| Notes |
- FSID L6X4-L5J
(Medical):1 - James MacFarlane in his History of Clan MacFarlane writes with reference to John , the 22nd Chief, that: "It is persistently stated by writers and historians that William's eldest son and heir 'emigrated to America'." This statement plu s a misinterpretation of the legal language in the papers on the sale of the MacFarlane estates led Mrs. Cynthia MacFarlane Little, in her History of the Clan MacFarlane published 1893 in Tottenville. NY, to concoct an amazing fable. As James poi nted out in his book, she took Hugh Norman, the eldest son and heir of Hugh Mossman, a writer in Edinburgh and probably the principal creditor in the estate sale, to he the eldest son and heir of Chief William. In addition to this error in interp retation it should have been obvious to her that the Christian name Hugh Norman is not a name found in the Chief's line.
Mrs. Little wrote in her hook: "When in 1784, the family left Arrochar [after the property was sold Hugh Norman [whom she considered William's eldest son and heir] emigrated to America, and settled in one of the western counties of the State o f New York, removing later to Chenango County, where he secured a vast tract of land." She also wrote at length about William Wallace MacFarlane, born in Chenango Co., who, she claimed. was the grandson of Hugh Norman. She stated that he "in th e absence of documentary evidence, is, without doubt, the present chief of the Clan MacFarlane."
When I was browsing in the New York Public Library's Genealogy section I came across a reference, in the New York Times Index, to the obituary of William Wallace MacFarland who died in October 1904. This confirmed some of the facts that Mrs. Littl e had written about him. He was born in Chenango County in 1836, he was a prominent lawyer in Connecticut and New York City, and he bought a large piece of property on Staten Island, a borough of New York City, which he named Arrochar and on whic h he built a mansion.
On my return trip from Fort Erie, I took a detour to Norwich in Chenango County. There I researched for the family of William Wallace MacFarland in the land records in the County Clerk's office, in the Genealogy section of the Public Library and i n the Historian's office. I did not find any record of a MacFarland owning a "vast piece of property" in the county. I did find that William Wallace bought and sold a small piece of property. Since he was born in 1836, before recording of vital r ecords was mandatory in New York State, there was no birth record. My research on this family will continue in New York City and Connecticut. I expect that the results will make an interesting and fascinating story.
2 - Arrochar is a neighborhood in northeastern Staten Island in New York City in the United States. Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the late 17th century to Staten Island, the area was the site of a Lenape encampment. The name "Arrochar" com es from the estate of W.W. MacFarland of the clan MacFarland in the 1840s, who named it for his home village of Arrochar in Scotland.
It is located directly inland of Fort Wadsworth and South Beach, on the east side of Hylan Boulevard south of the Staten Island Expressway; the community of Grasmere borders it on the west. It is today primarily a neighborhood of one and two famil y homes and small businesses.
At the beginning of the 20th century the neighborhood became a fashionable gateway to the resort communities of South Beach and Midland Beach. The house of the MacFarland estate is now part of the grounds of St. Joseph Hill Academy, a Catholic gir ls school. Across Landis Avenue from St. Joseph Hill Academy sits St. John Villa Academy, also a Roman Catholic girls school. Throughout the 20th century it became a residential neighborhood for various ethnic groups, Italian-Americans being chie f among them. Arrochar today is still inhabited by many Italians and has a growing Chinese-American community as well.
Arrochar once had its own train station, on the South Beach Branch of the Staten Island Railway. The station was located at Major Avenue. This branch closed in 1953, and unlike the also now-dormant North Shore Branch, the tracks of the South Beac h line have been removed and homes now stand on its former right-of-way.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrochar,_Staten_Island]
3 - William Wallace MacFarland was born on 22 July 1832-36 at Bainbridge, Chenango Co., New York. The exact year of birth for William Wallace MacFarland is difficult to discern since no record of his birth can be found. In the C. M. Little's boo k his date of birth is given as 22 July 1834. In the 1900 census it is listed as July 1836. From the 1880 census his year of birth based on his reported age would be 1834 or 35. On his death certificate he was listed as being 72 years old, which m eans he would have been born in 1833. He died of Bright's disease on 30 October 1905 at his home Arrochar Park, Staten Island, New York. He was buried in the Moravian Cemetery on Staten Island, on 1 November 1905 in lot 90-D.
William Wallace MacFarland's parents were reported to be Andrew MacFarland and Edea Symonds (or Simons). William Wallace MacFarland's death certificate indicates that both of his parents were born in the United States. His grandfather (Hugh Norman ) was reported to have come to the United States in 1784 and lived in Chenango Co., New York. No records of his parents or other family members were found.[17]
The assertion made in the book by C.M. Little that William Wallace MacFarland changed his name from MacFarlane in middle life does not appear to be correct. The records from the time of his marriage in 1855 (19 to 22 years old) until his death i n 1905 show only the name MacFarland never MacFarlane.
Little's book indicates that he left home and went to Hartford, Connecticut where he worked as a salesman in a dry goods store. His biographical sketch and newspaper articles provide additional information on his life. He studied law and worked a s a clerk to Judge William D. Shipman of the U.S. District Court. He was admitted to the bar in 1857. He became District Attorney of Hartford, Connecticut. In 1859 he entered into a law partnership with a former Governor of Connecticut, Mr. Hubbar d. He joined the law firm of Bowdoin, Larocque & Barlow in New York City in 1869. He also worked with MacFarland, Boardman & Platt; Tracy, MacFarland, Boardman & Platt; and Tracy, MacFarland, Boardman, Ivins & Platt. In 1899, he was appointed a Sp ecial Commissioner by Governor Theodore Roosevelt in inquire into canal contracts. Among his more notable cases were: the suit against Jay Gould in behalf of the Erie Railway stockholders to recover $13,000,000; the suit in behalf of August Belmon t growing out of the treasureship of the Fenian Fund; and the prosecution of Dan Noble by the Royal Insurance Company. He was a founder of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, an honorary member of the Cobden Club in London, England , a member of the Richmond County Country Club, an original member of the Metropolitan Club and a life member of both the Manhattan and Knickerbocker Clubs.
While William Wallace MacFarland and Sarah Bailey lived in Hartford, Connecticut, they lived at 75 Edwards St., 1862-1867; 77 Buckingham, 1868; and 13 Charter Oak Place, 1869-1872. William W. MacFarland had an office at 345 Main Street, in Hartfor d, from 1862-1868. He bought an estate at Clifton, Staten Island in the year 1871. During the 1880 census, the family lived at 10 West 57th St., in New York City. On 30 October 1890, the New York Times reported that Wm. W. MacFarland sold 137 acre s of land at Arrochar Park on the south beach of Staten Island for $400,000. During the 1900 census, the family lived at their home on Staten Island.
[ http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~furnissvohsfamilies/Spencer/Spencer.html ]
Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that would be described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It is typically denoted by the presence of serum albumin (blood plasma protein) in the urine an d is frequently accompanied by edema and hypertension.
(Research):[ CMSI Genealogist Elizabeth Macfarlane in MacFarlanes Lantern #77 Fall 2000 ]
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1836 - 1905 (69 years)
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