CONTENTS

THE GREGOR FAMILY STORIES

 

 

A NEW LIFE IN A NEW LAND

(1767 – 1832) 

 

MISSISSIPPI MUD

(1833 – 1876) 

 

GATHERING THE CRUMBS

(1929-1946) 

 

THE SECRET OF THE RED PINE BOX

(1912-1995)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHRONOLOGICAL BIRTHDATES OF THE GREGOR FAMILY

 

CHRONOLOGICAL BIRTHDATES OF

THE GREGOR FAMILY

 

 

 

1713  Angus (Gregor) Willox                            Lowlands of Scotland 

 

1744  Ian (Gregor) Willox-Gregor                      Lowlands of Scotland 

 

1774  Duncan Gregor                                     Charlotte, NC

 

1811  Martin Gregor                                       Charlotte, NC

 

1851  William Martin Gregor                             Ashport, TN            

 

1874  John William Gregor                               Memphis, TN

 

1903  Martin William Gregor                             Memphis, TN

 

1912  Calvin Gregor                                        Little Rock, AR

 

 

A NEW LAND - A NEW LIFE

 

 

A NEW LAND - A NEW LIFE

British America and the Rebirth of the Gregor Family

 

 

The wrath of an angry Atlantic was directly upon us - the ship was in full storm! The Fair Lady pitched violently against the massive waves that thrashed the sides of the ship like rhythmic claps of thunder. Water filled every accessible space and everything that could be lashed was tightly secured lest it be lost at sea. All passengers were in fear of their lives and desperately praying for safe deliverance to the nearest land, wherever that might be. After several hours of sheer terror, the storm abated and an aerie calm came over the ship. Fortunately, the Fair Lady had survived the ravaging storm with minimal damage.

The Fair Lady had logged 53 sunrises since it left Glasgow and the 210 passengers and crew last saw land. As much time as possible was spent on deck where the air was much fresher than the stale fetid candlelit quarters below. Water was barely drinkable, the beer flat, and the rum was running low. The ship had been loaded with stable provisions such as salted meats, cheese, dried fish, hard tack, dried peas, oatmeal, raisins, and sauerkraut. Rats had gnawed into the oatmeal and the galley stores were running dreadfully low. Unfortunately, twelve passengers were lost in transit due to cholera and ship fever and one passenger was regrettably washed overboard. He could not be rescued despite our many valiant attempts.

As day was breaking, the ship made a wide gentle arc bearing northward to the port city of Wilmington in the Carolinas; the passengers became jubilant when they could just barely get a glimpse of church spires along the Cape Fear River. As the fog lifted, one could see that the moderate size harbor was filled with an array of frigates, barques, and brigs. The Fair Lady was blessed with a beautiful morning and all gave thanks for a safe arrival.

Gulls alighted on the masts and rigging en masse seeking scraps of nourishment; however, passengers believed they were justly welcoming them to their new home. From that day forward Ian decided to take back our rightful family name of Gregor. Clan Gregor was recognized as the purest branch of the ancient peoples of Scotland - true descendants of the native Pictic stock and King Kenneth Alpin. One of Ian’s prized possessions was an old fragment of the Gregor tartan that he planned to frame at the first opportunity.

The date was May 14, 1773. The family had been living in the Lowlands using the alias Willox due to the Proscription against the MacGregors. Ian’s ancestors originated in the Loch Lomond area of the Scottish Highlands, and as the proscription intensified, they migrated to Paisley, not far from Elderslie, the birthplace of William Wallace.

Ian was trained as a master carpenter and cabinetmaker and managed to save, along with help from my grandfather Angus, 21 pounds sterling over a 6 year period to make the voyage with his young wife Rebecca. Ian had many spirited discussions with grandfather about traveling to British America, but Angus held his ground for he could not bear to leave his beloved Scotland. Ian would truly miss the family and friends that he left behind in Paisley.

During a ten month stay in Wilmington, that spanned the fall and winter, Ian made preparations to open a carpentry shoppe with fellow Scot Allan Greer in Charlotte, just east of the Catawba River. After a short stay in Cross Creek, they made the journey west to Charlotte. Rebecca was with child and Ian wrote Angus and the family announcing their safe arrival and of future plans not knowing if they would ever receive the letter. Ian and Rebecca arrived in Charlotte on April 2, 1774 and I, Duncan, was born a month later on May 4 - the first American born Gregor. Benjamin was born a year later and Mary followed in 1777.

It took several years for the shoppe to flourish and Thomas Talbot, a cooper, and Hans Oberman - skilled in clock cases and fine wood items - were hired. Hans was especially proficient in the German tradition, a rare find in Charlotte. Soon the business was booming producing everything from casks and hogsheads to tables and chairs, chests, cabinets, and occasional custom pieces for the more wealthy patrons. We were now attracting customers from all parts of Mecklenburg County and the Catawba Valley.

One of our more prominent customers was Master Winemaker Pierre François Garbeau, a widower and owner of a small vineyard in the Catawba valley just west of the city. We quickly became the major supplier of oak barrels for his wine. Pierre was short in statue with a hawk like nose - always well dressed in public, adventurous for new opportunities, and very persuasive. We heard that his late wife was of a wealthy French family that supplied funds for the vineyard. Pierre knew just enough English to get things done; however, his choice of words was often ambiguous - sometimes humorous.

My best friend, Gavan Douglas was born in February of 1775. Gavan and I spent much time together and, both of us with light ginger hair, many assumed we were brothers. We grew up strong and healthy learning the trade and quite a bit about growing grapes. However, it was not easy growing up in Charlotte. Over the years, Charlotte grew rapidly; the large influx of people was very good for business, but it also brought many new challenges and Gavan and I had our share of scraps with the new immigrants.

In April of 1775, we heard of skirmishes between British troops and militiamen in Lexington and Concord - a full-scale war with Britain was imminent. By June 1776 the Americans were in full control of all colonies; however, the British Royal Navy captured New York City and made it their main base. The war was becoming a standoff.

A year later, the Battle of Saratoga became the real turning point in the war. The battle showed the world that the young American army was an effective fighting force that could standup to the powerful British Redcoats by preventing a potential invasion from the north.

The British captured Charleston early in 1780 and were on the move through the southern colonies. Charlotte was a small town, but important to the British overall “southern strategy” for winning the war. As an advance guard of General Cornwallis’ army advanced toward the city, we formed a defense line at the Mecklenburg County Court House located at the intersection of the two main streets. A skirmish ensued with the British Calvary encountering significant loss; however, our dear friend Allan Greer was mortally wounded in the conflict. As Cornwallis’ complete army advanced, we moved northeast toward Salisbury drawing the British away from the city.

The unrelenting combat continued until 1781 when General Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette discussed strategic plans to combine French troops with Continental Army forces to defeat the British at Yorktown. Freedom was finally within our sights!

After many years of a grueling war for independence, we decided to express our new won liberty by investing in Master Garbeau’s successful vineyard. The deal was sealed at the local Cock’s Crow Tavern. It apparently got it’s moniker from cocks waking patrons at sunrise after a well spent evening. Ian and the group were indeed venturing into the precarious, and inherently risky, business of wine, but nevertheless the group decided to move forward and toasted with a wee dram of Littlemill whisky that Ian had procured for such occasions.

At a young age, I started acquiring the essential skills of soil preparation, planting, and vine pruning under the tutelage of Master Garbeau. Propagating grapes is much more complicated than I ever thought. Grape vines can produce as much as thirteen feet of new growth on a single vine in one growing season. Pruning is done in late winter and usually grape vine pruning requires that you remove as much as 75% of vegetative growth so the plant can properly develop and ripen the fruit. Much hard work and dedication is required to operate a successful vineyard and I soon realized that it would take many years to become proficient in producing a superior grape and quality wine.

One early autumn afternoon, I was sitting at the bench working and Gavan stopped by,

“What are you repairing?

I replied, “Just old Mr. Quincy’s trunk. Won’t take long.”

Gavan continued, “When you’re finished, perhaps we can ride over to the vineyard and visit Master Garbeau. I hear he has developed some new pruning techniques that we might use in the coming months.”

I responded, “That would be great - we haven’t seen him for several weeks. I’ll let father know of our plans.”

We arrived around 4PM with several hours of daylight

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 17.02.2015
ISBN: 978-3-7368-7931-7

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