What were the MacAdams branch of the MacGregor family up to between 1517 and 1699? Hughie Adamson of the Caspairn Heritage Center has uncovered a treasure trove of new documents housed in the public library of Dumpries in Scotland. The documents are part of the R.C. Reid collection (named after the man who translated them from Latin some 70 years ago). Part of the reason that these documents were so slow coming to light is that they they were not in the MACADAMS collection but were dispersed amongst the Acannon, Gordon and Geirson families records (Geirsons are cousins also descended from the MacGregors who preferred life in the south).

Let me begin with a recap. The MacAdams (Adam MacGregor and family) changed the family name and moved south into the Gordon territory in 1445. There are records of a land contract with Lawrence Geirson of the Lagg family and a Donald MacAdam, the son of Adam MacGregor (aka MackAdam) and with a Michael Gilbert of Waterhead. Note: The Geirsons had been in the Galloway area since 1414 and were already comfortably established.

The MacAdams family settled in and quickly made themselves at home in the area. During the 1500's they acquired or lived on much of the land extending from Stration to Dalmellington, and south to St. James Town of Darley. This gave them the control of all the rivers in the area and explains the Title of "MacAdams of Waterhead". Remember, at this point (as another illustrious ancestor, the inventor of the macadam-- or paved road-- had not yet been born) all major trade was by water, and this family site was an important trade route to the markets of Holland, France and Ireland. Also note, the Scots of this area did not trade with the English and were all Gaelic speakers. They also carried on the MacGregor family tradition and ran cattle on this very fertile land.

However, Waterhead is a remote site and eventually better roads came to the highlands and lowlands alike, making trade by land feasible-- and therefore, trade by river less critical. One of my more gregarious ancestors decided to move the family in 1760 to better digs in Lagwane near Caspairn to be closer to civilization and other kin. Today one may see the modest ruins of the family castle that burned to the ground in 1770. Many of the family of the Craigengillan branch (immortalized in the Robert Burns poem TO MR. M'ADAM OF CARAIGENGILLAN) are buried at the cemetery at St. John's of Darley.

Other branches of the family moved away. John MacAdams' son (Adam MacGregor's granson), Thomas (Adam's great-grandson), established a branch of the family in Ireland. And several MacAdams ended up in the new world, courtesy of various political and religious differences of opinion. One of the first was Archibald MacAdams, who joined kinsman Quinton, Gilbert and George, all Covenanters who participated an attempt to overthrow the government in 1685. He and George were captured and imprisoned in Dunnatlor Castle. Given a choice between acknowledging King James or slavery in the New World, he opted for slavery. He was followed swiftly by kinsman George. There were now four MacAdams in the colonies. Three stayed on and prospered; Gilbert went home and was martyred for the cause in the Village of Kirkmichael. A momument stands at the spot of his martydom and you can read an account of the uprising in Walter Scott's THE HEART OF MEDLOTHIAN.

Anyone who is interested should contact the McAdams Historical Society (14018 Davana Terrace, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423). The next McAdams Family Newsletter will present a coherent chronology of the MacAdams first hundren years along with all the new supporting documentaion found in the R.C. Reid collection.