Discovering Campbell women of Ederline and Strachur

Abstract

It has long been known by descendants of the Salmond family of West Lothian, that Margaret Campbell born about 1778 in Kilmichael, Argyll, who married “out of” Clan Campbell to a man called William Salmond in the early 19th century, was the daughter of Dugald Campbell of Ederline. However, she remained missing from established genealogies with very little known about her. It was hypothesised that there could be other descending lines that lead back to other “missing” females of the same family. Various records were investigated, with information contained in three legal documents providing a fortuitous route to discovering Margaret’s siblings, her aunts and collateral relatives. When corroborated through further research and the details confirmed and consolidated, the resulting family chart demonstrated a significant extension of the Campbell cadet lines of Strachur and Ederline in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly with regards to Campbell womenfolk. Besides setting the record straight, the findings could help descendants researching back on Campbell lines and may also support DNA research when seeking a common Campbell ancestor for DNA Matches.