JOHN ALEXANDER CAMERON
John Cameron christening record, Kilmelford parish
When John was eight years old, the family moved to Catherine’s home parish of Kilbrandon. Two years later they moved to the parish of Inishail, further inland near beautiful Loch Awe. John had an older brother, John, who died as a baby, and an older sister, Hellen, and a younger sister, Flora, and five younger brothers, Malcolm, Duncan, Peter, James, and Alexander (Sandy).
John Cameron in kilt
The picture of John Alexander Cameron in his full Highland dress gives some intriguing clues to his ancestry. The kilt appears to be Cameron of Erracht. The tall feather John wore on his cap is an indication that he was an armiger in Clan Cameron. An armiger is a worthy member of his clan or a member of Scottish nobility. Clan Cameron genealogist Alistair Cameron explained in an e-mail, "The "nobility" of Scotland is unlike that of England, France, etc. The Clan Chief wears three eagle feathers in his bonnet. The Chief is "first among equals" and mixes socially with all his community. The next level down wears two feathers." The next level down is a chieftain, who is permitted to wear two eagle feathers. An armiger is permitted one eagle feather. Alistair Cameron explains that an armiger is "A person of assured quality. Trusted. Traditionally, he would be prepared to fight in battle, and the clansmen would treat him as brother." John's family were not wealthy, and his father, Alexander worked as a laborer and carter, but "Wealth and nobility aren't linked in Scotland." (Alistair Cameron) The wearing of feathers was strongly enforced by custom: "For this reason, barons wear two eagle feathers, chieftain-fashion, in their bonnets when in full Highland dress. Armigers wear one feather, the recognised chiefs (members of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs) display three feathers. The wearing of eagle feathers is not covered by any ancient laws – the usage is entirely by custom – but the prerogative is strongly defended by the chiefs." (www.scotsbarons.org) John Cameron's character makes it unlikely that he would have worn the feather undeservedly, so it appears that he may have had noble roots. Also, a receipt for funds sent to Great Britain in 1861 shows him as John Cameron, Esq. Debrett's Peerage defines the use of Esquire as "By the 14th century an esquire (armiger) practically attained equality with a knight, both in function and privileges." The use of the title in England and Scotland indicated a person higher than a gentleman and lower than a knight. John was the oldest son in the family, so may have carried any hereditary titles due to the family.
For information on John Alexander Cameron's kilt, click here.
John grew up and learned to work as a shoemaker. He moved to
Glasgow, seeking work, as times were difficult in the
Highlands. Here he met Margaret Fairgrieve. He married her 26
August 1845. In October 1845 he was baptized into the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Glasgow Branch LDS record, showing John Cameron's birth information:
"John Cameron, born Kilmelford, Argyle, 25 Dec 1820"
1845 Glasgow city directory
Two years later John and Margaret had a daughter, Catherine.
A year later the little family immigrated to the United
States. John’s sisters made him a blanket to take with him,
which he treasured all through his life.
John Cameron's blanket made by his sisters
Photo courtesy of Dorothy Hein
John and Margaret stayed with Margaret’s sister in Patterson, New Jersey, until: “In Patterson, they lived with Margaret's sister. John told his wife to not tell her sister they were Mormons as he knew their attitudes toward the Mormons. For a while she didn't, but she was so pleased with her membership that she finally told her sister, expecting her to be glad for her. Instead her sister ordered them out of their home.”(John H. Haslem)
Margaret became very ill: “While
there, they suffered many hardships. His wife was taken very ill
and the doctors said there was nothing could be done to save her
life. John Cameron heard of some Mormon Elders thirty miles
away. He wrote them and asked if they would come and administer
to his wife. He told them he would pay their fare if they would
come. They came and administered to her and promised her she
would be healed and that a son would be born to them. James A.
Cameron was born and was the delight of his parents and was
called a promised son.” (George H. Southam) A son
James was born in 1851.
1850 census, Patterson township, Passaic, New Jersey
The family moved to St. Louis, Missouri: “They moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1852. The family had very little money: “When they arrived in St. Louis, it was probably Friday night. They had enough money to buy food for his wife and two children and himself for one week, or else enough to pay for lodging for his family. They decided that they must have a place to live, so they spent every cent they had for lodging. He went out and got himself a job at his trade of shoemaking, but he could not start work until Monday. Being a faithful man, he located the Church, which was about nineteen blocks from where they lived. Sunday morning on his way to Church he found 25 cents in paper money lying on the board sidewalk. There were people coming and going all the way, but by the time he had reached the church, he had found enough money to feed his family for one week.” (George H. Southam) The family lived at 6th and St. Charles Streets in St. Louis.
St. Louis in 1860 - the red dots show the Cameron's home
at 6th and Charles Streets,
and the location of the LDS branch opened in 1854 at 4th
and Washington Street.
Margaret became ill again, and died of pneumonia in St.
Louis in 1855, leaving John to care for his eight-year-old
daughter and four-year-old son.
Marriage license for John Cameron and Mary McFall
Later that same year, John married again, to Mary McFall on 16 October 1855. Mary’s mother, Mary Cunnachy McFall, kept a wonderful journal. She tells about how John and Mary met, “We journeyed to St. Louis from New Orleans. We went to stay for a while with a friend John Cameron from Scotland. Mary, my daughter who had come with the McKeechies married John Cameron in 1851, his first wife was Margaret Fairgrove or Ferguson. Mary had two girls.” (Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 13, p. 352) John and Mary had two girls, Margaret (1855), who died the day she was born, and Mary (1857), who died as a baby, and a son Robert. Mary's mother, Mary Cunnachy McFall, went to Utah in 1855, and died in Salt Lake in 1856. Mary's sister, Margaret Ann McFall Caldwell and her children traveled to Utah with the ill-fated Willie Handcart Company, and arrived about a month after her mother died. Mary McFall Cameron died in St. Louis on 16 November 1857.
St. Louis City Directory 1857
John is shown in the St. Louis
city directory in 1857, working as a shoemaker.
Marriage license for John Cameron and Alice Parkinson
John married Alice Parkinson on 7 August 1958. A son, John, was
born to them in St. Louis a year later. John is shown in the
1859 city directory in St. Louis:
1859 St. Louis city directory
Ordination certificate for John Cameron
The 1860 census for St. Louis, Missouri
shows John working as a whitener, or someone who bleaches cloth:
John Cameron, age 42, occupation: Whitener, born Scotland
Source: 1860 federal census, St. Louis Ward 6, St. Louis (Independent City), Missouri, www.ancestry.com
1860 census, St. Louis, Missouri
John is shown in the 1860 St. Louis city directory as: Cameron
John, plasterer, r. 39 St. Charles
A history of William H. Parkinson says "The Parkinsons lived in
separate quarters in the same house as William's Aunt Alice, her
husband John Cameron and their family. John Cameron worked as a
plasterer or whitener. Both John Parkinson and John Cameron list
their home addresses as their place of business, so maybe they
were building houses together...John Parkinson and Alex Graham
were active as ward teachers in the St. Louis branch, and John
Cameron was a counselor in the branch presidency. Another story
we don't quite know. In May 1859 the Parkinsons and Grahams made
a trip across the river to Illinois, where John Cameron
rebaptized them. When William turned eight in 1860, it was John
Cameron who baptized him as well."
John Cameron - naturalization papers
In 1861 the family prepared to cross the plains to Utah to join the Saints. Family stories say that they had in their care a little nephew of Alice Parkinson's, William Parkinson. However, the William H. Parkinson site says "According to John Cameron's history, Alice Cameron had the care of William when they crossed the plains, which appears to be an error. Perhaps Alice cared for him after his mother died until his father remarried." (http://wbp.parkinsonfamily.org)
The Cameron family traveled up the river
by boat from St. Louis to Florence, Nebraska. While they were
camped there, a daughter, Jennette, was born in a covered wagon.
The Captain of the company was Joseph W. Young. Ancel Harman
assisted John Cameron in driving his two yoke of oxen to draw
the heavy wagon. After they had traveled several days, John
Cameron became sick, and was not able to drive the wagon: “The
worry and hardship caused by this new responsibility, which he
felt he was not fitted for, and the hardships of bringing his
family across the plains, contributed to the circumstances which
caused him to take Mountain Fever.” (George H.
Southam) John was very ill, and Alice was
still recovering from childbirth. The family was worried that
they would have to drop out of the wagon train, but it was
decided that Catherine would drive the wagon, with help when
needed. Captain Young and his assistant, Ancel Harmon, said they
would help them until they were well and could keep up with the
company that way. Catherine was only fourteen years old, but she
drove her father's oxen with Oscar Young's help. The company of
Saints traveled all the hot summer over prairies and mountains
to Salt Lake Valley, and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in late
October 1861.
The family settled in Salt Lake
Valley, until called by Presiding Bishop Hunter to settle Round Valley in northern Utah.
They were the first settlers in Round Valley. Round Valley is
described as “a very verdant and almost round valley, tucked
away behind some low hills at the southern tip of Bear Lake.
Buffalo, elk, antelope and mule deer were plentiful…Into this
paradise came the first white settlers in 1863, setting up some
log and sod cabins near Big Spring Creek toward the south end of
the oblong valley. Nearby mountains were heavy with timber and
men built a dam on the creek of logs, brush and sod. In 1864 a
canal was completed and a sawmill built. More settlers came in
and set up homesteads. As log cabins and barns began to appear,
the local Indians became hostile so the whites built their homes
in small clusters. Indian troubles became more serious in
1866…In 1870 the Indians came prepared for a great battle,
complete with war colors and trappings, dancing and chanting on
a knoll in the middle of the Valley. Pres. Brigham Young, being
advised of imminent war, had Stake Pres. Charles C. Rich of the
Bear Lake area meet with the Indians, which resulted in the
Indians being located on a new reservation in the Wind River
country of Wyoming.”(The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost
Towns, Stephen L. Carr)
Catherine met George Southam in
Round Valley, and they were married in 1862. Robert Cameron,
John’s son by his second marriage died here in 1864. While the
family lived at Round Valley, little John Cameron had an
accident that left him a cripple the rest of his life: “He was a
very bright child and was handy at mending the wooden tubs and
other useful things.” (George H. Southam) George
Henry also recalled: "Grandpa Cameron lived on Bishop Hunter’s
(the second Presiding Bishop of the Church) farm. Round Valley
is a very short distance from Laketown, Utah. He lived there
during three years of a bad grasshopper scourge."
1870 census, Morgan, Morgan County, Utah
John lived there until the fall of 1870, and then was called to
Randolph, Utah: “In 1870, John
Cameron (with several others) was again called to uproot his
family and help settle a new community. This time it was in the
middle of the bleak, sagebrush-covered Bear River Valley, and
the settlement was Randolph. All of the courageous pioneers had
a struggle to make a living in this cold country.” (Nola
Cornia Jackson) A history of Randolph at http://history.utah.gov
says "On the 14th of March 1870, the first settlers came into
this valley, responding to a call from the general authorities
of the church...Coming from St. Charles, Idaho were Randolph H.
Stewart, Robert and Charles Pope, Edwin T. Pope, William Pearce
and others. One week later, Apostle Charles C. Rich and Company
arrived...Many others soon came, including Levi O. Pead, William
Howard, Jr., Mrs. Agnes Smith, Samuel Henderson, Alfred G. and
William Rex, John Cameron, Samuel Brough, Wiliam Tyson and
Archibald McKinnon, Sr. They continued to come with a spirit of
hope, not seeking wealth, but responding to a call wanting only
a peaceful, progressive way of life." John's grandson remembers:
“In 1870, my grandfather, with others, started to make a home at
Randolph in Rich County. At that time he gave six hundred
dollars for a pair of mules, both of which were blind; they had
been used to help construct the Union Pacific Railroad. I
remember as a boy that he did a lot of work with those mules. He
cut his hay with a scythe, raked it with a hand rake, cut his
grain with a cradle and bound it by hand. When he visited us, I
used to ask him to put me on the mules while they grazed.” (George
H. Southam)
Randolph was a challenging place: “They had a hard time
making a living in that cold country. He still worked at his
trade as shoemaker most of the time, making his own wooden pegs
for the soles of the boots and shoes. Many of the men working on
the railroad wore high top boots. When the soles wore out they
would throw them away. When my grandfather came to visit us, he
would encourage me to gather these up and cut the good leather
out and save it. This contributed much to his shoemaking
materials, Salt Lake City being the closest place where leather
could be bought and this was five or six days journey away. He
worked nights at his bench to keep people shod as best they
could at the time. As I remember it now, he and his family
worked hand in hand to make a home.” (George H.
Southam) A history of Rich County recounts: “In the
early days the Fast and Testimony meetings were held on
Thursday. The people fasted, prayed, and bore testimony to the
truthfulness of the gospel. At one of these meetings John
Cameron spoke in Tongues.” Rich Memories (FHS #979.213 H2t)
John Cameron's shoe, coin purse, and knife
John and Alice’s son, John died in 1879. His family remembers
him as “a boy that was loved and respected by all.” (George
H. Southam)
John did not forget his Scottish ancestors. In 1893 John and his
daughter Catherine worked in the Salt Lake Temple, doing the
temple work for their ancestors. Catherine sought counsel from
her father, as she tried to balance the many demands on her
life: “The first year after the Salt Lake City Temple was
dedicated, (1893) she was working in the temple, assisting her
father to do the work for their dead relatives. She told her
father that she thought she should have to give up the work
among the sick as she felt it was almost more than she was able
to stand - to take care of her family and be out with the sick
so much. Her father said, "Catherine, you are all that your
mother has to represent her here on earth and you are only
fulfilling your patriarchal blessing where it says that you
shall be as a well of living water in a desert, and people shall
flow unto you and call you blessed.” (Amy Gardiner and
Dorothy Hein) Catherine accepted her father’s wise
counsel and continued to provide medical care for her community.
John, Alice and Janette lived in a
log house on the corner of Main and Church Streets in Randolph.
As John and Alice became older, Jennette took care of her aging
parents: “During September 1882, her mother, Alice Parkinson
Cameron, died leaving Jeanette to take care of a feeble father
in his last years, which she did well and faithfully.” (George
H. Southam) Janette is described in a history of Rich
County: “Many years ago, on the corner where the Randolph Garage
now stands, stood a vine-covered house with a lean-to shanty.
Janette lived there with her father and kept house for him. Her
mother Alice Perkerson Cameron had passed away. The children
loved to go there to have their shoes mended, because of her
sweet, charming personality. She would sit the children on a
block of wood, and while their shoes were being mended, she
would amuse them by telling stories or cutting out beautiful
flowers from seed catalogues. Janette was active in the church
and especially loved to work with the young people of the MIA.
After her father’s death she married John Bennett and moved to
Uintah County.” (Rich Memories) Local histories
also mention MIA service projects for Father Cameron.
1900 census, Randolph, Rich, Utah
John's grandson, George Henry
Southam remembered his grandfather: "In those days clothes were
scarce and people wore what they could get, so as a young child
I recall following behind my grandfather Cameron and listened to
his white canvas wagon cover pants scuffing or rubbing together
and thinking how wonderful it would be to be a man and wear
pants like that." Others who knew John said: "Della McKinnon
said she heard Grandpa Cameron speak in tongues on one occasion
and her son, Arthur McKinnon, said he heard him speak in tongues
twice. He also had a nail for every one of tools and kept them
there."
John died in Randolph 8 October 1903. It was his wish that when
he died his body would be carried by hand to the cemetery.
Following the funeral service, six of his friends hoisted his
casket on their shoulders and carried the body of John Cameron
to its resting place in the Randolph Cemetery on the hill at the
top of Church Street. His grave overlooks the town of Randolph,
which is full of beautiful lilacs in May. His grave is still
cared for by his descendants. He was a good and faithful Saint
who survived much hardship, and raised wonderful children.
(Quoted from the obituary of
John Cameron)
John Cameron's spirit returned
to his Maker on Thursday, October 8, 1903, after quite a long
illness. The speakers all testified of his good character and
faithfulness and sterling integrity to the cause of truth.
From the day of his baptism to the day of his death, he has
been a faithful, consistent member of the Church, ever ready
and willing to respond to every call made upon him... He was a
plain, unassuming man, simple in his manner of living and
having implicit faith in the Gospel, and it can be truthfully
said of him, "Well done thou good and faithful servant; enter
in the joys of thy rest."
From another obituary:
Father John Cameron Laid to Rest
Funeral services over the
remains of Father John Cameron whose spirit returned to his
Maker on Thursday, October 8, 1903, after quite a long
illness, were held at the Randolph Meeting house on Sunday
afternoon at 2 p.m. The house was well filled with relatives
and acquaintances who had known him during his long life. The
speakers were Elder Wm. Rex, Bp. John Kennedy of Argyle, Pres.
A. McKinnon, Elders C. R. Spencer and O. Jacobson and Bp. John
C. Gray, who each testified of his good character and
faithfulness and sterling integrity to the cause of truth. At
the end of the service his remains were carried to the
cemetery by six of the brethren it having been his request
that he be carried to the cemetery in this way. Father Cameron
was born on December 25, 1819, in Barrcholl, Argyleshire,
Scotland and had he lived until the coming December he would
have been 85 years of age. His parents were Alex and Catherine
Cameron. He was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints on November 15, 1845 and from that time up
to the day of his death he has been a faithful consistent
member of the church, ever ready and willing to respond to
every call made upon him. He has thrice been married, his
wives names having been Margaret Fairgreve, Mary McFall, and
Alice Parkinson. He emigrated to America in 1848 or 49 and
resided for sometime in New Jersey and a number of years in
St. Louis, Mo. He came to Utah in 1861 locating in Morgan,
Utah where he resided until the fall of 1870 when he moved to
this place (Randolph) and has since resided here. Being one of
the first settlers of this valley he suffered all the trials
and hardships incident to pioneering in those early days.
Father Cameron was the father of six children, three of whom
as well as his wives have preceded him into the other world.
He was a shoemaker by trade and for years mended the footwear
of all comers. He was a plain unassuming man, simple in his
manner of living and having implicit faith in the gospel and
it can be truthfully said of him, “Well done thou good and
faithful servant, enter into the joys of thy rest.”
John Cameron's kilt
John Cameron's small knife, dirk, coin purse and shoe.
John's descendents cherish these heirlooms.
A BRIEF STORY OF THE LIFE OF MY GRANDFATHER,
JOHN ALEXANDER CAMERON
As told by George Henry Southam
Written about 1950
John Cameron, son of Alexander and
Catherine McCollum Cameron, was born in Barcholl (Barachuile),
Argyleshire, Scotland, December 25, 1819. He was baptized into
the L.D.S. Church in Scotland, November 25, 1845. He married
Margaret Fairgraves (or Fairgrove), and on April 21, 1847, a
daughter, Catherine was born to them.
They immigrated to America in 1848
and resided in Patterson, New Jersey until the year 1852. While
there, they suffered many hardships. His wife was taken very ill
and the doctors said there was nothing could be done to save her
life. John Cameron heard of some Mormon Elders thirty miles
away. He wrote them and asked if they would come and administer
to his wife. He told them he would pay their fare if they would
come. They came and administered to her and promised her she
would be healed and that a son would be born to them. James A.
Cameron was born and was the delight of his parents and was
called a promised son.
In 1852, John moved with his
family to St. Louis, Missouri, and they lived there until 1861.
When they arrived in St. Louis, it was probably Friday night.
They had enough money to buy food for his wife and two children
and himself for one week, or else enough to pay for lodging for
his family. They decided that they must have a place to live, so
they spent every cent they had for lodging. He went out and got
himself a job at his trade of shoemaking, but he could not start
work until Monday. Being a faithful man, he located the Church,
which was about nineteen blocks from where they lived. Sunday
morning on his way to Church he found 25 cents in paper money
lying on the board sidewalk. There were people coming and going
all the way, but by the time he had reached the church, he had
found enough money to feed his family for one week. While in St.
Louis he buried his wife, Margaret Fairgrove. He then married
Alice Parkinson. To this union John Cameron was born in
September 9, 1859, in St. Louis. In 1861, he moved to Florence,
Nebraska with his wife Alice and the three children: Catherine,
James, and John. While camping there, in preparation for a
further journey across the plains to Utah, a daughter, Jeanette
Cameron, was born in a covered wagon on June 9, 1861. He was
assigned to drive two yoke of oxen and a wagon across the
plains. The worry and hardship caused by this new
responsibility, which he felt he was not fitted for, and the
hardships of bringing his family across the plains, contributed
to the circumstances which caused him to take Mountain Fever. He
had to be assisted by his family in taking care of his duties.
They suffered the usual trial and hardships, such as gathering
buffalo chips for fuel, at times having poor feed for the stock,
shortage of water for culinary purposes, and such other things
that accompanied the journey across the plains.
After all these hardships, they
landed in Salt Lake City the last part of October 1861, with all
of their family. Here again he took up his trade as a boot and
shoemaker until he was called to help settle Round Valley in
company with Joseph W. Young. Round Valley is on the Weber
River. He lived there until the fall of 1870. During his stay
there, the Union Pacific Railroad was completed on June 9, 1869.
I have heard Jeanette Cameron say that her brother John and her
father accompanied her to see the first train that went through.
While the family lived at Round
Valley, little John Cameron met with an accident that left him a
cripple the rest of his life. He was a very bright child and was
handy at mending the wooden tubs and other useful things. This
left more responsibilities on Jeanette, but she always accepted
them willingly.
In 1870, my grandfather, with
others, started to make a home at Randolph in Rich County. At
that time he gave six hundred dollars for a pair of mules, both
of which were blind; they had been used to help construct the
Union Pacific Railroad. I remember as a boy that he did a lot of
work with those mules. He cut his hay with a scythe, raked it
with a hand rake, cut his grain with a cradle and bound it by
hand. When he visited us, I used to ask him to put me on the
mules while they grazed.
They had a hard time making a
living in that cold country. He still worked at his trade as
shoemaker most of the time, making his own wooden pegs for the
soles of the boots and shoes. Many of the men working on the
railroad wore high top boots. When the soles wore out they would
throw them away. When my grandfather came to visit us, he would
encourage me to gather these up and cut the good leather out and
save it. This contributed much to his shoemaking materials, Salt
Lake City being the closest place where leather could be bought
and this was five or six days journey away. He worked nights at
his bench to keep people shod as best they could at the time. As
I remember it now, he and his family worked hand in hand to make
a home. His life was much the same as that of other pioneers who
worked and toiled there in the Bear River Country.
On April 2, 1879, little John
Cameron died, a boy that was loved and respected by all, leaving
Jeanette the main person to help in their home in their parents'
declining years. During September 1882, her mother, Alice
Parkinson Cameron, died leaving Jeanette to take care of a
feeble father in his last years, which she did well and
faithfully.
JOHN ALEXANDER CAMERON
From "Cameron-Jackson History"
By Nola Cornia Jackson
In the "History of Rich County, Utah"
John Cameron, son of Alexander and Catherine McCullen (or
McCullah), was born Christmas Day, 1819, in Barrecholl,
Argyleshire, Scotland. John married Margaret Fairgrove
(Fairgrave, Fairgrieve), and a daughter, Catherine, was born to
them April 21, 1847. The following year, the family emigrated to
America, residing in Patterson, Passaic County, New Jersey,
until 1852. Meanwhile, a son, James Alexander Cameron, was born
September 22, 1851.
During 1852, John moved his family
to St. Louis, Missouri. His wife, Margaret, died there February
26, 1855, and John married Mrs. Mary McFall Thompson, but she
died April 6, 1857. He married a third time- this wife being
Alice Parkinson- and the union produced John Cameron, Jr.,
September 9, 1859, in St. Louis, and Jeanette, born June 9,
1861, in a covered wagon while camped at Florence, Nebraska,
during preparations for the further journey across the plains.
All of the family arrived in the
Salt Lake Valley during the latter part of October, 1861, after
John drove two yoke of oxen and a wagon all of the way. He
learned the trade of boot and shoe making, and was called to go
with the Joseph W. Young Company to help settle Round Valley on
the Weber River, east of present-day Ogden.
In 1870, John Cameron (with
several others) was again called to uproot his family and help
settle a new community. This time it was in the middle of the
bleak, sagebrush-covered Bear River Valley, and the settlement
was Randolph. All of the courageous pioneers had a struggle to
make a living in this cold country.
Along with putting up hay and
raising grain, John Cameron worked at his trade making footwear
for the residents, usually making his own wooden pegs for the
soles of the boots and shoes he made or repaired. His leather
was obtained in Salt Lake City, over a week's journey from
Randolph. People from all around the area brought their
all-important foot coverings to him for repair.
John Cameron lived in a log house
on the corner of Main and Church Streets where the Bell, Inc.
garage now stands. It was long his wish that when he left behind
his mortal remains, they be carried by hand to the cemetery, and
so it was done. John passed away October 8, 1903, in Randolph.
Following the funeral service, six of his friends hoisted his
casket on their shoulders and carried the body of John Cameron
to its resting place in the Randolph Cemetery on the hill at the
top of Church Street.
FAMILY GROUP RECORD OF
JOHN ALEXANDER CAMERON
AND MARGARET FAIRGRIEVE
JOHN ALEXANDER CAMERON was born 25 December 1818 in Barcholl, Argyll, Scotland to Alexander
Cameron and Catherine MacCallum. According to Murdo MacDonald,
Argyll District Archivist, "Barcholl" is Barachuil, a house on the
north side of the village of Kilmelford. There is still a house
there by that name, spelled Barachuile. It is found less than
one half mile north of the church. John was christened in the
parish church of Kilmelford
in January of 1819. He married Margaret
Fairgrieve 26 August 1845 in Scotland. She was born 14
April 1818 at Fallhills, Peebles, Scotland, the daughter of
James Fairgrieve and Margaret Murdison/Morrison. Margaret died 5
March 1855 in St. Louis, Missouri, of "croup". John married
again, to Mary McFall 16 October 1855. Mary died, in St. Louis
on 16 November 1857. John married Alice Parkinson 7 August 1958.
John Cameron died 8 October 1903 in Randolph,
Rich, Utah. John and Margaret had the following children:
*1. Catherine, born 15 April 1847 in Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland; married George Southam 28 November 1862; died 29 August 1930.
John and Mary had the following children:
1. Margaret, born 16 November 1855 in St.
Louis; died the same day.
2. Mary, born in St. Louis; died 16
September 1857.
3. Robert, born in St. Louis; died in
1864.
John and Alice had the following
children:
1. John, born 9 September 1859 in St. Louis; died 1 April 1879.
SOURCES: Parish register- Kilmelford, FHS#
102380; Catherine Cameron Southam Temple Record Book, FHS#
218887; James A. Cameron Temple Record Book, FHS# 673267-8;
Glasgow Branch LDS records FHS# 104152; familysearch.org.