Hi all I'm researching the HERDMAN family, originally from Dunning and later Rattray. The earliest couple I've been able to identify were William HERDMAN, who married Margaret HERDMAN (maiden name same as her married name) in Dunning in 1713. Their son William (born 1724) was a farmer and brewer in Dunning. William married Christian DUNN / DUN on 23 December 1757 at Auchterarder and their eldest son, also named William, was born in Dunning in 1760. This William HERDMAN became the minister of Rattray. He married quite late in life to Sophia WALKER in 1820: he was 59 and she 34. Sophia was the daughter of the Rev. Andrew WALKER, minister of Collessie, Fife, and Sophia DUDDINGSTON. William and Sophia had four sons, and his will includes a line where he expresses his gratitude for her ability to "bring forth four sons" to follow him: 1) Rev. William HERDMAN (1821-1878), minister of Rattray after his father. William married firstly Ann FYFFE, by whom he had a son, William Robert Fyffe HERDMAN, who became the parish clerk in Rattray, but was found drowned in the River Ericht near the Bridge of Craighall on 28 November 1875. Rev. William married secondly Isabella CROCKETT, by whom he had a son Robert Newton HERDMAN. Robert Newton HERDMAN married Maude L. MACFARLANE in Edinburgh in 1884 and died in Moulin, Perthshire in 1919. I haven't any further details. 2) Rev. Andrew Walker HERDMAN (1822-1894), also minister of Rattray, presumably after his brother's death in 1878. He married Elizabeth CLOSE of London and spent many years in Canada, where his children were born. Known children were: Rev. James Chalmers HERDMAN (minister of Knox Presbyterian Church in Calgary, Alberta), Elisabeth R., Mary S., John Robert and Edward Gordon, all born in Canada. There may have been other children. After Andrew Walker HERDMAN's death, his widow lived in St John, New Brunswick, and later Belleville, Ontario, where she died on 21 February 1897. 3) Rev. James Chalmers HERDMAN (1825-1899), minister of St Mary's, Melrose, Roxburgh. He was named for his uncle James CHALMERS of Grangemount, Sheriff-Substitute of Perthshire and husband of Christian DUDDINGSTON. James married Mary KNOX of London and they had at least one daughter, Mary Sarah Sophia. James was a minister for a time in Calcutta, where his daughter married Rev. Alexander FERRIER, with whom she had three daughters before her death in 1894. 4) Robert HERDMAN (1828-1888), portrait artist and art historian. He originally set out to study divinity but found he was too busy making sketches of his tutors to continue. He married Emma Catherine ABBOTT and settled in Edinburgh, where they had a family of four sons. Rev. William HERDMAN died in Rattray on 23 September 1838, after which his widow and sons moved to St Andrews, Fife, where Sophia WALKER died on 11 September 1848. William HERDMAN's will nominated the Rev. Alexander WILSON, minister of Dunning, as an executor; Alexander WILSON was the son of William's sister Janet HERDMAN and her husband James WILSON. I have a fair amount of information about Robert HERDMAN the artist, but would be very interested to learn more about him or any of his family. The HERDMAN family tree is on-line at: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~hollyweb/herdman.htm Kind regards Holly McKenzie

Hi Holly, In case you haven't found it, Dunning Parish Historical Society has an extremely good website which has the 1871 census and all the gravestones for St.Serf's listed. http://www.dunning.uk.net/ It also contains many old photographs of Dunning under the Crossroads and Characters link. Simon Warren, the webmaster is an extremely helpful and obliging person Elizabeth Jean> > I'm researching the HERDMAN family, originally from Dunning and later > Rattray. The earliest couple I've been able to identify were William > HERDMAN, who married Margaret HERDMAN (maiden name same as her married name) > in Dunning in 1713. Their son William (born 1724) was a farmer and brewer > in Dunning. William married Christian DUNN / DUN on 23 December 1757 at > Auchterarder and their eldest son, also named William, was born in Dunning > in 1760. > > This William HERDMAN became the minister of Rattray. He married quite late > in life to Sophia WALKER in 1820: he was 59 and she 34. Sophia was the > daughter of the Rev. Andrew WALKER, minister of Collessie, Fife, and Sophia > DUDDINGSTON. William and Sophia had four sons, and his will includes a line > where he expresses his gratitude for her ability to "bring forth four sons" > to follow him: > > 1) Rev. William HERDMAN (1821-1878), minister of Rattray after his father. > William married firstly Ann FYFFE, by whom he had a son, William Robert > Fyffe HERDMAN, who became the parish clerk in Rattray, but was found drowned > in the River Ericht near the Bridge of Craighall on 28 November 1875. Rev. > William married secondly Isabella CROCKETT, by whom he had a son Robert > Newton HERDMAN. Robert Newton HERDMAN married Maude L. MACFARLANE in > Edinburgh in 1884 and died in Moulin, Perthshire in 1919. I haven't any > further details. > > 2) Rev. Andrew Walker HERDMAN (1822-1894), also minister of Rattray, > presumably after his brother's death in 1878. He married Elizabeth CLOSE of > London and spent many years in Canada, where his children were born. Known > children were: Rev. James Chalmers HERDMAN (minister of Knox Presbyterian > Church in Calgary, Alberta), Elisabeth R., Mary S., John Robert and Edward > Gordon, all born in Canada. There may have been other children. After > Andrew Walker HERDMAN's death, his widow lived in St John, New Brunswick, > and later Belleville, Ontario, where she died on 21 February 1897. > > 3) Rev. James Chalmers HERDMAN (1825-1899), minister of St Mary's, Melrose, > Roxburgh. He was named for his uncle James CHALMERS of Grangemount, > Sheriff-Substitute of Perthshire and husband of Christian DUDDINGSTON. > James married Mary KNOX of London and they had at least one daughter, Mary > Sarah Sophia. James was a minister for a time in Calcutta, where his > daughter married Rev. Alexander FERRIER, with whom she had three daughters > before her death in 1894. > > 4) Robert HERDMAN (1828-1888), portrait artist and art historian. He > originally set out to study divinity but found he was too busy making > sketches of his tutors to continue. He married Emma Catherine ABBOTT and > settled in Edinburgh, where they had a family of four sons. > > Rev. William HERDMAN died in Rattray on 23 September 1838, after which his > widow and sons moved to St Andrews, Fife, where Sophia WALKER died on 11 > September 1848. William HERDMAN's will nominated the Rev. Alexander WILSON, > minister of Dunning, as an executor; Alexander WILSON was the son of > William's sister Janet HERDMAN and her husband James WILSON. > > I have a fair amount of information about Robert HERDMAN the artist, but > would be very interested to learn more about him or any of his family. > > The HERDMAN family tree is on-line at: > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~hollyweb/herdman.htm > > Kind regards > Holly McKenzie > > ______________________________