My Dear Son: Letters from John Mcdougall (Weaver), Isle of Lismore, Scotland, to His Son, John, in America

By Margaret A. Miller

John McDougall, the last weaver on the Isle of Lismore in the West Highlands of Scotland, was not wealthy but his life as superintendent of the small islands Sabbath school was far from simple. As his eight children passed away or left Lismore for other parts of Scotland and America to live more prosperous lives, McDougall began writing letters to his adult son, John, who emigrated to Minnesota. The letters, which reflect his sadness after the childrens departure, provide rare insight into the daily routine and thoughts of a landless cottar who was an engaged and valued member of the Lismore community.

Edited by his great-great-granddaughter, Margaret Miller, the compilation includes images of McDougalls original handwritten letters from 1870 to 1888, related photographs and maps, a timeline of events, and family trees. The letters reveal a thoughtful man who cared deeply about his family and community, and include poignant reminders of the ways in which medicine, communications, and transportation have changed throughout the centuries. As McDougall shares his thoughts and wishes, his enduring human values are brought to the forefront as this devout, principled man managed to influence the development of communities in the United States through his descendants.

My Dear Son shares a compelling collection of letters from a nineteenth century Scottish island weaver to his son, letting us hear his thoughts as he continues his life in Scotland while his son emigrates to America and begins anew.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abbott Press
• Release date: Aug 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781458218070

Margaret A. Miller

Margaret Miller is the great-great-granddaughter of John McDougall, author of the letters. She holds a Doctor of Management (DMan) in Organizational Change, a Master of Engineering Management (MEM), and a Master of Science (MS) in Information Management. She lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband, a cat and a dog.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 Margaret A. Miller.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Front cover: Achuaran, Isle of Lismore, October 2013

by Margaret A. Miller

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN: 978-1-4582-1806-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4582-1807-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014919150

Abbott Press rev. date: 8/13/2015

Contents

Acknowledgements

Permissions

Introduction

–   Additional Information

–   Additional Acknowledgements

–   Family Tree #1 – John McDougall (weaver), Catherine McCallum and their Children

–   Notes about Names, Languages and Spelling Used in the Letters and this Book

–   Places Mentioned in the Book – Scotland

The Letters

Appendix 1   The Letters – A List

Appendix 2   Timeline of Family Events

Appendix 3   Christmas Letter, 1966

Appendix 4   Index of Names Mentioned in the Letters

Appendix 5   Places Mentioned in the Letters

Appendix 6   Certificates of Births and Deaths

Appendix 7   Maps

Appendix 8   Family Trees for John McDougall (weaver), Catherine McCallum and their Children

Appendix 9   McCallum Families, Lismore: John McCallum (Balure), Duncan McCallum (Killean)

Appendix 10   Plates, Figures, Tables and Family Trees

Photo Credits

References

Acknowledgements

John McDougall, last weaver on the Isle of Lismore, Scotland, wrote to his son, John (b. 1837) from 1870 to 1888 after his son had left the family home for other parts of Scotland and the United States. Ruth MacDougall McCartin, a granddaughter of the younger John McDougall, organized and transcribed the letters with her cousin, Gertrude Smith Inglis, and her sister, Margaret Carasik. This book would not be possible without their work. Ruth McCartin titled the letters We are Still in the Land of the Living, and gave them to the Lismore Historical Society (Comann Eachdraidh Lios Mòr) in 2011. Special thanks to the Society for making copies of the original letters and annotated transcripts available to me.

Permissions

Comann Eachdraidh Lios Mòr (The Lismore Historical Society) gave permission to use images of the letters in this book. The Society’s website is located at http://www.lismoregaelicheritagecentre.org/.

The following gave permission to use other documents as well as photographs and maps:

– Anne McIlraith Aburn

– Barbara Wilcox Bitetto

– Krista Louise Bitetto

– Mark Francis Bitetto

– Margaret MacDougall Carasik

– Jim Cassatt

– Bruce Lindsay Guthrie

– Martha Catherine Alter Hines

– Carolyn Wilcox Knowles

– Alec John (Jock) MacDougall

– Eric James MacDougall

– Mark John McCartin

– Lynn David Miller

– National Library of Scotland

– Redwood Gazette

– Registrar General for Scotland

– Jean Aufderheide Stark

– Lee Ann Tiffany Stearns

– Sue Robson Tiffany

– The Oban Times

– The Scotsman

– David H. White

– Chiaki Wilcox

– Robert Tiffany Wilcox

Introduction

John McDougall (labeled weaver throughout this book) was born on the Isle of Lismore in the West Highlands of Scotland in 1803. He was the oldest of John McDugald and Mary Carmichael’s three children, all born in the hamlet of Ballimackillichan. (See Notes about Names, Language and Spelling in this book, below.) His father had served in the 91st Regiment and settled on Lismore as a young man. John McDougall (weaver) married Catherine McCallum, born in 1809 to John McCallum and Anne Carmichael in the Lismore hamlet of Balure. John (weaver) and Catherine raised their eight children at Ballimackillichan, and lived there until Catherine’s death in 1886.

John McDougall (weaver) lived the life of a cottar as a landless resident of Ballimackillichan where he provided weaving services to the island. He was the last weaver on the Isle of Lismore and superintendent of the island’s Sabbath School from 1844 to 1874.

Although he was not wealthy, his life was far from simple. He had not only lived to see the birth of his own children, but their departure from Lismore, as well. Letters he wrote to his son, John (born 1837), who migrated to the United States in 1872, reveal a devout man, living a principled life, who was active in his community and in frequent contact with friends and family throughout Scotland and North America. By 1879, his son had settled in Redwood County, Minnesota. By then, John (weaver) was extending compliments and local news through his son to a person he called McCorquodale, a former member of the Lismore community who had also migrated to Redwood County. He was also in contact through letters to his son, with members of Catherine McCallum’s family, including her sister-in-law, Ann McCallum and Ann’s children, who had migrated to Minnesota from Lismore. John (weaver) shared family news through his letters and inquired about the health and well-being of family and friends in the United States. Although Lismore was his home for all but the last two of his 85 years, he influenced the development of families and communities in Scotland and the United States through simple, direct and consistent guidance to his children, recorded in the following letters.

Ruth McCartin, born in the United States, was a grandchild of the younger John McDougall (born 1837) who had migrated to the United States. She saved the letters and gave them to the Lismore Historical Society in 2011. (Ruth, herself, passed away November 4, 2012.) The letters allow John McDougall, the weaver’s, own words to express his perspective on life, religion and family relationships. The collection, reproduced here, includes his letters as well as transcripts, photographs, maps, family trees and a chronology of events for enrichment.

The book provides a view of Scotland at a time of emigration through the eyes of a local cottar and community member. It is relevant to descendants of John McDougall (weaver), his wife’s extended family (McCallums, Carmichaels, and McColls), other members of the Lismore community, historians of Highland churches, and scholars of Scottish land reform, migration patterns, and the Highland’s impact on communities in the New World.

Additional Information

The letters begin in December 1870 when John McDougall (weaver), and Catherine McCallum write their oldest son, John McDougall (b. 1837 Lismore), working in Dunoon, Scotland. Their letters end in 1888 after the older John McDougall (weaver) and Catherine McCallum have passed away and the younger John has settled in the United States. The collection, which continues to 1913, includes a few from the younger John McDougall in Minnesota to a friend, Donald McConochie, in Oban, Scotland, as well as letters to the younger John McDougall from family members and friends.

John McDougall (weaver) served for more than 30 years as Superintendent of the island’s Sabbath School, a voluntary role. Although he, himself, appears to have been an active member of the Independent Chapel at Achuaran on Lismore, the Sabbath School appears to have served a range of Protestant groups, including Presbyterian, Baptist and Congregational.

The younger John (identified as John McDougall, b. 1837 throughout this book), and his siblings had left Lismore by December 1870 when the first letter in the collection appears, leaving their parents to care for themselves. By 1874, their parents report being lonely on Lismore without any children nearby. (See, for example, the letter of April 17, 1874.) Robert Hay’s recent book (Hay 2013, How an Island Lost its People), explores the social, political and other dynamics that influenced the migration of young people from the island, including that of John McDougall, the weaver’s, children.

The letters from other family members include some from my great grandmother, Margaret McDougall Milne, youngest child of John McDougall (weaver) and Catherine McCallum. Her letters are especially important due to her death in 1888, sixteen months after migrating to Minnesota with her husband and six children when her youngest son, my grandfather, was three years old. Her early death had a significant impact on the family.

The letters are a poignant reminder of ways in which medicine, communications and transportation have changed. However, they are also a reminder of enduring human goodness and strength. Preparing the book has helped me understand my own identity as a descendant of the authors. I hope others will find the letters informative, engaging and inspiring as well.

Additional Acknowledgements

This book is possible in its current form because many people provided moral and logistical support. Robert Hay, Curator, and Lorraine King, Assistant Curator of the Lismore Historical Society (Comann Eachdraidh Lios Mòr), made digital copies of the scanned letters available for use in this book. Margaret Black, former curator, Laura Gloag, genealogist, and other members of the Lismore community shared their knowledge and insight about details in the letters. For example, Laura provided information about the children of John McDougall (weaver) and members of the McCallum families that helped me understand the names of people mentioned in the letters. Margaret Black alerted me to connections between details mentioned in the letters and the Napier Commission’s report of 1883, gave me a copy of The Oban Times article mentioned in the letter of April 17, 1874, took me to visit places mentioned in the letters, and shared information about the history and social structure of the island. I am grateful for their support.

Archie MacColl, owner of the Ballimackillichan estate on Lismore, took the time to review maps and census data to determine the specific building on the estate in which the John McDougall (weaver) family would have lived. David White found and shared detailed maps of Lismore which pinpoint the location of the McDougall home on Ballimackillichan. Together, Margaret Black, David White and Archie MacColl found the building and showed it to me on a windy day in October 2013.

Mrs. Maureen Crossan of the Old Schoolhouse Bed & Breakfast, and her daughters, Helen and Katy, shared their insights with me about the Gaelic language, the cultural history of Lismore, and phrases used in the letters. Mrs. Crossan and Elizabeth Kilmurray of Newfield Terrace hosted me on visits to Lismore. They not only provided excellent food and shelter, but took an interest in the research and opened doors to members of the community who shed light on the details.

Mary MacDougall invited me home for tea on a chilly day in October 2012, as I wandered in the rain near her home shortly after I arrived, looking for the hamlet of Balure, home of McCallum family members. Barbara MacDougall shared knowledge of her husband’s family on the island, descended from Peter McDougall, a schoolteacher. We wondered if we were related.

The MacDougall McCallum Heritage Foundation provided a scholarship for travel to Oban and Lismore in 2013 for research related to this book. The Foundation’s interest in the book encouraged me and helped focus my research.

My aunt, Sue Robson Tiffany, provided details about a portrait of the Alexander Milne family, in which Dougald Milne Tiffany, the youngest, sat on his exhausted mother’s lap before the family left Scotland for the United States in 1887. My grandfather, Dougald, had shared the details with Sue Tiffany, pointing to