Letter from Jane or Margaret Forrest to Nola Forrest (1918)
Transcript: The Moubrays came to Scotland with William the Conqueror. Two brothers, one in England and one in Scotland at Barnbugle Castle (Rosebery's place at Dalmeny). Martin Stephenson my great uncle had a family tree but one branch was missing. Mrs. Newton has the papers. My great, great grandfather James Forrest was a farmer near Bathgate. My great grandfather was brought up by his uncle the minister of Inverkeithing (Dr. Johnstone's great grandfather). As his father had such a bad temper his mother on her death bed told him he was not to strike him, so he used to throw his stick at him. The stick is a very fine Malacca cane, we have it, but there is no James Forrest to get it. The(n) my great grandfather became a sailor and was taken prisoner by the French on the Gold Coast. He came home with gold which was made into a watch which my aunts have. It does not go very well, the works being done. He was married twice, the first family have all disappeared. He married a Liverpool lady, a Miss Hutton who was a great beauty and who came to live in Stirling. They went to Alloa ? to get a ship for James his eldest son who was a sailor. He fell from the mast and hurt himself and died young. They then went to Stirling and bought Whinfield. |