The Mutch Genealogy

For as long as we have record, our Mutch ancestors were poor Scottish crofters of Aberdeenshire, working crofts in the parishes of Logie Buchan, Peterhead, and Cruden at least since the latter half of the 1600s. The origin and meaning of the Mutch surname is uncertain. Likewise it is uncertain whether there is any connection between the Scottish Mutch families and those found in northern England. Henry Harrison's Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, pages 31-32, traces the Mutch surname back to the Middle English word moche or muche, which means big, great, or tall. From time to time, when men were given that descriptive, it readily could become a proper surname that he would thus pass on to his sons. That may well account for the origin of the surname in England, and perhaps at some point an English Mutch family somehow found its way to Aberdeen. However, it is more probable that the surname arose independently in England and Scotland. In Scotland, the word "mutch" (much in the Middle English Scots dialect) is an old term that refers to a close-fitting linen or muslin cap of a sort worn by old women or babies. The Concise Scots Dictionary says "mutch" comes from the Dutch and East Frisian mutse, "cap, nightcap," from the Middle Latin almutia, "amice." It is unclear how "much" or "mutch" could have become a surname, but it may have something to do with the verb "mooch," which derives either from the Middle English mouchen ("to pretend poverty") or from the Middle English mucchen ("to hide coins in one's nightcap"), which in turn derives from Dutch and East Frisian mutse. Either of those etymologies refer to persons who are poor or at least indolent. Thus, it could be that the Scottish surname Mutch (or Much) originated as an uncomplimentary descriptive for men who were poor or beggars (cf. the expression "cap-in-hand" as a reference to being in a position where one must beg or plead for help). If so, this may account for the relatively low social status and financial difficulties of our own Mutch family (though naturally we'd prefer if our Mutches took their name from a large or tall man rather than a beggar or "mooching" panhandler).

This detail from the 1860s Ordnance Survey map of Cruden Parish in Aberdeenshire shows the locations of the crofts of Earlseat, Woodside of Auquharney, and Mains of Auquharney, where our Mutch ancestors lived and farmed.

The earliest appearance of the surname was in England, where the 1275 Hundred Rolls of Norfolk include a WILLIAM MOCH. In the following century, RICHARD MUCHE appears in the 1374 "Calendar of Inquisitiones" for County Essex. In the 1580s the specific spelling "Mutch" is found in the parish registers of Lancashire, England. In time the Mutch surname in England would be immortalised in the legends of Robin Hood, to whom the old traditions assign a Merry Man named MUTCH, as we read in Sir Walter Scott's 1810 The Lady of the Lake, XXII:

     . . . But chief, beside the butts, there stand
     Bold Robin Hood and all his band, --
     Friar Tuck with quarterstaff and cowl,
     Old Scathelock with his surly scowl,
     Maid Marian, fair as ivory bone,
     Scarlet, and Mutch, and Little John; . . .

Robin Hood's man Mutch earlier appeared in Ben Johnson's 1641 play Sad Shepherd, where Mutch is a bailiff. "Much the Miller's Son" appears as a companion of Robin Hood in two of the earliest ballads of Robin Hood, "A Gest of Robyn Hode," and "Robin Hood and the Monk." In other variations, he is called "Moche," "Midge," or even "Nick." (However, in the worst Robin Hood movie of all time, Kevin Costner's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, the Mutch character is pointlessly replaced by the boy Wulf.)

As for Scotland, however, George Black's Surnames of Scotland says the earliest Scottish Mutch on record was WILLIAM MOUCH, Burgess of Stirling, who is mentioned in 1520 in Extracts from Records of the Royal Burgh of Stirling. In the following century the surname is found quite frequently in the parish registers of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where most of Scotland's Mutches still live today. Given the fact that Aberdeenshire is the historical "homeland" of Scotland's Mutches, it is not impossible that all Aberdeenshire Mutches have a single common ancestor from whom they derive their surname.

Notable Mutches in Scotland's history include MARJORY MUTCH, who was accused of witchcraft during the reign of King James VI of Scotland (later James I of England), the superstitious Calvinists of Aberdeenshire having succumbed to witchcraft hysteria of the same sort as also plagued the Calvinist Puritans of New England at that time. During the proceedings the King himself personally interrogated Marjory Mutch in 1596-97, as is related in Domestic Annals of Scotland: Reign of James VI. 1591 - 1603 Part D. About a century and a half later, two Mutches won a far more honorable historical notice: GEORGE MUTCH and JOHN MUTCH were among the loyal Scots who came out to fight for their rightful King James VIII and his son the Bonnie Prince in the 1745 Jacobite Rising, as noted by George Black in his Surnames of Scotland. In more recent times, JOHN LOWRIE MUTCH served in World War I.

The Old Presbyterian Kirk of Cruden Parish, shown here in a photograph from a 2000 leaflet written by the Rev. Rodger Neilson, was built in 1776 to replace the previous church on that site, which was a Catholic Christian edifice built probably in the mid-1500s. Stones from the earlier church were used in building the present church. Our Mutch family in Scotland were baptised, married, and had their funeral rites in this church during the 1800s.

The following account of our Mutch genealogy is based not only on our own family records, but especially on James Robert Mutch's 1929 Genealogy of the Mutch Family (first edition), pages 51-57, and the genealogical data provided by the eminently helpful Harry Mutch of the Mutches.com online database and forum. I have also consulted and compared the information at the (now defunct) family tree of Mutch researcher Leslie MacKenzie. I am especially grateful for the information and assistance provided by our Mutch cousins Ken Mutch of Grundy Center, Iowa, the late Nancy Riggs Costello of Greenfield, Illinois, and the late Maythel Armold Hunt of Greenfield, Illinois. Lastly, I dedicate this webpage to the memory of my late mother-in-law Carolyn Riggs Spencer, granddaughter of Maggie Mutch Riggs of Murrayville, Illinois.

1. WILLIAM MUTCH, with whom our Mutch lineage commences, was born 1655 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, according to Mutch researcher Leslie MacKenzie. William's wife is unknown, but MacKenzie says he had two sons and two daughters:

     2.  JOHN MUTCH, baptised 4 April 1674 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  ISOBEL MUTCH, born 1683 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  THOMAS MUTCH, born 1685 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  MARGARET MUTCH, born 1687 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

2. JOHN MUTCH, son of William Mutch, baptised 4 April 1674 in Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Mutches.com says John's parentage is unknown, but Leslie MacKenzie identifies John's father as the above shown William Mutch of Aberdeenshire. On 3 April 1701 in Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, John married MARGARET CRISTEL, born 1681 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died Oct. 1753 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, buried 22 Oct. 1753 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Margaret's parentage and ancestry are unknown, but her surname suggests that, like many people along the northeast coasts of Scotland, she belonged to a Scottish family of Viking or later Scandinavian origin, likely descended from a man named Christel, a form of the name "Christian" that came to be very popular in Scandinavia. Mutch researcher Leslie MacKenzie says John and Margaret had seven sons:

     --  THOMAS MUTCH, baptised 29 Jan. 1698/99 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  PATRICK MUTCH, born 1704 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  JOHN MUTCH, baptised 11 Aug. 1706 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  WILLIAM MUTCH, baptised 18 March 1707/8 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     3.  GEORGE MUTCH, baptised 29 Nov. 1710 in Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  JAMES MUTCH, baptised 5 July 1716 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  ROBERT MUTCH, baptised 4 Dec. 1718 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

3. GEORGE MUTCH, son of John and Margaret Mutch, born Nov. 1710 and baptised 29 Nov. 1710 in Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died Aug. 1768 in Clubscross, Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, buried 5 Aug. 1768 in the Old Kirkyard of Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. On 23 Feb. 1738 in Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, George married MARGARET SHEWAN, born Nov. 1713 and baptised 12 Nov. 1713 in Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died Jan. 1784 and buried 3 Jan. 1784 in the Old Kirkyard of Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, daughter of William Shewan and Marjory Walker of Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Clubscross in Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where George Mutch died in 1768 -- this old croft is about a mile and a half due west of the modern town of Peterhead. At left is a detail from the 1868 Ordnance Survey map of Peterhead Parish. Note that the croft's residence is a traditional Scottish 'but and ben' cottage -- as are all the cottages of the crofts where our Mutches lived, worked, and died.

George and Margaret had five daughters and four sons:

     --  BARBARA MUTCH, born 1740 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  JANET MUTCH, born 1742 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     4.  WILLIAM MUTCH, baptised 17 June 1744 in Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  JOHN MUTCH, born 1746 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  JEAN MUTCH, born 1748 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  GEORGE MUTCH, born 1750 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  MARJORY MUTCH, born circa 1753 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  ANN MUTCH, born 1756 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  ROBERT MUTCH, born 1758 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

4. WILLIAM MUTCH, son of George and Margaret Mutch, born June 1744 and baptised 17 June 1744 in Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 1 Jan. 1799 in Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, buried 5 Jan. 1799 in the Old Kirkyard of Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. In 1776 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, William married JANET MORRISON, born 1746 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 19 June 1824 in Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, buried 29 June 1824 in the Old Kirkyard of Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Although Janet's parentage and ancestry are unknown, her surname indicates descent from a Scotsman named Mhuiris (Gaelic form of the Christian saints name Maurice). William and Janet are mentioned in the 1863 death record of their eldest son James as "William Mutch, Farmer, deceased," and "Ms. Murison, deceased" (James' son John having forgotten the Christian name of his paternal grandmother).

The Old Kirkyard of Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where the mortal remains of several generations of our Mutch family await the resurrection and final judgment -- including William and Janet Mutch.

Photo by GariochGraver from Find-A-Grave

William and Janet had five sons and a daughter:

     5.  JAMES MUTCH, baptised 29 April 1777 in Dorbshill, Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  ROBERT MUTCH, baptised 25 Feb. 1779 in Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  ALEXANDER MUTCH, baptised 3 June 1781 in Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 14 Sept 1845 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  JOHN MUTCH, baptised 10 April 1783 in Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 2 March 1842 in Muirhill, Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  THOMAS MUTCH, baptised 2 April 1785 in Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  GEORGE MUTCH, baptised 8 June 1787 in Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 19 Oct. 1809 in Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  BARBARA MUTCH, baptised 10 May 1791 in Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

5. JAMES MUTCH, son of William and Janet Mutch, born April 1777 in Dorbshill, Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, baptised 29 April 1777 in Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 29 Dec. 1863 at the home of his son Alexander in Woodside, Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, buried 2 Jan. 1864 in the Old Kirkyard of Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. James Robert Mutch's 1929 Genealogy of the Mutch Family, page 51, misidentifies James' baptismal record, proposing the 2 June 1776 baptism in Cruden Parish of James Dutch, son of John Dutch in Mains of Auquharny, as the baptism of our James Mutch! Apart from the obvious difference in the surname, our James' death record says he was 86 years old at death, and thus was born in 1777, not 1776. James' death record also says James was the son of William Mutch and (NN) Murison. Thus, it is plain that our James is the James Mutch, son of William Mutch in Dorbshill by his wife Janet Morrison, whose baptism was recorded in Logie Buchan Parish (not Cruden Parish) on 29 April 1777.

Dorbshill in Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where James Mutch was born in 1777 -- this old croft is about 15 miles southwest of Clubscross. At left is a detail from the 1867 Ordnance Survey map of the parishes of Cruden, Logie Buchan, and Slains.

On 10 Sept. 1803 in Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, James married ELSPET MITCHELL (Elspeth, Elizabeth), born 1781 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died April 1843 in Earlseat, Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, buried 17 April 1843 in the Old Kirkyard of Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Elspet's surname designates a family that descended from a Scotsman who was named in honor of St. Michael the Archangel. James and Elspet had four sons and a daughter. James was a crofter of Earlseat. James' death record identifies him as "James Mutch, Farmer, widower of Elspet Mitchell, died 29th Dec. 1863 Woodside, Cruden, age 86. Parents William Mutch, Farmer, deceased, and Ms. Murison, deceased. Registered by John Mutch, son, Mill of Forvie, Cruden."

Earlseat in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the croft of James Mutch, where James' wife Elspet died, is situated about 10 miles southwest of Clubscross.

The children of James and Elspet Mutch were:

     6.  ALEXANDER MUTCH, born 1803 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  WILLIAM MUTCH, born 1806, died 20 May 1872 in Logie Buchan Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, married Mary Shand.
     --  ISABELLA MUTCH, born 1808 in Peterhead Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 18 Feb. 1882 in Slains Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, married Andrew Gray.
     --  THOMAS MUTCH, born 1814 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 1892 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, never married, no issue.
     --  JOHN MUTCH, born 1818 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 1885 in Aberdeenshire, married twice.

6. ALEXANDER MUTCH, son of James and Elspet Mutch, born 1803 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 16 Aug. 1875 at Woodside of Auquharney, Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Alexander was a crofter of Earlseat and Woodside of Auquharney in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire. The Aberdeenshire Ordnance Survey Name Books 1865-1871, Vol. 22 (OS1/1/22/51), page 51, records "Mr. A. Mutch Tenant" as the crofter of Woodside, which the Name Book describes as "A small croft with dwelling-house offices, garden &c. attached the property of Mr. Yeats Auquharney House." Yeats was the tacksman of Auquharney who had subleased Woodside to Alexander Mutch. On 7 Jan. 1832 in Cruden Parish, Alexander married CHRISTIAN GRANT ("Christina"), born Aug. 1806 and baptised 18 Aug. 1806 in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 1877 in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, daughter of Peter and Isabel (Penny) Grant of Cruden Parish. Alexander and Christian had four daughters and five sons. Alexander's death record says he died at the age of 72 of "ulceration of bowel." His death was reported by his neighbor James Miller -- by the time of his death, most of his children were no longer living in the vicinity, and some had emigrated to North America.

Alexander Mutch's death record showing his death from 'ulceration of bowel' on 16 Aug. 1875 at Woodside of Auquharney in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

James Robert Mutch's 1929 Genealogy of the Mutch Family, page 52, offers these remarks on Alexander and his family:

"Alexander Mutch lived at Woodside, Mains of Auquharney, Cruden, Aberdeen. The only surviving descendants he has in Scotland are his daughter Mrs. Henderson, his grandson William May and five grandchildren (families of William and late James May) all of whom live in Edinburgh. All of the other descendants, which are numerous, live in the United States. His croft is now a part of Mains of Auquharney and occupied by a James Murray. Mrs. Mitchell had no family. Mrs. May had a family viz. -- Alexander, 1868-1877, James 1870-1899, George 1872-1903, William, 1874-L., Alexander 1877-1895. Mrs. Henderson has no family."

At left is Woodside of Auquharney in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the croft of Alexander Mutch, where he died in 1875 and where his father James had died in 1863, situated a mile or two south of Earlseat. The Ordnance Survey shows that the "wood" that gives Woodside its name formerly was much more extensive than it is today. Shown at right is Mains of Auquharney, a croft located a short distance north of Woodside. By 1929 the croft of Woodside was a part of the croft of Mains of Auquharney.

The children of Alexander and Christian were:

     --  JEAN MUTCH, born 13 April 1832 in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 1868, married William Mitchell, no issue.
     7.  ALEXANDER MUTCH, born 23 Dec. 1833 in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
     --  ELSPET MUTCH, born 1835 in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, married Alexander May.
     --  JAMES MUTCH, born 27 Sept. 1837 in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 1916, married Mary Gray.
     --  MARY MUTCH, born 3 April 1839 in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, married George Henderson.
     --  THOMAS MUTCH, born 31 Oct. 1840 in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 1868.
     --  PETER MUTCH, born 29 Dec. 1844 in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 4 April 1912, married Mary Morrison.
     --  ISABELLA MUTCH, born 29 Oct. 1846 in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 1881.
     --  WILLIAM MUTCH, born 6 April 1848 in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 29 May 1920 in San Francisco, California, married three times.

7. ALEXANDER MUTCH ("Sandy"), son of Alexander and Christian Mutch, born 23 Dec. 1833 and baptised 10 Jan. 1834 in Cruden Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 4 Oct. 1882 in Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois, buried in Diamond Grove Cemetery, Jacksonville, Illinois. According to Mutch family lore, Sandy left Scotland when he was 18 years old [i.e., 1852], but James Robert Mutch's 1929 Genealogy of the Mutch Family, page 52, says he emigrated to Canada circa 1854. The story of how Sandy met his wife-to-be while emigrating from Scotland to Canada has often been repeated among Sandy's descendants, and was passed on to me in February 1999 by the late Nancy Riggs Costello (1929-2016) of Greenfield, Illinois, who had married one of Sandy Mutch's descendants. Nancy's cousin-in-law once removed, the late Maythel Armold Hunt (1913-2012), also of Greenfield, great-granddaughter of Sandy Mutch, supplied additional details of Sandy's life and family. Nancy's husband's grandmother was a Mutch, and the older sister of Maythel's mother. Nancy generously provided me a photocopy of this account, which reads as follows:

"Grandma (Margaret) Riggs's grandparents Sandy Mutch and Margaret Thompson met on the boat coming from Scotland to Canada. Sandy asked to carry Margaret's suitcase. Being Scottish she said 'Me thank you me carry me own valise!' But Sandy kept talking and they were soon married. They were 18 and 19 years old and both had left Scotland alone."

While this delightful bit of family lore is no doubt correct in substance, it is difficult to reconcile the stated ages of Sandy and Margaret with the known date of birth of their eldest child. According to the 1929 Mutch Genealogy, it was in 1856 that Sandy and Margaret married, and their first child was then born the following year. If their marriage rather was in, say, 1854, then we might speculate that perhaps they had a stillborn child circa 1855 or 1856, or a child who died soon after birth who perhaps was never named. Be that as it may, it was probably in Ontario, Canada, and reportedly in 1856, that Sandy married MARGARET THOMPSON, born 19 Dec. 1831 in Scotland, died 11 Nov. 1913 in Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois. Nothing is known of Margaret's parentage or ancestry, and we don't even know where in Scotland Margaret came from, whether Aberdeenshire or some other part of Scotland. Her surname, of course, means "Son of Thomas," and thus indicates that her family's ancestor was a man whose name-saint was St. Thomas the Apostle (Gaelic Thamhais, pronounced and often spelled "Tavish") -- but whether her family was a cadet of the Thomsons of that Ilk or of Clan MacTavish it is impossible to say.

Sandy Mutch and his wife Margaret are shown in these two vintage photographs handed down among their descendants. The image of Sandy Mutch is a photocopy provided by Nancy Riggs Costello. The photograph of Margaret is from the collection of Charlotte Stansfield, kindly shared by Charlotte's daughter Diana Stephens, a descendant of Sandy and Margaret.

After coming to Canada, Sandy and Margaret settled in Embro, in West Zorra Township, Oxford County, Ontario, a small farming community situated more or less midway between Detroit, Michigan, and Niagara Falls. Alexander and Margaret had five sons and four daughters, all of them born in Ontario. The 1861 Canadian Census returns for West Zorra show "Alexander Mutch," age 27, farmer, member of the Free Church of Scotland, living in a log cabin with his wife "Margaret Mutch," age 27 (sic), their children "William Mutch," age 4, and "Christy Mutch," age 2, and a servant named "Isabella Leed," age 15. It is noteworthy that a Scottish Thompson family is listed a few lines down on the same page of this census, headed by a Scotsman named "Angus Thompson," age 39, farmer, member of the Free Church of Scotland. Could Angus have been a brother of Sandy's wife Margaret? Is that why Sandy and Margaret Mutch later named one of their sons "Robert Angus Mutch"?

This record from the 1861 Canadian Census shows the households of Alexander "Sandy" Mutch and Angus Thompson in Embro, West Zorra Township, Ontario, Canada. Could Angus have been an older brother of Sandy's wife Margaret Thompson?

Ten years later, Sandy and Margaret Mutch and their children were enrolled in the 1871 Canadian Census as residents of West Zorra Township. The census record shows them as "Alexander Mutch," age 37, farmer, member of the Presbyterian Church, "Margaret Mutch," age 39, "William Mutch," age 13, "Christina Mutch," age 11, "Mary Mutch," age 10, "James Mutch," age 8, "Jane Mutch," age 6, "Catherine Mutch," age 4, "John Mutch," age 2, and "Angus Mutch," age 1. Just as in 1861, Sandy and his family were close neighbors with the Angus Thompson family.

It was probably in 1873, after the birth of Sandy's youngest son Peter Grant Mutch (whom Sandy named after his maternal grandfather), that Sandy emigrated with his wife and all of his children from Ontario, Canada, to rural Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois. Mutch family lore tells us that they quit their farm in Embro and emigrated to the United States because they were experiencing financial straits. Unfortunately, however, we do not know what led them to opt for south central Illinois -- but whatever led them to choose Jacksonville, there Sandy and Margaret remained for the rest of their lives.

The abovementioned account that Nancy Riggs Costello provided in February 1999 has this to say about Alexander Mutch and his family, derived from both Nancy's and Maythel's records and recollections:

"Sandy and Margaret had 5 boys in Canada then came to the U S because 'money was short.' They settled in Morgan County north of Murrayville and had 2 girls."

That is substantially correct, but is incorrect regarding the number and timing of birth of their children, for Sandy and Margaret actually had five boys and four girls, and all were born in Ontario.

James Robert Mutch's 1929 Genealogy of the Mutch Family, page 54, offers these remarks on Alexander and his family (emphasis added):

"Alexander Mutch emigrated to Embro, Oxford County, Province of Ontario, Canada, about 1854, where he lived until about 1872, when he moved to Jacksonville, Morgan County, State of Illinois, United States."

"Mrs. Allan lives on a farm a short distance from Jacksonville. She has a family of five, viz., -- Mr. S. J. Tompkins; James W. Allan, near Jacksonville, Illinois; Elsie M., wife of J. E. Million; Mabel Olive, wife of Leslie L. Lewis; Lulu Evelyn, wife of Allan Gordon, Lyle, Minnesota. Mrs. Slaughter, lives in the city of Jacksonville. She has a family of three, viz., -- Elizabeth Jane, born 1882, College Street, Jacksonville, who collected all of the data regarding her grandfather's numberous (sic) descendants for this genealogy; Ada Helen, 1883-1914; Mertyl B., 1885, wife of J. B. M. Skyksma of Los Angeles, California. James Mutch, never married. He lived in St. Louis, Missouri, until lately and now lives with his brother in Jacksonville. Mrs. Charles Parkin had a family of six, viz., -- Richard, 1884-1918; George, 1887, of Euclid, Minnesota; Charles Everett, 1888, Euclid; Anna Ethel, 1893, wife of Le Roy Vint, Beaman, Iowa; Mildred, 1906, Euclid. Richard Parkin's children, Paul, 1906, and Edna, 1909, live with his widow, Mrs. L. Dent, of Davenport, Iowa. Mrs. Cockerill, had a family of four, viz., -- Zillah, 1889-1919, wife of Roy Smith; Jessie, 1890, wife of D. R. Wadleigh, Davenport, Iowa; Leslie, 1890, wife of George Nichols, Omaha, Nebraska, United States; Albert, 1897, Davenport, Iowa."

Alexander lived for less than a decade after his arrival in the United States. His widow Margaret continued to live in her own house in Jacksonville until the tragic death of her daughter-in-law Clara in 1890, after which she moved in with her eldest son William. This is mentioned in the above quoted account from Nancy Riggs Costello, which records the following memory of Margaret: "Grandma Riggs [i.e. Margaret Mutch Riggs, eldest child of William, himself the child of Sandy and Margaret] said her Grandma Mutch came to live with her family when her mother died and was very good to the children.

The children of Sandy and Margaret were:

     8.  WILLIAM ALEXANDER MUTCH, born 27 Oct. 1857 in Embro, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada.
     --  CHRISTINA OLIVE MUTCH, born 29 June 1859 in Embro, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada, died 9 Dec. 1940 in rural Morgan County, Illinois, married James Allan.
     --  MARY ELIZABETH MUTCH, born 1861 in Embro, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada, died 31 Dec. 1945 in Morgan County, Illinois, married Charles A. Slaughter.
     --  JAMES ALEXANDER MUTCH, born 1863 in Embro, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada, died 1926, never married.
     --  JANE MUTCH, born 22 Oct. 1864 in Stratford, Perth County, Ontario, Canada, married Charles Parkin.
     --  CATHARINE MUTCH, born 1 Jan. 1867 in Ontario, Canada, died 28 Feb. 1919 in Davenport, Iowa, married George T. Cockerill.
     --  JOHN THOMAS MUTCH, born 2 April 1869 in Ontario, Canada, died 16 Dec. 1958, married Frances Isabelle Jackson.
     --  ROBERT ANGUS MUTCH, born 1 March 1871 in Ontario, Canada, died 9 Nov. 1952 in Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois, married Myrtle Cecelia Curtis.
     --  PETER GRANT MUTCH, born 3 Dec. 1872 in Ontario, Canada, died 20 Dec. 1950 in Manchester, Scott County, Illinois, married Bertha Elnora Scholl.

8. WILLIAM ALEXANDER MUTCH, son of Alexander and Margaret Mutch, born 27 Oct. 1857 in Embro, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada, died 20 Jan. 1900 in Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois, buried in Sooy Cemetery, rural Murrayville, Illinois. About seven years after he arrived in Illinois from Canada with his parents and siblings, William was enrolled in the 1880 U.S. Census as "William Mutch," age 22, a farm hand working for the family of William and Elizabeth Rose in rural Morgan County, Illinois. The following year, on 24 March 1881 in Morgan County, Illinois, William married CLARA I. SOOY, born 20 March 1861 in Morgan County, Illinois, died at home of accidental poisoning on 17 Dec. 1890 in Murrayville, Morgan County, Illinois, buried in Sooy Cemetery, daughter of Hamilton and Margaret Frances (Reaugh) Sooy. William and Clara's marriage record identifies them as "William Mutch" and "Clara I. Sooy." They had four daughters and one son. (In Benjamin J. Gunn's Descendants of Reuben Gunn, Bernard Sweeney, Samuel Reaugh, Rev. James Dunn (1891), William and his wife Clara I. Sooy are recorded on pages 88-89, with their four eldest children being listed on page 89.)

After Clara's shocking death, almost five years elapsed before William remarried, on 4 Sept. 1895 in Morgan County, Illinois, to SARAH JANE PHENIX (or "Phoenix"), born 14 Feb. 1877 in Nortonville, Morgan County, Illinois, died 11 Aug. 1925 in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa. William and Sarah had a daughter and a son, after which William died suddenly at the age of 42 in 1900. William's widow Sarah remarried on 10 Sept. 1903 to ALVA CHARLES SWEENEY, born 30 April 1875 in Franklin, Morgan County, Illinois, died in 1925 in Grand Forks County, North Dakota. After Sarah's remarriage, she and Alva raised the two children she'd had with William, and she and Alva had five additional children together. Meanwhile, William's five children by Clara were taken in by families in Murrayville, except for William's eldest child, who married about a month after her father's death.

William Mutch, left, and his wife Clara, right, are shown in these two vintage photographs handed down among their descendants. These photographs are from the collection of Charlotte Stansfield, kindly shared by Charlotte's daughter Diana Stephens, a descendant of William and Clara.

The above quoted account from Nancy Riggs Costello continues to account of our Mutch line, providing information on the family of William and Clara Mutch from Nancy's cousin-in-law Maythel Armold Hunt (emphasis added):

". . . Their son William married Clara Sooey (sic -- Sooy) . Their children were Margaret Elsie b 7-21-82 died Feb 1965 (sic - Jan. 1965), Maude Ellen (sic - her name was properly "Maud," but often appears as "Maude" in old records and is even written so on her gravestone) -- died 6-25-69, Alexander b Oct 20 (sic - Oct. 18), Nettie b Oct 20, and Edith. Clara b 3-20-61 d 12-12-1890 died after Dr (her cousin) gave her wrong medicine. He realized it when he got back to town. He went back (6 mi) and she was dead. William married again had 2 more children - Wm and Lillian."

This account agrees very closely with the information found in James Robert Mutch's 1929 Genealogy of the Mutch Family, page 57, though Maythel's information and the 1929 genealogy both have occasional slight errors.

William's seven children by his two wives were:

     9.  MARGARET ELSIE MUTCH, born 21 July 1882 in Murrayville, Illinois.
     --  MAUD ELLEN MUTCH, born 11 Dec. 1883 in Murrayville, Illinois, died 25 June 1969 in Greenfield, Illinois, married Winfield Frank Armold.
     --  ALEXANDER HAMILTON MUTCH, born 18 Oct. 1885 in Murrayville, Illinois, died 25 March 1922, married Cecile Marsh.
     --  NETTIE BELLE MUTCH, born 20 Oct. 1888 in Murrayville, Illinois, died 6 May 1972 in Portland, Oregon, married Palmer Henry Stevenson.
     --  CLARA EDITH MUTCH, born 23 Aug. 1889 in Murrayville, Illinois, died 30 Jan. 1975 in San Diego County, California, married twice.
     --  LILLIAN MARIE MUTCH, born 16 Sept. 1896 in Murrayville, Illinois, died 18 Nov. 1975 in San Diego, California, married Nathaniel Charles Gilbert.
     --  WILLIAM BARR MUTCH, born 25 Oct. 1898 in Murrayville, Illinois, died 22 March 1967 in San Diego, California, married his first cousin Alma Faye Mutch, no children.

9. MARGARET ELSIE MUTCH ("Maggie"), daughter of William and Clara Mutch, born 21 July 1882 in Murrayville, Morgan County, Illinois, died at age 82 on 30 Jan. 1965 in Greenfield, Illinois, buried in Murrayville Cemetery. In Benjamin J. Gunn's Descendants of Reuben Gunn, Bernard Sweeney, Samuel Reaugh, Rev. James Dunn (1891), page 89, Margaret is recorded among the children of William Mutch and Clara I. Sooy as "Maggie E., b July 21, 1882." As noted above, after the untimely death of Margaret's mother Clara, Margaret's paternal grandmother Margaret Thompson Mutch moved in with her son William and helped him raised his children, "and was very good to the children." The death of Maggie's father William in 1900 resulted in the "breaking" of the Mutch home (as a written caption on an old Mutch family photograph termed it): William's two youngest children were raised by his widow Sarah, and Margaret Thompson Mutch apparently was unable to care for William's other children, who went to live with other families in town. Maggie's younger sister Edith, for example, was taken in by the Tisingtons of Murrayville.

At left is a vintage 1884 photograph of little Maud Ellen and her big sister Margaret Elsie, wearing dresses their mother Clara had made for them. At right is a group photograph of the five children of William and Clara Mutch -- in the back row are Clara Edith, Margaret Elsie, and Maud Ellen, and in the front are Nettie Belle and Alexander Hamilton. These photographs are from the collection of Charlotte Stansfield, kindly shared by Charlotte's daughter Diana Stephens, a descendant of William and Clara.

As for Maggie herself, less than a month after her father's death, on 14 Feb. 1900 in Murrayville, Morgan County, Illinois, Maggie married HERBERT BENJAMIN RIGGS, born 7 Aug. 1880 at Godfrey, Madison County, Illinois, died at age 81 on 26 April 1962 in Passavant Hospital, Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois, after suffering a heart attack on Saturday, 21 April 1962, buried in Murrayville Cemetery, son of Albert and Luvenia Riggs. Herbert and Margaret's marriage license shows their names as "Herbert B. Riggs" and "Maggie Mutch." Herbert and Maggie had but two sons and a daughter. Maggie was pregnant with her first child (my wife's grandfather Carl) at the time they were married. That explains the following curious detail found in the above quoted account from Nancy Riggs Costello: ". . . they were married -- and 60 years later they celebrated their 63rd anniversary" (thus concealing the fact that their first child was born only six months after their marriage, a matter of shame and embarrassment not only to themselves but to their family, especially their eldest son).

Nancy Riggs Costello's account also includes these memories of Maggie and Herbert, as handed on by their younger son Russell to his son Russell Jr., Nancy's husband:

"Grandma pitched hay, milked lots of cows and Russell's first memory was of riding on her lap on horse drawn cultivators. She was a great cook with no written recipes -- she made such good pies and homemade bread!"

Their granddaughter Carolyn also related that Margaret often would hand a hairbrush to her son Carl (Carolyn's father) and have her brush her hair.

The 1910 U.S. Census lists "Herbert B. Rigg" (sic), age 29, a farmer of Athensville, Greene County, Illinois, with his wife Margaret, age 27, and their three children, Carl, 9, Iva, 6, and "Russel T.," 1. In the 1920 U.S. Census, "Herbert B. Rigg" (sic), age 39, a farmer of Athensville, appears with his wife Margaret, age 37, and their three children, Carl, 19, Iva, 16, and Russell, 11. "Herbert B. Riggs," age 49, and Margaret E. Riggs, age 47, are listed together in the U.S. Census of 2 May 1930 as living at Murrayville, with Herbert Benjamin's occupation shown as "farmer." By that time, their three children were grown and living in their own households. In the U.S. Census returns for Murrayville dated 29-30 April 1940, Herbert B. Riggs, age 59, farmer, is listed with his wife "Margret E. Riggs," age 57, and a male lodger named Tracey E. Still, age 12 (a cousin on Herbert's mother's side).

Herbert's obituary was published in the Jacksonville Daily Journal on Friday, 27 April 1962, page 10, column 6:

Herbert Riggs, Murrayville, Dies Thursday

Mr Riggs was born at Godfrey, Illinois August 7, 1880, son of Albert and Lavina (sic) Riggs. He was married February 14, 1860 (sic -- 1900) to Margaret Mutch who survives with two sons, Carl of Alsey and Russell, Greenfield. A daughter, Mrs Iva Stansfield, preceded her father in death. There are 10 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 2 PM Saturday at the Murrayville Baptist church will Rev Ollie Phillips officiating, assisted by Rev Albert Hinners. Interment will be in Murrayville cemetery.

Margaret E. (Mutch) Riggs and Herbert B. Riggs, from the collection of their granddaughter Carolyn J. (Riggs) Spencer

About three years later, the Jacksonville Journal Courier's Sunday edition, 31 Jan. 1965, page 11, column 4, announced that Margaret have passed away at 8 p.m. the previous evening at Cedar Knolls Nursing Home in Greenfield, Illinos. According to her granddaughter Carolyn, Margaret died after suffering a stroke while excitedly enjoying a televised boxing match. Margaret's obituary was published in the Jacksonville Journal on Tuesday, 2 Feb. 1965, page 6, column 9:

Margaret Riggs of Murrayville Dies Saturday

Funeral services will be held at 2 PM Tuesday at the Murrayville Baptist church with Rev Albert Hinners and Rev Ollie Phillips officiating. Interment will be in Murrayville cemetery.

The three children of Herbert and Margaret Riggs were:

     --  CARL SPENCER RIGGS SR., born 26 Aug. 1900 at Ceres, Illinois.
     --  IVA BERNICE RIGGS, born 5 June 1903 at Ceres, Illinois, died 18 Nov. 1958 in Jacksonville, Illinois, married Archie Kingsley Stansfield.
     --  RUSSELL THOMAS RIGGS, born 29 April 1908 at Ceres, Illinois, died 19 Jan. 1984 in Jacksonville, Illinois, married Marjorie Hope Barton.

Mutch Genealogy Resources:

Old Scottish Genealogy and History: Cruden Records
GEN-UK-I: Cruden/Invercruden
A Brief History Of Cruden Parish Church
GEN-UK-I: Logie Buchan
Old Scottish Genealogy and History: Logie Buchan Records
Old St. Peter's Kirkyard Cemetery
Old Scottish Genealogy and History: Peterhead Records
Descendants of Wolphert Gerretse Van Kouwenhoven (Incl. ancestry of Margaret Elsie Mutch)

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