My great, great grandfather was born February
6, 1793 came from Inverness, Scotland. His parents were Daniel
and Christiana (Young) MacPherson. When he left home there were
two brothers and two sisteres: John, James, May and Isabel.
Three boys died young, all named Alexander. He sailed to
Halifax, Nova Scotia where he lived until he sailed to America
when he was 21 years old. He landed in Baltimore, Maryland
where he married Ann Taylor Scharf the daughter of Hannah Taylor
and William Scharf. They had three children who were born in
Baltimore: William, Jr., born 1823; Alexander, born 1826; Anna
Christiana, born 1828 who moved with their parents to Seneca
County, Ohio where he purchased 1,000 acres of land. He
improved one farm and kept the Hotel Stag House on the
turnpike where they lived for eight years. He rented a farm four
miles south of the first one near the town of Caroline where his
wife was buried. She left five children - the last two born in
Ohio: Marian W., born 1831; Orange John, born 1840; and James,
born 1844. He then moved five miles south of this farm and only
one mile north of Hotel Stag which he kept. He went into the
Dry Goods business and married a second wife, Almeda Thatcher,
an old maid aged thirty-two years when he was fifty-five years
old. They had four children who all died.
In the "History of Seneca County, Ohio"
on page 617, the author thanks two veteran pioneers, Father
McPherson and Father Ford, whose heads, whitened by the frosts
of more than four score years, are permitted to sit today on
this platform (still living at this writing May 28th 1880)
On page 625 of
the same book, it states, William McPherson was born at
Vernesshire on the 6th day of February 1793. He is a descendant
of the family of William Wallace, who were so justly celebrated
for their love of country and liberty, and for their bravery.
Mr. McPherson became dissatisfied with borth country and
government, despising England's rule, and being of an
adventurous turn of mind, at the age of twenty-three years he
followed his inclinations to visit America. In the year 1816,
in company with a young friend of about his age, they set sail
and arrived in Halifax on the 11th of September of that year.
Finding no suitable employment here, they went to Baltimore,
where they arrived in October and engaged in the mercantile
business, which they conducted several years with success, but
Mr. McPherson becoming tired of confinement of a store, sold out
and started for the west with a view of speculating in land.
The Indians had sold their reservations and the new purchase had
come into market. Mr. McPherson arrived in Tiffin in October
1828, and by the advice of Abel Rawson and Joseph Howard, the
land agents, he followed up Honey Creek and selected a tract of
land on the south bank and whee the Columbus and Sandusky
turnpike was then being built and purchased it. It contained
800 acres and embraced the present village of Caroline"
William
MacPherson's will was probated 29th August 1888 in Tiffin,
Seneca County, Ohio. A very shaky handwritten signature by Wm.
MacPherson is dated 21st day of May 1887. There are three pages
of people listed who owed him money.
In 2006, my
daughter, Kathie Eileen Potter and I were in Inverness, Scotland
touring. I left a photograph at the library with the basic
information about William MacPherson in the hope that someone
might contact me with further information about the family. I
joined the "First Families of Ohio" in his name a few years
ago. I would still love to hear from anyone interested in this
side of the MacPherson Clan Scotland or USA.
Sincerely,
Alice (MacDonald) Long
