Members Family History's
Goldie Family -
Betty Harrison (1016)
In the 1980's while searching the cemetery at Sale, Victoria, Australia, for a HARRISON, I found the resting place of Alexander GOLDIE. I sent for his death certificate which showed him being born in Scotland in 1799 / 1800, the son of Presbyterian minister George GOLDIE and his wife Magdalene HOWDEN. But where in Scotland?
I found quite a bit about his arrival and first years in the Van Dieman's Land Co. papers and books on early Tasmania. I had been alerted to this information by a lady in New Zealand who was also searching for a GOLDIE. A distant relative put me in touch with the sister of a friend of hers in South Australia. This lady had a family bible which verified Alexander GOLDIE's parents, grandparents and his birth, but still no place of birth. She informed me that the GOLDIE's were thought to have come from Dumfries. A search of the IGI failed to find his birth, so I put him in the too hard basket.
On a visit to the Mormons, I found on IGI cd-rom the marriages of parents and grandparents. The parents were married at Athelstaneford, East Lothian on the 24th of October, 1783. In 1996 I joined the Dumfries and Galloway FHS. Mrs Mona AITKEN, their editor, sent me what she found in their library almost by return mail. One piece taken from "The Church of Scotland from the Reformation" by H SCOTT D.D gave me the information I required. Here at last I had the almost certain place of birth of Alexander GOLDIE, the youngest son.
In August 1997 I had the thrill of visiting the church at Athelstaneford, where my great great grandfather had been minister over 200 years before.
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