records arent extant? 3.WHEN YOU REFERENCE " Renfrewshire" IS THIS THE SAME AREA AS TWEEDSIDE ETC AS WELL AS CAITHNESS AND IF NOT WHAT DISTANCES ARE REFERENCED FROM POINT TO POINT. 4. AM I CORRECT THAT CASTLE BERWICK WAS JUST BARELY IN THE HIGHLIGHLANDS?--YET STILL IN THE HIGHLANDS? thanks francis marion laird FATFINGERFRANK INSLaird@cs.com wrote: > > Dear Craig > > Tweedside or Berwick and Peebles is the oldest reference to the surname > Laird in Scotland, and in conventional publications, the only reference > to Lairds in Scotland. There are also a very large number of references > going a long way back in Renfrewshire. Until now the presence of a > large number of Lairds in Caithness and Orkney, sometimes spelt Leard or > Leird has been ignored. To create further confusion, there are > references to the Lairds in the South being of German origin, while in > the North we are of Norse origin. What is certain is that where the > Lairds are found in Caithness is very much in Sinclair country. The > Clans and Septs and Tartans enjoyed a real revival in the 19th Century, > and by this stage the numbers of Lairds in Caithness had begun to > diminish. This is why I am inclined to believe that the Lairds in > Caithness have been overlooked. I do not know exactly how long Lairds > had been in the North, because church records (OPRs) do not start until > about 1650. We keep looking. > > Yours aye > > Iain > > ==== LAIRD Mailing List ==== > Laird Family Association Website: http://www.qcsi.net/lfa

In a message dated 9/13/99 7:54:18 PM Central Daylight Time, mjhanna@jps.net writes: << Since 1803 several hundred Laird's have been hung on the mythical family tree but fortunately we can say with pride that not one Laird has ever been conviced of any crime. No Laird has ever been accused of any criminal act or dishonesty. >> What's this??? That would be the ONLY family in history that can claim that... besides, my aunt was working on our LAIRD line and got to a generation where there was a horse thief. She was so horrified, she tore up her notes and it's taken many years for the rest of us to catch up to where she was. I got as far back as John and Nancy Laird (Lard) from Kentucky, who moved to Missouri. Such a stretch, but gee, Kentucky is the (some might say) land of the finest race horses, so maybe I found it. Of course, there are/were horses in LOTS of states so that isn't necessarily true. Anyway, just wondering, doesn't anyone have any colorful ancestors to 'brag' about?

Hi: Here is the page that I have. I received an email from Jim Laird in Florida and that reminded me that this page didn't come from Cumberland Historical Society, but from Jim about a year and 1/2 ago. Sorry, Jim, age is getting to my brain and I am getting rather forgetful. Please excuse the mistake, anyway, here is the page!! THE HISTORY OF THE LAIRD FAMILY BY BELVA LAIRD MILLER The original roots of the Laird family tree were found in Scotland, where the name "Laird" means "lord". Laird families are located in Novia Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Upper Vermont, New York State, undoubtedly arriving fromthe St. Lawrence River Valley area. At all of these places, the different members of the Laird clan uniformly rose to levels of leadership in their respective communities and cities. Those who landed at either Philadelphia or New York City likewise populated New York State, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and maryland and their descendants continue to give good account of their activies along all professional lines. These settlers had previously endured back home in their native lands many periods of discouragement, brought about by crop failures, unemployment generally, hot winds that were devastating to crops, plus religious wars. These people were endowed with powers of endurance and a high degree of faith; faith in themselves to overcome, with the aid of providence, the many obstacles they were destined to meet. Thus equipped, they had no hesitancy in walking aboard the flimsy sailing boats of that era, for the trip over the unruly waves of the high seas and arriving six or eight weeks later at such points of entry as Montreal, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore etc. Upon land ing on our shores, proceeded immediately to locate on lands that appreared to be promising to them. The main trunk of the Laird family tree was formed many years ago, in 1803, when Thomas Laird married Ann Lapsley of Scotland. Since 1803 several hundred Laird's have been hung on the mythical family tree but fortunately we can say with pride that not one Laird has ever been conviced of any crime. No Laird has ever been accused of any criminal act or dishonesty. Johnston Laird son of Thomas and Mary Ann Laird, was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1807. On April 10, 1833, Johnston Laird married Mary I. Russell, who was born in 1816. The Russell family of three brothers and three sisters settled in Erie County and took 400 acres of land near the city of Erie. Johnston and Mary L. Laird began housekeeping five miles west of her father's home in Erie County. The area was a dense forest and trees had to be notched in order to find the way to Erie. At one time the Laird properties occupied a mile frontage on Lake Erie. There were thirteen children born to Johnston and Mary I. Laird, two boys and two girls dying in infancy. Their children born in Erie County, Pa., were: William Thomas Laird, born 1834 Hamlin Russell Laird, born 1836 George Laird, born 1838 Sarah Laird, born 1839 Ellen Laird, born 1841 In 1840, the Laird family traveled by covered wagon to central Illinois. Their children born in central Illinois were: Mary r. Laird, born 1843 Henry Richard Laird, born 1845 Benjamin Franklin Laird, born 1850 George Clarence Laird, born 1848 John Charles Laird, born 1852 While in Illinois, Johnston Laird became sick, and Mary, his wife, supplemented the income by teaching in the local schools. After about a ten year stay in Illinois, the family continued to travel by covered wagon across teh Mississippi River to Troy, Missouri, where Johnston's Uncle David lived. From there they came to Fremont County, Iowa, in 1853, and settled six miles north of Sidney. At that time the U. S. oland office was at Kanesville, now Council Bluffs. Johnston Laird went there and bought land fromt he government for $1.25 an acre and farmed it with oxen. The deed to the Laird land was parchment and was signed by Franklin Pierce, President of the United States. Children born to Johnston and mary Laird in Fremont County were: Francis Marion Laird, 1855 James R. Laird, 1859 Charles Christy Laird, 1861 The four infants who died were: Sarah Laird, 1840 George Laird, 1841 Ellen Laird, 1842 Charles Christy Laird, 1863 Eight sons and one daughter lived long useful lives. The only daughter of the Johnston Laird family, Mary R. Laird, was married to Hulbert L. Kellogg February 10, 1865. Two children were born to this couple, Anna and Frank. They spent their lives in Greeley, Colorado. The eight sons of the Laird family were: William Thomas, Hamlin Russell, Henry Richard, George Clarence, Benjamin, John Charles, Francis Marion and James R. The Johnston Laird family entered pioneer days of the midwest amid great confusion and uncertainty. They were faced with floods, heat waves, droughts, blizzards, locust plagues and falling markets. They drove their cattle to Omaha markets, a distance of forty-five miles, facing many blizzards. Francis marion Laird, son of Johnston and Mary Laird, was born on the Johnston Laird farm in 1855 and enjoyed a long, active life. He died in Tabor in 1934. On May 5, 1879, Francis Marion Laird and Phoebe Reeves were married. Two children were born to this couple: Fred Chester Laird, born May 22, 1880 Belva Mary Laird, born July 5, 1883 Fred Chester, May 22, 1880 and Belva Mary, July 5, 1883 In 1893, the F. M. Laird family moved fromthe farm to Tabor to educate their two children. Fred graduated from Tabor High School in 1899 and from Tabor College in 1903. In 1906, Fred graduated fromt he Nebraska University Law School and he joined a law firm in Fremont, Nebraska. On June 15, 1911, Fred C. Laird and Leo Alice Loomis were married and made their home in Fremont. In 1912, Fred Laird was elected County Judge in Nebraska. He served in this office for fifty years, until his death in 1962. Belva Laird graduated from Tabor Academy in 1902, and from Tabor College in 1906. On May 3, 1911, Belva Mary Laird and Doctor Brownlow Miller were married and made their home in Tabor, where Dr. Miller spent fifty years inthe pursuit of his medical profession. A daughter, Patricia Aileen, was born October 7, 1912. A graduate of Tabor High School and Nebraska University, she traveled extensively. Her death occured in 1938. After her marriage, Belva Laird Miller spent many years in organization work, and like her father, wrote poetry and several books. She has enjoyed literary pursuits her entire life.

Mary Jane, I believe that you and I have talked before but I am not sure if it was about the LAIRD's. I too am a direct descendant of William and Elinder LAIRD. I do not know when they were married, but their first son William was born around 1819 in South Carolina. Their second son, my ancestor, was Henry LAIRD and he was born 3 June 1821 in Lexington District, South Carolina. The third child Winifred Elinder was born about 1823 in South Carolina. Their fourth child Mary was born in Alabama. I have a list of all of their children if you don't have them. I too am stuck as to who William's parents were and what Elinder's maiden name was. My ggg-grandfather Henry LAIRD's death certificate said he was of English/French descent. Maybe we can discuss our latest research and put our heads together. Sarah Stanley Galarza

Mary Ann, Thanks I'm trying to find a connection for Margaret Sylvia Laird b.1853 and d. 1901 in Jefferson County AL. Jim

Recently I had the Cumberland Historical Society send me everything they had on the Laird family. They enclosed a one page document taken from the book family history above. Do you want me to transcribe it and put it on this list. She starts with 1803 with a Thomas Laird married Ann Lapsley of Scotland. There is a Johnston Laird, son, the descendents traveled by covered wagon to Illinois. Please let me know if anyone is interested. At the CHS there was another Laird family tree, which contained 20 pages or so of Lairds, they only sent me the page for my ancestor, James Laird. Mike and Tena Hanna God Bless You! <http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/h/a/n/Tena-M-Hanna/index.html>

Dear Craig Tweedside or Berwick and Peebles is the oldest reference to the surname Laird in Scotland, and in conventional publications, the only reference to Lairds in Scotland. There are also a very large number of references going a long way back in Renfrewshire. Until now the presence of a large number of Lairds in Caithness and Orkney, sometimes spelt Leard or Leird has been ignored. To create further confusion, there are references to the Lairds in the South being of German origin, while in the North we are of Norse origin. What is certain is that where the Lairds are found in Caithness is very much in Sinclair country. The Clans and Septs and Tartans enjoyed a real revival in the 19th Century, and by this stage the numbers of Lairds in Caithness had begun to diminish. This is why I am inclined to believe that the Lairds in Caithness have been overlooked. I do not know exactly how long Lairds had been in the North, because church records (OPRs) do not start until about 1650. We keep looking. Yours aye Iain

Jim: Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the answer to your question but will give you what census information I have on William and Elinder. See below: ====================== 1821 Lexington District, South Carolina 1834 Montgomery Co., Alabama 1840 Butler Co., Alabama 1850 Geneva, Coffee Co., Alabama, age 58 1860 Only Elinder is found in the Walton Co., Florida Census along with several of their children. They may have been married as early as 1818 because I am only estimating the age of some of the children as I do not have exact dates. ======================= Do you see any connections? > > << 1 William Laird Born: Abt. 1792 in South Carolina Died: > Bef. 1855 > in Alabama > . +Elinder Laird Born: Abt. 1804 in South Carolina Married: > Abt. 1824 > in Alabama>> > > Where in AL did william Die and Elinder marry? >

Iain: In the Sep 12th post of the Sinclair digests, someone referred to a Laird line from Tweedside. In your response, were you saying that Tweedside was the main branch or Caithness was the main branch? This is the first I've seen mention of Tweedside in these posts, but I have an oral history that my Laird branch came out of Tweedside. My line settled in Central Ohio, USA in the mid-1800's. Do you have any more info on Tweedside? Also, I thank you for all the work and energy you supply to the Laird search, you are a good guide for all of us! Craig Douglas Laird claird@rma.edu

Mary Jane. In a message dated 9/11/1999 1:02:57 PM, you wrote: << 1 William Laird Born: Abt. 1792 in South Carolina Died: Bef. 1855 in Alabama . +Elinder Laird Born: Abt. 1804 in South Carolina Married: Abt. 1824 in Alabama>> Where in AL did william Die and Elinder marry? Jim

Dear Patricia Everything in the 1888 letter seems to point to Aberdeenshire, though we did not previously know of many Lairds there. We are still trying to find out about Glenhuntly and it seems more than a coincidence that Huntly is the Gordons' seat. I was brought up wearing a Gordon Kilt as a friend of my father, Alasdair Kennedy once found a connection between Lairds and the Gordons in an old reference, but it has since disappeared. The Laird hunt for an appropriate Tartan is an eternal one! The Gordons are to Aberdeenshire as the Sinclairs are to Caithness. Further, my mother is from Aberdeenshire, and her maiden name, Laing, is associated with the Gordons. I spent my childhood holidays on the Cluny Estate near Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, where my maternal Grandfather was the joiner. Nobody knows anything about Glenhuntly though. Where tartan searches are concerned I did suggest as a joke to the Earl of Caithness when we were in Norway that the tartan they use there might be the lost Laird Tartan. He responded that if it was, it was still Sinclair! We keep looking! Yours aye Iain

Iain, Thank you for your help with the 1888 letter. I would also like to say that the web site you mentioned in your previous letter was very interesting. The site includes a picture of Paisley Abbey of which the marriage records were transcribed for one of the LFA newsletters. I am now working on transcribing the baptismal records. Also, I was interested in the picture of Huntly manor, I guess because it is similar to the Glenhuntly name that we are searching for. Was surprised to find that Huntly manor belonged to Sir Adam Gordon, and became the seat of the Gordon clan. Makes we want to find out more about my husband's Gordon ancestry. Thanks for bringing our Scotland history to life through pictures. Sincerely, Patricia

Dear Patricia I have sent a detailed fax to The Officer in Waiting at The College of Arms in London about the above and will let you all have a copy of the reply in due course. In the meantime I have found a webpage of the Castle at Aberdour (which is on the opposite side of the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh), though it has no mention of a Count Hlawford in early 1000. It appears to date from the 12th Century. The URL is "http://www.darkisle.com/a/aberdour/aberdour.html". I have also looked for references to features of the account elsewhere, without success. We shall keep looking and asking! Yours aye Iain

Dear Cousins Further to my e-mail earlier in the week, here is more on the Lairds from the Sinclairs. Yours aye Iain Subj: Re: Scots Clans descended from Rollo Date: 9/9/99 4:50:21 GMT Daylight Time From: jsq@mids.org (John S. Quarterman) Sender: jsq@mids.org To: INSLaird@cs.com CC: jsq@mids.org (John S. Quarterman) Iain, I forget whether I mentioned that I've put your general Laird writeup in http://www.mids.org/sinclair/laird.html Please let me know of any changes, etc. John S. Quarterman <jsq@mids.org> Sender: jsq@mids.org Subj: sinclair-digest V1 #84 Date: 9/11/99 5:46:20 GMT Daylight Time From: owner-sinclair-digest@mids.org (sinclair-digest) Sender: owner-sinclair-digest@mids.org Reply-to: sinclair@mids.org To: sinclair-digest@mids.org sinclair-digest Friday, September 10 1999 Volume 01 : Number 084 - -------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 12:51:38 EDT From: GDSinclair@aol.com Subject: Re: Who are the Lairds? In a message dated 09/08/99 4:43:43 PM Pacific Daylight Time, laurel@spiritone.com writes: << but not the Lairds. Do we need to update things? >> The Lairds are not a Sept or Associated Family of Sinclait/St.Clair/Sinkler. Laird is associated with the Tweedside District. Tweedside is located to the south and east of Edinburgh. It appears that Laird did not align themselves with any Clan but remained a family of independents. (Taken from "Tartan For Me" 6th Edition. GaryD [ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@mids.org [ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html - ---------------------------- Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 22:59:02 +0100 From: "Privateers" <Privateers@privateers.org> Subject: Re: Who are the Lairds? I was wondering if you could identify which Earl gave the family permission under what circumstances and is the permit still valid? Sinclair - ----- Original Message ----- From: <INSLaird@cs.com> To: <sinclair@mids.org> Cc: <LAIRD-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 1999 2:02 PM Subject: Who are the Lairds? Subj: sinclair-digest V1 #85 Date: 9/12/99 5:46:14 GMT Daylight Time From: owner-sinclair-digest@mids.org (sinclair-digest) Sender: owner-sinclair-digest@mids.org Reply-to: sinclair@mids.org To: sinclair-digest@mids.org sinclair-digest Saturday, September 11 1999 Volume 01 : Number 085 - -------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 11 Sep 1999 13:37:39 EDT From: INSLaird@cs.com Subject: Who are the Lairds? Dear Gary We do not dispute that the main family of Lairds are from the south of Scotland, but our family is from Caithness and before that Norway. We have no evidence of any connection with the Lairds of the south of Scotland, and have been in Caithness for many hundreds of years. To answer Sinclair's question it is the current Earl who has given us permission to wear the Sinclair Tartans and badge. If you would like to see more, please visit our webpage at "http://ourworld.cs.com/inslaird/" Yours aye Iain Laird [ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@mids.org [ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html - ---------------------------- Date: Sat, 11 Sep 1999 15:52:07 -0500 From: "John S. Quarterman" <jsq@mids.org> Subject: new items in the web pages Here is a brief update on new items in the web pages. All of them may be found by looking under New in http://www.mids.org/sinclair/ The new items in the past week are: A definition of Scottish Lairds (barons) by Sinclair de la Behottiere. Commentary on Grandmasters of the Knights Templar, and the Shroud of Turin, by Sinclair de la Behottiere and Tim Wallace-Murphy. More about the Earls of Orkney, by Niven Sinclair and Sinclair de la Behottiere. Family history as myth, and myth as a guide, by Sinclair de la Behottiere and Niven Sinclair. Laird: a lost sept of Sinclair? by Iain Laird. Those of you who have sent in material that hasn't appeared in the web pages yet, don't despair; I'll get to it as time permits. The vast majority of the material in these web pages has been sent in by various Sinclairs and others all over the world, many of them through the Sinclair discussion list, http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html And remember: these web pages were never intended to be the only Sinclair web pages. They are more of an overview that should over time increasingly use links into other pages elsewhere. Send in URLs for your own web pages; I will add links to them. John S. Quarterman <jsq@mids.org> [ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@mids.org [ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html - ---------------------------- End of sinclair-digest V1 #85 *****************************

Hi everyone: With all the discussion of the LAIRD surname and its origin, I wonder if any of you have any information on my "branch of the tree?" My direct line is as follows: ============================================ Direct Descendants of William Laird 1 William Laird Born: Abt. 1792 in South Carolina Died: Bef. 1855 in Alabama . +Elinder Laird Born: Abt. 1804 in South Carolina Married: Abt. 1824 in Alabama Died: 1865 in Glendale, Walton Co., Florida ........ 2 James Laird Born: October 26, 1835 in Butler Co., Alabama Died: March 8, 1898 in De Funiak Springs, Walton Co., Florida ............ +Elizabeth FINLEY Born: Bet. April 9 - November 4, 1838 in Probably Baker Co., Georgia Married: 1857 in Alabama Died: May 19, 1928 in De Funiak Springs, Walton Co., Florida ................... 3 Sarah Ellen Laird Born: June 1, 1880 Died: June 23, 1943 in Sarasota, FL + John McDermott Born: January 1874 Washington, Co., Florida Died: 1930 Walton Co., Florida 4 Mary Elizabeth McDermott Born: January 12, 1905 Ponce De Leon, Holmes Co., Florida Died: September 29, 1994, Kingman, Mohave Co., Arizona + Percy Cullins Hobbs Born: July 19, 1905, Richland, Stewart Co., Georgia Died: June 27, 1964 Kingman, Mohave Co., Arizona ========================================================== Mary Elizabeth McDermott Hobbs was my mother. Any information on the possible parents of William or Elinder Laird or the origin (county) of my line would be appreciated. Mary Jane Hobbs Pattillo