Obituary from page three of the
Wednesday, March 14, 1888
"Vernon County Censor"
The death of Gawin Campbell, another one of the old settlers of Sterling, is announced. He passed away at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Chas Brown, near Red Mound, February 22d, after an illness of nine days. Mr. Campbell was 83 years of age; came from the north of Ireland sixty-two years ago with his wife, who died in 1886, aged 75. He had been a resident of Bad Ax Valley for thirty-two years, and was much respected as a neighbor and friend. He leaves three sons and two daughters to mourn his loss.
The copy of this obituary was provided
by Douglas and Mike Connell.
Ethel Sanders, a granddaughter of Mary Campbell Brown, believes that:
1. The father of Garvin was John or James Campbell. Garvin did name two of his sons with these names. I have found nothing else to support this theory.
2. Garvin was born ca 1804 in Donaghadee, County Down, Ireland. And that Garvin @ age 18 and Mary @ age 15 were married on ship board en route to Canada. I have found nothing to support this theory.
Descendants of Peter Shepard Campbell believe that Peter was born in Three Rivers, Canada. Three Rivers (now Trois Riveres on modern maps of Quebec) is about halfway between Montreal and Quebec City on the north shore of the St Lawrence River.
- Assuming that Garvin and Mary were actually in Three Rivers - they possibly went for a few years to the Ottawa area. Ethel M Brown Sanders, in 1957, states that " Mary Campbell Brown was born 1832 in Ottawa, Clareton, Canada". None of the very early Methodist records for the Ottawa area can be located. St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Ottawa had a member in 1829 named Peter Shepard - possibly that Peter Shepard was a friend of the Campbell's and so the Campbell's named their first boy after him? Church registers of several communities south of Ottawa in Lanark County where there were many Scottish settlers were searched but no sign of Gavin/Garvin and family. No surviving census of either Carleton or Lanark Counties for 1829-1832 so only church records are available. Gavin/Garvin received no land grant from the Crown in either Quebec or Ontario. Garvin moved to Onieda County, New York ca 1833. From New York they went to Lake County, Illinois ca 1852 and then to Bad Ax County, Wisconsin ca 1855.
Quote of Grace Emily Campbell, daughter of John C Campbell from a letter to Cleone Campbell dated Mar 12, 1955: "I'll tell you all I know about grandfather Campbell. He was born and raised in Scotland, later moved to Belfast Ireland. He came from a very wealthy family and I think had a 'title'. He married a peasant girl and was disowned by his family and then left Ireland for Canada. He was an only son, had two sisters but in those days the eldest son inherited the estate and father said his mother used to try and get him to go back and claim it but he was too proud. They owned two or three castles around Belfast and a fleet of merchant vessels that plied between France, and the U.S. or Canada I don't know which."
Quote of Grace Emily Campbell, from a letter to Cleone Campbell dated Mar 12, 1955: "Grandfather Campbell made his home with Aunt Mary Brown. I was pretty young when he died but I remember his being at our house once. As I recall it then he was a short, heavyset man. I think I was about six years old. I never saw him again. I heard my mother recite a little verse he made up about his grandson's wife that lived at Newton, Wisconsin. It ran something like this: 'When I go to Newton again, Upon my yearly ramble, I will surely call and see, Mrs. Minnie Campbell'."
Quote of Amy Campbell, descended from Peter S Campbell, from a letter to Cleone Campbell dated 1942: "They owned lots of property and large shipping company.
Quote from Amy Campbell as Cleone Campbell wrote it in 1962: "Gawin Argyll Campbell was born of the House of Argyll - the eldest son of an eldest son. As such, he was next in line to the throne. However, his heart strayed and he married a peasant girl - an Irish lass it is believed. His father, the Duke, was furious because of his son's disregard for his Royal Family and promptly disinherited him. Gawin then took his new bride and sailed for the land of freedom and landed in Canada. They must have lived there for some time as Grandpa Campbell was born in Three Rivers, Ontario and his sister, Mary, at least, was born in Ottawa. Later on, he owned all of Wolf Island, one of the largest in the group of the 'Thousand Islands' in the St. Lawrence River. For reasons we do not know he left this beauty spot without in anyway claiming title to it. After the Duke died Gawin's mother wanted him to return and assume his rights to the throne. Grandfather was too proud and too stubborn to go back to his homeland after once being cast out. Therefore, he never made any effort to claim his estate in Scotland."
- As to being born and raised in Scotland:
The 1850, 1860, 1870 & 1880 Federal census all show Garvin as being born in Ireland. The 1880 Federal census shows both his parents as being born in Ireland. The Federal census information is very often incorrect. However, when it shows exactly the same information in four different places, recorded over a 30 year period of time I feel it is probably correct in this case.
Peter S Campbell in his 'Memories of the Civil War' writes "He asked me if I was Scotch and I told him that I could hardly claim that, as I was born in Canada and my parents were born in the north of Ireland. My great-grandfather was Scotch and so clannish that he moved back to die among the hills of Scotland that he loved so well."
- As to being the son of a Duke:
The 7th Duke of Argyll was named John, he married 1802 and had no children by his first wife, who died 1818. John remarried in 1820 and died in 1847, leaving a surviving son, George, who became the 8th Duke of Argyll. If Garvin was an illegitimate son of the 7th Duke he might have some claim to the Duke's estate. Several experts in this area were questioned but they were reluctant to give me a definite opinion as Scottish law on this subject is complex and would require a lot of research.
In my own limited research I found no evidence to support the noble lineage story. The House of Argyll carries with it a title but has nothing to do with the throne or the Royal Family and never has. There are however a number of other titles of lesser degree, one of which could possibly have belonged to this Campbell family. Per Donald Whyte, noted Scottish Genealogist, "The Ducal Family has been well documented and there is not a grain of truth to your family story". Per Peter S Campbell and per the 1880 Federal Census "Garvin was born in Ireland and his father was born in Ireland." Sons and daughters of the Duke would be born in Scotland, I would think. A title of lesser degree could now use more research!
- As to the family owning 2 or 3 castles around Belfast:
There are, of course, castles around Belfast. I found no evidence to support that any of them were ever owned by our family. This theory could still use a good deal of research! I have spent very little time with it.
- As to the family owning merchant vessels and/or a large shipping company:
There are no Montreal or Three Rivers directories for the period when Garvin was in Quebec, roughly 1826-1831. The National Archives in Ottawa has some records of company incorporations for that period but nothing on Garvin Campbell.
The Mariners' Museum Library in Newport News, VA - was unable to help. They sent the address for The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies in Philadelphia, American Merchant Marine Museum in New York and the National Archives in Washington DC.
The Balch Institute For Ethnic Studies in Philadelphia, PA - was unable to help. They sent the address for the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia.
American Merchant Marine Museum in New York - Received a reply stating that if I would give them the approximate dates that the company was in existence they would attempt to trace it. However, I gave them that information in my original letter so I saw no point in repeating myself!
National Archives in Washington, DC - They replied that they could not help but that I should seek help from an historical society or the National Archives of Canada and included the address for the Canadian National Archives.
Independent Seaport Museum - Received no reply.
All of my query letters refered to the name of the shipping company as "Lance Shipping Company". It has now been discovered that the word was "large" and not "lance" so I may have thrown everyone off with that piece of wrong information. I will now send some further queries without using the Lance Shipping Company name and see if I can get anywhere.
- As to the name "Gawin Argyll Campbell:
I found the first name in the state and federal census as Gawyne, George, Gawen, Gawin, Garvin, Gawn. This makes for a difficult time in looking through indexes.
I believe that the correct spelling is GARVIN. My reason for this decision is that it is the spelling used the larger percentage of the time on marriage and death certificates and deeds. Apparently the obituary for Garvin used the spelling "Gawin" so that would be a vote for that one.
I do not find the middle name, Argyll, or even a middle initial used anywhere at any time.
- As to the 'Wolfe Island' theory:
Wolfe Island is just offshore from Kingston, Ontario. It was a French possession under the name of Grande Ile until the British conquered Quebec and was renamed in honor of the British general who defeated the French in 1759. I read an extensive handbook on the early settlers of Wolfe Island, which was written by Russ Waller. It traces the ownership from the original French owners through many decades and it identifies the people who settled on the island - nowhere does a Campbell appear and there is no connection with the Argyll's.
I did verify at the Canadian National Archives that in 1815 the settlers were concerned about the delay in acquiring title to their land and in 1822 the questions had been resolved and the island had been surveyed by James G Chewett, Deputy Surveyor of Upper Canada; his survey was approved by the government. All of this is compatible with Waller's account.
A possible scenario: one of the Campbell ships bore some form of the Wolf name?? The Lloyd's registers do show a vessel named "General Wolfe" built in Quebec in 1823 and still operating in 1831.
I sent a query to the The Ocean Liner Museum regarding the "Harland & Wolff Co" located in Belfast. Their reply was that the company, although in the correct place, was a little late in time to fit into our story.
History of Vernon County - Published 1884 - Pages 645,646
John Campbell, one of the first actual settlers of the Bad Ax valley, in the town of Sterling, was a native of Ireland, born in the county of Down, in 1804. In 1826 he came to America, first stopping in Canada and from there to Oneida County, New York, where he lived for eighteen years, to 1855, when he removed to Bad Ax county, settling on section 16, town 12, range 5, where he remained for eleven years and moved to section 21. He was married in 1826 to Mary Brown, also a native of Ireland, born in 1811. By this union there has been reared a family of ten children.
Memories of Vernon County - Published 1907 - Page 227
John Campbell, one of the first actual settlers of the Bad Ax valley, in the town of Sterling, was a native of Ireland, born in county of Down, in 1804. In 1826 he came to American, first stopping in Canada, and from there to Oneida County, New York, where he lived eighteen years, until 1855, when he removed to Bad Ax county, settling on section 16, town 12, range 5, where he remained eleven years, and then moved to section 21. He was married in 1826, to Mary Brown, also a native to Ireland, born in 1811. By this union there were reared a family of ten children.
I believe that this "John Campbell" is actually "Garvin Campbell" in these two sketches.
The Vernon County Register of Deeds, Vera Nelson, checked the Real Estate Tract Index for the whole Section 16 and Section 21 Township 12 N Range 5 West and did not find any record of Campbell's owning any property in this area. The government Patents on these two sections went to Cade's, Morgan's and various other names, no Campbell's were listed.
Web page designed, created and maintained by: Berneta Ann Gilmore
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hartford/HartfordFamily/Index1.html
Updated: Oct 2015
Copyright © 2001-2015 The Campbell Family.
The text and photographs on these pages are free for the use of personal family and historical research.
They may be copied or printed for personal use, they may not be copied or posted to another website,
mailing list or forum without permission from the original contributor and/or webmaster.
They are not to be reproduced, sold, linked to, or redistributed in any way that is "for profit"
or in any way that violates the "free information" policies of the host of this site.
