A Clump of Trees
And the significant point is that these are not six unrelated trees: each is connected to at least one of the others. It is true that some of these trees begin in the 17th century. Nevertheless, this shows how close were the family ties amongst the Scottish clergy – there was an extensive and sometimes intricate web of relationships. And this is just one of many – as, we hope, will be evident if this web-site continues to grow.
Moreover, although the men mentioned here ministered in different countries of the world, the vast majority were not only ministering in Scotland, but in the Highlands of Scotland. But, I don’t think this was a feature only of Highland social life. In due course, I suspect, we shall see the same feature among Lowland families. For social and spiritual reasons, young ministers frequently found wives from amongst the daughters of fellow ministers.