CHAPTER I: Discovery

Clan MacGregor Crest: Outlawed for nearly two hundred years after losing their lands in a long power struggle with the Clan Campbell, the Clan Gregor believes descent from the third son of Kenneth MacAlpin, the first King of Scotland, a descent which is proclaimed in the motto, 'S Rioghal Mo Dhream, translated as Royal is my Race.





Our Eureka moment in genealogy research

Sir Ronald Trotter, one of New Zealand's distinguished industrialists had sent my family copies of his book which bore the motto of the Trotter clan as its title.

"Hasten with Care," told the story of a pioneering Trotter family that made a mark in New Zealand's economy and social life. We connect to Sir Ronald Trotter through my great grandmother Anne Trotter who was married to Roderick Macgregor, my great grandfather.


One part of Sir Ronald's book mentions my brother William's own research into our clan history. I will be reproducing that excerpt in a later account but for the moment, I want to share that glorious eureka moment that had led to the exciting discovery of our long lost cousins who happen to be the only male descendants of our particular Macgregor line.

From the book, I learned for the first time that my grandfather Ian Collier Macgregor's brother Roderick Robert had worked for the South African Railways in the early 1900s.

Just a week before, another cousin in Australia, Robert Russel and I were exchanging emails, wondering if we will ever discover our roots in this lifetime.

I had assured Robert that if worse comes to worse, we could exhume my grandfather's bones for DNA testing. Since Grandfather Ian is a male Macgregor descendant he holds the key Y chromosome which will help us cross-match his DNA markers with those already being processed by the Clan Gregor Society in Scotland.


The Clan Gregor Society's DNA project would help re-connect the descendants of many MacGregor clansmen who had assumed different names in the 17th century to escape execution. In 1603, King James VI proscribed or made it a capital offense to bear the MacGregor name. To prevent execution, most Macgregors assumed different names and these names became known as septs of Clan Macgregor. The ban on the name MacGregor was lifted in 1774, but the different septs remains.

Today the Clan Gregor Society hopes to reunite the Clan MacGregor using modern DNA technology. The idea is to draw comparisons to a genetic profile from a known descendant of the chief's line (known only as "kit 2124"). Anyone who shares 31 out of the 37 DNA markers with this individual will be given full membership in the Clan Gregor Society, regardless of current surname.

However, only the male line bearing the Macgregor surname or a name known to be a Macgregor alias, may submit their cheek cells for testing. Since my grandfather's only child was my mother, the maternal descendancy disqualified us from tesing.

The reconnection with our long-lost second cousins thus presented a real opportunity to trace our origins --do we come from the original Macgregor that descended from King Alpin? Or, are we part-takers who joined the clan as allies and friends and may have come from any of the prehistoric Viking or Celtic tribes?

Following a hunch, I sent off this email to the South African Railway webmaster on July 16, 2007.


Dear Sir,
I am Carolyn Macgregor Esposo, descendant of a Roderick Robert Macgregor who I believe had once worked in the South African Railways anytime in the early part of the 1900. He is the brother of my grandfather, Ian Macgregor. Would appreciate it so much if you could give me some idea where I could possibly find out what's happened to him. We are in the process of completing our family tree.

Thank you very much,
Carolyn

The next day, on July 17, this email came:

Dear Carol,

Your email arrived as a surprise . I am Roderick Robert Macgregor , the same name as as my grandfather who came out from Inverness to work on the Pretoria to Pietersburg railway line around the 1900's and later on with the South African Railways. Where are you in the world and can you supply me with more family details re your grandfather and his brothers and family? would appreciate the details.

Regards, Robbie


Robbie then emailed the obituary of granduncle Roderick Robert. Below is the obit, as so kindly transcribed by cousin Robert Russel from a vaguely legible news clip from the Inverness Courier:

THE INVERNESS COURIER, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1951
Mr R. R. Macgregor, South Africa
The death occurred at Piettenberg Bay South Africa of Mr Roderick Robert Macgregor on 23rd August 1951 at the age of 74. Mr Macgregor who was born at Kincraig in 1877 was educated at Nairn Academy and Inverness College. He went to South Africa in 1896 after having worked as a boy with Messrs F Urquhart and Co., seed merchants, Union Street Inverness to take up an appointment with the Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway Limited, in the days of the South African Republic. He served with Thorneycroft’s Mounted Infantry from the outbreak of the South African War until recalled to Pretoria for railway service in August 1900. He served in various capacities in the locomotive, mechanical, stores, and transportation departments of the Imperial Military Railways and C.S.A.R. from 1900 until appointed to the General manager’s office of the South African Railways and Harbour Administration in September 1910 in which office he was appointed successfully to the position of Principal Clerk, 1915; Assitant Superintendent (Financial) 1924; Special Duties Assistant 1929; Parliamentary Assistant , 1930; and Superintendent (Special Duties Parliamentary), 1933; His railway service in South Africa extended over a period of more than forty years and he retired in 1937.

At his retirement Mr Macgregor was on the board of the South African Iron and Steel Corporation, and at the outbreak of the last war he was appointed Secretary to the Director-General of War Supplies and later served in the same capacity with the National Supplies Council under General Smuts. At the end of the war in 1945 Mr Macgregor received very warm and appreciative letters of thanks from the late Field Marshall Smuts and from the late Dr H. J. van der Bijl, then Director-General of Supplies. In January 1951 some of the details of the work for which Mr Macgregor had been responsible during the war were mentioned in our columns when reference was made to the official “Record of the Organisations of the Director-General of War Supplies (1939-1943) and Director-General of Supplies (1943-1945).

When Mr Macgregor finally retired from the Director-General of Supplies organisation when it was wound up in 1943 he was described in a Johannesburg newspaper as “first man in, last man out”. He then left Johannesburg and went to live in Biton Knysna Cape Province. Mr Macgregor is survived by his widow and a married son Roderick Ronald Macgregor, and three grandsons, Robert, Andrew and Stuart all of whom reside in Windhoek, South-west Africa.

In exchange, my sister Dorothy emailed the chronology of information she had painstakingly gathered from researches that included digging into the National Archives in Edinburgh.

You can just imagine the rejoicing and the cheers breaking in our part of the world when all the information and chronology of events in Roderick Robert's life checked out with our own records!

From Dorothy's research:

FAMILY OF WILLIAM MACGREGOR AND HELEN GILLANDERS


1820 Feb 27
In Stornoway, Ross & Cromarty, proclamation of banns & marriages: William Macgregor, tacksman of Galson, to Helen, eldest daughter of Mr. George Gillanders, tacksman of Shadir

1822 Nov 1
In Barvas, Ross & Cromarty, baptism of Christian Macgregor, child of William Macgregor, ground officer at Galson and Helen Gillanders

1824 Aug 7
In Barvas, Ross & Cromarty, birth of Ann Macgregor, child of William Macgregor and Helen Gillanders of South Galson

1826 Aug 5
In Barvas, Ross & Cromarty, birth of Roderick Macgregor, child of William Macgregor and Helen Gillanders of South Galson

1828 Dec 7
In Barvas, Ross & Cromarty, birth of Margaret Macgregor, child of William Macgregor and Helen Gillanders of South Galson

1840 Feb 17
In Barvas, Ross & Cromarty, birth of Helen Macgregor, child of William Macgregor and Helen Gillanders of South Galson

1841 Jun 7
Census of Barvas, Ross & Cromarty
Living in South Galson, William (farmer) & Helen Macgregor and child Helen plus 6 servants

1841 Jun 7
Census of Stornoway
Living in Melbost, Christian, Ann, Roderick, Mary, Alexander, Margaret, and George Macgregor (children of William & Helen Macgregor) plus 6 servants and 1 laborer

1851 Mar 31
Census of Urray
William (farmer, born in Ross-shire Gairloch) & Helen Macgregor (born in Lews Islands) and children Mary, Alexander, Margaret, George, Helen and William (all born



in Lews Islands). Visitors Christian Macgregor Cameron (born in Lews Islands and widow of excise officer) and her children Agnes, William, John. Plus 4 servants and 1 laborer

1861 Apr 8
Census of Fodderty
Living in Conon Cottage [7 rooms with window(s)], William (farmer of 36 acres, born in Ross Gairloch) and Helen Macgregor (born in Ross Stornoway) and children Helen (born in Ross Galson) and William (born in Ross Melbost) plus 2 servants

1862 Sep 18
In Inverness, marriage of Helen Macgregor of Maryburgh (daughter of William & Helen Macgregor) to J. MacRae of Stornoway, son of a minister. Marriage witnessed by Keith Stewart Mackenzie of Seaforth.

1864 Nov 23
In Conon Cottage, Fodderty, Ross & Cromarty, death of Helen Macgregor at the age of 63 from chronic bronchitis (4 months)

1869 Dec 9
In Conon Cottage, Fodderty, Ross & Cromarty, death of William Macgregor at the age of 81 from chronic disease of the bladder (several years) and acute attack (four weeks).


FAMILY OF RODERICK MACGREGOR & ANNE TROTTER


1864 Jan 6
In Killearnan, marriage of Roderick Macgregor (gentleman) of Maryburgh, Fodderty to Anne Trotter of Garguston, Killearnan, daughter of Robert Trotter (farmer, deceased) and Catherine Urquhart. Marriage witnessed by J. McRae and Robert Trotter

1865 Jan 21
In Urquhart, birth of William Lewis Macgregor, child of Roderick Macgregor (gentleman) and Anne Macgregor

1867 Jan 27
In Brae Rannoch, Drummond, Inverness, birth of Catherine and Helen Macgregor (twins), children of Roderick (gentleman) and Ann Macgregor

1870 Dec 6
In Brae Rannoch, Inverness, birth of Annie Macgregor, child of Roderick (gentleman) and Ann Macgregor

1871 Apr 3
Census of Alvie
Living in Kincraig Farm House [16 rooms with window(s)], Roderick Macgregor (retired Ceylon ???, Farmer of 1,000 acres employing 10 servants and Anne Trotter Macgregor and children William Lewis, Catherine Elizabeth, Helen Mary, and Annie Mabel. Plus 1 coachman/servant, 1 housemaid, 1 cook, 1 head nurse, 1 undernurse.

1874 Jun 15
In Alvie, Inverness, death of Georgina Macgregor at the age of 17 days for unknown cause lasting 10 days (child of Roderick & Ann Macgregor)

1877 Apr 9
In Brae Rannoch, Inverness, birth of Roderick Robert Macgregor, child of Roderick (sheep farmer) and Anne Macgregor

1880 Aug 13
In Bellevue House, Seafield Street, Nairn, birth of Ian Collier Macgregor, child of Roderick (retired coffee planter gentleman) and Anne Macgregor

1881 Apr 4
Census of Alvie, Inverness
Living in Kincraig House [15 rooms with window(s)], Roderick (farmer of 1,000 acres employing 8 servants) and Anne Macgregor and children William L., Catherine E., Helen M., Annie M., Roderick R., and Ian Collier. Plus 1 coachman/gardener/domestic servant, 1 domestic servant, 1 housemaid/domestic servant, 1 nurse/domestic servant, and 1 nursemaid/domestic servant

1891 Apr 6
Census of Nairn
Living in Waverley Road, No. 1 [12 rooms with window(s)], Roderick (retired coffee planter) and Anne Macgregor, and children Helen, Annie Mabel, Roderick R. and Ian Collier

1901 Mar 31
Census of Killearnan
Living in Lettoch House [10 rooms with window(s)], Roderick (retired sheep farmer and coffee planter) and Anne Macgregor and Ian C. (clerk in railway office)

1910 Mar 18
At 18 Waverley Road, Nairn, death of Roderick Macgregor (coffee planter) at the age of 83 from senile debility. Informant was daughter Helen Macgregor

1911 Dec 17
Death of Anne Trotter Macgregor (source: "Hasten With Care" the Trotter Family History by Sir Ronald Trotter)







Clan Gregor gathering 2003, marking the 400th year since the Glen Fruin massacre (1603). ( I am in white, partially seen, and next to the person to the right of our chieftain, Sir Malcolm Macgregor) --click photo to enlarge Photo courtesy of Richard Walker.