Malcolm--- Tentatively, YES! Wouldn't it be nice to have a "hit" on your first try! Welcome, anyway! I don't have a positive link for you at present, but one of my family, who was Catherine DRUMMOND, of Monkscroft Farm, Muthill, in the early 19th century, married into the MOIRs, and, what is more, some of these Moir people later came to America in the 1880s, coincidentally with my ROBERTSON line. I don't have any information beyond a James Moir, b. 1826 in Thornhill, Kincardine by Doune, Perthshire, who married Catherine DRUMMOND, b. 18 July 1836 at Monkscroft, Muthill. James Moir's parents may have been Muthill natives, but then again they might not; it's the nature of common Scottish surnames and the mobility of the unlanded farmer class. A youth, Alexander James Moir, b. 28 Mar 1870, the nephew of Catherine's older brother William Drummond, lived at Monkscroft in the 1881 census. One of those Moir relations also attended, as a physician, the death of Janet COMRIE [Drummond], the wife of James Drummond and mother of Catherine Drummond (and my own great-great grandmother), on her death 11 April 1886, at Lauriaton Gardens, in Edinburgh. His signature appears as physician on the death certificate, on Scottish archives at www.Scotlandspeople.gov.uk There were a number of Muthill Moirs living by then in Edinburgh, some who may have assisted my orphaned grandfather's family to emigrate, after the death of my g-grandfather Robert Robertson, in Auchterarder abt. 1885 or '86. In any case, MOIRS pop everywhere in my Muthill DRUMMOND and ROBERTSON history at that time. There were MOIR people who were closely involved with the Scottish dry goods merchant firm of John C. MacInnes Company (he also of Muthill), of Worcester, Massachusetts, in the late 1800s up until the 1920s. My grandfather's older brother, James Drummond Robertson, eventually became president of that firm, and a major shareholder, as I recall, was a Moir. I'll need to dig out the Worcester, Mass. information I have on this. * * * * * (Returning a half-hour later) I did: From Worcester County, Massachusetts Memoirs, Vols. I-III: Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. 1 (published 1907), page 336 (available online at www.Ancestry.com) : "The John C. MacInnes Company...has become of of the largest and most prosperous stores of this kind in this section. The business was established by Mr MacInnes in 1873 at 462 Main Street ... {Worcester was at the time, as probably in the present, the second-largest city in New England, after Boston. The John C. MacInnes Company was analagous to a regional Macy's or Harrod's in its commercial influence; my notes} ...The company was formed in 1892 with the same officers that are in charge at present: John C. MacInnes, president and treasurer, Albert A. Spaulding, vice-president; Charles A. Homer, secretary; Alexander J. Moir and the other officers and directors. The store has been enlarged by adding new departments..." It would be interesting to think that the Alexander J. Moir referred to was the same youth Alexander James Moir, captured at Monkscroft Farm, Muthill, in the 1881 Census. My grandfather's brother, James D[rummond] Robertson, arrived from Scotland in the 1880s and worked his way up to the presidency of the company after MacInnes' death in 1916. He died in 1927. My own grandfather Robert, the kid brother, apprenticed at J.C. MacInnes before eventually going on to manage another regional mercantile concern, Ellsworth's of South Bend, Indiana, in the 'teens and 1920s. The name MOIR still circulated in the distant memory of my father, who died last year at nearly 90, but we have obviously lost touch with that family. At USGenweb.org for Worcester Co., Massachusetts, there is another citation for John Comrie MacInnes, his life, and his company: http://www.rootsweb.com/~maworces/wohistbk/494.htm A History of Worcester, by Charles Nutt, pub. 1919, says he was born at Auchtermuthill Farm on the Drummond castle estate on July 3, 1849. I haven't found a biography of Alexander Moir there yet, but the "index" is un-indexed. To sort all of this out, you may check my postings to Ancestry.com's World Family Trees (lookups are free, but you may need to register). I have rather neatly condensed this information for you, at least on the Drummonds (of Muthill) and Robertsons (of Auchterarder) end of it. I'll admit I've been rather sloppy with my Scottish MOIR connexions, preferring in recent months to concentrate on my mother's American Scot's-Irish ancestry, which has deep historical roots in my country, compared to the later arrivals of my Scottish kin in the 1880s. Nevertheless, you'll find an anchor with MOIR and DRUMMOND at the farm of Monkscroft, near Muthill, which I visited once a number of years ago. Happy hunting---and PLEASE, let me know if you have found something! ---Bob (Robert Drummond) Robertson Napa Valley, California In a message dated 7/12/04 8:36:49 PM Pacific Daylight Time, malstgray@bigpond.com writes: > > Hello this is my first posting to this list > I have no details for the Parents here > Alexander MOIR of Muthill Per. &Janet MCLEASK who married c 1862/3;;Children > are > 1] John B 23 Mar 1765, Muthill > 2] James b 5 Apr 1767, Muthill ? marr. unknown had two children > A] Alexander b c 1802 marr c 1884 Isabella unknown > had two children > i] Elizabeth b c 1845 Muthill > ii] John b c 1849 Muthill > > B] James b 1805 Glasgow marr 1831 Auchterarder Ann Hart --have details > > 3] William b 12 Jul 1769 Muthill > 4] Alexander b 1 Jan 1772 Muthill marr. 1798 Tarbolton Farm, Christina > DRENNAN six children to this marriage > > anyone recognise this family > > regards Malcolm > > RESEARCHING: Anderson, Barclay, Blair, Bryce, Buchanan, Campbell, Cameron, > Carmichael, Christie, Clark, Colquhon, Comrie, Dewar, Doig, Dow, Drummond, > Eadie, Falconer, Ferguson, Forbes, Gray, Gow, Hutton, Innes, Johns(t)on, King, > Laurie, MacDonald, MacLaren, MacNie, Maxwell, MacAllister, McAree, McArthur, > McBeath, McCall, McDiarmid, McEwan, McFarlane, McGregor, McInnes, McIntyre, > McKerracher, McKinlay, McLachlan, McLean, McNab(b), McNaughton, McNee, McNiven, > McRuer, McVean, McVey, Moir, Morison, Murdoch, Pat(t)erson, Robertson, > Sharp, Smiley, Stewart, Stirling, Strang, &Whitehead > > >