The_Family_Left-Behind_In

Thomas MORTON, grandfather of John, had six children that we have found, and two of the sons, THOMAS (John's father) and JAMES married two sisters, MARGARET and LILLIAS WILSON, both of East Kilbride Parish.
Thomas MORTON and Margaret WILSON's family, Thomas and JOHN, emigrated to NZ as previously recorded.
JAMES never married.
JANET married ARCHIBALD MORTON of East Kilbride Parish - we have no further record of this family.
CHRISTINA married THOMAS MATTHEW, a Corn Merchant - we have no further details of this family.

John MORTON married JANET STRUTHERS of East Kilbride parish, they had eight children, ANDREW (b 29.6.1809), JANET (b 21.7.1810), ELISABETH (b 17.2.1812), AGNES (b 2.6.1814), JOHN ROBERT (b 20.10.1816), JAMES (b 25.12.1818), ROBERT (b 11.7.1821) and WILLIAM (b 19.4.1824). Unfortunately, apart from the 1841 census for East Kilbride which shows John, Janet, Robert and William living in East Kilbride village, there is no further information on this family at all.

James MORTON and Lillias WILSON on the other hand, is a completely different story. The family shows in all the census' from 1841 to 1881 at Park Farm in East Kilbride Parish. This farm was also part of the Cleughearn Estate, and bordered Laigh Cleughearn Farm. There were five children recorded that we have found - JOHN (b 1818), JAMES (b1820),ANN (b 1821), WALTER (b 1822), and HUGH (b1825).
With the exceptions of Walter and James, who are still shown as unmarried and on Park Farm in the 1871 census, the other children all married.
JOHN married JANE WILSON, a cousin, and moved to Arpochill Farm, also bordering Park Farm, where they had eleven children, the first three, MARY, LILLIAS and JANE being born before John and family emigrated in 1859.
ANN married William McKEAN of East Kilbride parish, and they had five children, WILLIAM, JANET, ROBERT, MARY and ANN. Unfortunately, William died aged 3 in 1844 of diptheria; Robert died in 1849 aged five, and Ann died in 1855 aged two. We have no further information about this family.
HUGH did not marry until 1873, aged 48, to ANNE GILMOUR of East Kilbride, and they stayed on Park Farm. They had four children, MARY, LILLIAS, ANNABELLA GILMOUR and HUGH who was born only a few months before his father died. Annabella died aged 1 in 1880, and Hugh (the baby) died aged five in 1886. Annie stayed on Park Farm after the death of Hugh, and she re-married JAMES BARR, who took over the lease of the farm.

It is interesting to note that the WILSON sisters, MARGARET and LILLIAS, the daughters of James and Jane Wilson of East Kilbride; they had five recorded children - Margaret, Lillias, Elisabeth, Elisabeth(2) and Ann.
ELISABETH(2) married John HAMILTON and one of their children, ROBERT, was in New Zealand managing Seaward Downs Estate for the NZ & Australian Land Co. His grand-daughter, Marion Hamilton married John Morton's grand-son James Grieve - so the relationship went full circle.
In addition, ANN Wilson married Alexander VALLANCE, first cousin of Jane Vallance MORTON, wife of John MORTON. It is understandable that confusion reigned when trying to piece together the relationships in this family.!!!!