APPENDIX 3
AMERICAN DESCENDANTS OF THE EDMONSTONES OF DUNTREATH
AND AUSTRALIANS WITH EDMONSTONE CONNECTIONS.
The American cadet branch of the Edmonstones of Duntreath is believed to be descended from Robert Edmonstone, the third son of John Edmonstone of Broich, brother of Archibald Edmonstone, 8th of Duntreath. Archibald died in 1637 aged only thirty seven. Upon this happening his brothers, first James, and then upon his decease John, became " tutors" (guardians) of Archibald's two young sons, namely William, the "Dumb Laird" and Archibald, 9th of Duntreath.
John married his first cousin Elizabeth Edmonstone who brought him the lands of Ballybantry in Ireland. They had nine children, of whom the third was a son named Robert.
Following the death of Elizabeth, John married, secondly, Katherine Cunningham by whom he had another seven children, the fourth a boy named Robert. Finally, his first son by Elizabeth had ten children, the third being yet another Robert. From available records it seems that the first mentioned, namely the third son of John and Elizabeth, was probably the Robert Edmonstone who is known to have been in America in 1689, and who died there c.1695.
He was the father of Archibald Edmonstone, the acknowledged progenitor of the Edmonstones in America, who was born c.1668 and died in 1734 in Prince George County. (Information lodged in Georgetown Public Library).
Archibald is known to have been in Maryland in 1683 (Maryland Debt Rolls etc). He married Jane Beall, youngest daughter of Ninian Beall, when he is said to have been around seventeen or eighteen years old.
Colonel Ninian Beall (Archibald's father-in-law) was born, either in Fife or Galloway in 1625. He fought against Cromwell at the battle of Dunbar in 1650 and was taken prisoner. Transported to Barbados, he escaped and found his way to Maryland where he became exceedingly prosperous, eventually owning 25,000 acres of land. He married Ruth Moore of Calvert County (daughter of a London barrister) by whom he had twelve children, including the youngest daughter named Jane who married Archibald Edmonstone.
Colonel Ninian Beall gave the land and founded the first Presbyterian church in Maryland at Upper Marlborough. His son-in-law, Colonel Archibald Edmonstone, was one of the elders.
In 1910 the Society of the Colonial Wars dedicated a mammoth rock and tablet to the memory of Colonel Ninian Beall. It stands on the lawn of St. John's Church, 33rd Street, Georgetown.
Colonel Ninian Beall lived to be ninety-seven. He was buried on his home plantation near Georgetown. On the town being expanded his remains were dug up. Then "it was found that he was six feet seven inches tall and his Scotch red hair had retained all its fiery hue".
Most of the alliances of Colonel Beall's children and grandchildren were with Scottish people who had settled in the part of Prince George County called New Scotland. Eliza Beall, great-great-grand-daughter of Colonel Ninian, married Colonel George.C. Washington, nephew of General Washington. (A.A.Co.Judgements. 1722 June Ct. page 329).
Two of Beall's daughters married Magruders and it was his third (and youngest) daughter Jane who married Archibald Edmonston. The spelling varies but the e appears to have been dropped at about this time.
Archibald Edmonston is first mentioned specifically in the land records of Annapolis. The transfer of an assignment of 1,000 acres, called Beall's Camp, by Colonel Ninian Beall is recorded in 1680.
Archibald Edmonston, known after 1700 as Colonel Edmonston, patented various extensive tracts of land in Prince George County, part of which, after the division of that county, was within the boundaries of Frederick and later Montgomery and even Washington counties.
Colonel Archibald is said to have succeeded his brilliant father-in-law as Commander of the Prince George's County Militia. He died in 1733 leaving several sons and daughters.
His eldest son James (1689-1753) married his cousin Mary Beall, granddaughter of Alexander Magruder of Prince George county. He became a justice for Montgomery county, and was a captain in the Colonial Militia. A younger son, Archibald, married Dorothy Brooke and left descendants, including a son called Roger (1730-1811) and another named Thomas (1740-1805).
"The Edmonstons figured in the military and official life of the Colonial Revolutionary period. They married the best blood in Maryland, and their descendants are many. They are allied with the Magruders, Bealls, Ormes, Spiers, Spriggs and Ingrams...The Carberys of Washington D.C., are also descendants." (Extract from the Sun Baltimore Article headed "Side-Lights on Maryland History-Unsung Heroes of Revolution." Copyrighted 1904 by Hester Dorsey Richardson).
A document headed "To the Board of Managers of the Daughters of the American Revolution" testifies to the fact that several of the Edmonstones, or Edmonstons, as the name was generally spelt, fought on the side of the Revolutionaries.
Amongst them was Thomas Edmonston, who as already mentioned, was the younger son of Archibald Edmonston Junior, and grandson of Colonel Edmonston. He served first as an ensign under Brigadier-General Rezin Beall, to whom he was related. Later he was promoted, firstly as lieutenant and then as captain.
Thomas Edmonston married his second cousin Mary Beall and they had five sons and two daughters. Three grandsons and a granddaughter are also recorded.
REFERENCES
Adams, Katherine Beall (1983) Maryland Heritage. A Family History, Baltimore MD: Maryland Historical Soc.
Edmonstone, Sir Archibald, 3rd Bt. Genealogical Account of the Family of Edmonstone of Duntreath.
Privately Printed Edinburgh, 1875.
Edmonston, Charles Ninian. My own Edmonstons and a few others. San Fransico CA: 1971. C.N. Edmonston.
Unknown 1699. The Genealogy of the Lairds of Ednam and Duntreath from the year of God 1063 to the year 1699; and more particularly of Duntreath, and the Families that married with Duntreath, during the said time. Pub. Glasgow. Robert Sanders. (Reprinted Edinburgh: Thomas G. Stevenson, 1834).
AUSTRALIANS WITH EDMONSTONE CONNECTIONS.
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