Person:Christian Sherrat (1)

Early Life

Christian Sherrat was born in 1797, at Finzean, where her father was the overseer of the Farquharson estate. The estate belonged to Archibald Farquharson Esq the younger, the 8th laird of Finzean, who was just a young boy whose father had died. Christian's aunt, Christian Spring, was the mother of the young laird. The two families lived together at Finzean, probably all in the estate house. Sometime between 1808 and 1812, the Sherrat family moved to nearby Tillyfruskie.

Married Life

In 1815, Christian married a local farmer named James Cattanach, and they lived at Woodend (near the Forest of Birse). They had eight (seven surviving) children there between 1817 an 1831. They were also joined at Woodend by Christian's mother, and her two younger siblings (Archibald and Isobel) after their father died in 1818.

Emigration to Canada

Sometime around 1832, James and Christina (as she was later known) and all of their children (except perhaps John) emigrated to Wellington County, Ontario, Canada, where they were among the first settlers in the township of Nichol. They had two more children there. After her husband died, Christina lived on the homestead with her bachelor sons Robert and George, where she died at age 87 in 1884.

1. ↑ Church of Scotland. Parish Church of Birse. Old Parish Registers, Parish of Birse (1758-1854). (Birse, Aberdeenshire, Scotland).

   "Mr Robert Sherrat Overseer at Finzean had a daughter baptised named Christian. Witnesses Mr Robert Spring and Miss Mary Spring." (The witnesses are Christian's mother's siblings.)

2. ↑ Ontario, Canada Deaths, County of Wellington, Division of Nichol Township
   p. 333, no 019317.

   "Christina Sherratt Cattanach died 15 Jun 1884 aged 87 years, widow of James Cattanach, Presbyterian, died of jaundice about 12 days illness; reported by George Cattanach, farmer, 5th lot in 8th col? Nichol, on 16 Jun 1884; Dr. Savage certifies cause of death to be malignant disease of liver."

3. ↑ They were still in Aberdeenshire as late as Mar 1831 when they baptised a daughter in Birse. They probably were established in Nichol by 1833, as they are listed as original settlers. Christian's brother Archibald, who emigrated with them, is found active in Nichol municipal affairs as early as 1833.