Buchanan family records. An account of the first American settlers and colonial families of the name of Buchanan, and other genealogical and historical data, mostly new and original material, including early wills and marriages heretofore unpublished

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1552979

GENEALOGY COLLHCTFOf^

ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

3 1833 01207 2440

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BUCHANAN FAMILY
RECORDS/^

An Account of the First American Settlers

and Colonial Families of the Name of

Buchanan, and Other Genealogical and

Historical Data, Mostly New and

Original Material Including

Early Wills and Marriages

Heretofore Unpublished. !;;

BY

WILLIAM M. CLEMENS

Limited Edition.

NEW YORK
William M. Clemens

Publisher '^\^

45 and 49 Wilham Street ^

1552979

BUCHANAN FAMILY RECORDS.

CONTAINING

Scottish Ancestry.
Maryland Buchanans.
President James Buchanan.
Patrick Buchanan's Family.
The Buchanans of Missouri.
New York Buchanans.
Eevolutionary Records.
New York Marriages.
Members of Congress.
Pennsylvania Muster Rolls, 1776.
Early Virginia Marriages.
Virginia Wills. ,,- .

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. * 'X^m>\<.

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^mm FAiiLY.

The origin of the name Buchanan is believed to
be shoAvn on an ancient pedigree of the 0 'Cahans,
of which the 102nd name is that of ' ' Conn Clonn-
tach O'Cahan" (son of Dermod), who had a
brother, Annselan, who was ancestor of the 0 'Bo-
cainains (from the Irish "bocain," a fairy, and
*'an," one). The name became 0 'Buchanan, or
Buchanan. This Annselan is believed to have been
the first of the name who settled in Scotland.

About the middle of the Thirteenth Century,.
Gilbert, seneschal to the Earl of Leimox, obtained
from him Buchanan, in Stirlingshire, and probably
, took his name from that estate. It is also thought
. to have had an ecclesiastical origin, from the fact
-^ that in its Gaelic form, it is '*Mac-a-Chononaich'^
- ("son of the Canon"). The family in very an-
\ cient times bore the name of "Mac Anslan," and
-^-it is believed by some authorities that, on the pass-
. ing of the lands and chiefship of the clan to an
: ecclesiastic, the name was changed.

Maurice of Buchanan received a charter of con-
firmation of his title to the estate from the king.
3

4 BUCHANAN FAMILY

In it he is called ''son and heir of the late Maurice
of Bouchannane of the land called Bouchannaue. ' '
The charter includes Sallachy. The bounds are
''from Kelyii to Aldmar, down to the water of
Hanerch, and the lands of Sallachy do^vn to the
pool of Longchlomneid. " The lands were to be
held ''by the delivery of a cheese out of each house
in which a cheese is made on the said lands."

A descendant of Gilbert, Maurice of Buchanan,
married a daughter of Menteith of Rusky, who was
related to the Royal House. His son, Walter, mar-
ried the heiress of the ancient house of Leny.
Their eldest son was Sir Alexander, who fought
at the Battle of Bauje-en-Anjou, 1421, under
Stuart, Constable of France, and is said to
have slain the Duke of Clarence. He was kiUed
in the Battle of Vernenil, in 1424. His brother,
Walter, succeeded to Buchanan. This Walter mar-
ried Isabel (daughter of Murdoch, Duke of Al-
bany), Countess of Lennox. Their eldest son,
Patrick, married the heiress of Killearn and Auch-
reoch. Their youngest son, Thomas, was the an-
cestor of George Buchanan, the historian. Pat-
rick's son, Walter, married a daughter of Lord
Graham. Their youngest son was known as the
"King of Kippan," of the time of James V. Pat-
rick, who was killed at the Battle of Flodden, mar-

BUCHANAN FAMILY O

ried a daughter of Argyle, and had two sons,
George, Sheriff of Dumbarton, 1561, and Walter,
founder of the family of Spittal. He married Mar-
garet Edmondston of Duntreath and had a son,
John. By his second wife, Janet Gunninghame,
of Craigends, he had a son, William, who was
ancestor of the line of Auchmar.

The ancient war cry of the Clan Buchanan was
"Clar Innis," from their meeting place on an is-
land of that name in Loch Lomond. Their badge
was the ''Dearc bhraoileag" (bilberry), or "Da-
rag" (oak).

One branch of the family in America is de-
scended from George Buchanan, who was born in
Scotland about 1698. He came to America in 1723,
and became a physician of Baltimore, Maryland.
His wife was Eleanor, daughter of Nicholas Rog-
ers. George Buchanan died in 1750. His son,
Andrew, of Baltimore, was bom in 1734. He was
Presiding Justice of Baltimore county. In 1744
lie was a member of the Committee of Corres-
pondence, and, in 1776, Brigadier-General of
Maryland troops. He married Susan, daughter of
Alexander Lawson, one of the Commissioners of
Baltimore. His son, Doctor George Buchanan, of
Baltimore, was bom in 1763, and died at Phila-
delphia in 1808. He received his degree of M. D.

b BUCHAXAX FAMILY

at the University of Pennsylvania in 1789. He was
President of tlie Royal Physicians' Society, of Ed-
inborough, Scotland. His wife was Letitia, daugh-
ter of Hon. Thomas Mclvean, Chief Justice, and
Governor of Pennsylvania, signer of the Declara-
tion of Independence, and President of Congress.
Their son, McKean Buchanan, was born in Balti-
more. He entered the United States Xavy in
1826, and was an oflicer of the frigate. Congress,
which was destroyed by the Virginia, under the
command of his brother, Admiral Franklin
Buchanan, of the Confederate Navy.

Other members of the family were Judge Jobn
Buchanan, of the Maryland Court of Appeals, and
for twenty-one years Chief Justice. He died near
Williamsport, in his seventy-first year.

Thomas Buchanan, of AVashington county,
Maryland, was also a jurist of ability. He died in
1848.

James Buchanan, the fifteenth President of the
United States, was the second child of James Bu-
chanan, a native of County Donegal, Ireland, who,
in 1783, at the age of twenty-three, came to Phila-
delj)hia. A few months later he removed to Stony
Batter, at the foot of North Mountain, near Mer-
cersburg, and some years later had a store at that
place. This was a place of exchange of the prod-
ucts of *'the West" for those of the East, and the

BUCHANAN FAMILY 7

father of tlie future President soon had a pros-
perous business. In 178S he married Elizabeth
*Speer, whose home was at the foot of South Moun-
tain, between Chambersburg and Gettysburg.
Their son, James, was born at Stony Batter, April
23, 1791. In 1796 the family removed to Mercers-
burg, where the father opened another store. He
died in 1821. The old Buchanan home at Mercers-
burg was the lower part of what is now the Hotel
Mercer.

Patrick Buchanan, born April 16, 1745, in Ty-
rone county, Ireland; married, February 7, 1776,
Margaret Scott, born February 22, 1753. He died
November 19, 1824. She died in her 93rd year.
He was an elder and she a life-long member of the
Presbyterian Church.

Issue:

1. Anne, born December 25, 1776, died April
11, 1864.

2. John, born January 2, 1779, married July

14, 1819.

3. Elizabeth, born April 16, 1781, died January

15, 1878.

4; Mary, born August 17, 1783.

5. William, born January 11, 1786, married
August 10, 1806.

6. James, born January 11, 1788, married
April 13, 1825, in Cooper County, Mo.

8 BUCHAXAN FAMILY

7. George, born March 24, 1790, died January
13, 1854, in St. Louis, Mo.

8. Andrew, born July 6, 1792, in Lisbony, Ire-
land ; married December 4, 1828, in Florence, Ala.,
Harriet Paxton Coalter, and died May 1, 1860,
in Louisville, Ky.

9. Charles, born October 4, 1794, in Ireland,
died, unmarried, November 18, 1835, in Louis\alle,
Ky.

George Buchanan arrived in New York, May
22, 1816. He lived in Louisville, New Orleans and
St. Louis. He was twice married.

James Buchanan married, April 13, 1825, Eliza

. He lived in Booneville, Cooper county.

Mo.

Issue:

1. Jane Anne, born May 20, 1826.

•2. Patrick, born November 10, 1828.

•3. George, born March 3, 1831.

John Buchanan was a lieutenant in the 43rd
Regiment of Foot, 1813, with Lord Wellington.

Andrew Buchanan married Harriet Paxton
Coalter. She was born at Duck Eiver, Lincoln
county, Tenn., near Fayetteville, February 19,
1810, and died in Louisville, Ky., October 3,'l886.

Issue :

1. Mary, bom March 21, 1820, married Sep-
tember 21, 1859, in Louisville, Herman Beckurts,
and died April 19, 1879, in Cannon City, Colo.

BUCHANAN" FAMILY y

2. Margaret, born May 17, 1S32, died February
5, 1853, unmarried.

3. Harriet, born June 10, 1834, died January
2, 1837.

4. George Coalter, born July 19, 1836, married
December 15, 1858, in New Orleans, Emily Louise
Ferrian.

5. Charles, born May 31,-1838, died February
9, 1864, umnarried.

6. Andrew, left Lisbony, Ireland, May 11, 1822,
arrived in New York, June 24, 1822 ; was made a
citizen October 12, 1827, at Florence, Ala.

George Coalter Buchanan, born July 19, 1836,
in Louisville, Ky., married December 15, 1858, in
New Orleans, La., Emilie Louise Ferriere, born
December 25, 1838, in New Orleans, and died Au-
gust 2, 1889, in Toronto, Canada.

Issue:

1. Cora, born November 9, 1859, died Septenii-
ber 21, 1865, in Augusta, Ga.

2. George C, born March 31, 1861, in New
Orleans.

3. Harriet C, born December 18, 1862, married
Clifton Atkinson, in New Orleans.

4. Emma, bom November 21, 1864, in Augusta,

10 BUCHANAX FAMILY

5. Andrew Scott, born May 18, 1869, in Louis-
ville, Ky.

6. Ada, born February 22, 1867.

Thomas Buchanan was a king among early New
York merchants, and his firm was in existence for
full fifty-five years, and was kno^^Ti in 1766 as Wal-
ter and Thomas Buchanan. Between that date and
the close of the Revolution the firm changed, and
became Thomas Buchanan & Company. Walter
lived at 4 Duane Street, where he died about the
close of 1804. His son, Doctor Walter W. Bu-
chanan, lived in Hudson Street, not far from
Duane. Then he moved away and was gone until
1825. He came back to the city that year, and lived
at 114 Grand Street, corner of Broadway.

Thomas Buchanan became very prominent
from 1792 to 1809, when he took in his son George,
as a partner, and the firm vvas Thomas- Buchanan
& Son. The firm was in business at 44 Wall Street
as late as 1816. The residence of Thomas was at
64 Broadway. George lived at the home of his
parents. Thomas died in November, 1815, aged 71.

Thomas Buchanan married Almy, a daughter of
Jacob Townsend. They had issue eight children.
1. Jane Buchanan, died unmarried. 2. Almy,
married Peter P. Goelet. 3. Martha, married
Thomas Hicks. 4. Margaret, married Robert R.
Goelet. 5. Eliza, married Samuel Gilford. 6.

BUCHANAN FAMILY 11

George Buchauan, born September 7, 1775. 7.
Frances, married Thomas C. Pearsall. 8. Fanny
Buchanan, died unmarried.

Among New York Buchanans in the E evolution
were :

Ebenezer Buchanan, Albany Co.

James Buchanan, Orange Co.

John Buchanan, State Line.

Patrick Buchanan, Albany Co.

Eobert Buchanan, Ulster Co. ""' ;

Samuel Buchanan, State Line.

William Buchanan, Suffolk Co.

Among the Revolutionary officers of the name
are Andrew and William, of Maryland; Andrew,
John, Patrick and William, of Virginia ; John and
■Robert, of South Carolina; Thomas, of Pennsyl-
vania, and Robert, of New York.

General David Chrystie Buchanan fought for
the Union in the Civil War, at the Battle of Mal-
vern Hill. : .'.■■

Following is a record of early marriages of Bu-
chanans in New York State :

1778, May 19, David Buchanan and Mary Con-
nell.

1771, Dec. 26, John Buchanan and Sarah Har-
rison.

12 BUCHAN.AJN" FAMILY

The following Buchanans were members of

Congress :

BUCHANAN, Andrew, a representative from
Pennsylvania, born in Chester county, Pa.,
April 8, 1780, died in WajTiesburg, Pa., Dec.
2, 1848.

BUCHANAN, Hugh, a representative from
Georgia, born in Argleshire, Scotland, Sept.
15, 1823, died in Ne^Tnan, Ga., June 20, 1890.

BUCHANAN, James, representative and a Sen-
ator from Pennsylvania, born in Cove Gap,
near Mercersburg, Franklin county, Pa.,
April 23, 1791, died in "VA^eatland, near Lan-
caster, Pa., June 1, 1868.

BUCHANAN, James, a representative from New
Jersey, born in Kingoes, Hunterdon county,
N. J., June 17, 1839.

BUCHANAN, John Alexander, a representative
from Virginia, born in Smyth county, Va.,
Oct. 7, 1843.

The Pennsylvania Muster Polls, of 1776-1783,
contains the names of the following Buchanans :

James Buchanan, 1779, Washington Co., pri-
vate.

David Buchanan, 1781, Northumberland Co.,
private.

James Buchanan, 1782, Northumberland Co.,
private.

BUCHAXAN" FAMXLY 13

Thomas Buclianan, 1782, Northumberland Co.,
private.

Eobert Buchanan, 1783, Cumberland Co., pri-
vate.

Arthur Buchanan, 1783, Cumberland Co., pri-
vate.

John Buchanan, 1783, Westmoreland Co., pri-
vate.

John Buchanan, 1783, Cumberland Co., private.

James Buchanan, 1777, Lancaster Co., private.

The Virginia marriages of Buchanans, taken
from original records, are as foUo^vs:
BUCHANAN, David & Wright Steel, Sept. 4,

1789, Rockbridge Co., Va.
BUCHANAN, George & Nancy Casady, June 23,

1803, Rockbridge Co., Va.
BUCHANAN, Jean & James Parks, May 4, 1786,

Rockbridge Co., Va.
BUCHANAN, John & Martha Wilson, June 7,

1796, Rockbridge Co., Va.
BUCHANAN, John & Mary Patton, June 17,

1749, Augusta Co., Va.
BUCHANAN, Mary & Conrad Moler, May 4,

1826, Rockbridge Co., Va.
BUCHANAN, Patsoy & David Dice, Oct. 9, 1823,

Rockbridge Co., Va.
BUCHANAN, Peace W. & Saml. Pettegrew, Oct.

22, 1812, Rockbridge Co., Va.-

14 BUCHAXAX FAMILY

BUCHAXAX, Phebe & Coleman Clayton, Oct. 11,

1825, Rockbridge Co., Va.
BUCHANAN, Sarah & Thos. Wood, Aug. 27,

1759, Fauquier Co., Va.

Among the early wills filed in Virginia, and
never before published, are those of Joseph of
Prince William county, and James of Rockbridge
County, and are as follows :
BUCHANAN, JOSEPH.

Prince William Co., Va. Will filed Feb. 26,
1738.

wife Elizabeth.

s. John Buchanan.

s. Joseph Buchanan.

s. Hoanie Buchanan.

s. William Buchanan. '

s. George Buchan:in.

bro. George Buchanan.

bro. Joseph Buchanan.
BUCHANAN, JAMES.

Rockbridge Co., Va. Will filed June 6, 1797.

James Bell, g. s. of Victor Bell.

Jerry Bell, s. of Victor Bell.

Mary Neagle.

^M^^Csl^^>''^

1552979

/.r

GENEALOGY, 45 William Street, New York,
records the following Buclianans who are wanted
as heirs to estates:

Buchanan, Arthur, New York.

Buchanan, Elizabeth, nee Gedder.

Buchanan, James, died 1850. -

Buchanan, Maria, New York, 1880.

Buchanan, Peter, marreid 1840, Susan Muller.

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forfeited to the state where they lived because
no heirs could be found. Sometimes the relatives
hear of these heritages too late, sometimes they
even start a lawsuit but fail because of insufficient
evidence, and other times they never knov/ of
these fortunes because they have lost track of
their kinsfolk; so it behooves you to know who
your relatives are and where they live.

Any matter dealing with the claim- Genuine
ing of money left by an ancestor or a Heirship
relative is generally termed au heir- Cases
ship case. There are countless thou-
sands of them every year. A survey over the
United States shows that there are millions of
dollars "escheated" or forfeited to the state gov-
ernments every year. This is done when no heir
appears to claim the money or property left by
any person. In New York City alone, as high as
$600,000 has been given to the treasury at one
time. In California, lists showing hundreds of
thousands of dollars of unclaimed bank deposits
are published every few years. Every state in
the Union has similar actions and it has been
estimated that more than $100,000,000 is es-
cheated or lost every year because no heirs ap-
pear to claim their portions. The work of prov-
ing relationship in a case like this should be
entrusted to a genealogist who has specialized in
this line. Even lawyers prefer to engage a quali-
fied genealogist rather than to do this work them-
selves, on account of the unavoidable traveling.
the special research required, and the peculiar
interstate laws which must be carefully observed.
If there is unrecovered money due you from the
estate of some relative or ancestor, investigate
before it is too late, but be sure you have a
trustworthy attorney, and a reliable genealogist
experienced in this particular work.

As in all other things, there are two Phantom
kinds of heirship case, the good and Heirship
the bad. Usually they can be quickly Cases
differentiated, because any case more
than fifty years old is ordinarily outlawed and
beyond recovery. Most fortunes lying unclaimed
in foreign countries were forfeited to the rulers
at the time of the World-War. Whatever the
proposition, it is always advisable to consult a

1

reliable attorney before taking any definite ac-
tion. With tiis advice, and a knowledge of both
the difficulties to be encountered and the cost to
be met, you can easily gain a fair understanding
of the proposition and of your chances of success.
Both for the sake of interest and as a matter of
warning, there is given herewith a list of so-
called "phantom" estates, and you are specifically
advised not to invest any money in them with
the expectation of becoming an heir. There are
enough good cases so that you do not need to
bother with any like those. Just make sure you
know who your relatives are and where they live,
and you may find something really dependable
"up in your family tree."

"The following is a list of phantom estates
which have been a source of revenue for claim
lawyers for many years, with a table showing
their supposed value and the number of heirs
among whom they will Le divided ichen recovered:

HEIBS ESTATE

Anneke Jans, 1,000 $ 317,000,000

Baker, 87 250,000,000

Sir Hugh Mosher, 200,000,000

Chadwick, 5 37,000,000

Edwards 160 90,000,000

Joseph Wilson Ingraham,.... 500,000,000

Hyde, N. G., 200 12,000,000

Hyde, Ann, 150 360.000 000

Hyde, Brooklyn, 1 5,000,000

Jennings, 1,835 400,000 000

Hedges. 250,000,000

Kern, 100 200,000,000

Leak, 100.000.000

Mackey, 1 10,000,000

Merritt, 80 15,000,000

Shepherd, 15 175,000.000

Trotter, 200 200,000,000

Townley-Chase, 1.800,000,000

Lawrence-Townley 1,000 500.000.000

Van Horn, 20 ' 4000,000

Webber 60 50.000.000

Weiss, 4 20,000,000

Grand total: 22 estates, 4,918 heirs. Value of
estate.s. $5,490,500,000." (!!!)

Reference; Genealogical and Historical Record
Of the Carpenter Family, J. Usher, JS83, page 62.

4

r.

^ ' ^'-' >>-:..^

Enoch, David, William, Jane (?). He
1830) from Warren or Clermont County,
Edgar County, Illinois, where he died,
iv-idow and children. (F. B.)
, Darling. — Wanted: Parentage of Lu-
ling, who married (ISOl) at Richmond,
iphen Page, and settled at Hancock, Vt.
[1. — Wanted: Parentage of Abigail Gould,

9) at Salem, Mass.; married (1)

) John Thomas. (H. W. P.)

ISIiuisell. — Wanted: Information and
erning one Ann Munsell, born (c. 170S)
ticut.
inson.— Wanted: Maiden surname of

who married (1733) Thomas Dickinson,
, born (170S) in Hartford, Conn.

) .'■ V

lunter.— Wanted: Family history, mar-
ird, etc., of Jacob Hunter, who was a
)f Captain' Andrew Cumings" company

in Colleton County, S.-.C, from Salt-
nd Edsto Districts. He moved (about
Robinson County, Tenn. (C. H. H.)
Hurlbut.— Wanted: Ancestry of John
1760-1824), born at New Milford, Conn.,
,le or Ulysses (now Ithaca), N. Y., mara-
5)- Tillah Southwick, of Williamstown,
.id John, with his brothers, Henry and
moved from Conn, to N. Y. State. John

Ithaca, Chauncy at Chenango Forks,
id Henry on the Comensky River, Pa.

rs

Snyder.— A certain Henry Snyder,
of Christopher Snyder of Hunterdon
>J. J. (immigrated about 1730), was liv-
) at '-Snyder's Patent," Albany County,
e and his brother, Jacob, served in the
n. Jacob, "the miller," at the close of
moved to Pennsylvania and founded
vn, on Shamokin Creek, Northumberland
There is a power of attorney, issued by
,yder, of Albany, N. Y., to "his brother
yder" of Hunterdon County, N. J., and
anbury. Pa. (A. R. M.)
2. Munro.— Benjamin Munroe (horn
rried (1) Mary Ormsby, and had issue:
(1760); Jacob (1762); Benjamin
Joseph (1777); Benjamin (1779). He
(Z/Ruhamah Luther (1767-1847) and
.. Alice Allen (1803); Jacob (1S05);
ither (1806); Thomas Jefferson (1S09);
Richards (1811). From Records of
, Mass., Benjamin Munroe served (1777)

as a private in Rhode Island Militia (D. A. R. No.
39080). From "Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors
in the American Revolution," -XI 20S, Benjamin
Munroe was a private in Col. Thomas Carpenter's
regiment; service 16 days; company marched from
Rehoboth to Bristol, R. I- on the .\larm of Decem-
ber 8, 1776. (N. M. M.) '^- _.

(631) 5. Sliawan,— It may assist the inquirer
to learn that "Ruddles Mills" is in Bourbon County,
near Cynthiana, Ky. (F. B. Culver, Editor.) -
i (632) Biichanan.j— From the "History of Strat.
j hendrick," by J. Guthrie Smith, of Glasgow, Scot-
Hand : "George Buchanan of Blairlusk sold this es-
tate to his brother William and moved (1674) to
Ireland, where he married (1675) Elizabeth Mayne
and had four sons: (1) John, of County Tyrone;
(2) William, of same county, who was father of
Patrick whose son Robert was father of General
Thomas Buchanan (1776) and of Alexander Bu-^
chanan, of Cumberland County, Pa.; (3) George,./^
, settled in ]\Iunster and from him were descended
George and Andrew Buchanan of Louisville, Ky.
(1S57); (4) Thomas, of Ramelton, County Done-
gal, from whom descended James Buchanan (born
1761), father of James Buchanan, President of the
United States. There were several Buchanan fam-
ilies, before 1775, in Cumberland County, Pa.
(W. F. B.)

(632) Bucliannij. — John Buchanan of Counts-
Donegal, Ireland, was a brother of James Buchanan
(born 1761) who is said to have been the only
, one of his family to immigrate (1783) to .\merica
I and who married Elizabeth Speer, sister of Rev.
'William Speer (1764-1829), a Presbyterian min-
' ister. (W. F. B.)

' <649) 1. Aver>-. — If the inquirer will write to
Mis? Cleora Francelle Smith, Horace Mann School,
Minneapolis, Minn., he will obtain data desired.

(649) 2. Smith.— Cleora Francelle Smith, who
married Georee W. Avery, was the daughter of
John Trefeathern Smith and was my father's
youngest sister. John Trefeathern Smith (1.803-
1884) married (1827) Mary Ann Bates (1806-
1884). He was the son of Biley Hardy Smith
(1756-1833), born in Raymond, N. H., died in
Cornville. Maine, by a second wife, Lydia Elkins
(died 1848). Biley Hardy Smith was a private
in Capt. Hezekiah Hutchins' Company, Col. James
Reed's N. H. Regiment; enlisted 1775. (C. F. S.)

(650) Sabin->IcNeil.— Israel Sabin. from
U.xbridge and Rehoboth, Mass.. married (17401
Beulah Albce. There were Sabins at Weare, N. H..
at an early date. Many of the families near Rich-
mond, N. H., left after the Revolution and settled
near Hancock, Leister and Salisburs, \'t (H.W. P )

(652) Eggleston.— Many years aso, I saw the
Ambrose Eggleston mss., which were then >r the
11.5 .

J

(660) IJuchnnaii. — Mr. Frederic J. Haskin, Di-
rector of the Ha^kin Information Bureau, Wash-
ington, D. C, writes: The latest reference that we
find to the B'jchanan estate appeared in the New
York Time?, December 24, 1930, pa?e 2. column 7,
as follows^— "Albany relatives of William Bu-
chanan, who died one hundred years ago, were
.informed by Surrogate Hetherin'.'ton that a search
of the Surrogate's records in Queens County had
failed to produce any trace of a will in which
Buchanan disposed of SS50.C-C0.0CO worth of real
estate in the heart of New York City. The rela-
livos said they understood the will provided they
should receive the SSSO.OOO.COO worth of real estate

: 99 years after Buchanan's rleath." Careful investi-
gation should be made before m%-esting any money
in attempts to recover unclaimed estates. F. B.
Culver, Editor.)

There is no evidence so far that James Bu-
chanan, the President, ever was owner or was inter-

I ested in any real estate in New York City or State.

; Inventory of his estate (1S6S) was published as

\ amounting to about $500,000. consisting of stocks.

i bonds and realty (local) accumulated during his

i forty years activity. (W. F. B.)
I -- - ■ ■

HEIRS TO ESTATE

OF 850 MILLIONS
CANT FIND SAME

WARNING IS issued"
BY NEW YORK JUDGE

i

Search Brooklyn for j
^^ Buchanan Riches,'^ ;

Sev: York, July 6. — [Speciol.] — Ati i
e&iate of 850 niillion dollars in centra! ,.
Biooklyn realty which cant bs found >.
in the tax records, left by a man \vh" f
pppai-cntly lived and died unrecorded. J
although said to ha\ e been a brother i
of President James Buchanan, is being |
snught by a growing number of "heirs"' ;
fiom all parts of the United States ^
and Canada under the terms of a will :^
driwn a century ago which has been '|
carelessly mislaid. . js

The first " heir " wrote eight months J
rgi to Surrogate George F. Wing'ate's ' .'
CL jrt in Brookh-n. Some fifty more : ;
iiive written since, and still tlie num- [
ber grows. i f

All assert they are descendants of ; f
one George Buchanan, who. dying a ' {
century ago, left an estate in Brool-:- '<
U 1 realty which was to be distributed ■
tj "then existing lieirs '' in 1J22, one
hundred years after his death.

The estate, they say. comprised IGO
■.ores in the heart of Brooklyn, par-
c-ieri out tinder 9v' year leases. But
r ither will nor estate can b" found.
1 though surrogate's court records go

AUjau\-, X. Y., Jan. 1^4. — [Spt' i;.:ij —
The "Spar.i.-h prisoner'' 5'.\indie. hoary
with year.s during wlr.ch ic wy-
worked to separate tlie credulous frorr-
Tueir mon°y, was recalled i-y c,. locif.-
from Surrogate Jam.-?s A, Foley o:'
X<^w York coi.m'y to Go',-. j:oo:;c-vc';t.
'vnich. tiie governor made p-.bVic h^".-'--
; oday.

The governor re que." ■':■:' Vi.~.t it, '. ■
civen nationwide publicity ss a v-.aru
ing to prospective victims ngninst pro-
fnoters of a whoUj- rnyti-iical ".Bi.:
•"hanan esfate." variously- de'-'.ared 1-y
these to include the site oi Trinir\'
"hurch, the Woohvorth building, the
Times building. Central park and ev,?;-.
he land upon vrhich the Empire Sm.-'-
building at 5th avenue and 3-ith stveet
was recently erected.

Surrogate Foley poir.t.-'u cut in bi-
letter that lawyers a7id ia.;e r:V'.)ni<>- -
had been busy in this country, Cj:'. ;
and England enlisting "Tro;-.
^'■■'nom tiiey charged i:i son-t \r~-
•"on;iderable amounts of , •-_•:.•■;■.
ing out to them that they v. --- ..
ested in estates in Xe'v l ,
wliich may yield fortun-.--. ■
they could p>::ib;'^'i t: ■■;/•

mdt ESTATE CALLED MJH

t 1 :k unbroken for loO years. -<,

A feature of the case Is that such ,
a v.-ill actually wa? drawn by" Presi- :
dent 'Buchanan, whose Pennsylvania:
estate, worth millions, sequestered
a hundred years, is to be disposed of 1
tiiis year. j

"I believe the Brooklyn Buchanan
case a hoax perpetrated <-n members
of the Buchannn family, " said Chief
.Surrogate's Clerk John R. McDonald.
■• Probably some sharper, knowing the
terms of the President".'* vr ill, has been
^-.-tting money from these people by
promising them valuable informa-
tion leading to w^nltli."

1

Difficult to rind Anything CcfinitS^
About Buchanan Property

Seattle, Jan. 19— (AP)— A i\a.tAoorA
investigation by The Associated Press
has failed to reveal legai recot'-a
of an immense "estate" supposed tu
be distributed in the near future to
heirs of the iate President James Bu-
chanan.

More than 1,000 persons have been
nohiied recentlv that thev are hoi-3
and that distribution soon Y,iil b.;
made. Most of these notices have beeii
from "hoir.s" in Houston, Vancou'.cr
and other cities. /

Questioning of "heirs" ^-i^v^v^r j.
brought e'.asive answers ov that th .,-/
"have forgotten" what parents haVo
told them concerning the "estate.?." |

Several of the "heirs" have ^ re--
ferred questioning persons to a. lo'.-.^
list of promi.uent person.'-, head
GoveiT.or Franklin D. P-oo.'^rV
I New York. Governor Roose-. ■ '
I the "e Lates" are "purely a :

b-