Margaret Rome's inscription on the back side of the Gilcrass Tombstone at Kirkpatrick Fleming, Scotland
|--------
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|---------Peter GILCRASS (1755 - 1820, Scotland)
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| |--------
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|------John J. GILCHRIST (1803, Scotland - 1878, Iowa)
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| | |--------
| | |
| |---------Janet BELL (1772 - 1833, Scotland)
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| |--------
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Peter GILCHRIST (1823, Scotland - 1878, Iowa)
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| |--------
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| |---------John ROME ( - )
| | |
| | |--------
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|------Margaret ROME (1794, Scotland - 1857, Scotland)
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| |--------
| |
|---------Jean RAE ( - )
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|--------
Peter Gilchrist and children arrived in New York on Thursday, May 19th, 1870 aboard the Ship Wm. F. Storer, James Bryant captain. The Wm. F. Storer was a sailing ship, not a steamship, so the Atlantic crossing was very slow compared with what was possible in that day. The passengers boarded at Liverpool and left port April 3. In contrast, a steamship arriving in NY that same day required only 12 days from Liverpool, including a stop in Ireland for more passengers. The family members on the passenger list with their ages were: Peter, 46, Andrew, 22, Jane, 12, David, 10, Peter, 7, John, 20, James, 17, and Margaret Gilchrist, 15, and Andrew Phillips, 15. The occupation of the older males was given as laborer, while Jane and Margaret are called spinsters.
The Wm. F. Storer was delayed for 22 days west of the Banks by light westerly winds, calm, and fog. On board were 324 passengers, and merchandise for C.H. Mallory & Co. They arrived to pleasant spring weather, clear with a high of 65 degrees. Tuesday of their arrival week had been election day in NYC, with the democratic Tammany hall candidates sweeping virtually all the posts. In the midwest, corn was trading at about 94 cents/bushel. The US congress was passing laws for the enforcement of the 15th amendment (giving blacks the right to vote) which had been passed earlier in 1870. U.S. Grant was president.
Soon after arriving, Peter and family settled in Keokuk County, Iowa, as they are there by the time the census was taken in July. Peter's father, John, and various other relatives had previously started farming near the Keokuk and Iowa county border. If the 1870 census is to be believed, this recent immigrant owns real estate worth $2000 (but it could be mortgaged) and has a personal estate worth $600.
Peter only got to experience life in America for 8 years before his death. So far, no records of him have been found between the 1870 census and his burial. But perhaps there are some land records in Iowa or Keokuk Counties which might shed some more light.
Assembling the descendents of Peter (and all the related Gilchrists) has been particularly confusing because the extended family re-used the same names many times, and several of Peter's children apparently switched to a different or middle name at some point. That statement makes it sound like I don't have the right persons' records, but I'm confident that most of these families are correct at this point.
Sources for this individual: @S200@ @S201@ @S202@ @S623@
Sources for this individual: @S200@ @S204@ @S1560@
