October, 2004
Hello Cubbies,

This is our fourth annual newsletter. Our database continues to grow, more family trees and photos are coming in, we have downloaded wills from Scotland’s Documents, researched sasines and continue to connect McCubbins throughout the world.

Good news for McCubbins originating from Dumfriesshire! Kathy McCubbing Hopkins volunteered to be the association’s co-ordinator for the area. An immense amount of time was spent sending information back and forth, reviewing certificates, wills, sasines, monumental inscriptions, as well as family charts and information that was given to us. This ensured that all links were authentic and documented.

With so many names flying around, Penny McColm’s numbering system for Australia proved to be an efficient way to avoid confusion. By giving a number, i.e. #A01, to a family we were able to ‘keep it all straight’. We’ll now apply this system to the rest of the McCubbins of the world as we build up family charts.

Now and in the future, we will focus more on the actual McCubbin families from different areas. This newsletter will feature:

McCubbin Families of Dumfries
List of Pioneer Families of Australia
More census records from Lynne McCubbin of Ayrshire
American & Canadian McCubbins
Cub Bits
Queries
Acquisitions

Dumfriesshire McCubbins

by Kathy McCubbing Hopkins

I first heard from Lorna McCubbin in October 2003 – I can’t believe that was only a year ago! At that time I had recently started working on my McCubbing line who descend from John McCubbin (c.1745-1805) who was married to Margaret Tait. They lived at Kirkbride Farm in Keir.

Since then it has been one adventure after another, linking up with descendants of many of the Dumfries McCubbin families who have all helped with the jig-saw.

John McCubbin & Margaret Tait
The Keir McCubbins
#05

Being part of the project spurred me on to send out a couple of emails and letters, one to “The Farmer” at Kirkbride Farm in Keir (it still exists). The letter was passed to Leslie McCubbin in Dunscore who turns out to be my 3rd cousin. Leslie contacted me and passed on an absolute treasure chest of information, much of which was assembled by another 3rd cousin – Billy McCubbin who has been researching the family history for over 20 years. Over the next few months Lorna and I sifted through the information, checking sources and making links with information we already had. From all of that we were able to establish:

John and Margaret’s son Andrew McCubbing (b.1776) married Agnes Black and their children were:
John (1801-1877) who married Annie Patterson – Leslie is descended from this branch and has generously provided a wealth of information in the form of photographs, letters, newspaper clippings, etc. (note: the McCubbing name runs down through the generations of Keir McCubbins. Some used the ‘g’ and others didn’t. The name will be printed out in full where the ‘g’ appears)
Their son John 1835-1886, Coolah, NSW, Australia was one of the lads who left the farm, “Busy Bit”, to find a life in NSW, Australia. John and his cousin John (1833-1877, Coborra, NSW Australia) emigrated to Australia probably in the 1850s and joined their uncle James (1810-1888, Coonabarabran, NSW Australia, son of William and Jane Stitt/McMath) who had emigrated to Australia earlier, in the 1830s. John (b.1835) married his cousin Agnes McCubbin (1846-1830), daughter of James and Christina MacIntyre.
William McCubbing (1803-1877) who married Jane Stitt/McMath – Lorna has been in contact with John S McCubbing, of England, a descendant of this branch that moved to Edinburgh. John provided information and photos.

One of their sons, John (b.1833) was one of the lads who emigrated to Australia from the Busy-Bit. He later married Jane Johnston, but they had no children.

James (1810-1888, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia) who married Christina MacIntyre. Quite a bit of information has been assembled about their lives and descendants in Australia and a major contribution has been made by Billy McCubbin who had already prepared an outline of James’ life in Coolah. The family and their descendants who moved to Queensland (Allora, Roma) are an area of current interest which Penny is helping me with.

Andrew McCubbing (c.1810-1885) married to Jane Shennan, and then Martha Whan. This is my line of the family. Andrew moved to Creetown, Kirkmabreck after he married Martha and his son Andrew farmed at Spedlins in Lochmaben. Another son David, who had been in Ireland, died of typhus shortly after his marriage in 1857 to Jessie Carruthers, and Joseph McCubbing (my great-grandfather) moved to Ruthwell where he married Margaret Armstrong. He later moved to Terregles. Whilst my grandfather William Armstrong McCubbing (b.1883) married and moved to Bo’ness in West Lothian, his brother Andrew McCubbing (b. 1885) emigrated to Canada (Port Colborne, Ontario). Despite several attempts I have been unable to trace Andrew’s descendants.

The descendants of Andrew (1776-1842)’s second marriage to Hellen Henderson continued to farm Kirkbride until 1908, although the family were almost wiped out in 1864 when scarlet fever claimed the lives of three of their son Philip McCubbin (1822-1902) and Mary McKie’s children within 2 weeks of each other. Billy McCubbin is one of their descendants and I had the pleasure of visiting both Billy and Drew McCubbin (who still farms in the area) with Leslie, whilst I was in Scotland earlier this year. So much information was shared, including some wonderful photos, one of which marks the occasion of the family leaving Kirkbride after farming there for over a hundred years. The photograph was one of the gifts from the community and their leaving party is described in a local newspaper report of the event.

James McCubbin & Mary McMurdo
The Edgartoun McCubbins
#31

The Edgartoun McCubbin family headed by James (c.1710) and his wife Mary McMurdo were landowners, probably linked with McCubbington. Their son James McCubbin (c.1733-1811) married Janet Swan and the family settled in the Urr area, with links in Lochhrutton.

A grandson of James and Mary, Robert Swan McCubbin (c.1851-1911) married Charlotte Elfrida Gover and their sons saw military service during World War I serving for Canadian and Australian allied forces.

By 1916, Elfrida, by then widowed, was living in Fremantle, WA, Australia. Her son, Robert Swan McCubbin (b.1884) was awarded the Military Medal in 1917 whilst serving as a private in the 1st Anzac Corps: “”On 2nd April 1917, in the attack on Noreuil, Pte McCubbing a Bn Stretcher-bearer showed great courage and endurance in tending and in carrying in wounded throughout the day under machine gun and shell fire.” Her other sons John (1890) and James Unwin (1895) also served with the Anzacs. Another son, Charles Edward enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Vancouver, BC, Canada in 1916. Contact with the Carnamah Historical Society in WA, Australia has provided links with the McCubbin family descended from James Unwin, who were living there in the 1940s.

John McCubbin & Elizabeth ?
The Dunscore/Kirkmahoe McCubbins
#32

There has been great interest in this branch headed by John McCubbin (c.1723-1788) who was married to Elizabeth who died at Burnhead, Dunscore. Ian MacDonald has been helping out with information relating to his branch. He is descended from Elizabeth McCubbin (c.1793-1855) who married Joseph Welsh.

Dawn Ellis’s information on John McCubbin (c.1798-1863, Kirkton) who married Elizabeth Bowness has been useful and a contact that she recently passed to me (James McCubbin) turns out to be a descendant of James (1840-1927) who was stationmaster at Elvanfoot. James is reputed to have had Alexander the Covenanter’s bible in 1906. Whether the bible still survives is a mystery. Someone suggested it might be in the museum at Biggar (where several other Covenanter bibles are held), but they have been contacted and confirmed that they don’t hold it. James has been able to provide some very interesting information and delightful photos. He is currently following up on some references to the ownership of the Bible by his ancestor James.

James McCubbin & Isabella Lorimer
The Penpont McCubbins
#03

Much of the skeleton of the Penpoint McCubbins, headed by James McCubbin & Isabella Lorimer, then his son George (1790-1848) who was married to Agnes Lorimer, had been put together by Rob McCubbin whilst he was writing his book and Penny and Lorna have fleshed this out and explored the ‘Australian contingent’. Despite their proximity, no connections have yet been established with the Keir branch.

Robert McCubbin & Margaret McNaught/McKnight
The Dunscore, Dumfries & Troqueer, Kirkcudbright McCubbins
#33

Robert McCubbin (1717-1775) father of Robert who married Margaret McNaught/McKnight in Dunscore heads this branch of the family, some of whose descendants appear in Troqueer, whilst others moved to Canada.

Charlotte Davidson is a descendant and has kindly contributed an enormous amount of information about the descendants of Robert McCubbin (1782-1873) and his wife Mary Carson who moved to Chatham, Kent in Ontario, Canada. Recently another descendant of Robert McC and Mary Carson, Sharon McCubbin from North Carolina, USA contacted me – so the two of them are now in touch! Research passed to me by Billy McCubbin provided some very interesting information from the bible of Robert M’Cubbin from 1828 which lists the family and their birthdates. The following account provides an interesting picture of the family:

“Robert McCubbin was a poor Scottish relative of Captain James Carson of the “Dingell” on the River Mersey, Liverpool, England. He was employed as a ships carpenter in Capt Carson’s shipbuilding yards. Mary Carson was twenty years her brother’s junior and his ward. She fell in love with Robert and eloped from boarding school to marry him and her brother disinherited her. She was but 15, and aged 16 when her first son, James was born.” The account goes on to outline their journey to Halifax and Robert’s life in shipbuilding in Port Hope, Ontario and later at Bronte, near Hamilton where he was responsible for the fine paneling in Dundern Castle, Hamilton.

A descendant, Alvah Emerson McCubbin, born 1890, settled in the Vancouver area and has living family there.

John McCubbin & Jean McTurk
The Glencairn McCubbins
#34

Less progress has been made in tracking the descendants of John McCubbin (c.1717-1802) and Jean McTurk from Glencairn, one of whom was the Reverend of Irongray (John 1759-1817), although Edith Hordijk has been in touch and added another mystery to the pot. She is descended from Nicholas McCubbin (female, 1751-1823) who was married to Walter Renwick. She has good reason to suspect that their son James married a cousin called Nicholas McCubbin (daughter of John (c.1759, the minister at Irongray), Robert (c.1762) or William (1766), but we haven’t been able to establish this link yet.

James McCubbin & Jane Nelson
The Annan McCubbins
#04

Lorna and Penny have already done quite a bit of work on the Annan McCubbins, headed by James (c.1795) and Jane Neilson, and their descendants in Canada and Australia. This family were master boat builders, carpenters and fishermen. Their descendants span the globe from Australia to Canada.

Early McCubbins from McCubbington and Glencairn

A fair bit of information has been gathered about these early families, mainly through sasines and wills, although linking it together has proved difficult.

McCubbington (McCubinstoun) is a farm. There were McCubbins living there as early as the 1600’s – possibly before. See below:

MELROSE REGALITY RECORDS Vol III 1547 – 1706 (Romanes, ed)
Chartulary of Melrose
16/04/1607 Crown Charter by King James VI to Roger Hiddilstoun, sister’s son of the deceased Robert McCubbin, as “kindlie” tenant of the 6s 3d lands of Fardinmacrary called McCubinstoun formerly occupied by the said Robert McKubbin, in the Parish of Dunscoir, formerly belonging to the Abbey of Melrose and now to the Crown, to be held for yearly payment of 10s as the old rent and 12d of augmentation with duplication at entry of heirs, dated Edinburgh 5th April
1607 (See Reg Mag Sig No 1757) (f.183) Crown precept of Sasine following thereupon dated 25/06/1610 given by Robert Kirkpatrick, Burgess of Dumfries; witnesses John Hiddilstoun at Grangemilne, Robert McCubbens in Dunscoir, John Hawien there, and John McCubbin, son of the said Robert, Herbert Cunninghame being Notary. (f.165)
Table Register of Melrose by David Makullo
Charter to Roger Hiddilstoun of the 6s 3d lands of Ferdingwell McRory called McCubbingtoun, paying yearly 2s 6d with duplication. (f.138)
Above info resourced by David Hiddleston for James L McCubbin, 07, Mar 2003 Dumfries-Galloway mailing list

So, in conclusion, it has been an extremely fruitful year in terms of pulling together research on the McCubbin families from Dumfriesshire. Many, many thanks to all those who have contributed, including anyone I haven’t so far mentioned. There has been SO MUCH activity it has been a great challenge to keep track of it all. Feel free to contact me. Kathy

Australia McCubbins

by Penny McColm, Co-ordinator in Australia
The McCubbin families that came and settled in Australia & New Zealand came for many reasons but the most obvious reason was the Gold Rush that enveloped both countries during the 1850’s. As I have researched and documented these families they have come mainly from the Scottish counties of Ayrshire, Dumfries, & Lanarkshire and one large family from Wigtownshire. They settled in diverse areas, some in cities others in the outback and some in farming areas; & many chased the dream of finding gold.

The following lists show the Australian McCubbin pioneer settlers whose lines emanated from Scotland and are followed by the immigrant sons and daughters that settled in Australia & New Zealand. The majority of the family-trees were submitted to the association by descendants who have been instrumental in doing their own research and have an interest in family history.Further details, family histories, and contacts can be found by contacting me and quoting the #A reference number. Penny

#A01
Peter McCubbin & Janet Campbell: Wigtownshire, Scotland
Thomas McCubbin & Grace Blair Sloan: Australia
John Alexander McCubben & wife Christina Blackwood: Scotland
John Wells McCubbin & Lavinia A Ferguson
File includes John Alexander McCubben
Change in spelling from ‘in’ to ‘en’ occurs in shipping documents

#A02
Alexander McCubbin & Jean/Joan Macilwraith: Ayrshire Scotland
Alexander McCubbin & Annie McWilliam: Australia

#A03:
George McCubbin & Agnes Lorimer: Dumfries Scotland, to son
Robert McCubbin & Jane Young: Victoria, Australia
Son James b 1820 m Margaret Curry/Corrie & Agnes McNeish (refers to A#10)
Both marriages took place in Scotland
Grandson James b 1844 married Leah Hurleston in Victoria, Australia

#A04
James McCubbin & Jane Nelson/Neilson: Dumfries Scotland
Stothart McCubbin & Rosetta Hyam: Australia

#A05
John McCubbin born 1745 & Margaret Tait: Dumfries, Scotland to
Andrew McCubbin born 1776 & Agnes Black: Scotland to
James McCubbin born 1810 & Christina MacIntyre, Australia
And John McCubbin born 1801 & Annie Paterson: Scotland to
John McCubbin born 1835 & cousin Agnes McCubbin, daughter of James born 1810
William McC born 1803 & Jane Kirk of Scotland. Son of Andrew born 1776
John McCubbin son of William born 1803
John married Jane Johnson no issue

#NZ06
Peter Mc & Janet Hannah: Ayrshire, Scotland
James & Christian Isabel Campbell: New Zealand

#A07
James McCubbin & Elizabeth Lowery (Tasmania) Unknown Scotland
Son Thomas McCubbin & Susan Stark: (Broken Hill) Australia

#A09
Alexander Charles McCubbin & Jean Smith: Scotland to
Alexander McCubbin & Agnes Jackson: Wigtownshire, Scotland to
Son Alexander McCubbin & Elizabeth Simpson: Australia
Ballarat & Learmonth Vic

#A10
James McCubbin & Margaret Currie: Scotland
Son James McCubbin & Leah Hurleston: Australia (refers to #A03)

#A11
Janet Riddel McCubbin (Convict): Scotland
Transported to NSW
Refer to Lorna McCubbin

#A12
Alexander McCubbin & Jean Smith: Scotland to
Son William McCubbin & Catherine Menzies: Australia
Refer to #A09

#NZ13
Hugh McCubbin & Mary Hodgson: Probably London Middlesex UK
Family settled in New Zealand

#A16
Alexander McCubbin & Margaret Currie: Scotland to
Son John McCubbin & Mary Ann Munro: Australia

#A17
Alexander Charles McCubbin & Jean Smith Scotland to
William McCubbin & Catherine Menzies Australia, (refer to #A09)

#A18
Sarah Walker McCubbin married Thomas Potts: Scotland
Settled in New Zealand Combined with #A02

#A19
John McCubbin & Martha Chubb: Bedfordshire England to
John Edward McCubbin & Alice Randall: Australia

#NZ21
William Joseph McCubbin aka Joseph Moody McCubbin: New Zealand
Mother Wilhemina McCubbin: Scotland
Father Joseph Woodie (Moody) Johnston (refers #A02)

#A22
Joseph McCubbin aka Jsph Cunningham & Marion McIntosh: Scotland
Settled in Queensland Australia

News – More census records from Ayrshire

from Ayrshire co-ordinator Lynne McCubbin

Lynne has continued to gather census records. She made a trip to Glasgow to find more McCubbins.

Glasgow Census of 1861

Anderston – Ref No 33/3
John McCubbin 43 Laurieston, Wigtownshire
Jane 45 Ratuer? Wig
James 20 Whithorn
Susan 18 Whithorn
Mary 16 Whithorn
Andrew 13 Glasgow
John 12 Glasgow
Thomas 9 Glasgow
Jean 6 Glasgow
William 1 Glasgow

Blythswood – Ref 24/7
John 83 Dailly
Janet 77 Kirkoswald
Blythswood – Ref
David 37 Glasgow
Jessie 29 Bew Ayton

Calton – Ref 89/1
John 59 Girvan
Mary 59 Girvan
William 32 Girvan (These are mine, John’s wife being Mary Bisset)
Mary 30 Girvan
Grace 25 Girvan
John 23 Girvan

Glasgow Central – Ref 94/4
Andrew 36 Maybole
Margaret 35 Barrhill
John 7 Barrhill
Andrew 4 Glasgow

Got booted out after 2 hours – don’t librarians realise it takes longer than that to do research!
Also found bit of an entry in the 1851 Girvan census I missed previously –

Wilson Street
Thomas McCubbin Head 45 Weaver Girvan
Elizabeth Wife 50 Ireland
Thomas Son 7 Girvan next bit is what I missed
John McCreadie son-in-law 24 Girvan
Janet McCreadie dau-in-law 18 Girvan

Now unless Thomas had a previous wife I don’t know about, then John and Janet aren’t his in-laws. Rather it would appear the newly married Janet McCubbin b 1828 to my Andrew McC and Letitia Burchell was living with her 1st cousin once removed (ie Janet and Thomas sr). Guess it was easier to say in-law than all that!
Cheers
Lynne

American & Canadian McCubbins

Lola Makubin
Bruce Campbell of Vancouver, Canada wrote in an email to Lorna McCubbin:
According to my documents, Lola Makubin (Machubin) was born March 15th 1864 in Annapolis & died on September 26, 1909 in Windsor, Nova Scotia. She married John Taylor Wood (sometimes known as the Sea Ghost of the Confederacy) in Annapolis Maryland on Nov. 24, 1856. Her father was George Makubin. She was suspected to have a brother James since records show that he (James) was a trustee in the transaction of transferring property on April 28, 1886 to one Anna Mather. Their Children were: Lola Makubin Wood 1864 – 1956, Robert Carroll Wood 1866 – 1884, Eleanor Makubbin Wood 1868 – 1953 (my Grandmother) John Taylor Wood 1870 – 19??, George Makubin Wood 1871 – 19??, Nina VanGrabbau Wood 1873 – 1955, Mary Catherine Hammond Wood 1875 – 1898 and Charles Carrol Wood 1876 – 1899.

Reynolds McCubbin
Penny McColm and Lorna McCubbin were delighted to find a Canadian McCubbin family, residing in Saskatchewan for over a hundred years, who linked to Penny’s Scotland line. It’s always fun to find a ‘cousin’ out there after a long sleuth. It helps in the search when the name is different from the norm. We knew there was a Reynolds McCubbin, born 1884, Liverpool. We had been looking for Reynolds without much success, when Lorna found him in Canadian WW1 records. A query to the rootsweb SASK mailing list prompted Ralph Goff to contact us. Thanks Ralph. Reynold’s son, William ‘Bill’ Reynolds McCubbin contacted us. Welcome to the fold, Bill —-and to all the descendants of Reynolds McCubbin.
If you are connected to either of the above McCubbins, please contact Lorna.

CUB BITS

My, how things have changed in 204 years! Here’s a true tale of a McCubbin lass.

Date: 14/Oct/1774
Name: McCUBBIN, Nickelis Place: Barnkirk of Craigs
Topic: found in bed with John Haliday; stated that both were fully clothed and he had no bad intention towards her.
A Kirk session was held with the Baillie, Elders and four witnesses. Excerpts from the session:
“The said John Haliday, being weary with the labour of the harvest flung himself on the bed where Jean Caird and Nickelis Mccubbin lay, with his clothes on, and that he immediately fell asleep and had no further intention, that the said Nickelis McCubbin had her clothes on also and that the circumstances of their having clothes on is acknowledged by all.”

They were required to appear before the Kirk Session. The Session dismissed them and they were given a sessional rebuke for their indecent appearance. They were required to give five shillings to the poor for their irregularity. Archive Ref: CH2/537/7 Page(s): 284, 287 & 292

Queries

A request for information about the following McCubbins comes from Jennifer Anklesaria. If there are any McCubbins who had family who lived in New Orleans, please contact Lorna.

McCUBBIN, William, born about 1837 in Glasgow, Scotland. Naturalization papers in New Orleans (1867) indicate he immigrated in 1851. His death certificate indicates he arrived in New Orleans in 1857. May have married Ellen _________ from Liverpool before 1867. He worked varied jobs: seaman, port warden, stevedore, bookstore owner and painter. Married Emma Louisa Hamilton in New Orleans in 1872; the certificate indicates his parents were James and Agnes McCubbin. Five children. William apparently was in the Masonic Order, died in New Orleans in 1897.

McCUBBIN, Joseph, born about 1843 in Liverpool, England. Death certificate indicates he arrived in New Orleans in 1857. Married Margaret Williams in New Orleans in 1870, seven children. Did dock work, lived on same street as William McCubbin in New Orleans between 1880-1895, died in late 1895.

McCUBBIN, James. Perhaps born Glasgow early 1800s. Married Agnes ______, perhaps before 1837. Named as father of William McCubbin in Williams marriage certificate in 1872. Perhaps removed to Liverpool.

Sometimes we hit a brick wall when we find an individual went by different surnames. Two that are tough to trace are the ancestors of the McCubbin/Neilson family of Scotland and Liverpool, and Joseph McCubbin/Cunningham of Scotland and Australia. If you have either of these combination of names in your ‘tree’, we’d like to hear from you.

Acquisitions

Many thanks to James L McCubbin of Atlanta, Georgia for sending us a copy of the McCubbins Family History by Howard Griffith and The Involvement of the McCubbin Name in Scotland by Hershell McCubbin. Both Mr Griffith and Mr McCubbin did an enormous amount of work on their projects. The claim to the Knockdolian McCubbins and the McCubbins possible ancestry from King MacAlpin is disputed by some historians, thus we have a big research project ahead of us in order to have an authentic history. The works sent by Jim and others have provided us with a place to start.

Thanks to those of you have donated photos, records, charts, family anecdotes. Your contributions add so much more to the story of the McCubbins, at the same time helping us keep down our personal expenses for archive searches and mailing costs. We continue to be a non-profit group and hope to continue in the future.

Last, but not least, Rob and Dawn McCubbin visited us (Jim & Lorna McCubbin) near Canmore, Alberta, while touring Canada this summer. Rob is a born story teller. He mesmerized us and our children with the historical saga of Culloden. Rob has recently had ‘Son of the Storm’ and ‘Written in Sand’ (a tale of McCubbins) published and is now working on another book. To read excerpts of the book, where to buy in Canada, UK and US, and for best prices in Australia and NZ contact Rob.

Regards and best wishes to all,

Lorna McCubbin & Penny McColm
Founders of The McCubbin Family History Association
Co-ordinators: Kathy McCubbing Hopkins, Dumfriesshire/ Lynne McCubbin, Ayrshire/Penny McColm, Australia/Lorna McCubbin, UK, Canada, USA