1789-1855
James Archibald was married
and had his family at Inveresk, Coal Pit County, Linlithgow, Scotland.
He then moved his family to Craighill, Linlithgow, Scotland in 1820.
In 1822 James with his sons, Robert,
Thomas and John, went down in the coal pit when an accident happened with
machinery breaking loose above them. James cried out "God have mercy
on us" and the machinery missed hitting them, saving their lives.
Agnes, the wife of James, worked in the coal pit with her children.
James went to Stonehill to get
work, then to Craighill (1820), then to Forent eight miles distant and
stayed one year. He then went for the west country, 30 miles distance.
James settled in Greenridge 19 April 1825, then his son Henry died there
the next day. He was buried in the Whitburn shire church yard.
James and his family had moved when necessary to find employment where
work could be found along with some attempt at farming. James stayed
with his family in Greenridge for seven years, after which he went back
to New CraigHill, 30 miles east of the Parish of Aok County, of Edinburgh.
About 23 Dec 1836 the people became
stirred up about religion at 16 miles north of the family. Time passed
and religion became important everywhere.
In 1837 there was no harvest and
thousands were dying from want. Everything had a gloomy appearance.
There was no harvest in the year 1838 in Lithgowshire, Scotland.
By the New Year, they were cutting their harvest in the midst of snow and
ice. 1839 was little better and many families were bad off for want
of bread and something to eat.
In 1839 James with his family and Thomas
with his family went to Crofthead but did not find work. Robert went
to Harthill with his family. James and family went to Bathgate and
Thomas and family went to Firastengrans 30 miles east of Harthill.
Robert and family going to the same place. There was movement to
Greenridge, to Bathgate, back to Greenridge where work was found for a
short time or when strike by large groups allowed work. It seemed
that Crofthead was the central area of living most of the time. With
James' death in 1855, his wife surviving and with her daughter, and son-in-law,
departed Edinburgh, Scotland for New Zealand 1 Oct 1857, arriving there
1 Feb 1858, where they bought land and paid a large sum for it.
Thomas Archibald, third son of James, died
at Crofthead 8 April 1857 and was buried 11 April 1857 in the Whitburn
church yard. His wife Elizabeth and children immigrated to America
in 1862.
Robert, son of James, met George Kinghorn and his
family when they had moved to New Craighill. George had lost his
wife in the waters of Coal Pit Mine in 1822 and Robert married his daughter
22 Nov 1835 in Whitburn Parish. They had several children and immigrated
to America 21 June 1860, arriving in Provo 5 Sept 1861.
28 Dec 1857, Mother Agnes was doing poorly.
She was 68 years old and living in New Zealand.
15 Oct 1859 Robert, eldest son of James, received
a letter from Mary Archibald Edwards from Australia. No further word
was received.