Work so far
Our interest in the family history started after
the discovery of a monumental inscription in Westminster Abbey for
Sophia Annandale, the wife of William Johnstone, 1st Marquis of
Annandale, and daughter of John Fairholm of Craigiehall. It was first
found in the late 1970s by Margaret Fairholm and her mother-in-law
Alice Fairholm. We found it again in 1984. A limited search at the
time revealed a Scottish family. In the late summer of 1998 the
current search began for our own immediate ancestors. By the end of
August 1999 we had a family tree stretching from the mid 1700s to the
present day. In addition, we had identified many other Fairholm and
Fairholme families and the quantity of this extra information prompted
us to begin searching for all family members. We have been surprised
by exactly how much it has been possible to find from public records.
It just takes a lot of effort, luck and help from other people.
Several interesting facts have emerged from our
research:
| There
were two main concentrations of Fairholm and Fairholme families in
the British Isles in early records: one around Edinburgh in Scotland
and the other around Nottingham in England. |
| Some of the
current Fairholm and Fairholme families in England are related. |
| Some
of the current Fairholm and Fairholme families in Scotland are
related. |
| There is no
obvious connection yet between the Scottish and English families. |
| There
are several places from where the family name could have started. |
| Outside
the British Isles there are Fairholm and Fairholme family members in
Canada, the USA, Australia and
New Zealand. |
| The Scottish
surname variation of Ferme has extensive family connections in
Australia. |
|