AMERICA THE GREAT MELTING POT
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Direct descendant is highlighted in red
FATHER
MOTHER
WIFE Ann Rutherford |
![]() Portrait of Ann Rutherford found on public tree at ancestry.com by Taylor 3110 of Miller, New South Wales |
CHILDREN
1. Anna Schaw b. 24 Oct 1726 2. Alexander Schaw b. 27 Sep 1730 3. James Schaw b. 14 Apr 1735 4. Janet Schaw 5. Robert Schaw |
![]() Portrait of Alexander Schaw b. 1730 Found on public tree at ancestry.com by awwgodf from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia |
When Gideon Schaw married in Edinburgh in 1723, he was listed a "surgeon, apothecary." However by 1755 he had become the Register General of Tobaccos, as mentioned in his father's will. He held this same post at Lauriston at his death.
His daughter, Janet Schaw, kept a journal of her travels from 1774 to 1776 from Scotland to the West Indies, North Carolina, and Portugal. This journal was published as "Journal of a Lady of Quality," in 1921. The introduction of this book states, "As early as 1726 Gideon Schaw and his wife were living at Lauriston Yards, a fourteen acres farm just outside Edinburgh, now included in the city proper; and we know that there the eldest daughter, Anne, was born; but inasmuch as from 1730 to 1751 Gideon Schaw held positions in other parts of Scotland, and as we can find no records of birth or baptism for Janet or Alexander, we can only guess as to where they were born and when. Janet probably spent many years at Lauriston, and we believe that she was residing there t the time of her father's death in 1772, two and half years before her narrative opens; but of her later life after her return from Lisbon in the winter of 1776, we know almost nothing. That she was living in Edinburgh, at least for a time, is indicated by the dedication in 1778 of one copy of the Journal from 'St. Andrews Square' in that city, and also from an entry in the Edinburgh directory of 1778-1779, which gives her residence as 'New Town.' a northern section of Edinburgh which included St. Andrew's Square."
The footnotes or this book go on to say, "In 1730 Gideon was appointed supervisor of the salt-duty at Alton, the leading customs port at the head of the Firth of Forth, and there remained until 1734, when he removed to a similar post at Prestonpans, a smaller town below Leith. There he continued to live until 1738, when he was appointed collector of customs at Perth, at the head of the Firth of Tay, serving in that capacity until 1751, when he became assistance to Harnage, the register-general of tobacco in Scotland, with the title of assistant in Scotland to the register-general in England. His appointment was renewed in 1761 (on the accession of George III) and he continued to serve until his death in 1772, residing in Lauriston. His salary, beginning at 30 pounds a year rose to 150 pounds at the end, an amount not large even for those days."
Journal of a Lady of Quality was Edited by Evangeline Walker Andrew, in collaboration with Charles McLean Andrews.
You can read more about Janet Schaw at http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/schaw/bio.html
.