The Gambler
James Lumgair (1814-1849?) was the eldest son of David by his second wife Agnes Crawford. He was legally pronounced to have died without lawful issue before 1st June 1865. Family tradition dates it earlier; about 1849, during the American Gold Rush. We know he sailed to the United States of America about 1840, but not the circumstances which led to his emigrating. Once in the United States of America, he completely lost touch with his family. He became a professional gambler and was shot in a quarrel over a card game during the Gold Rush of 1849.

Major Skeletons in the Cupboard?
Robert Lumgair (1820-1884) was a partner in the family business. He became a Bailie of Arbroath but never Provost. He was a Volunteer Officer, and in course of time commanded the Arbroath Artillery Volunteer Corps, as a Major, and received the Volunteer Officers Decoration. He married Isabella Creighton and had one son David in 1848 who emigrated to South Africa and died without issue. On his death in 1881 the family business was closed down.

Yet there is some evidence that my great great great uncle fathered other children in 1847/8 through his housekeeper Isabella Clark (issuing in a large contingent of Lumgairs in the Stonehaven Arbroath area) and through his servant Jane Duncan (issuing in numerous Lumgairs in Canada and the USA). [See Family History pages for charts.]

Banking on it
David’s youngest son was my great grandfather, Charles Lumgair (1836-1918). He was educated at the Edinburgh Academy, as a day boy, staying with his Uncle William Crawford in Heriot Row, Edinburgh during term time, and at Edinburgh University, where he graduated M.A. His first aim was to enter the Ministry, but during his student days at the University he changed his mind. On his return to Arbroath from Edinburgh in 1857 he took it for granted that there would be an opening for him in the family business. But by then his brother John was running the firm (his father had retired two years before) and John then in his 50s, had no intention of offering a partnership to a young man of 21. So the three partners got together, and decided to buy him out. Archibald Crawford wrote to the firm's Liverpool Agent, Sir James Smith, asking him if he could find a suitable appointment for him. In the upshot, my grandfather set off for Liverpool with between £2000 and £3000 in cash at his command, to take up a clerkship with Heywood & Co., Bankers; with an eventual partnership to look forward to. Long before that happened, The Bank of Liverpool, Ltd.,a fairly newly formed Joint Stock Bank, bought up Heywood & Co. My great grandfather received shares in the Bank of Liverpool and the appointment of Accountant - later renamed Chief Accountant - which he held for the rest of his working life - he retired on 30th June, 1906. (The Bank of Liverpool, after a series of mergers and take-overs, is now part of Barclays Bank Ltd). My great grandfather, Charles Lumgair, married on 14th February, 1865, at the Parish Church of Eassie and Nevay, Marion Campbell, daughter of John Black of Eassie, a childhood sweetheart. They were married by my great, great uncle David Lumgair, then Minister of St. Boswells.

The Prodigal
Their eldest son was my grandfather David Lumgair (1870-1948). Next came Charles Lumgair (18th January, 1872 - 1902?) I know little about him, save that his career seems to have been not unlike that of his uncle James Lumgair (1814 - 1849 7). Just as my great grandfather would never talk about his brother James; so my grandfather father was most reluctant to speak of his brother Charles (his favourite brother, I gathered). Apparently he got in with a fast lot as a young man, and was sent off to the United States of America in something of a hurry; and that but for him my grandfather might have been a wealthy man, as he had to find some £2000 to clear Charles' obligations, which he did by selling his holding of Courtauld Shares, which (had he retained them) would have been worth a hundred times that amount, or more, thirty years later. Charles was found a job in New York, but soon left it and drifted west. An occasional Micawber-like letter came to my great grandfather, asking for money. In 1902 came the last of them, saying that he was going blind and asking for 1000 dollars. My great grandfather had had enough was quite unconvinced by the letter, and did not reply to it: this on the advice of his son-in-law, James Macdonald (who was a man not inclined to suffer fools gladly), and against the advice of my grandfather, who was still sorry for "poor Charlie". Nothing more was ever heard of my great Uncle Charles, who must be presumed to have died not earlier than 1902.