Margaret McEwan

Margaret did not appear on hand-drawn tree handed down the family of her brother William. First found on FamilySearch IGI.

This source http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/SCT-WIGTOWNSHIRE/2005... provides her marriage announcement from the local newspaper dated 31 October 1844, which confirm her father's occupation as toll keeper at the New Bridge toll gate, Ayr. "M'EWEN, William - M28/10/1844 - at Ayr, on the 28th instant, by the Rev. Robert Renwick, Mr William M'Ewen, cloth merchant, to Margaret, eldest daughter of Mr A. Buchanan, toll keeper."

In the same newspaper we see that on the same day, Margaret's mother gave birth to another daughter: "BUCHANAN, Female - B28/10/1844 - at Ayr, at the New Bridge Toll, on the 28th current, Mrs Buchanan, of a daughter."

The 1851 census has Margaret (28) living with her husband William McEwan and her father at Kirk Port, Ayr. It states she was born at Monkton, Ayr, and her father's name was Archibald Buchaman [sic]. There are 5 children in the household, the eldest aged 14. Although Margaret is named as the mother of them all, further research shows that William lost a wife, Susan, before marrying Margaret. It is likely that Margaret married William in a hurry to look after his children, including the new baby Susan, after his wife died. William is about 20 years older than her. The youngest child, Archibald, is 2 and therefore must be her own, named after her father. She also has the help of a house servant, Agnes McHutcheon (18).

Margaret's step-daughter, Mary, later married her brother Archibald.