Tuesday, 31 January 2017

Peter Buchanan

Whilst looking into the history of James Buchanan, I started looking at his father Peter Buchanan.
According to the family tree all I knew was that Peter was born in Glasgow on the 11th of Feb 1822.


Findings:
  • I stumbled on some more info about Peter that showed he had moved to Australia.

  • A church attendance card referring to a Peter Buchanan born 11 Feb 1824 in Lanarkshire Glasgow.
This was found  at: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/results?count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3APeter~%20%2Bsurname%3ABuchanan~&collection_id=1534449 
It mentions on the site that he was buried there, but from the card above it does not state that. It was probably sourced from his Bible as stated above.The interesting parts:
  1. Born 11 Feb 1824 at Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
  2. Came out with Dr. James Dunmore Lang about 1833.
  3. Taken from family Bible in Church.
The first point, born 11 Feb 1824. The year is a little different but the day and month is spot on. Location is perfect.

Also according to the obituary in the Town and country journal November 7 1906, Peter was 83 when he died.
1906 – 83 = 1823. That is between 1822 and 1823.


Point 2. There was a Peter Buchanan that came out to Australia in 1849 assisted by Dr. James Dunmore Lang.
See:

The year 1848/49 would have made James Buchanan 3 or 4 years old when Peter left. 


Point 3: The church Ebenezer Presbyterian is an unknown factor at this stage.


This church may have been a stopover whilst moving through Australia?

  • Peter's Birth record

  • Census showing Peter as a letter press printer apprentice

  • Sydney street directory showing a Peter Buchanan Compositor (Printer)

  • Peter's Wife's Death Notice






Monday, 30 January 2017

Buchanan Family in South Africa

This post is about my family - the Buchanan Family.
My part of the Buchanan family started with James Buchanan.

(James Buchanan with Signature)

Born in Glasgow on the 11th of August 1845, to Peter Buchanan and Jean Liddel. According to the notice below, Peter Buchanan was a Victualler –landlord of a public house or similar licensed establishment, but more likely it was a spirits seller.
There were two more children: Anne Kirkland Buchanan born 21 Sep 1843 in Lanark Glasgow
& Jane Buchanan born 1 Dec 1847 in Dunoon Kilmacolmun Scotland 

James' Birth record

Other sources show that Peter Buchanan was also a printer by trade, more details about this later. In 1849 the 3 ½ year old James said goodbye to his father when Peter left to blaze a trail to Australia, presumably to start a better life for the family. It seems Peter never returned, and he started a new Buchanan dynasty in the land downunder. 
Sadly by the time James was 6 he had lost his mother too, the family tree states that Jean died in 1851.
At the age of 18 James left Scotland and arrived in Durban, South Africa on the 23rd of September 1863 aboard the Sebastian a 361ton British barque sailing ship built in 1855. James was lucky enough to escape the wreckage of the Sebastian, as it ran aground on the 26th of September 1863 at Back beach Durban. “The British barque Sebastian, on a voyage from London to Durban with immigrants and a general cargo, was wrecked in a NE gale at Back Beach, Durban.”  - http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?224806

Back Beach - Durban - https://goo.gl/maps/tvLdMcfsC4J2

“The notorious Bar, a sandbank across the entrance to the Bay, was the greatest hazard to shipping at Port Natal, and "should on no account be attempted by a stranger, as the channel frequently shifts in direction and depth". It was this problem, the changing depth of water over the Bar, which frequently necessitated vessels anchoring in the roadstead outside, and, if a gale sprang up, there was a chance of them being driven on-shore or wrecked on the rocks below the Bluff.”,” the Sebastian and the Earl of Hardwicke were beached in a similar gale on 26 September 1863.” - http://molegenealogy.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/lightkeepers-view-from-bluff-durban.html

He migrated to South Africa was to work for R.W. Draper, Blacksmith & George J. Lee, Turner of Pietermaritzburg.  The following has been sourced from the Genealogical Society of South Africa’s passenger lists http://www.eggsa.org/arrivals/lists.html  (searching for James Buchanan)
BUCHANAN, James
Sex: M
Age: 18
Passage money: £10
Surety details: R.W. Draper, Blacksmith & George J. Lee, Turner PmBurg
Port of arrival: Durban, Natal
Arrived 23 Sept 1863 aboard the Sebastian
Source: NAB Pietermaritzburg Archives, Land and Immigration Board, Natal,
Register of Immigrants Arrived, Vol 65, page 61
transcribed by: John Deare, from photographs taken by John Deare.

Richard Withers Draper was married to Ann Kirkland Draper (nee Buchanan), the older sister of James Buchanan.

Ann Kirkland Buchanan
Scotland Births and Baptisms
Name
Ann Kirkland Buchanan
Gender
Female
Birth Date
21 Sep 1843
Birthplace
, GLASGOW, LANARK, SCOTLAND
Father's Name
Peter Buchanan
Mother's Name
Jean Liddell
"Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FMSP-18R : accessed 8 February 2016), Ann Kirkland Buchanan, 21 Sep 1843; citing , GLASGOW, LANARK, SCOTLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 0102921, 0994181-82, 1042940, 0102920.



Richard Withers Draper and Ann Kirkland Draper's marriage certificate

Friday, 27 January 2017

I am new to this

Hi

My name is Robert Buchanan.
This Blog is to document my family research.


Peter Buchanan Whilst looking into the history of James Buchanan, I started looking at his father Peter Buchanan. According to the fa...