Thomas Wilson

1700 - 1771

Story

Timeline

Map

Childbirth
Childhood
Clothing
Commerce
Communication
Diet
Education
Entertainment
Holidays
Household
Hygiene
Marriage
Medicine
Military
Politics
Religion
Transportation

added:

Scroll to

Thomas born, 1700

Thomas was born in 1700, in Scotland, United Kingdom.

Scroll to

Childbirth

A childbirth scene

Thomas' mother faced significant risks both during her pregnancy and in childbirth. During the birthing process, a midwife—or sometimes just female family members—assisted the mother, while the father usually left the home. The midwife did not sanitize her hands or any tools, and this routinely led to infection, disease, and even death for both the mother and infant. Some wealthier Scots could afford a physician who had superior training, but because medicine was still in its early stages, their remedies were often no more successful than those of a midwife. Alcohol consumption was the only option for anesthesia, but many religious mothers felt it was sinful, and instead took comfort in their faith and prayer to endure the pain. Some believed that because they kept true to the Lord's commandments, they would receive salvation if they died in childbirth.

In Thomas' community, 10-30% of children died at birth, and another two-thirds died before the age of ten, so most of Thomas' fellow Scots had a relative or friend who passed away at a very young age. Due to the high mortality rate, parents often had approximately six to eight children to ensure they had sons and daughters who survived to adulthood. Many exceeded that, and it was not uncommon to see a family with ten or more children.

Scroll to

Childhood

Children wearing wealthy period attire

Growing up in 18th century Scotland, Thomas didn't have the luxury of a spoiled, carefree childhood. Even for children from wealthier families, there were certain expectations of how a child should contribute to the greater needs of the family. For the working class and rural farmers, the more children you had meant the more contributors to help you survive and prosper. Thomas' parents could be very demanding and harsh with him from time to time, but his friends would have been experiencing much of the same, so there wasn't much context for feeling mistreated. In the country, boys would help with the crops or livestock. While in the towns, they would work under the supervision of their mother or father learning their occupation. In a boy's early teens, he would begin to apprentice to be able to master a trade. Options for girls were more limited, although some did apprentice as seamstresses or stationers. Most girls continued to work with their mothers to learn essential housekeeping skills.

In some Highland clans, which were designed around the patriarchy, children of the Clan Chief would actually be raised by a maternal uncle from a different clan. This was done as a way to forge new bonds between clans—a necessity during a period of regular clashes with the English and other foes from within their own borders.

As a child, Thomas and his friends still managed to find their fun, whether it was playing with popular toys like tops and dice in city streets or enjoying the endless playground that was the Scottish countryside.

Scroll to

Act of Union, 1707

When Thomas was 7, Scotland joined with England to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. Many of the people around Thomas were upset at the notion of losing independence. Although Scotland and England had shared a monarch for many years, the union of the two kingdoms meant that they would now share the same taxes, parliament, flag, and currency, making them one sovereign entity. While Scotland as a whole wanted the economic security and free trade that joining with England provided, some of Thomas' friends and neighbors were furious about the union and worried that Scotland would just become another region of England.

Scroll to

Education

A building at St. Andrews University

The 1700s brought about radical changes in education. Depending on their distance from a bigger town, Thomas' friends and peers had more educational opportunities than their parents and grandparents. Communities made schooling almost universal, and people in many towns even founded boarding schools for girls. Thomas' friends went to petty (primary) schools for their first years of education, after which boys were usually sent to grammar schools that lasted from six or seven in the morning until five in the evening.

After grammar school, boys had the opportunity to attend one of Scotland's four universities, located in Glasgow, St. Andrews, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh. These schools were often more affordable and accessible to the general public than some of the elite schools in England or France, but were still great beacons of the Enlightenment, producing brilliant thinkers of the era like the philosophers David Hume (University of Edinburgh) and Adam Smith (University of Glasgow) as well as the physician William Cullen. It was Cullen and his peers who helped the fledgling Edinburgh Medical School become one of the most revered in the western world.

Even with Scotland's more liberal approach to education, there were still obstacles for students from the Highlands (many of whom spoke Scottish Gaelic rather than English) and for women, who were tutored from a young age in being homemakers more so than academics.

Scroll to

The Great Frost, 1709

When Thomas was 9, the Great Frost of 1709 put much of Europe in a catastrophic deep freeze. In Thomas' region, consequences were felt both on city streets and in the countryside, as wild game laid down to die in the fields, fish froze in the rivers, and the ground itself froze more than a meter deep. The result was a devastating food shortage in the months that followed, as famine spread across the country, taking even more lives than the Great Frost itself. Thomas didn't know it, but he had lived through one of the coldest European winters in recorded history.

Scroll to

Holidays

Many of the most unique holiday traditions in Thomas' region took place in the winter time, before and after the Christmas season. St. Andrew's Day, for example, was observed in November to celebrate the patron saint of Scotland. Hogmanay, a festival-like New Year's Eve celebration, included the tradition of "first-footing"—in which the first person to visit a home in the new year (often right after midnight) delivers gifts and good tidings to the home owners. Revelers also began singing "Auld Lang Syne" at midnight, which became a popular tradition in many counties.

"Auld Lang Syne" was popularized in the 1700s by the great Scottish poet Robert Burns, who would earn a holiday tradition of his own after his death in 1796, as revelers would host "Burns Suppers" in January to commemorate the man and his work. "Burns Night" is still celebrated each year on January 25th.

There were many other traditional festivals and days of remembrance marked by Thomas and his countrymen, but Christmas, interestingly, wasn't usually among them. While the majority of Scots were practicing Protestants, Christmas celebrations had been strongly discouraged by the Church of Scotland, dating back to old lingering anti-Catholic sentiments. As such, while some families decorated trees, sang songs, and gave gifts, many others went about their business like a normal day.

Scroll to

Hygiene

A chamber pot

While many Scottish towns were praised for their beauty, there were also the odors—the kind that Thomas would have known as a simple reality of life if he ventured into any city center. People didn't bathe very often during this era, relying more on the rubbing action of linen underclothing to fend off dirt and sweat. When it did come time to wash themselves—or their clothes, for that matter—Scotsmen used a soap made from animal fat and wood ashes. While early forms of toothbrushes were used by some of the upper classes, the practice was rarely seen among most of the population. Across the country, the lack of emphasis on cleanliness created a world where lice, fleas, and intestinal worms were regular concerns.

For all the women in Thomas' community, feminine hygiene products were largely unavailable and even frowned upon, as menstruation was commonly seen as a punishment from God to pay for Eve's sin in the garden. Some wealthier women used linen pads, but the vast majority of women went without.

Infant hygiene was a similar story, as cloth diapers, or nappies, were often re-used and rarely thoroughly cleaned or replaced. When they were removed, the infant's bottom was dry-wiped and generally powdered with wood dust, while the clothes were merely dried by the fire.

Scroll to

Clothing

Women in period Scottish clothing, post-banning of traditional wear

Since England had such a great influence on Scotland during Thomas' life, many clothing styles were very similar. Wealthy women in Scotland dressed much more elaborately than men, including wearing stays or corsets, which served as bras and were seen as promoting good posture. Beneath their layers of skirts, women typically wore a fan hoop, which pushed out the fabric on all sides. Although fan hoops were often very uncomfortable, they stayed in fashion because they kept men at a chaste distance.

Men usually wore three-piece suits with tall socks and leather shoes. A rich man's suit was often made of high-quality materials and carefully embroidered and decorated, allowing him to announce his good standing wherever he went. Hats were considered essential at this time, with the tricorn and bicorn styles being the most popular.

Due to the expense of clothing, most people Thomas knew owned only a few outfits. Instead of intricate dresses or well-tailored suits, working-class Scottish people generally wore a coarse shirt, breeches, and woolen jackets; or loose dresses, stockings, and simple shoes, perhaps with a coarse wool hat. On the colder west coast near the sea, many men wore thick, homemade wool sweaters, made with unique weaving patterns passed down through families. Poor people usually tried to follow the same fashions as the well-to-do, but had to make due with a limited variety and cheaper cloth.

Craftsmen typically made shoes from leather, with a design that enabled Scots like Thomas to wear them interchangeably on either foot. The traditional Scottish kilt was common attire for men during much of this period, while women wore arisaids. These looks were complemented by long, tunic-style shirts called leines, as well as tartans draped over the shoulders, with specific plaid designs varying by clan.

As the decades progressed, British Parliament passed new laws to outlaw many of these traditional forms of Scottish Highlands attire, and kilts and tartans slowly faded from prominence in the new United Kingdom.

Scroll to

Religion

John Wesley preaching

The Church of Scotland remained a powerful force during much of Thomas' life, but over time, feuds within the church's membership led to the creation of new sects, as evangelical believers broke off from more moderate Protestants in the country. Some people from Thomas' region joined the Reformed Presbyterian Church or the Relief Church toward the mid 1700s and after. Others aligned with the Episcopalians. The once mighty Catholic influence in Scotland had faded dramatically by now, however, with most remaining followers left in the Highlands with little connection to the politics or leadership in the country.

No matter how Thomas and his family placed their faith, they were always aware of the overarching power of the Church of Scotland, aka "The Kirk." Most of the church houses and historic cathedrals in the country were now under the control of the Church of Scotland, and even in its fractured state, it retained a direct involvement in government through well-established legislation like the "Poor Laws," which permitted the displacement and punishment of vagrants and homeless citizens at the church's discretion. At the same time, the moderate wing of the Kirk gradually began to embrace the Scottish Enlightenment of the same period, and began welcoming wider discourse on religious and philosophical matters than would have been permitted in generations past.

Scroll to

Marriage

A formal gown of the era

While some of Thomas' friends married purely out of love, other engagements were still arranged by families for financial or political reasons. For wealthy Scots, daughters posed a challenge as they could not inherit lands and titles. Couples usually married at the age of 25 for men and 20 for women. Sadly, many marriages were cut short by death due to childbirth, disease, infection, war, or accident.

Scottish engagements and weddings included a wide range of traditions. A "luckenbooth" was a type of brooch that the man might pin to his fiance's shawl as a symbol of their betrothal. The Celtic tradition of "hand fasting" also enabled couples in remote regions to form a marriage contract of a year and a day, a temporary arrangement while they waited for the arrival of a priest from another part of the country. During the actual wedding ceremony, the woman marrying into a new clan could also go through a "pinning of the tartan" to officially join the family. Some weddings Thomas attended likely also included the accompaniment of bagpipe music.

During this same period, there was a large influx of English couples eloping to Scotland, where marriage laws were considerably less strict. The village of Gretna Green became a popular destination for these couples (who were often very young and rebelling against their families), and thus the term "Gretna Green marriages" began to apply to the larger phenomenon of border marriages.

Once wed, a Scottish woman became property of her husband, but this dynamic was not always carried through, as Scottish women were noted for being independently spirited. The average man worked and defended the family, while the women cooked, cleaned, took care of the children. Divorce was possible, but very difficult, requiring the approval of the Commissary Court of Edinburgh.

Scroll to

Diet

Haggis

No matter his economic status during different periods of his life, Thomas was never going to have a particularly healthy, diversified diet. The common 18th century Scottish family consumed mostly grains and oats, along with stews, cheese, pottage, onions, and the prevalent vegetable of the region, green kale. In high density areas, the poor ate eggs and dairy products for their protein, while Thomas' rural family members would have hunted wild game or fished for salmon and trout as key food sources.

Wealthier households generally had more meat in their diets, but bacteria was a constant issue at the dinner table for everyone. As a consequence, regular drinking water was practically abandoned in favor of gin, beer, wine and whisky—as the fermentation process helped kill the bacteria. Scotch whisky was actually heavily taxed during the 1700s, inspiring a bit of a black market for Scotland's national drink of choice. As a kid, it would have been no strange sight for Thomas to partake of the same alcoholic beverages as his older relatives. As for washing his hands before a meal? Let's just say this wasn't as strongly enforced as it probably should have been. Spending time in a larger town like Edinburgh or Glasgow didn't necessarily improve Thomas' dietary options, either. New sugary treats and jams arriving from the West Indies on the River Clyde contributed to some bad habits.

While haggis (a blend of sheep's innards, oatmeal, and spices) was eaten throughout this era, it wasn't until Robert Burns penned his 1787 poem "Address to a Haggis," that the meal emerged as Scotland's national dish—served every January 25 on the Scottish holiday 'Burns Night."

Scroll to

Military

A Black Watch soldier, 1740

, the unification of Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom permanently changed Scotland's military structure. The British army filled its ranks through a draft system, and criminals and the unemployed were most eligible for conscription. The clergy, students, and wealthy landowners in Thomas' community were exempt from the draft. In 1740, the 42nd Regiment of Foot, also called the Black Watch, became the first fully Scottish regiment. Members of the military were paid according to their circumstances; for instance, an officer who provided his own horse could receive more food and money. Most soldiers from Thomas' region, however, earned only about as much as farm laborers. Sailors usually made between 19 and 24 shillings a month, depending on rank.

During this period, soldiers carried cumbersome muzzle-loading firearms. These weapons were slow to load and notoriously inaccurate, so soldiers clumped together to ensure they could hit a target. This type of warfare made camouflage pointless, so the startling red of British soldiers' uniforms made no difference in their success on the battlefield. A select number of women followed the soldiers as nurses, cooks, and laundresses.

From 1688 through 1746, Thomas' community heard news of the ongoing Jacobite rebellion. Organized informally under Charles Stuart, the Jacobites were political fighters whose aim was to restore King James VII of Scotland and his family to the throne. Their symbol was the "white cockade"—a white ribbon folded into a knot. The uprisings would ultimately be unsuccessful, and those fighters sympathetic to the rebels—many of them Highlanders—would either be killed, imprisoned, or reluctantly forced to accept the realities of the united British Army.

Scroll to

Medicine

A woman applying a leech

With diseases, infections, and unsanitary conditions plaguing the lives of Thomas' fellow Scottish citizens, medical advances were welcomed with open arms. During the 1700s, scientists were beginning to understand the anatomy of the human body, which allowed them to invent new medical procedures. In the second half of the century, new medical departments opened across Scotland where future doctors could train, including Edinburgh Medical School, which became world renowned.

Despite the advances in medical technology, doctors in Thomas' community still relied heavily on outdated practices such as bloodletting. Those who couldn't afford doctors used folk treatments such as garlic to fight infections, burdock for skin troubles, and mugwort for insomnia. These treatments did nothing to cope with the common diseases that devastated Thomas' country, including cholera, smallpox, and typhus. In fact, they often just increased the chance of death.

Scroll to

Entertainment

Neil Gow, a famous fiddler from Scotland

Throughout Thomas' time, entertainment was an important escape from the hardships of daily life. While the nature of entertainment varied widely depending on region and social class, a form of amusement most everyone experienced was the theater, as plays were performed and attended by people from all backgrounds. If spending time in wealthier communities, Thomas may have also enjoyed chess, backgammon, fox hunting, or yachting.

The working-class in Scotland often visited the local pub where they drank and took part in rowdy games such as "Bubble the Justice"—a small bowling contest—or "Hijinks," a dice game often confiscated by local authorities. Puritan leadership frowned on most types of gambling and game playing, but many Scots often played banned games in spite of the consequences.

Music was an especially beloved pastime in Scotland. Thomas may have heard classical orchestral music (which at the time was not a "classic" but contemporary), sacred music for worship, and folk and choir music. The works of composers like George Frederick Handel dominated the tastes of the upper classes, while working people gravitated to sea shanties and dancing music, often played with pipes and fiddles. Carols and madrigals were also popular, and people, especially the elite, enjoyed attending the opera and concerts.

In Scotland, the border bagpipe fell out of favor during the 1700s, and instead, Thomas heard mainly fiddles and violins. Traditional slower folk songs were reworked for the fiddle to make them more appropriate for dancing.

Scroll to

Household

An early Scottish home

The formation of the United Kingdom benefited some members of Scottish society, but did little to end the great divide between Scotland's haves and have-nots. While well-to-do Scots built massive new manor houses with exotic gardens, many poor folk in Thomas' region lived in small, two-room homes made out of timber, stone, and sod with thatched roofs. A central fire was used for both cooking and heat, and one segment of the house was sometimes reserved as a livestock pen, particularly during harsh winters in the Highlands.

At night, many Scots slept in wooden box beds (sort of like what you'd see on a train car), with a linen mattress stuffed with straw. The box beds included a curtain on the outside, providing the only bit of privacy for family members.

While some of the finest castles and estates in the world dotted the Scottish countryside, the far more abundant single family homes in many villages during the 1700s were referred to as "smoking dunghills" by some visiting Englishmen.

Scroll to

Crop Rotation, 1730

When Thomas was in his 30s, European agriculture was dramatically changed by the advent of the rotational crop system. In the past, farmers typically divided their land into two or three plots—letting one plot lay fallow every year to regain essential nutrients necessary for hardy crops. But in 1730, crop rotation began replacing this method. In this system, the farmer divided his land into four plots, with each section housing a different crop. Every year, the farmer would rotate these sections to ensure that no single plant depleted the ground of nutrients. This new method of farming helped produced larger, higher quality harvests, giving Thomas and his countrymen access to better food at a lower price.

Scroll to

Transportation

Early shipping on the River Clyde

Turnpikes, or toll roads, were beginning to take shape all around Scotland during Thomas' life. These were largely based on similar roadways developed in England, which Parliament sought to extend to Scotland after the formation of the United Kingdom.

For Thomas to use the turnpike, he had to pay money, which would be used in the upkeep and maintenance of the road. As for navigating those roads, rich and poor alike relied on horsepower—in the literal sense. Most common people during the 1700s would ride horses for transportation, while the wealthy used carriages for comfort and also as a status symbol. Through much of the 1700s, shipping goods across Scotland remained both expensive and time consuming. Waterways like the River Clyde were the most practical means of doing business, and near the end of the century, the Forth and Clyde Canal and other similar engineering feats made water transport increasingly efficient. These canals would remain vital until the arrive of the railroads several decades later.

Some Scots took considerably longer water journeys—boarding large sailing ships and heading across the Atlantic for the weeks-long journey to America. It wasn't always by choice, either, as Parliament's controversial "Felon's Act" of 1718 led to countless accused criminals, as well as many captives from Irish and Scottish uprisings, being sent to American Colonies like Virginia as convict laborers.

Scroll to

Communication

A lithography press

Keeping in touch with family and following important news required great patience during Thomas' lifetime. Early newspapers like the Edinburgh Courant tackled important issues of the day at the regional level, but as circulation was limited and much of the population was still illiterate, word of mouth was still the best way of spreading vital information. Many relied on merchants, rather than a mail service, to deliver letters, messages, or packages across the country. Most correspondence of the era included hand-written notes created with a quill pen that had to be repeatedly dipped in ink during use.

During this time period, the lithography process was invented. Books began to be printed by this method, and a closely related process is still used today. This made it easier to mass-produce bibles and other popular texts, but such luxuries were still only available to the wealthiest in society. Public libraries hadn't yet been established, but people could sometimes visit and read from the personal libraries of wealthy community members. This gave literate individuals some access to published information, but the extent and type of books in such libraries depended entirely on the owners' interests.

Though English was being spoken across more of Scotland, the old regional languages of Scottish Gaelic (used more in the Highlands) and the Scots dialect (mainly in the Lowlands) were also still going strong. This sometimes made communication difficult for people from different parts of the country, even if they were standing face-to-face.

Scroll to

Politics

Jacobites

Thomas lived during a time of great change in Scotland. After centuries of battles with the English, the Kingdom of Scotland had formed a union with the English Crown early in the 18th century, and the aftershocks of this event continued throughout Thomas' life. Once governed largely by long-established family clans and their chiefs, Scotland's clan system began to fade after the union. Many clans supported the doomed attempts by Jacobites to restore the Catholic line of Stuart kings to the throne, and as the British monarchy looked to crush any future uprisings, harsh laws and restrictions were passed. This included the Dress Act, which made it illegal for people to wear traditional highland clothing, such as tartans or kilts.

There were also strong political divides within Scotland itself, as Lowlanders in cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow (many supporters of the powerful Whig Party) looked down their noses at their northern neighbors, promoting anti-Jacobite / anti-Highlander propaganda, even in mainstream newspapers. The political rift was no longer England vs Scotland in the UK era, it was largely Highlanders of the old Gaelic traditions fighting against the modern movement toward a unified Britain. Without question, Thomas' friends and neighbors had strong views on this issue, either wishing for the rebels to be crushed or for a return to Scottish glories past.

Scroll to

Commerce

An early shilling

During Thomas' lifetime, many people lived a subsistence-based lifestyle, where they grew their own food in order to survive. Because of this, plagues and weather that threatened crops were particularly dangerous for families. Agriculture and mining were still the primary industries during this time in Scotland, but towards the end of the century, the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution brought new factory jobs to the region.

Paper money began to be printed during the 1700s in order to help the British government raise money for the war against France, but silver and gold coins (known as shillings, pounds, and pennies or pence) were still common. Thomas' friends and neighbors exchanged these coins or paper money for goods at local shops, which specialized in specific trades or goods.

Taxes were common during the 1700s since the British Empire needed all the help it could to pay for costly wars. As a result, many of Thomas' family and friends paid high taxes on goods such as tea, silk, and wine. Because many people wanted to avoid these taxes, smuggling became common in Scotland. Taxes were levied on everything from carriages and carts, to servants, homes, and even the number of windows in a house.

Scroll to

Jacobite Uprisings, 1745

When Thomas was in his 40s, the last of the Jacobite Uprisings occurred. The Jacobites wanted to overthrow the Hanoverian monarchs and return the Stuart family to the throne, who had been displaced by the Glorious Revolution. When Thomas was 45, Charles led an army in the last great uprising in 1745, but fell in the Battle of Culloden. This defeat signified the end of the Jacobite rebellions. The rebels' failure allowed members of the Hanoverian family to continue serving as the people of England and Scotland's monarchs. Thomas and his neighbors saw the commotion regarding the uprising and likely had to decide whether to support the Jacobites or the current monarchs of England and Scotland.

Scroll to

Industrial Revolution, 1750 - 1830

When Thomas was 50 years old, the Industrial Revolution began taking Europe and North America by storm. Most early advancements were in the textile industry, where the invention of the spinning jenny, the spinning frame, and the power loom machines made it easier and faster to manufacture cloth. Meanwhile, the development of coal as a fuel source led to growth in the coal mining industry. Because inventors could now harness the greater energy yielded by coal, metallurgy began to expand as well. New iron manufacturing techniques were developed, and factories began turning out inexpensive iron machinery for use in other industries. As business boomed, mills and factories became common in urban areas. Poorer and unskilled workers began flocking to cities to take advantage of these employment opportunities, and urban populations boomed. Some technological advances, such as the steam engine, took time to become commonplace, but soon facilitated trade and travel. During the Industrial Revolution, Thomas had better access to goods that were also generally less expensive during his lifetime than that of his ancestors.

However, the Industrial Revolution did have some negative impacts on the daily lives of many working class people. Factories and mills often forced employees to work for long hours for very minimal pay in unsafe conditions. Child labor was also very common, and the use of coal and industrial chemicals damaged the health of workers of all ages. These issues eventually inspired many artists and reformers to call attention to the negative aspects of what poet William Blake once described as "these dark Satanic mills."

Scroll to

Gregorian Calendar, 1752

Gregorian Calendar

In 1751, when Thomas was 52 years old, the English parliament unified with other European countries by adopting the Gregorian Calendar. The main difference between the old calendar and the Gregorian Calendar was the date of New Year's Day, causing the year of 1751 to include only 282 days in Great Britain.

Scroll to

Seven Years' War, 1756 - 1763

Seven Years' War

When Thomas was 56 years old, the Seven Years' War (called the French and Indian War in North America) began between France, Britain, and several other European states, as well as many Native American tribes. Since much of the fighting was a result of a land dispute in North America, British colonists provided many of the soldiers for the war. Some British soldiers also fought in Europe, to help their Prussian allies. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763, where France agreed to relinquish Canada to Britain. The war was a great success for Britain, as it was able to secure more land and economic opportunities overseas, establishing the British Empire as a dominant force in the world. However, the British government had gone into debt to finance the war, so they chose to tax the American colonists to help pay back the debt, eventually leading to the American Revolution.

Scroll to

Highland Clearances, 1762 - 1880

During Thomas' time, landlords across the Highlands of Scotland were making a shift from traditional farming to the more profitable sheep-raising industry. As a result, many poor tenant farmers were being "cleared" from the landlords' property to make room for sheep. These traditionally Gaelic-speaking farmers were treated as an inferior class, and were often removed violently with their homes and possessions torched in the process. Known as the "Highland Clearances," these events sparked a mass exodus of Highlanders into the Scottish Lowlands as well as to far off locations like Canada and the United States. The Clearances were a topic of controversy among the people in Thomas' community, with some defending the rights of the Highlanders and others condemning them for their Celtic heritage and Catholic allegiances.

Scroll to

Immigration to the United States, 1700 - 1771

Whether seeking to escape poverty and persecution or simply following friends and relatives who'd already made the journey, many British families during Thomas' time set sail for a new life in America. In order to pay the high cost associated with immigrating—which could sometimes be equal to a farmhand's yearly wages—many families saved for years, carefully planning this massive change in their lives. Whether they were Scottish, English, or Welsh, prospective travelers could depart from a wide array of port cities, including Glasgow, Plymouth, and Liverpool.

On the ships themselves, there was limited space—usually room for about 150-400 passengers—so only a person's most essential necessities could make the trip. Many Brits brought with them only a wooden trunk filled with basics like clothing and tools, electing to leave behind family heirlooms or sentimental items that simply could not fit.

With the exception of wealthy passengers who could travel in first class cabins, the majority of British immigrants were crammed below the deck on the ship, enduring wretched smells, rats, mice, lack of fresh food, and barracks-style sleeping arrangements. Others suffered from seasickness and an abundance of other illnesses, leading to many deaths and burials at sea. They were forced to endure these conditions for extended periods of time, as the average sailing ship took at least 4-8 weeks to arrive in the New World, if not longer.

For those with family awaiting them in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York and other key arrival points, an adjustment to colonial life could be relatively quick. For others, the struggle to find their niche in the rapidly growing American colonies often involved hard labor for minimal pay and occasional conflicts with Native Americans and other European settlers.

Scroll to

Thomas dies, 1771

Thomas died when he was 71 years old in Pennsylvania, United States.

Reduce Time Line

Top

Questions? Feedback?Olark live chat software

» Saving and Printing the Story

Subscribers can download and print the story, by clicking on the "Save and Print" link on the story page. This will generate the PDF and open it in a window, where you can save or print.

» Adding Immigration

On the story, click "Add to Story"
Click "Add Immigration/Relocation"
Enter the details, and click "Save"

» Adding a Residence

On the story, click "Add to Story"
Click "Add Residence"
Enter the details, and click "Save"

» Add a Child, Spouse, Sibling

To add a child, spouse, or sibling to a person on the family tree:

Center that person on the tree, by clicking on the (tree) icon.
Click on "Add Spouse", "Add Child", or "Add Sibling"

» Delete a Tree

To delete a family tree:

On the "Stories" page, click on the tree to open the tree
Click on the edit (pencil) icon, and then "Delete this Tree"

» Edit a Person on the Tree

To edit the information of a person on the tree, click on the person's box. This will open the edit form. Make any changes, then click "Save and Close".

» Remove a Story Section

On the story, click "Edit" on the section you wish to remove
Click "Hide this from the story"

» Dots on Children and Spouses

The dots on spouses and children help to indicate the link between the parent and the child. A person may have multiple spouses, and multiple children from each spouse. The color of the dots links the child to the parent.

» Add a Nickname

If your ancestor had a nickname or a given name that is preferred to be used in the story, you can add a nickname to the person:

Click on the person on the family tree
Click on the "Add Nickname" link
Add the nickname, then click "Save and Close"

Viewing the story will now show the preferred nickname in the narrative.

» How Do I Subscribe?

Visit the Subscribe page to learn about pricing, options, and to subscribe.

» Sharing on Facebook

Stories are easy to share on Facebook. On the story page, click on the "Share" button, then the Facebook icon. This will share the story page, and create an picture of the story to be shared. The Facebook link will link to the story page on HistoryLines.

» Sharing on Blogs

There are two ways to share on a blog:

PREVIEW. Post a preview image of the story, linking to the full story on HistoryLines. This is a snapshot view of the story, which will not change.
EMBED. Embed the story in an iframe on your blog. This will be a live version of the story, which will automatically update as you edit it on HistoryLines.

Instructions for both of these options are found on the "Share" link on the story page.

» Finding People on a Tree

Whether you imported a large GEDCOM file, or built a large tree, you can easily search the tree to find ancestors you are interested in. The search field is right below the name of the tree on the "Trees" page.

Matching ancestors will automatically appear as you type. Clicking on a matching name will load the tree with them at the center. To make an individual the permanent starting point for the tree, click on the person, then "Set as Tree Starting Point".

» Importing a tree from Ancestry

First, export your tree from Ancestry as a GEDCOM file. On Ancestry.com, go to your Tree Settings (in the drop-down menu under your tree name) and in the Tree info tab, look over to the right where it says Manage your tree. Click on Export tree. Once you have downloaded the GEDCOM file from Ancestry, you can import it into HistoryLines. On the "Stories" page, click on "Import a GEDCOM File", then select the file, name it, and click "Upload GEDCOM". HistoryLines will then create your family tree from that GEDCOM file.

» Importing a tree from MyHeritage

First, export your tree from MyHeritage as a GEDCOM file. Click here: Instructions

Once you have downloaded the GEDCOM file from MyHeritage, you can import it into HistoryLines. On the "Stories" page, click on "Import a GEDCOM File", then select the file, name it, and click "Upload GEDCOM". HistoryLines will then create your family tree from that GEDCOM file.

» Importing a tree from FamilySearch

HistoryLines can import your tree directly from FamilySearch. On the "Stories" page, click on "Import from FamilySearch". You will be directed to the FamilySearch login page, to sign in, then back to HistoryLines, which will automatically download your family tree into HistoryLines.
Any time you make changes to your tree on FamilySearch, come back to HistoryLines, go to your family tree, click on the person you wish to update, then click on "Update from FamilySearch". The person will be updated with the latest information from FamilySearch.

» Arranging Photos in Story Sections

Each story section can contain up to 10 photos. You can re-arrange, rotate, delete, and add photos on the "Edit" or "Personalize" on any story section. The first photo in the list will display as the large photo in the story. You can also add captions that will appear in the large view, and in the exported PDF.

» Importing a tree from RootsMagic, Family Tree Builder, and other software

First, export your tree from your software problem as a GEDCOM file. (See your software guide for instructions)

Once you have downloaded the GEDCOM file from your software program, you can import it into HistoryLines. On the "Stories" page, click on "Import a GEDCOM File", then select the file, name it, and click "Upload GEDCOM". HistoryLines will then create your family tree from that GEDCOM file.

» How do I stop a subscription?

Email us if you would like to make changes to your subscription

» How do I update my payment information?

Go to your "Account" page, click on "Payment Information", then make any needed changes.

Intro

Tree Basics

Importing from FamilySearch Importing GEDCOM Creating PDF

Ancestors

Siblings

Spouses

Children

You can leave this page while GEDCOM file is imported.