Hermiston Genealogy History
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Hermiston/Hermeston/Harmiston?
- Where did we start
- Hermiston Farm, Scotland
- Village of Hermiston, Scotland
- Hermiston Gait, Scotland
- Hermeston Townsite, Canada
- Hermiston Oregon
- The Borders, Scotland/England
Introduction
Back in 1980 "something" I started on the task of finding my forefathers
and as a nieve genealogist I started on a hunt for all forebearers of
Ray Talbot Hermiston and Mary Kathleen Sullivan. I ran out of steam
rather quickly and sort of left things in abeyance until 1996 when
I retired.
Unfortunately for the other groups I started first on the Hermistons and found
that there are very few of us in the world... so I decided on what
the genealogists call a "one name" search. I then quickly realized that
the spouses of Hermistons and the children of female Hermistons who
no longer carried the Hermiston name could not be followed ..
(after all there are only 24 hours in a day!).. but if
a Hermiston supplied all the data I would record these branches in my
database for them. Hence the quest started...... Wow then I found a
Hermiston who has brother who is a
Hermeston... then in census records
and a family bible I found Harmistons...
(see Hermiston/Hermeston/Harmistons section below)
Because of my interest in the world wide web I have located the
original 2 families who emigrated to Australia (1850's) and 3 Hermistons
who originated in England but are currently living in New Zealand.
Through the white pages on the web I have started on the American
Hermistons. John Hermiston (1895) just passsed away in Iowa in 1998!
I intend to concentrate on the USA Hermistons in 1999.
Then in November of 1998 we travelled to Scotland and spent 6 full days in the General
Registry House in Edinburgh. That facility has a detailed record of
every Scot who has registered in Scotland for a birth, a marriage, or a
death from the years 1855 to 1998... yes I mean everbody. I left the
registry house with 36 hand written pages of Scottish: births to 1950;
Marriages to 1950; and deaths to 1920... You know what there still "ain't"
many of us! We travelled some 1500 miles (on the wrong side of the road!)
around the "Borders" area of
England and Scotland and saw the actual structures, or at least the towns,
where all of my direct ancestors lived in Roxburghshire and Berwickshire
1746-1831 when they came to Canada.
We returned to Canada for Christmas but have managed to miss
the recent blizzards because we are staying in Florida until May 1st.
My goal is all Hermiston/Hermeston/Harmistons from 1100 to 2000 in book
to be printed in the year 2015I need your help..
any help no matter how insignificant you may think it is!
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Hermiston/Hermeston/Harmiston
To date I have recorded the following spellings of Hermiston:
Hermiston, Hermeston, Harmiston, Hermistone, Herestone, Hermieston,
Hermister, Hermison, Harmison, Hermistoun, Hermistoune, Herdmistoun,
Hirdemaneston, Herdmanston, Herdmanstone, de Hirdmainston,
Hirdmanestone, Hirdmanniston, Herdmannystoun .
Obviously the really wild spellings are also really old,
but if one thinks about it very few people were able to read or write.
To give you an example of spelling for a single family which I have followed
and know for sure it is correct.
1830 in Roxburgh Scotland: Hermiston
1851 census in Northumberland Eng: Harmison
1861 census in Ontario: Harmiston
1871 census in Ontario: Hermiston
1881 census in Ontario: Hermeston
1901 census in Ontario: 2 brothers.. Hermiston/Hermeston !
Another case in point my
ggg-grandfather Hermestoun
gg-grandfather Hermistone
g-grandfather Hermiston and even he was a Harmiston iin an 1871 census
I realize that these census records are not "the legal" spelling but you
know all records are hand written at one time or another.
One Hermeston when I visited him last
summer showed me his birth certificate...
Hermiston... as he explaied a
miscue in Ottawa but!!!!
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Where did we start
The Hermistons from 1200
It appears that the first written document about the Hermiston's
occurred in the old Barony of Lilliesleaf in Scotland.
Lilliesleaf is an area of southern Scotland in the borders area.
Towns near the area are Selkirk, Jedbugh and Hawick.
In 1202 Alexander De Hirdmanestun witnessed the charter of land
called "Schotteschales" in Lilliesleaf.
The next event seems to be the family seal (or crest ?)
which was used by Johan de Hirdmanston or Hirdmanestone
when he paid hommage in the county of Rokesburk (Roxburgh).
The seal is described as:
A merlin perched on a gloved hand
with a star in the background and the words
s'IOH'IS DE HIRDMAINSTON under it.....
(I do not have a copy of the seal which has any credibility
...yet!)
The land seems to have passed to William de Stapilton in 1349.
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Hermiston Farm, Scotland
Between Lilliesleaf and Selkirk about four miles from Lilliesleaf one
makes a left turn at the sign for Newhouse Farm and the Hermiston Farm.
To the best of my knowledge that location (from the records including that of
King James the VI) is the site of the original land holdings of Alexander
de Hirdmanestun in the mid 1100's. Unfortunately James the VI removed
the land from the Hirdmanstons and gave it to William Stapilton in 1349.
The property, as most in Scotland, retained its original name and still
in 1999 is called "Hermiston".
The farm is about 300 acres in size and is situated on the Ale Water (River) in the Teviot Hills.
The main source of income in 1998 appeared to be from sheep although a few cows
were seen. There is one major farm house at the top of the hill along the road
which appears to be two residences. There were two large stone barns located
there as well as a steel barn. At the bottom of the hill was another large
farmhouse and a smaller cottage. In this lower area there were 4 very large
barns although some did not seem to be "active" buildings.
The scenery was great and I'm sure from time to time you will see some pictures
appearing on my home page.
The only records I was able to find show
possession in the 1800's and since it was never owned by Hermistons again
I will only include a few entries.
Valuation Roll Roxurgshire parish of Lilliesleaf
Farm Hermiston 1866
Owner: Andrew Stewart
Farm Hermiston 1869-70
Owner: Andrew Stewart
Occupied: Fancis Stewart
Rent of 380 pounds was paid to the Earl of Minto
Farm Hermiston 1894-5
Owner: Andrew Stewart
there are four houses on the farm and they are occupied by:
Tennants: Andrew and James Elliot
Steward: William Bell
Ploughman: Alex Laidlaw
Ploughman: Walter Hunter
Farm Hermiston 1913
Owner: Andrew Stewart
4 house occupied by:
Tennants: James Elliot and James Elliot Jr.
Manager: Walter Elliott
Retired: William Bell
?: Robert Hope
4th house: empty
Farm Hermiston 1939-40
Owner Oliver Marshall Stewart (from Canada!)
4 houses occupied by:
Farmer: Peter Brodie
Servant: Andrew Harding
Servant: Miss Janet Watson
Ploughman: Archibald Steele
Farm Hermiston 1960-61
Owner: James Miekle
4 houses occupied by:
Farm and House (238 acres) Ellen wife of Dr. James I Miekle
Steward: Alex Anderson (4 acres)
Stockman: Iain Mcmillan (4 acres)
Tractorman: John Pringle (4 acres)
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Hermiston Village, Scotland
The Village of Hermiston, Midlothian, Scotland dates back to the 1400's
The original name seems to have developed from "Lang Herdsman" a place
where the "lang hinds" tall shepherds (definitely not my branch of the Hermistons!)
met along the banks of the Gogar
Water north east of Currie... both villages are due west of
Edinbugh. There does not appear to have been any connection to the name
Hermiston and definitely no Hermistons ever owned the property. I will
take a few lines to explain this Village of Hermiston as it developed. Most
of the quotes are from a text called "Our District the Historical background
of Currie & Ratho Parashes" by John Tweedie and Cyril Joones in 1975.
"There is a driveway to the north gate, ( of Riccarton estate ) which connects with Hermiston.
Hermiston House, which now also belongs to Heriot-Watt University, was for many years
the dower-house of Riccarton. There is a charter for Hermiston House under the
great seal of King James VII in favour of Thomas Craig of Riccarton on 26th of June 1886.
Previously, it had been held by various owners: Bethune of Balfour; Kennedy;
Macdowell.. the earliest being Dishington or Eschington at the time of King
Robert I."
"An interesting fact is that Grizel Bethune (or Beaton), daughter and heiress of
Alex Kennedy, married Wm. McDougal (or McDowell) who was the "Willie"
of "Willie's Gane to Melville Castle. Many of the carved stones
incoporated in Hermiston House were taken from Corstorphine Church by
William Burn, the famous architect, who resided in Hermiston House".
"Hermiston or Langherdmanstoun as it was often called in old documents,
has always been conected with land in Currie village. For instance, in 1458 in the Exchequer
Rolls there is a reference to '3rd part of Landherdsmanstoun, Currie,
Redhuis'. Each part of Hermiston seems to have been linked with separate
areas, as when Mossman in 1570 purchased 'the lands of Landherdsmanstoun
and Currie with the meal mill belonging to the late Edmonstone'."
"However, the hamlet itself has always been purely involved in farming and the brewing of ale.
There were the farms of West Hermiston, Mid Hermiston, and East Hermiston,
the brewing being done in East Hermiston. To quote a Tack agreement of 1785,
George Davidson of the West Farm of Currie and the Mill of Currie 'binds
and obligies himself and his foresaids, his servants and cottars shall take whatever ale
they shall have reason to use in their families from the tennants in the
Brewery erected at the Easter Mansion House of Hermiston...
and shall not tap, sell, or vend any other ale... as long as the tennats therein always
furnish good and sufficient ale which other brewries in the country do..'."
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Hermiston Gait, Scotland
As you drive north on the motorway out of Edinburgh
towards the Forth Bridge you will see a sign for a "slip road"
leading to (of course!) a roundabout for "Hermiston".
Just after accessing the road to Hermiston Village you come across
a large shopping centre called "Hermiston Gait". If you go into
the centre you will find a sort of "outlet mall". However, be cautioned
... no coffee, no washrooms ... In looking through the National Library
of Scotland
for Hermistons we came across the following data on the mall.
20 July 1994
One of Edinburgh's newest shopping centres sold for 42 million pounds
Sterling... Hermiston Gait Retail Park.
11 January 1996
Hard to find stores complaint as shoppers are driven BARMEY!
Shoppers are being driven round the bend by a new road layout
while they are trying to find a city retail park.. Hermiston Gait!
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Hermeston Townsite, Canada
As reported in the 1928 Directory of the Cobalt area
A subdivision in the township of Bucke on the west side of T. & N. O.
Railway, Post Office Cobalt.
Alphabetical List of Names
....A....
Anderson James carpenter..resident(res)
....E....
Erickson Arthur res; Erickson Martha maid lives with (lvs) Arthur Erickson
...G....
Grace Edward miner res; Grace Evelyn lvs Edward Grace
....H....
Hedman Alexander miner res; Hedman Carl lineman NCR lvs Alexander Hedman;
Hedman Henry miner lvs Alexander Hedman
Hermeston Bertel miner lvs Edward Hermeston; Hermeston Bruce lvs Edward Hermeston;
Hermiston Edward miner res; Hermeston Leslie miner lvs Edward Hermeston;
Hermeston Paul cook lvs Edward Hermeston; Hermeston Peter traveller lvs
Edward Hermeston
....J....
Jacobson Siver miner res
....P....
Peterson Gustof miner res
....T....
Towie Harold labourer res
....W....
Wilson Edison miner lvs Isaac Wilson; Wilson Grace lvs Isaac Wilson;
Wilson Isaac res
I was unable to find this townsite in any other directories or any other years!
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Hermiston, Oregon
This is getting to be a habit but... the City of Hermiston in Oregon, USA
was NOT named after a Hermiston either!!!!
The Town got its name from the unfinished works of Robert Louis Stevenson's
"The Weir of Hermiston"... I would suppose that that "ficticious book"
was set in "Hermiston Village" or perhaps the "Hermiston Farm" area.
You can get at the book on the web at
Wier of Hermiston and at the town of Hermiston at
Hermiston Oregon
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The Borders Scotland/England
These data have not been composed yet I'll put an
on the home page when data are added!
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