Robert Andrew Macfie jr. of Dreghorn

The majority of the information on this particular aspect of the Macfie family connection has been kindly provided by Luis F Macfie of Puerto Rico, and Heather Douglas Lyle of the USA. It was decided to begin with an extract of an e-mail I received back in 2003.

A letter signed by Peter J W Kilpatrick ( who stated he was 66 at the time of writing the letter August 25 1971) He wrote (to Auriel Douglas in the USA) in the letter " You are evidently not in touch with the Macfie relations in this country. I hope you won't be offended by the story that my aunt (aged 88) told me only last month about your grandfather ( reference is here made to Robert Andrew). She said that he went to South America and when there did a thing that was so terrible that his photograph was taken out of all the family photograph albums and he was never mentioned again. Apparently he married a Roman Catholic.

It can be assumed from the actions of Robert Andrew Macfie ( junior) , that he was more inclined to be business minded, as opposed to being family oriented, different from his immediate family members. In reading the stories of the Macfie of Scotland there is a sense that most of the benefits received from the sugar operations were used to promote pious undertakings, such as building churches, funding socially acceptable aid programs and the likes. I have often surmised that had the Macfie family joined enterprises with some of the other connected families such as the Thorburn tea enterprise , the Allan shipping companies, the Gault land development corporation, they might have formed such a conglomerate that would have allowed thier business name to have continued right up to the present times of the 21st century. Unfortunatley, few of the family members appeared to have the desire to change their way of thinking, and this is may be why we find Robet Andrew Macfie ostracized, perhaps even alone in his ventures.

Records in the family book of Lady McClure show Robert Andrew Macfie (jr), married Pauline Keating, and producing off spring of two boys.

There are very little family records referring to him, other than his birth , his marriage to Miss Keating and the birth of his sons. In the other documents that I have managed to consult, I have found very little of Robert Andrew, so unlike my main family web pages I was at a loss as to what to do about this cousin.

Following the receipt of the e-mail containing the little bits of notes written by Mr Kilpatrick , an attempt was made to seek out one Auriel Douglas in the Sacremento area of the California. If was just so lucky that Heather Douglas, Auriel 's daughter found my Macfie family site and contacted me, otherwise I would never have managed to find out more about Robert Andrew Macfie (junior) and his families, one Scottish, and one Puerto Rican.

Some original work had begun on a Puerto Rican , Macfie family, as I had been in contact with Roberto Macfie some years back, however the missing links did not allow us to make any connections. I had not enough information on Robert Andrew (jr) and Roberto had not enough information on his grandfather, neither of us had thought that there might have been such a match to the same man so we did not continue.

I have been unable to discover very little on Pauline Keating, or Douglas Arthur Macfie and his wife Clara Mina Schreyer. I had managed to find a bit more about Robert Francis Macfie of the 'Tank ' fame, but again had no idea that he had also produced offspring. There was nothing of course that would even allow me to assume that Robert Andrew ( jr) might have had a second family .

Now in this 21st century with the advent of the internet, the mystery of Robert Andrew Macfie ( jr) and his adventures has come full cycle and I do believe it is time that we bring the estranged family back into the circle. I would like to continue with the original idea of my web pages , that is making the history of the Sugar Macfie family an on going project so those of us who are interested can contirbute. It would certainly be a shame if we could not at least recuperate some of the artifacts, some of the family papers, more of the family history, rather than letting it all go to waste as each generation passes, and their holdings are simple tossed into the rubbish. It is now that we have the opportunity to record the facts.

According to Heather ( Douglas ) Lyle, the 1920 census records Robert Andrew Macfie 64 years of age with a wife ( Esposa) Carmelita Robert 24 years old ( born 1896) living in Sabana Llana. There are several children listed

Carmelita Robert Plat ; age 15 ( daughter) ( born 1905)

Socorro Reventor Plat ; age 15 ( daughter) ( born 1905)

Senaida Reventor Plat ; age 15 ( daughter) ( born 1905)

Carolina Reventor Plat ; age 13 ( daughter) ( born 1907)

Donhn Reventor Plat ; age 6 ( son) (born 1914)

.

It is quite a mystery as to how we have the two listngs on the census records, perhaps this first relationship end with the out break of the Spanish Flu, Robert being the only one to survive , or that the census records were wrong in leaving us believe that Carmelita Robert was his wife, she may have been the wife of a Mr Reventor, and her maiden name may have been Plat and Robert was simple boarding with them at the time of the census , Mr Reventor being out of the area at that particular time.

Sugar Plantations of the Island of Tobago

Parish in which Estate located

Name of Estate

Name of Proprietor

Acreage

Nature of cultivation

St. Andrew " St John " " " " " " " St George St George " " St George	Auchenskeoch (1) Highmoor Hermitage & Campbelltown (2) Castara (3) Lucy Vale Tuckerville (4) Belmont (5) Bloody Bay Rarlatuvin Charlottesville (6) Friendsfield (7) Mt. St. George (8) Blenheim (8) Greenhill (8) Bacolet (9) (9) worked by Proprietor and Metayers	HENDERSON & Co W. Sauger TUCKER John MCCALL & Co R. B. ANDERSON William MCCALL H. Hislop TUCKER * E. W. DICKINSON Paula BENNETT & others Heirs of Christmas MURPHY Rv Joseph TURPIN Thos. BALKLEY Heirs of HAMILTON " " R. A. MACFIE	800 439 700 400 ... 1,134 265 550 261 1370 500 700 1,000 700 250	Sugar cane & cocoanuts stock farm Cocoa & provision grounds Cocoa & cocoanut 3 acres provision ground Cocoa, sugar, rubber, nutmegs, coffee, Rubber, coffee, cocoa Cocoa & coconuts Provision chiefly, & cocoa Cocoa & coconuts, high wood Was until recently in canes Sugar cane cocoa Coconut walk Coconuts
Others

In 1814, when the island of Tabago was again under British control, another phase of successful sugar production began. However, a severe hurricane in 1847, combined with the collapse of plantation underwriters, marked the end of the sugar trade. Without the highly profitable sugar production, Britain had no further use for Tobago and in 1889 the island was made a ward of Trinidad. Without sugar, the islanders had to grow other crops, planting acres of limes, coconuts and cocoa and exporting their produce to Trinidad.

History of Puerto Rico

'Belén María Nin, of San Juan, was 17 when she arrived at Carlisle in May 1901. She was there until March 1905. In a letter dated July 24, Nin told Friedman the following:

Since I left Carlisle in the year 1905 I went to school at Mount Saint Mary's Seminary, Scranton, Pa., and stayed there till the year 1909 when I returned to my own home in Porto Rico. A year after I came home I begun to work as a stenographer in the private office of Mr. R. A. Macfie, an Englishman. I am working yet at the same place.

I am always delighted to hear about Carlisle, and it will be a great pleasure for me if I ever make another trip to the United States, to visit this beautiful school of which I have such pleasant remembrances. '

The 1920 census records show that Carmen Figueroa sisters were living with the family at the time

Isabel Figueroa, aged 20 and Maria Figueroa, aged 14

There was also a Martin Cardoan aged 14 whi is listed as - Alfordado

>There is Social security death record for Juana Macfie of Puerto Ricco 1927-1997 ( Juana Vlzquez - Roberto's wife)

Carmelo Macfie Figueroa 1919-xxxx

Married xxxxPorto Rico

xxxx-xxxx

Robert A. xxxx-xxxx

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Fernando Macfie Figueroa 1912-2000

Married xxxxPorto Rico

xxxx-xxxx

Luis F.Macfie xxxx-xxxx

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