I'm curious about this John Barclay.
It has:
Birth: December 07, 1660
Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom
Death: after 1688
Nairn, Highland, Scotland, United Kingdom
Immediate Family:
Son of Sir John Riddle Barclay, Sr. and Jean Isabel Gordon
Husband of Elspeth Balvaird
This information appears to belong to different John Barclays.
There were several John Barclays who seem to get confused with each other. People on the FarmilySearch tree are always merging them into each other.
According to the records we have, there was:
John Barclay, born 7 Dec 1690, not 1660, 1690, in Kilwinning to John Barclay & Jean Jamison. [https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/record-results/13057199916433721... ScotlandsPeople] has the original copy of the birth record.
There was also a John Barclay of Gooseloan who had a daughter Margaret who was baptized at Dalry, Ayrshire, 31 Oct 1685. Dalry is very near Kilwinning, which is the birthplace listed for John Barclay.
On the other side of Scotland from Kilwinning, in Midlothian, we have:
John Barclay & Elspeth Balvaird
*Jean Barclay c. 20 Jan 1682/83, Inveresk and Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
*Elizabeth Barclay c. 15 Jul 1684, Inveresk and Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
*Margaret Robison c. 20 Apr 1686, Inveresk and Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
*George Barclay c. 20 Sep 1687, Inveresk and Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
*Robert Barclay c. 22 Jun 1689, Inveresk and Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
This Elspeth Balvaird appears to be the Elspeth Balvaird, daughter of John Balvaird & Margaret Bruce, c. 3 Apr 1664, Liberton, Midlothian, Scotland.
There was also a John Barclay who married Elspeth Waitt on 16 Sep 1688 at Newburgh, Fife, Scotland.
In the book 'A history of the Barclay family, with full pedigree from 1066 to 1924', it only says, "In 1731 Robert wrote a long letter in connection with his genealogical research to his brother David of Cheapside. He had been working on the family history and stated that he had found " nine distinct Familys of the name of Barclay, none of whom, as I have ever heard, would own themselves to be come of others. Viz : Barclay of Innerkeller, Barclay of Balvaird, Barclay of Pierston, Barclay of Colairnie, Barclay of Kilburnie, Barclay of Brechin, Barclay of Garthie, Barclay of
Towie, and lastly Barclay of Urie, formerly Mathers."
There is no genealogy of Barclay of Balvaird included.
According to the [http://www.thepeerage.com/p47777.htm#i477762 Peerage], there was a Margaret Barclay, daughter of a James Barclay of Balvaird, who married Sir Andrew Murray. Their son died in 1550, so they lived at least 100 years before these other Margaret Barclays.
It is not clear here why it is thought that John Barclay died in Nairn. Nairn is very far north of Midlothian and Kilwinning. What connects him to Nairn?
There is an old internet wives' tale that says:
1st gen: William de Ross; m. Euphemia de Baliol
2nd gen: Hugh Ross; m. Margaret Graham, d/o David Graham
3rd gen: Hugh Ross, b. 1680, Nairn, Nairnshire, Scotland, d. 1740, North Carolina; m. Margaret DeBarclay, b. 1685, Scotland, d. 1743, North Carolina.
So, every christening/baptism record for a Margaret Barclay circa 1685 available on the internet today has been attached to a Margaret Barclay who married a Hugh Ross. And that Hugh Ross is usually associated with Nairnshire. Is this maybe where Nairn came from?
This family is actually that of Hugh Ross, 1st of Balnagowen who died circa 1371. He was the son of Hugh Ross & Margaret Graham, who was the son of William & Euphemia. There was no Hugh Ross born in Nairn who married a Margaret Barclay and died in North Carolina in the 1740s.
The Hugh Ross that often gets attached to this fictional Margaret Barclay as her husband is Hugh Ross, in Balblair, son of Capt. David Ross, 2nd Laird of Balblair. There is only one mention of this Hugh Ross in any records, though. It is a disposition his father wrote in 1707 in which Hugh is listed as his 3rd lawful son. There is no evidence of him before or after that date. And no evidence that he married. Either way, that Hugh Ross lived at Balblair in the parish of Fearn. This was across the firth from Nairn in Nairnshire. Nairn is historically the home of Rose of Kilravock descendants, not Ross of Balnagown descendants. Balblair was also very far north of both Midlothian and Kilwinning. There don't seem to be any records that indicate that Hugh from Balblair would have any reason to be acquainted with Barclay families from either of these other areas.
So, it seems that the Margaret Barclay who was the last of Balvairds lived in the mid 1500s.
The John Barclay born in Kilwinning was born in 1690, not 1660.
A different John Barclay lived at Gooseloan, near Kilwinning. He had a daughter Margaret baptized in 1685.
A different John Barclay & his wife, Elspeth Balvaird, lived in Midlothian. They had a daughter Margaret baptized in 1686.
None of these Margaret Barclays married a Hugh Ross who lived in the late 1600s, early 1700s.
