Hello everyone, I have been in touch with a Calvin Jenson from Canada. I attach a copy of his message below. The watch is worth $500 CDN as he has now had it valued. What is Tormore? My great grandfather was William Sutherland but I am sure there were many at this time. If anyone can help please get in touch. Thanks Anna I am looking for someone's help me solving a bit of a mistery. When my grandmother passed away in the mid 1980's she passed on to me a gold pocket watch. She received this watch from her older brother, Thurlow Dunlop. How he came to have it is unknown. In honesty, the watch has been sitting in a chest on my bedroom dresser for the past 15 years with me taking little interest in it. This past Christmas I decided to study the watch more closely. This is what I found. On the inside of the back cover of the watch is the following inscription: "Presented to Mr. Wm. Sutherland by his friends and neighbours as a token of respect on his leaving Tormore, Dunbeath, Caithness. 1907" The watch was made by C. W. C. Co. and has a serial number. There are many other very small numerical inscriptions on the inside of this front cover, scratched by hand - not stamped. On the inside of the inner cover it states that the watch is composed of two plates of 14 Kt gold, has 17 jewels p! lus other information about the watch. Although the time peace is not working, it appears to be in fantastic condition. I am in the process of getting it repaired, cleaned, and appraised. One watch maker in Edmonton told me that he thought that it might have a value of $5000 CDN. What I would really like to do is get this watch back into the hands of someone who would attach some real meaning to this artifact - a relative perhaps. I know that the Clan Sutherland is big in your part of the world, and that there are people who are devoted to keeping an accurate record members, clan history, etc. Perhaps this watch would hold an important place in this history. Who William Sutherland was, and how he fits into that history is completely unknown to me. I suspect that my great uncle and he were friends around the turn of the century.

I went through my 1881 census disc for Caithness and came up with only one out of 177 William Sutherland s who lived at Tormore. Here is he and his family listed below. If one goes to familysearch.org and looks up the William Sutherland born in 1844, there are 2 but only one with a mother whose name is Christina. So he is the son of Benjamin Sutherland and Christina Gunn. They had several children, one of whom was Angus Sutherland who is shown married to a Helen Gilmour McCalman in 1867 when she was 20. She was born in Latheron to Hugh McCalman and Ursula Gilmour. Helen and Angus do not show up on the 1881 census, so maybe they emigrated. Maybe your grandfather William was a brother or cousin to Angus and the William of Tormore. If William left Tormore in 1907, maybe he emigrated to join them. I see it as significant that he was giving a watch that indicates he was leaving. Sounds very momentous. Am happy to try and help more. Dwelling: Township Of Tormore Census Place: Latheron, Caithness, Scotland Source: FHL Film 0203401 GRO Ref Volume 038 EnumDist 15 Page 7 Marr Age Sex Birthplace William SUTHERLAND U 37 M Latheron, Caithness, Scotland Rel: Head Occ: Farmer & Carrier Christina SUTHERLAND W 69 F Latheron, Caithness, Scotland Rel: Mother John SUTHERLAND U 29 M Latheron, Caithness, Scotland Rel: Brother Occ: Clerk (Mercantile) David SUTHERLAND U 26 M Latheron, Caithness, Scotland Rel: Brother Occ: Student Of Divinity Jane SUTHERLAND U 58 F Latheron, Caithness, Scotland Rel: Aunt John SUTHERLAND U 26 M Latheron, Caithness, Scotland Rel: Servant Occ: Farm Servant Thomas SHEARER U 19 M Latheron, Caithness, Scotland Rel: Servant Occ: Farm Servant Regards, Kate Fraser Haas ( father Hugh Fraser from Caithness) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Anna R MacLeod-Adams" <anna_macleod@talk21.com> To: <SCT-CAITHNESS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 11:00 AM Subject: Tormore, Dunbeath > Hello everyone, > > I have been in touch with a Calvin Jenson from Canada. I attach a copy of his message below. The watch is worth $500 CDN as he has now had it valued. > What is Tormore? My great grandfather was William Sutherland but I am sure there were many at this time. If anyone can help please get in touch. > > Thanks > > Anna > > > > > I am looking for someone's help me solving a bit of a mistery. When my grandmother passed away in the mid 1980's she passed on to me a gold pocket watch. She received this watch from her older brother, Thurlow Dunlop. How he came to have it is unknown. In honesty, the watch has been sitting in a chest on my bedroom dresser for the past 15 years with me taking little interest in it. This past Christmas I decided to study the watch more closely. This is what I found. On the inside of the back cover of the watch is the following inscription: "Presented to Mr. Wm. Sutherland by his friends and neighbours as a token of respect on his leaving Tormore, Dunbeath, Caithness. 1907" The watch was made by C. W. C. Co. and has a serial number. There are many other very small numerical inscriptions on the inside of this front cover, scratched by hand - not stamped. On the inside of the inner cover it states that the watch is composed of two plates of 14 Kt gold, has 17 jewels p! > lus other information about the watch. Although the time peace is not working, it appears to be in fantastic condition. > I am in the process of getting it repaired, cleaned, and appraised. One watch maker in Edmonton told me that he thought that it might have a value of $5000 CDN. What I would really like to do is get this watch back into the hands of someone who would attach some real meaning to this artifact - a relative perhaps. I know that the Clan Sutherland is big in your part of the world, and that there are people who are devoted to keeping an accurate record members, clan history, etc. Perhaps this watch would hold an important place in this history. Who William Sutherland was, and how he fits into that history is completely unknown to me. I suspect that my great uncle and he were friends around the turn of the century. > > >

I forgot to mention that the William Sutherland I found in Canada was married to a Christina Dunlop. Kate Fraser Haas ----- Original Message ----- From: "Anna R MacLeod-Adams" <anna_macleod@talk21.com> To: <SCT-CAITHNESS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 11:00 AM Subject: Tormore, Dunbeath > Hello everyone, > > I have been in touch with a Calvin Jenson from Canada. I attach a copy of his message below. The watch is worth $500 CDN as he has now had it valued. > What is Tormore? My great grandfather was William Sutherland but I am sure there were many at this time. If anyone can help please get in touch. > > Thanks > > Anna > > > > > I am looking for someone's help me solving a bit of a mistery. When my grandmother passed away in the mid 1980's she passed on to me a gold pocket watch. She received this watch from her older brother, Thurlow Dunlop. How he came to have it is unknown. In honesty, the watch has been sitting in a chest on my bedroom dresser for the past 15 years with me taking little interest in it. This past Christmas I decided to study the watch more closely. This is what I found. On the inside of the back cover of the watch is the following inscription: "Presented to Mr. Wm. Sutherland by his friends and neighbours as a token of respect on his leaving Tormore, Dunbeath, Caithness. 1907" The watch was made by C. W. C. Co. and has a serial number. There are many other very small numerical inscriptions on the inside of this front cover, scratched by hand - not stamped. On the inside of the inner cover it states that the watch is composed of two plates of 14 Kt gold, has 17 jewels p! > lus other information about the watch. Although the time peace is not working, it appears to be in fantastic condition. > I am in the process of getting it repaired, cleaned, and appraised. One watch maker in Edmonton told me that he thought that it might have a value of $5000 CDN. What I would really like to do is get this watch back into the hands of someone who would attach some real meaning to this artifact - a relative perhaps. I know that the Clan Sutherland is big in your part of the world, and that there are people who are devoted to keeping an accurate record members, clan history, etc. Perhaps this watch would hold an important place in this history. Who William Sutherland was, and how he fits into that history is completely unknown to me. I suspect that my great uncle and he were friends around the turn of the century. > > >