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The family of James Cameron & Anne Watson.
JOHN. Eldest son John born 1832 would normally have been expected to take over the family farm and he may have done so, though I doubt it. The farm would seem to have been taken over by Grigor. In the 1881 census John can be seen living with his by now, elderly parents, together with his brothers Alexander and Grigor and nephew Petter. By the time of the 1891 census he has moved up the hill to Docharn where he is living with the Widow McGillvray, her son George age 12, older brother John Martin and two other farm workers. John Cameron is listed as Servant but in a farm this normally means a Farm Servant or labourer. His occupation is given as shepherd. Exactly why he is at Docharn and what is his relationship to the comely widow, I do not know. But it is such fun to speculate !!
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The census of 1901 finds him still living at Docharn but now in one of the cottages, in 1911 The Widow is no longer around, the farm has been taken over by Alexander McPherson but John Cameron is still there though now back in the main farm house as a boarder.
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It is perfectly possible that he may have lived at Docharn and worked at Chapelton, they are only 15 minutes walk apart. Having said this, why would he have done this ? perhaps there was no room at Chapelton farmhouse, it was not very big back then but with his parents gone there surely would have been space. After all in 1871 there were 7 of them there including the 91 year old Elspet Cumming! There were other cottages attached to Chapelton, he could have lived in one of those. Perhaps he and Grigor could not stand the sight of each other, not exactly unusual in farming families after all. Or of course, nit could just be the obvious, that Chapelton held few attractions for him whilst up the road was work at Docharn and Helen McGillvray.
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Whatever the answer to this, in 1912 John died age 79 of prostatic enlargement causing retention of urine and exhaustion, this would have been a slow and painful way to die, and however he had lived his life, I doubt that he deserved this.
James born 1836. James Married Elspet Grant of Carrbridge, daughter of a shoemaker. He started off as a farm labourer an ended up as estate Manager for one of Britains largest estates. He has an entire section of his own later on.
Alexander Born 1838. Alexander is recorded as being a general labourer until around 1870. Presumable he would have worked on the family farm when needed and perhaps at surrounding farms too. In the 1871 Census he is recorded as being a Grocer and in subsequent records is recorded variously as a Grocer and as a coal merchant , both in Boat of Garten. In a place the size of Boat-of-Garten he was probably both. He seems to have lived as a lodger at various farms, presumably following the farm work until 1871 after which he lived at Cairngorm Cottage in "The Boat".
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In 1881 he married Christina Grant, daughter of James Grant, farmer at Milton of Muckrach. James was 43, Christina was 29, both surprisingly old to be unmarried at the time. They had 3 children James, Elizabeth & Marion. He had one other child Jeannie McGregor, Jeannie was illegitimate her mother having been a servant presumably at one of the houses where Alexander boarded prior to his marriage. What happened to them I do not know, presumably he never acknowledged the child as she appears in none of his records.
John Cameron,
OPR Birth.
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John Cameron Death Cert.
ISOBEL known as "BELL" Born 1834 Isobel was the oldest daughter. At this time many girls became trapped by failure to marry and increasingly ageing parents, spending their lives caring for their parents and little else. Isobel must have started to feel a bit nervous abut her future when at 22 the was still unmarried. Fortunately for her that responsibility fell elsewhere.
Isobel had other ideas, in 1856 she married Charles Grant, a young lad from Carbridge and started coughing out child after child to a total of 13 who survived long enough to be counted.
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In 1865 with 4/5 small children in tow, Isobel crossed the Atlantic to New York where she met up with Charles who had made the trip the previous year. Presumably he would have gone ahead too secure work and a place to live before his wife and children could join him. There are some records from Pennsylvania where the next child was born however I suspect that they were "passing through". They eventually settled in Palo-Alto in Iowa where yet more children followed. All of this childrearing must have been a great strain on Charles as in 1888 at the age ion only 52 he died leaving Bell with thirteen children aged between 5 and 31. Somehow she must have managed to support them all and they seem to have prospered. Bell lived another 37 years dying in 1925 at there age of 91.
Isobel Cameron,
"Belle" OPR Birth.
Alexander Cameron,
OPR Birth.