Introduction / Barbara Allan / Westray Allans / Marion Allan and James Harcus / John Harcus and Jane Drummond

James Hercus (Harcus) and Ann Sinclair

James Hercus, the oldest child of John Harcus and Jane Drummond, was born on Pharay, on 24th March 1821 and baptised the following 23rd April. He married, on 19th March 1844, Ann Sinclair. Ann was probably the daughter of Robert Sinclair and Jane Drever, baptised in Eday parish 1st August 1824. In 1841 Ann and her family were living at Windywall, Pharay. (The Sinclairs later moved to New Green, Eday and since the 1851 census indicates they were all born on Pharay, Ann was likely born there as well.) James and Ann had three known children:

• Ann Hercus, b. 16th July 1845, c. 10th Aug 1845 in Eday Parish and d. 1916 at age 70, Edinburgh

• Jean (Jane) Hercus, b. abt 1850, South Leith near Edinburgh and d. 5th Apr 1892

• James William Moffat Hercus, b. about 1852, South Leith. James married Euphemia McKay 22nd Dec 1884 in North Leith. They had a son, James William Hercus, b. 21st May 1885, also in North Leith. A daughter, Margaret Euphemia Hercus, was born in 1887 but died in 1888, living only a few months. Euphemia also died in 1887. Following his wife's death, James and his son returned to the Bank Street residence of his parents. He married again, in Edinburgh in 1901, Mary Sinclair Bowman. James was an accountant and insurance agent. He died in 1904, age 52.

It is not clear where James was in 1841; he may have been the 25-year old James living with his family at Doggerboat and described as a teacher. Since the ages in the 1841 census were rounded down to the nearest 5, this James was older than James should have been. Further, he is listed as the last member of the household, after John Hercus' mother, and not where one would expect the oldest child to be recorded. However, these possible irregularities are not significant to allow one to conclude that James was not with his family on Pharay in 1841.

In the late 1840s James and Ann moved to South Leith in the vicinity of Edinburgh where they lived the rest of James' life. He was a bank messenger residing at least from 1881 on, with his family at 1 Bank Street. According to Dorothy Drever, a Harcus family descendant who compiled the story of this family in the 1950s, James also had a small yacht called the "James and Jean." Records from Leith consistently reflect the "Hercus" spelling with respect to this family. James died in South Leith 23rd September 1893, at age 72. Ann died in 1900, age 76.