Moon Families in Balrobie

Balrobie and the surrounding farms

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The Roll of the Duke of Atholl's Fencible Men (1705-06) does not mention Balrobie nor Fonvuick on the south side of the River Garry, so it is difficult to say when the Moon families first settled in this area. In 1715 the lands of 'Belrobbie' became part of the Atholl Estate when they were sold to the Duke by John Robertson, eldest son of the deceased Alexander Robertson of Belrobbie. Before that, in 1706, there were three tenants: William Scott who held a 1 merk land; Adam Robertson who held a 10 shilling land; and John Seaton who also had a 10 shilling land. The original Moon family in Fonvuick seems to have been comprised of two brothers and a sister: George Moon, Alexander Moon and Katharine Moon.

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George Moon in Fonvuick and Wester Balrobie.

The first reference seems to be the marriage of George Moon in Fonvuick and Elspeth McLauchlane in Trian, Moulin parish, 23rd February 1748 (Blair Atholl OPR). The same marriage appears in the Moulin OPR but with less information: January 9th 1748. George Moon in Blair Atholl parish and Elspeth McLauchlane in this parish, being legally contracted, booked and proclaimed and no objection offered, were married 3rd February

Their first child, Christian, was born at Fonvuick but the second child, John, was born at Balrobie in 1750. It would seem that Elspeth McLauchlane died after the birth of John, as George Moon in Wester Balrobie married Christian McGlashan in Tomnaculag, 22nd July 1755. Their son Donald was born at Balrobie 26th January 1759.

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(Generation 2) The Children of George Moon and Elspeth McLauchlane in Fonvuick and Wester Balrobie.

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(Generation 2) The Children of George Moon and Christian McGlashan in Wester Balrobie.

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Donald Moon and Cecilia (Cicel) Seaton

Blair Atholl OPR, 7th February 1797
Donald Moon in Wester Balrobie and Cecil Setton in Pitdornie, Dull parish, (married)

Donald and his wife had six children, all of them born at Wester Balrobie, between 1897 and 1810

The Minister of Moulin carried out his own census of parishioners over a five year period from December 1820, and by that time the remaining members of the family were living in Orchil-more in Moulin parish.

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The Children of Donald Moon and Cecilia (Cicel) Seaton in Orchil-more

* The baptismal record for Ann Moon was not entered into the OPR until after December 1810 and as it notes that she was born 5th and baptised 8th April, this cannot refer to 1807. Probably, she was born around 1805.

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Alexander Logie and Christian Moon in Errol

Little Dunkeld OPR, 2nd December 1826
Alexander Logie, farmer at Burnbane and Christian Moon, servant maid to John Soutar there. No objections (offered and were married).

Burnbane was just to the south-east of Murthly Castle.

Alexander Logie and Christian Moon had five children, and all were baptised in Little Dunkeld parish. The family moved to Errol parish, in the Carse of Gowrie, at some time between 1841 and 1851.

Alexander Logie died in Errol, 1859, aged 62 years.

Christina Logie, widow of Alexander Logie, farmer, died at Cowgate, Errol Village on 29th September 1869 aged 68 years. Her parents were given as Donald Moon, farmer, and Cecilia Seaton, both deceased. The informant was her son John Logie.

A memorial stone, raised by her brother Alexander, which used to stand in the Constitution Road Cemetery, Dundee, stated that she was buried at Caputh.

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The Children of Alexander Logie and Christian Moon in Little Dunkeld and Errol

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John Moon, in Dundee

The Dundee Street Directories shows that John Moon arrived in Dundee at some point after 1834. By 1837 he was a vintner (inn-keeper) at 9 Tally Street, which was a narrow road running between the Overgate and the Nethergate. Although he does not seem to be listed in the 1841 census, the Dundee Street Dirctory for 1842-43 still lists him at 9 Tally Street. The Register of Howff Burial Ground shows that John Moon, vintner, died of typhus aged 41 years, and was buried 22nd April 1843. It also records that he was born in Blair Atholl.

His younger brother Alexander placed a memorial to him in the Constitution Road Cemetery (the New Howff). Unfortunately the cemetery was demolished in 1962 and the remains were moved to a large plot in the Eastern Cemetery. Only a handful of the grave stones still survive, but Sidney Cramer listed the inscriptions in 1950.

Erected by Alexander Moon
who died 22nd July 18658, aged 61 years
in memory of his brother
John Moon
who died 19th April 1843, aged 41 years
his sister Ann Moon
who died 3rd January 1848 aged 42 years
and his sister Christine
who died 29th September 1868 aged 68 years
interred at Caputh

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Ann Moon in Dundee

The baptismal record for Ann Moon was not entered into the OPR until after December 1810 and as it notes that she was born 5th and baptised 8th April, this cannot refer to 1807. Probably, she was born around 1805 which would fit with information from Dundee.

Her name does not seem to appear in the 1841 census.

The burial record of the Howff in Dundee contains the following entry: Ann Moon in Session Street, domestic servant aged 43 years died of typhus fever and was buried on 6th January 1848 in the New Howff (Constitution Road - now demolished). The odd thing about the entry is that it gives her birthplace as Longforgan. This may just be a coincidence, but Alexander Moon, the blacksmith from Blair Atholl, married to Elizabeth Irons, had six of their children born in Longforgan around this time.

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Alexander Moon, spirit dealer in Dundee

Alexander Moon, unmarried spirit dealer, died at 20 Session Street, Dundee, on 22nd July 1868, aged 60 years. His parents were given as Donald Moon, farmer, and Cecilia Seaton, both deceased. The informant was his niece Christina Logie.

Alexander's will is subjoined to his inventory which was confirmed in Dundee, 26th August 1868. His estate worth £1,561 17s 6d came mainly from two deposit accounts with the British Linen Company's Bank in Dundee, and the interest thereupon. Everything was left to his sister Christina Logie who had been living with Alexander and his sister Janet, after the death of her husband in Errol in 1859. The only condition was that Christina was to care for Janet Moon for the rest of Janet's natural life, and the will was dated 8th June 1859. As it was, Janet Moon died unexpectedly just three months later. Afterwards, Christina moved back to Errol, where she died the following year.

Janet Moon, unmarried, died of gastric fever at 20 Session Street, Dundee, on 13th September 1859, aged 49 and was interred in the New Burying Ground. Her parents were given as Donald Moon and Cecilia Seaton, both deceased. The informant was her brother Alexander.

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Alexander Moon in Wester Balrobie.

As George Moon was living at Wester Balrobie between 1750 and 1759, it is most likely that the Alexander Moon in Wester Balrobie who married in 1753 was his brother.

Alexander Moon in Balrobie and Janet Stewart in Drumchorrie, Moulin parish, married 15th February 1753. Their only child, Janet, was born at Wester Balrobie, 24th December 1756. Janet Stewart died in February 1758 according to her Testament Dative (Dunkeld Commissary, 13th April 1758).

Janet Stewart's Testament Dative was executed by her brother germain, James Stewart in Drumchorrie, and shows that she had a tocher (wedding dowry) of £33 6s 8d Scots and that her husband owed £40 Scots for his own sister's tocher, probably the Katharine Moon who married Donald Kennedy in December 1752. The testament also shows that 9 bolls of corns (barley and oats) had been sown that spring, and that the livestock included four horses, eight cows and twelve sheep.

The Dull OPR records that Alexander Moon had an illegitimate child by Margaret Fergusson, which was named Margaret, 16th January 1759. The following month Alexander Moon in Wester Balrobie married Margaret Fergusson in Park of Fincastle, Dull parish, 1st February 1759, and the couple had another four children all born at Balrobie.

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(Generation 2) The Children of Alexander Moon and Janet Stewart in Wester Balrobie.

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(Generation 2) The Children of Alexander Moon and Margaret Fergusson in Wester Balrobie.

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Andrew Cameron and Jean Moon in Dunkeld parish

Dunkeld OPR, 3rd February 1776
Andrew Cameron and Jean Moon, (married).

One seldom has less to go on - no place names, no witnesses and as far as can be seen, no baptisms of children.

The forename 'Jean' is seldom used at this time and equates to 'Jane' rather than to 'Janet'. If she married in her mid-twenties then she was born around 1751 and there is no baptism for a Jean Moon at this time. However there was just one Janet Moon, the daughter of Alexander Moon and his first wife, Janet Stewart.

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Patrick McIntosh and Isobel Moon in Miltown of Fincastle, Dull parish

Dull OPR, 29th April 1797
Patrick McIntosh in this parish and Isobel Moon in the parish of Blair Atholl gave up their names to be proclaimed in order to marriage.

It is assumed that Patrick McIntosh (Cattanach) was living at Miltown of Fincastle in Dull parish, as that is where their only child was born.

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(Generation 3) The Children of Patrick Cattanach (Peter McIntosh) and Isobel Moon in Miltown of Fincastle, Dull.

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Christian Moon in Wester Balrobie

Donald Forbes in Easter Balrobie and Christian Moon in Wester Balrobie, married 2nd June 1797. Donald Forbes was the widower of Betty Setton by whom he already had three children: Alexander, 6th November 1781; Margaret, 10th March 1789 and Grissel, 10th September 1791. Donald Forbes and his second wife, Christian Moon, had three children in Easter Balrobie before moving to Cult of Balyoukan in Moulin parish, south of Pitlochry.

The Minister of Moulin listed the family at Cult of Balyoukan, in his 1806 census, as follows:

(Generation 3) The Children of Donald Forbes and Christian Moon in Easter Balrobie and Cult of Balyoukan.

* The Minister of Moulin's 1820 census lists James Forbes in Balyoukan as a 18-year-old apprentice blacksmith.
** Janet Forbes was the informant on the death certificate of her aunt, Margaret Moon (widow McDonald), who died in 1860.

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John McDonald and Margaret Moon in Tarvie

Moulin OPR, 14th December 1821.
John McDonald and Margaret Moon, both in this parish, were married.

The 1841 census for Moulin shows the couple living at Tarvie.

The 1851 census for Tarvie shows that John McDonald had died and his widow was living with her grandson. However their relative ages calls this into question, especially as the Moulin OPR has no record of any children being baptised.

The 1820 census for Moulin parish, conducted by the minister, provides an explanation. At Tarvie he listed John McDonald, farmer aged 33 years, and his wife Janet McLauchlan, aged 25 years. Their children were listed as John aged 2 years and Donald aged 3 months. So it would seem that Janet McLauchlan died after 1820 and that Margaret Moon was John McDonald's second wife. So John McDonald was Margaret's step-son, not her grandson.

Margaret Moon, widow of John McDonald, farmer in Tarvie, parish of Moulin, died at Wood house in the parish of Moulin, on 8th May 1860 aged 80 years and was buried in the churchyard of Old Blair. Her parents were given as Alexander Moon, farmer, and Margaret Fergusson, both deceased. The informant was her niece Janet Forbes who signed with her X mark.

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Katharine Moon in Wester Balrobie

Katharine Moon appears to have been the sister of George Moon and Alexander Moon.

Donald Kennedy in Breakach and Katharine Moon in Wester Balrobie, married 5th December 1752. Interestingly, Donald Kennedy in Breakach and Elspeth Kennedy in Bochonie, had their marriage banns retracted, 30th July 1752. The Breakach being mentioned appears to be Breakach of Lude, rather than Breakach of Glen Girnaig, as the family eventually moved to Little Lude where Alexander was born.

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(Generation 2) The Children of Donald Kennedy and Katharine Moon in Breakach of Lude.

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Alexander Kennedy and Jean McEwan married 28th November 1789, Dull parish OPR. They emigrated to New York State soon after the birth of their son Alexander in 1797 and settled in Hadley where most of their children were born.

Jean (Jane) McEwan died 29th July 1856 and was buried in the Harrington Hill cemetery, where there is a small monument inscription saying that she was 86 years old. Alexander Kennedy died in 1852 and there is a memorial to him, his wife and daughter Margaret in the Warrensburg cemetery. It is possible that Alexander Kennedy was married to Christian McDonald, prior to his marriage to Jean McEwan.

(Generation 3) The Children of Alexander Kennedy and Jane McEwan in Warrensburg, Warren Co., New York State.