| Notes |
- John Stewart was born in Ardveich, Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland, on the border with Balquhidder parish. Family tradition says that his father, Robert, died at the Battle of Culloden in 1745. This is supported by the fact that births for siblings of John can be identified later than 1744. Assuming the tradition to be true, then John's mother would likely have either remarried or been taken in by a close relative. John would have been 11 years old at the time of his father's death. Further research is required to determine who may have raised John as a young boy.
Little more is known about John other than by 1762 at the latest, he ended up in the flax weaving community of Easter Glentarken where his children were born. There is no record of his marriage to Margaret McLaren as there were no marriages recorded in the Comrie OPR between 1752-1769. The parish register states: "Marriages in the parish of Comrie Whitsunday 1769 - none of which having been registered since March 1752." (Whitsunday/Pentecost occurs in late May or early June.)
Circumstantial evidence suggests that John Stewart may have been still alive in 1818 when the Carmichael family left Wester Glentarken for Ontario, Canada, and that he died very shortly afterwards. John would have been in his early 80s by this time.
In March 1834, ____________ Carmichael in Wester Glentarken, wrote to his brother, John Carmichael in London, Ontario, Canada. (John Carmichael was born in Wester Glentarken, had been part of the party who emigrated on the Curlew in 1818 and initially settled in Carleton Place, Ontario, but later moved to London, Ontario, Canada). The letter is damaged and only partially readable. The writer mentions local families who are "bound for Canada" in which he says, "John McLarens son in Careglen (Carroglen, just above Comrie village) is going away one Peter and their was two of the sons away before...(illegible) of theirs a son of John [are] allStuarts it was at lochearnside & James Carmichael Lochearnside who learned the shoemaking. Comrie Donald Carmichaels son & one Peter McIntyre from Lochearnside who learned the shoe making with James Mingas a son of Alex Stirlings and it is reported a son of Donald Galech Cowan I think all bound for Canada."
A rewrite of this extract correcting likely grammar and punctuation errors, might render it:
"...John McLaren's son in Carroglen is going away. One Peter (McLaren), and there [were] two of [his] sons away before.... [missing text*] of their's, a son of John Stewart's, [who] was at Lochearnside, and James Carmichael at Lochearnside, who learned shoemaking. Comrie Donald Carmichael's son and one Peter McIntyre from Lochearnside, who learned shoemaking with James Mingas, a son of Alex Stirling's, and it is reported a son of Donald Galech Cown -- I think [are] all bound for Canada."
*If the missing text happens to say "a cousin (of theirs)" then this could also fit our John Stewart, as his wife was Margaret McLaren, possible daughter of Patrick McLaren. This would fit to make Robert Stewart a cousin of the Peter McLaren mentioned in the letter.
The reference to "Lochearnside" from someone writing from Comrie parish to someone who had grown up there would most likely refer to the east end of the loch, namely St. Fillans and environs. According to Stewarts of the South, there were only two Stewart households in St. Fillans ca. 1820, named Robert Stewart, son of this John Stewart, and his distant cousin, Lt. Alexander Stewart, son of Robert Stewart in Dalveich.
The Peter McLaren who was "away before" could be John Stewart's father-in-law or brother-in-law.
Peter McIntyre mentioned as "bound for Canada" is likely the one who migrated to Horton Twp, Renfrew County, Ontario, in 1832.
John Carmichael in London (1784-1872) was married to Mary McLaren (1790-1873)
There are only two John Stewarts, Lochearnside, in Comrie parish, in Stewarts of the South. This John Stewart and:
John Stewart in Ardveich and Kip, Lochearnside son John m Christian dtr of Duncan McIntyre moved to Renfrew, Ontario in 1829-1832 (likely with Peter McIntyre, above.) That John Stewart was gone by the time the letter was written, but would have been around in 1818.
The reference to "a son of John Stuarts it was at lochearnside" is a past-tense reference, possibly indicating that either John or his son or both were already deceased. This would fit the chronology of our family. The fact that the author would refer to John and not Robert Stewart suggests that John may have been still alive in 1818 when the John Carmichael left, so that would be the most noteworthy person that John Carmichael would have remembered as a point of reference.
A subsequent Carmichael letter written the very next day mentions "Mrs. Thomson who is going out from this place to the District of Gore (Ontario)" who was going to deliver the letter in person to John Carmichael and who has taken in hand to forward this to you." The district of Gore refers to the area that is the present-day city of Hamilton, where John Stewart's son, Robert's family ended up.
Stewarts of the South, written sometime between 1818-1820, refers to John's son, Robert as being a feuer in St. Fillans. If our above identification of John Stewart is correct, that could indicate that he died between 1818-1820, which would put him in his mid-80s, a reasonable age.
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Abt 1734 - Abt 1820 (~ 85 years)
