Scott Family History

These letters were transcribed from letters written by Mary A. J. Reid to her cousin Frank Hall Scott. They contain some inconsistencies and errors but provide a great deal of detail about the Scott family and their descendants.

Richmond, Ind.
June 19th 1895

Mr. Scott.

Dear Cousin of 3d remove

I will try and redeem my promise to you in regard to the History of the Scotts as far back as Mother has told me. William Scott my Great Grandfather and your Great, Great Grandfather lived in the provence of Leimster (?) and County of Monahan, Ireland. He was twice married. His first wife's name was Rowin. That was her maiden name. She was the Mother of five children, 3 sons and 2 daughters. Andrew Scott, your Great Grandfather, I think, was the oldest, and Thomas Scott was next, and the 2 daughters names was Molly and Peggy. I don't know which was the oldest. William Scott was my Grandfather, was the youngest. The 2 older brothers did not like the step Mother and get up and left, bringing their sisters Molly and Peggy to America, and I am sorry I don't know the year. I think Andrew, the oldest, was not more than 21, and when Mother and her family, 3 sisters, came and her brother to this country, Andrew was a grandfather. That was 1815. Her father died at 50, and he had been dead for 6 years previous to their coming. His second wife's name, if Mother told me, I have forgot, but she had 3 children, 2 sons and one daughter. Sons name, John and Elias. The daughter's names was Jennie. She married a man named John More, a wealthy farmer and lived well. She was very handsome. John Scott, the oldest brother went to England, a Taylor by trade, and got very rich. He had large factories in Leeds in Yorkshire. Manufactured the wool from the sheep's back to the Royal families back Mother said he wanted her to go home with him and he would make a lady of her but she thought her duty was to her Mother and family. Her father was then dead and she was the oldest. Her Mother delicate. Elias never got much of this world's goods. Was sexton of a Church and a common laborer and a very kind man, but could not go in a church in time of service as a Priest cured him of fits, and told him if he went in they would return, so he sat on the step outside during divine service. My grandfather William Scott was a weaver of fine linen, and kept hands to help him, but lost a good deal of money by a bad investment. Mother was the woman of business for the family, and educated her brother John for a good position when they came over. I can't tell you how many children John and Elias had. The latter had several but John, I think Mother said, only had 2. My grandfather had 8. 3 died in infancy, and one when he arrived to manhood, after acquiring a fine education. His name was William. He wanted to come over to this country as his Uncle promised him a good position. My Mother married her cousin, James Scott, your Grandfather's brother 7 weeks after coming to America, in 1815. He lived 3 years and they courted by proxy. Andrew Scott your Great Grandfather had 5 children, Jesse, James and William Jennie and Eleanor that I have heard Mother speak of. I don't know what his wife's maiden name was.

Jesse your Grandfather had 2 wives. First wife's name was Elisabeth Finley. She had 2 children, Andrew F. and Mary. His second wife was Anna Irvin, a descendant of Aunt Molly's. She had 8 children, You know them.

I never heard Mother say who your great Uncle William married. He went to Kentucky to live. Andrew Scott, your great grandfather made all his own fortune. Started with a pack of dry goods on his back and so did his brother, Thomas, and they got to be rich men of the strictest integrity and sterling character. Their business was dry goods mostly and they wore F.F.V's of Virginia. Only think of 2 boys, not much money, coming to a strange country among strangers almost. I believe I have heard Mother speak of one Cousin, James Rowen that lived there, but I don't know that he lived there when they came, and they had those 2 sisters, little girls, to care for. What brave hearts they must of had.

I heard Mother say the clothes (?) alone in her husband's store was worth $10,000. His father must of given him a good deal for he was delicate and a school teacher.

Molly, the oldest sister, married a man named Irvin and Peggy married a man named McCampbell. I never heard Mother speak of any of her descendants, but some of Mrs. Irvin's came to this country. Thomas Young, one of them, was Mayor of our City some years ago. His mother was one of her descendants and the Thomson Brothers that are doing business here and have lived here for years, their mother was a granddaughter I think, and some of them are living about New Paris, Preble County, Ohio. The next time I go there I am going to hunt them up. Thomas Scott, your great Uncle, don't know who he married. He lived in Harrisonburgh, Rockingham County, Virginia. He had 2 daughters. I heard Mother speak of Jennie, who married James Welsh and Patsy who married James Brown (?). If he had any sons I don't recollect of hearing of them. If I had known that I would ever be called on for their history. Aunt Jane could of told me as she made her home there after coming to this country. I heard her speak so much of Uncle Thomas, how kind he was to her.

Jennie Scott, your great Aunt married a man named William Batie. They never had much of this world's goods, altho they educated one son a Doctor. They lived in Dublin, Ind. and their son practiced medicine there and was counted a good Doctor. Eleanor married a man named James Nelson and lived and died in Virginia, died young. She was the F. F. V. both her and the great Aunts all were religious people.

James Scott and my mother never had any children. I will just say Andrew Scott, your Great Father (?) raised his family in Rockbridge County, in a town called Fairfield. He had County and town property. The City where they took their grain for Market was Lexington. The work was done by slaves.

William Scott, my Grandfather's children that lived to be raised and come to this country was Mary, Jane, Latitia, and John, and Margaret H. Mary, My Mother, was married twice, first to James Scott; second time to John Reid. She had 4 children. 2 sons and 2 daughters by the last marriage. 3 are still living. One died in infancy.

Jane married John T. Smith. Raised 4 children, 3 sons and one daughter. They are all dead.

John Scott married Sallie Logan. They had 5 sons and one daughter, all living but one son, who died in Andersonville prison time of the war. William G. is one of our wealthiest business men in Richmond. Thomas Scott, 3d son lives in Iowa, is a man of means but the rest never amounted to much, altho James the oldest studied law. Latitia married Daniel Reid. They had 6 children, 3 sons and 3 daughters who are all dead. The last one died 2 weeks ago, James. Margaret H. married David Lyle. They had 7 children, lived to manhood and womanhood; only 2 are living, William B. Lyle of Crawfordsville and John S. Lyle, who is our squire here.

They all raised their families in Richmond. Daniel Reid went to Ft. Wayne in the forties. Was appointed Register of the Land office there for 4 years and came back in the fifties and married second time. Aunt (?) Latitia died previous to his coming. The last wife was a descendant of the Scotts. Her grandmother was mother's cousin. I thought I could get some information from her but she did not know anything about the Scott family, altho she was raised in Ireland until she was 16 years old.

I have done the best I could with what I heard mother and her sisters say about the Scott family.

I have told you what I knew about your Great Great Grandfather, and your Great Grandfather, and your Grandfather, and their families what my memory retained. If I had known that I ever would have been called for their history I could have learned more from Mother and her sisters. I have a cousin, Mrs. Sayre, Uncle John Scott's daughter. She lives 40 miles from here, but she visits here when able, and when she does, I will learn what I can and let you know from her if she can give me any more news.

I am sorry this paper is so poor. The ink runs on it but I hope you can read it. I will be glad if I have given you the information wanted.

Yours truly
Mary J. Reid

P.S.

I will add that my Grandmother Scott's maiden name was Hays, and she had 2 brothers that were prominent men, as Soldiers. One was in Burgoyne's Army time of the Revolution, an Officer. Another one was an Officer in the British Army for 25 years and retired immensely wealthy; was all over the British Empire. I think he was a General. President Hays might of been a descendant, as his name was Rutherford Hays, and mother had # cousins of that name, Rutherford. The last named family lived at Longford, Ireland, or his family did while he was away soldiering, and he was living there when mother came to this country in 1815. He had 2 children, the others had none. Died in or near the West Indies Islands.

Yours truly

Mary A. J. Reid (?)

Richmond, Ind. May 9th 1896

Dear Cousin

of the third remove. after writing the preceding history of the Scott family I thought of something more. Altho my eye are in a blurred condition from kidney trouble perhaps you can read what I am going to inform you. I could not recolect anything about my great Aunt Mollie's McCampbells family, but afterwards it come to my mind that mother told me about it. She told me she had an only daughter whose name was Jane and she married an Associate Presbyterian Minister whose name was Herren and had a son whose name was John, who was a Minister and was in Richmond in the fifties and preached for us.in mother said he was named after his Grandfather John McCampbell. I can't recolect any more of her children but this one I saw he was a tall fine looking man, a blond I think he is living. I will try and locate him. I will ask our present minister Mr. I. M.C. Hervey who is a descendant of Scott family. Mother told me that her father had cousins in Pennsylvania and one Bachelor cousin died and left her father a legacy of one hundred pounds. Five hundred dollars, but as it was a distance from where they was when they came over they never looked after it. Thats what impressed on my mind and when this Mr. McDowell Harvey came here last winter with McDowel attached to his name I thought it might be possible he was related to those Scott Cousins as they married among the Scotts, and so he is I think a descendant of the McDowells and Scott families and they have a family History and have a reunion every year at Stubenville, Ohio. I am going to get it and read it up when I can. I had quite a talk with Mr. Hervey's Mother who's mother was a Scott. If you can read this I will be glad. I thought this branch was good and would (be) interesting to know and have it with the rest. I wrote a letter the other day and I can't recolect of mailing it and can't find it about the house, so if I did you got it, but I was afraid I didn't mail it. I am so confused the way my health is it hurts my memory.

Yours Truly,

Mary A Reid