Introduction / Families / Drummond / William Drummond and Barbara Groat / John Drummond and Janet Reid

William Drummond

William Drummond was born on 27th July 1827 and was the oldest of the nine children of John Drummond and Janet Reid at the Ness. He stayed all his life there, marrying three times:

• Isabella Harcus, his cousin from Doggerboat

• Mary Gullion from Eday and a first cousin of his first wife

• Mary Peace, who was also from Eday

His occupation in the censuses is generally that of fisherman or farmer (or both) although in 1871 and 1881, this is given as boat carpenter.

His first wife, Isabella Harcus was born about 1833 and the sixth of the eleven children of John Harcus and Jane Drummond. William’s father and Isabella’s mother were both children of William Drummond and Barbara Groat of Cott

William and Isabella had four children:

• Barbara Drummond, b. 11th Sep 1853 and d. 11th Dec 1860, age 7

• Isabella Drummond, b. 24th May 1855 and d. 20th Aug 1938, age 83, unmarried, at Cairniequoy, Eday. Isabella had been blind from birth.

• William Drummond, b. 14th June 1857 and died of tuberculosis on 9th Aug 1875, age 18, at the Ness

• Stewart Drummond, b. 24th July 1859 and died of tuberculosis on 27th Jan 1880 at the Ness, age 20

• John James Colister Drummond, b. 1861 and died of tuberculosis on 28th Dec 1861 at the Ness, age 6 months

Isabella died on 2nd December 1861 at the Ness, of tuberculosis.

On 25th September 1862, William married Mary Gullion, the oldest child of John Gullion and Mary Harcus of Warthill Eday, who was baptised on 12th May 1828.

Mary was also a second cousin of William’s first wife Isabella Harcus, Mary’s paternal grandmother (Isabella Allan) and Isabella’s paternal grandmother (Marion Allan) each being children of John Allan and Marion Harcus in Westray.

William and Mary also had four children:

• Barbara Drummond, b. abt 1862-3 and d. 16th Dec 1890

• Mary Drummond, b. 18th May 1864 and d. 18th Oct 1882

• Willhemina Stewart Drummond, b. 22nd Dec 1865 and d. 16th Apr 1881

• Eliza Drummond, b. 7th Sep 1867 and d. 23 Apr 1885

Each of the children were born and died at the Ness.

Mary died at the Ness on 30th October 1880, age 53.

After Mary's death, in 1886 William married Mary Peace from Eday. Mary, born 27th November 1830, was the daughter of William Peace and Mary Begg. She had previously had a son with John Bryden Wallace:

• William Peace Wallace b. 26th November 1870 who married Ann Drever

William Drummond died at the Ness in 1892. Mary Peace died on Christmas Day 1904.