clanforum
Genealogy => Thom(p)son Genealogy => Topic started by: stl.thomson on June 02, 2010, 09:27:46 PM
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I have been looking for my Clan - at the St. Louis Scottish Games, someone told me I was part of McTavish - but here, I googled it as a lark, and found Thompson!
The family tree that I know is that my Great Grandfather was Robert Thomson, Born in Jedburg Scotland in December 25, 1865. He emigrated to St. Louis in about 1903 as a greenhouse builder for the Lord and Burnham Company to build greenhouses for the 1904 Worlds Fair. His wife was Sophie Schwaneck.
If you have any clues to extend this in Scotland I would be most appreciative.
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Good Morning stl.thomson and Welcome to the Clan!
Your post gave me a jolt better than any cuppa coffee I could have drunk. I saw the name Robert Thomson and ZING! My ggg grandfather was Robert Thompson, alas born in the 1790's not 1865.
But Family is Family, a Thom(p)son is a Thom(p)son and ner'e a McTavish shall be. (But we do love our Cathy McTavish!)
Keep posting; the rest of the crew will chime in shortly!
Again, Welcome to the fray!
Sherry
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Welcome stl.thompson! I used to spend a considerable amount of time in St. Louis before I retired from Federal Service. Very nice area with lots of friendly people. Sorry about your pro teams (Rams and Cards) losses to my NE teams (Pats and Sox) in the big ones but hey we can still be friends!
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Hello from Tennessee!
Good to see you found your true family.....if your ancestors hail from Jedburgh, you are definitely NOT MacTavish! Jedburgh is 180 miles from Kilmartin (MacTavish area) and 130 miles from Glenshee (MacThomas territory). Jedburgh, along with Kelso, Selkirk and Melrose, was a hotbed of
Thom(p)sons. We have lists of some of the gravesites in that area and lots of Thoms are there.
You have to remember that for 300 years of Scottish history the border between Scotland and England moved....so much so that at one time, Edinburgh was on the border and it's in central Scotland now! Jedburgh and Kelso would have been on it too.
You, my friend, are undoubtedly descended from a Border Reiver! Lucky you! It's good company with Wallace, Stewart, Johnstones, Bells, Beattys, Turnbulls, etc. And it means your ancestors were undoubtedly part of the Clan Thomson that existed and is referenced in the Acts of the Scottish Parliament 1587 and 1594. We have also found a book by Charles Agustus Hanna that lists Thomson among the Border Clans in 1547. There is no mention of MacTavish in ANY clan lists until 1997 although the 1587 Scottish Parliament Act listed the clans in the "Highlands, Isles and Borders". If they weren't a clan then, your ancestors could not have belonged to them - regardless of distance.
Found Sophie's family on 1880 census in St. Louis, MO:
John Schwaneck 42 father, born in Prussia
Theresa Schwaneck 41 mother, born in Baden
John Schwaneck 19 *** she is 15 on the census
Sophia Schwaneck 15
Chas. Schwaneck 11
Emma Schwaneck 9
Bertha Schwaneck 4
Welcome aboard!
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Hello stl. Thomson and welcome! You have found your correct family. :D I hope you join us and post often. :D
Barb
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Mary,
I saw that you mentioned that you have a list of grave sites.
Would you have any names from around late 1500's to early 1600's
The name, I think, would be Christopher Thompson and the area would
be around Edinburg, Scotland.
Best Wishes,
Tom
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I'll check!