William Hamilton Macpherson^[1]

1840 - 1876  (~ 36 years)

• Name	William Hamilton Macpherson
  Birth	Y  [1, 2, 3]
  	Event Description: Y
  Christening	1 Mar 1840	Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland.,
  Gender	Male
  Death	30 Jun 1876	Harrismith,Orange Free State,South Africa.,   [4, 5]
  Person ID	I9200	My Genealogy
  Last Modified	29 Jun 2020

  
  

  Father	John Macpherson,   b. Abt 1805, Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland., d. 15 Feb 1871, Pietermaritzburg,Natal,South Africa (Age 66 years)
  Mother	Christian Hamilton,   b. 11 Aug 1806, Dunfermline,,,Fife,Scotland d. 31 Mar 1849, Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland., (Age 42 years)
  Marriage	29 Dec 1831	St Cuthbert's,Edinburgh,   [6, 7]
  	The record of their marriage in the Parish Register reads: "John Macpherson, Teacher of Dancing, Residing in No.3 Lothian St, and Christian Hamilton, Residing in No. 3 Saunders St., Stockbridge, both in this Parish. Daughter of the late Abraham Hamilton, Rope Manufacturer in Dunfermline, have been three times proclaimed in order to Marriage, in the Parish Church of St. Cuthbert's and no objections have been offered. Married on the Twenty-Ninth day of December Current by the Reverend THomas Liddell, One of the Ministers of Lady Glenovely's Chapel of Rest, Edinburgh."
  Family ID	F302712892	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Louisa Thinger,   b. 1853
  Marriage	26 Jul 1873	Pietermaritzburg,Natal,South Africa   [8]
  	_HTITL: Husband _WTITL: Wife
  Family ID	F500	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	14 Apr 2020

  
  

• Notes

  Known variously as William Watson Macpherson or William Hamilton Macpherson. He appears as William Watson at his birth but later gives his name as William Hamilton. He did not travel to South Africa with the rest of the family - possibly stayed in Scotland with his Aunts(?) Ann and Christian McPherson. In 1857-8 his father stood surety for his passage to South Africa. According to Hattersley (quoted by John Clark in Natalia Vol 6) "owing to the mortality among very young children on the ships the authorities laid down the condition that where there were more than four children in a family those under the age of fourteen were were prohibited from accompanying their parents until older. Measles, especially, was the cause of many deaths among the youngest children" He is most likely the W.H. Macpherson who is mentioned in the Natal Witness of October 8, 1875, who farmed at "Vlak Plats" (Vlakplaas) in the Harrismith District, and assisted his brother R. H. Macpherson when his house was burned down by lightning and his youngest son was killed. Almost certainly also the W.H. Macpherson mentioned in the Natal Witness of October 14, 1870, offering a reward for the return of several oxen which had "gone in the direction of Natal". If the cattle are found they can be reported to Mr A Macpherson of Ladysmith, strengthening the case for this being his brother. At this time his farm is given as "Bowleyfontein, Weltevreda, District Harrismith, adding to the confusion. Did he have two farms? Or move to a different farm in the same district by 1875? He was still giving his address as Bowleyfontein when in the Natal Witness for August 20, 1872, he advertised that he would not be responsible for debts in his name without written order Possibly the W H Macpherson who was one of several people proposing Mr J W Turnbull as a candidate for the town council, in the Natal Witness of December 8, 1868

  
  

• Sources

  [S345] 1841 Scotland Census, 685 01 099 000 2 009Z (Downloaded from Scotlands People) (Reliability: 3). [S565] Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XT5J-26X : 10 February 2018), William Watson Mcpherson, 01 Mar 1840; citing Edinburgh Parish, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, reference 2:17PZM4R, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical S (Reliability: 3). [S565] Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950, ancestry.ca. William Watson Macpherson (Reliability: 3). [S1306] Estate files, Orange Free State, 1832-1989, (familysearch.org online database), William Hamilton Macpherson (Reliability: 3). [S82] Shelagh Spencer, Email from Shelagh Spencer, May 16, 2006. [S80] www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, Marriages (Reliability: 3). [S81] Macpherson-Hamilton Marriage Record, (OPR Marriages 685/002 0420 0295 St Cuthberts, Edinburgh (downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, Sept 12, 2007)). [S5] South Africa, Natal Province, Civil Marriages, 1845-1955, 1873 Marriage William Hamilton Macpherson and Louisa Thinger (Reliability: 3).