Much more to follow on the Donalds of Bedford and interior shots of Fancy Farm. It was certainly that.
Sunday 24 October 2010
Donald grave
Slight disaster - have poured water on my laptop so it is drying out at the moment. Am in library and it closes shortly, so it is going to a bit of a picture round up of the last few days. Most annoying as I had so much to say, but I shall return once the laptop is back up and running.
This is me at Cousin Benjamin Andrew Donald's grave (BAD) in Bedford - he inherited Fancy Farm from his father Andrew Donald, who was the son of William Donald of Greenock.
BAD was a pillar of the community - and loads more to follow about him once I have dried out. You can see the name at the bottom - DONALD.
Here is the rear of Fancy Farm - built by Andrew Donald in 1783 on what was then frontier country, just north of Bedford.
And here I am with the present day owner and her son. I was taken up into the attic, where it is said Andrew Donald's wife was murdered by a slave for making him take his shoes off. Apparently from stories I have read before, the blood is still meant to be visible on the floor, but I couldn't see any. The owner suggested it was actually Andrew who murdered his wife and told me that she will not go up into the attic alone. Murder? It's the Greenock wing of the family of course.
Here's the house from the front.
This is on the bottom of the stairs - which are amazing. ATD - Andrew Thomas Donald? Not sure if he was called that - not sure when the habit for middle names came in - but surely a Donald engraving? I shall have Grant Gillmore check out the age of the engraving.
And here is Benjamin Andrew Donald himself, son of Andrew and his murdered wife, with his wife and baby, and sitting in the left hand corner, their sweet dog. That mountain is directly behind Fancy Farm. The family would like me to help them track the original of this painting down, which I try and do. I would love to see the original as well. Any family likeness? His sister Geils returned to Scotland and moved back to the family house in Greenock - where there is an area called Fancy Farm.
Much more to follow on the Donalds of Bedford and interior shots of Fancy Farm. It was certainly that.
Much more to follow on the Donalds of Bedford and interior shots of Fancy Farm. It was certainly that.
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Was Geils his sisters Christian name or married name? If the latter she must be a relation surely of the Geilses of...Geilston, who occupied the house far longer than the Donalds I think. I was in Cardross last week and visited the ruined graveyard, where there is a special walled off Geils section appropriate to their status.
ReplyDeleteIt was her first name - she married Lt George Noble RN. From the Greenock Advertister in 1821 it mentions that she was the only daughter of Andrew Donald of Fancy Farm, Virginia. Their son George Noble, 13th Bengal Native Infantry died at Mizaport in November 1842, age 18, and their daughter Georgina Geils Donald Noble married Isambard Brunel, eldest son of Isambard Kingdom Brunel at St Nicolas, Newcastle on 21st January 1864. Well I never. And all from Fancy Farm where I was yesterday. Geils's 6th daughter Isabella Jane married William Darling Campbell, a notary from Quebec - but now I think I am taking things too far!
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