In the Beginning

In the Beginning

The story of the people who lived in what would be Scotland begins in the Northern Isles. There is evidence of human habitation there as far back as c. 8000-7000 B.C. Little is known of these early Stone Age people, but it is thought that they migrated from the Low Countries of Europe. They were not settlers as such, although they did reside in small family groups or communities. They were nomadic hunters-gatherers and established temporary camps where they could spend the colder periods. Then, during the warmer months, they struck out on hunting and gathering sorties.

The first settlers of mainland Scotland, arriving at the onset of the postglacial period (as early as 7000 B.C.), found that the best access to the interior was provided by estuaries and rivers, with the Forth being among the most important. Its shoreline and mudflats show evidence of Stone Age explorers, who did not yet need the protection of the region's steep hills.

Around 5000 B.C., the Middle Stone Age (Mesolithic) people appeared on the scene. These nomadic people lived in caves or rough shelters and used stone implements. They ate what they could find or catch: deer, eggs, berries, nuts and often shell-fish. Some of their village sites contain millions of shells. Beyond the coasts forests covered much of the land, so they traveled by boat as journeys by foot would have been slow, difficult, and often dangerous.

Sometime around 4000 B.C., the New Stone Age (Neolithic) people from the eastern Mediterranean area reached Scotland. They may have also emigrated from The Danube Valley and parts of the Ukraine. They settled and made their homes along the western coast, in the Forth and Clyde estuaries, as well as in the Orkney and Shetland Islands. They were farmers who understood how to grow crops such as wheat and barley, and they knew about rearing domesticated animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs and goats. This new way of life involved clearing some of the land. These new settlers were also hunters and fishermen. They fished in the sea, in the rivers and in the lochs. They used stone and flint tools, utensils and weapons, and they were skilled at making simple forms of pottery, which they decorated with grooved patterns. Their settlements have left little or no trace – other than a few caves – except in Orkney where remains of early Neolithic stone houses can still be seen.  

About 2500-2000 B.C., the Beaker People, so called from the shape of their drinking vessels, reached Britain and northeast Scotland. It is thought that they may have been some of the earliest to bury their dead in individual graves. They were farmers, and settled where there was cultivatable land. They were accomplished archers as well, wearing stone wrist guards to protect their arms from the sting of the bowstring. They were also the first metal smiths in Britain. They were pioneers in metal working, first in copper and gold, and later in bronze which gave its name to this era. They made their own pottery, and eventually the first woven garments in Britain. They also seem to have introduced the first known alcoholic drink into Britain, a form of honey-based mead. The islands have never been the same since.

The Bronze Age began in Scotland about 2300 B.C., when new invaders arrived from the North Sea area. They introduced swords, knives, chisels, buckles, cauldrons and buckets, all evidence of a high level of civilization and creature comfort that would be enhanced by the metal craft of the subsequent Iron Age. These people lived in round houses, which now only survive as hut circles, or indentations, in the ground. The walls were either of sod or stone, and a wooden post held up a thatched roof. A central hearth contained a fire for cooking and warmth. Remains of their farm systems survive, as wells as the piles of stones they removed to clear their fields for cultivation.

Famous Connections

Royal Connections

by Donald D. Erwin

James IV, King of Scotland – the Stewart ancestor of the current monarch of England – as well as Robert the Bruce, are distant ancestors of the author (though perhaps better described as “connections”). A direct line of descendants is listed below:

Robert de Brus I (1274-1329) (Robert the Bruce) King of Scots. Robert was born on July 11, 1274, into an aristocratic Scottish family. Through his father he was related to the Scottish royal family, and his mother had Gaelic antecedents. The ancestor of Robert the Bruce was a Norman knight, also called Robert, who accompanied William the Conqueror on his invasion of England in 1066. This Robert de Bruis, who took his name from his family estates at Bruis near Cherbourg, received extensive lands in Yorkshire. His son, again called Robert, was made Lord of Annandale by David I of Scotland in1124. This Robert's grandson, another Robert, married King David's great-granddaughter Isabel in 1220. Their son, Robert de Brus (1210-1295) was at one time an heir to the throne and competitor for the crown of Scotland against John Balliol in 1292. His son, Robert (1243-1304) was the father of the Robert the Bruce above, who succeeded him as Lord of Annandale in 1304.

Marjory Bruce (1296-1316). Marjory Bruce was the only child of the first marriage of Robert de Brus (Robert the Bruce), King of Scots to Lady Isabel de Mar. She was not yet eighteen at the time of the Battle of Bannockburn, June 24, 1314. One of the heroes of that great victory over the English was her second cousin once removed, Walter Stewart, 6th Lord High Steward, some four years her senior. She and Walter were married in 1315, in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. They had one child, Robert Stuart II, who became the King of Scotland. He was saved by a cesarean delivery after his mother fell from a horse and died on March 2, 1316, at age nineteen.

Robert Stewart II (1316-1390), King of Scotland. Robert II became King of Scots in 1371, as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, sixth hereditary High Steward of Scotland, and Marjory Bruce, daughter of Robert I and his first wife Isabel de Mar.

The name came from his ancestor, Walter Stewart, who was appointed High Steward of Scotland by David I (r.1124-1153). He had escaped following the defeat of David II (r.1329-1371) at Halidon Hill in 1333, and took over as Guardian of Scotland while David was in exile in France.

Robert was a mature man of fifty-four when he succeeded to the throne on the death of David, but he was a weak king and did not rule well over the nobles who were critical of him, which resulted in a loss of prestige for the crown.

Robert had fourteen legitimate children, and at least seven illegitimate. He was succeeded by his son John, who took the name Robert III.

Robert Stewart III (1347-1406). He was the eldest son of Robert II and Elizabeth Mure. His given name was John Stewart, and was known primarily as the Earl of Carrick before ascending the throne at age fifty-three. He took the name Robert because John, his given name, was considered a bad omen after the hated John Balliol.

Robert III was King of Scots from 1390, until his death. He was a timid and retiring individual, and his reign was marred by many problems, including rivalry between the Highlanders, his brothers and the Lords of the Isles. His brother Robert, Duke of Albany, may have been responsible for the death of Robert III’s son David.

In 1402, the forces Henry IV of England invaded the Lowlands and – following two successive defeats of the Scots – briefly occupied Edinburgh. Robert III sent James, his ten-year-old second son to France in 1406, for safety, but he was captured at sea during the journey and taken prisoner by the English. The news of his son’s capture was said to have hastened the death of Robert, who died shortly afterwards.

James Stewart I (1394-1437), King of Scotland. James I was the youngest of three sons of King Robert III and Annabella Drummond. By the time he was eight years of age both of his elder brothers were dead. In February 1406, James, in the company of nobles loyal to King Robert III, clashed with those of the Earl of Douglas, forcing the prince to take temporary refuge on the Bass Rock in the Forth estuary. He remained there until mid-March, when he boarded a vessel bound for France, but English pirates captured the ship on March 22 and delivered James to Henry IV of England. A few days later, on April 4, Robert III died, and the twelve-year-old uncrowned King of Scots began his eighteen-year detention. James was ransomed in early in 1424, and in April 1424, James, accompanied by his wife Joan Beaufort, daughter of the Earl of Somerset, returned to Scotland.

Since James had fought on behalf of Henry V, and at times even against Scottish forces in France, his was not altogether a popular re-entry to Scottish affairs. In addition, his £40,000 ransom meant increased taxes to cover the repayments, as well as the detention of Scottish nobles as collateral. Unlike his father and grandfather, he did not take mistresses, but had many children by his consort, Queen Joan. The king had a strong desire to impose law and order on his subjects, but applied it selectively at times. James was murdered at Perth on the night of February 20, 1437, in a failed coup by his uncle, and former ally, Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl. Queen Joan, although wounded, escaped to the safety of Edinburgh Castle, where she was reunited with her son James II.

James Stewart II (1430-1460). He was nicknamed “Fiery Face” because of a large birthmark on his face. Nothing is known of his early life, but by his first birthday his twin brother, Alexander, who was supposedly born first, and thus heir to the throne, had died, leaving James the heir apparent and Duke of Rothesay.James II.

On February 20, 1437, James I was assassinated, and the six-year-old Duke of Rothesay immediately succeeded him as James II. He was crowned at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, ending the tradition since Kenneth MacAlpin of crowning at Scone.

During his minority three rival families, William Crichton of Edinburgh, Alexander Livingstone of Stirling and William Douglas, fought for control over him. When James took control as king he had Livingstone arrested, and it is said that he personally killed William, Earl of Douglas, when he invited him to Stirling Castle in February 1452, for negotiations.

In 1449, nineteen-year-old James married fifteen-year-old Maria Van Guelders of Holland, daughter of the Duke of Gelderland. She had numerous royal ancestors such as John II of France and John of Bohemia. She bore him seven children, six of whom survived into adulthood.

James II died in 1460, while his forces were besieging Roxburgh in northern England with large iron cannons imported from Flanders. He was killed by flying shrapnel when one of the cannons exploded.

James Stewart III (1451-1488). James III was the son of James II and Marie Van Guelders. He succeeded his father James II on August 3, 1460, at age seven, and was King of Scots until his death. During his childhood the government was led by three successive factions: first the King's mother, Marie Ban Guelders (1460–1463), then James Kennedy, Bishop of St. Andrews and Gilbert, Lord Kennedy (1463–1466), and finally Robert, Lord Boyd (1466–1469).

James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch because he had an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, and a policy of pursuing an alliance with the King of England.  He had a disastrous relationship with nearly all of his extended family, especially from two of his brothers; Alexander of Albany, and John, Earl of Mar, whom he had arrested in 1479 on charges of treason. Mar died in suspicious circumstances while in prison, but Albany escaped from Edinburgh Castle to England.

James married Princess Margaret Oldenburg of Denmark in July 1469, at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh. Her dowry, the Orkney and Shetland Islands, were ceded from Danish rule to Scotland. The marriage produced three sons. It is said that James also had several “close male friends” as well.

With support from Edward IV of England, Alexander of Albany twice invaded Scotland. Both expeditions turned into a farce, and he was exiled to France.

The Scottish nobles became increasingly disaffected by James’ weakness and bisexuality, and when he conferred an earldom on his boyfriend John Ramsay they called for James’ fifteen-year-old son James to be proclaimed king. Those who remained faithful to James III were routed at Sauchieburn near Bannockburn, and James fled to Milltown where he was fatally stabbed by a man dressed as a priest.

James Stewart IV (1475-1513). James IV was fifteen when his father was assassinated. James IV took the throne and was King of Scots from June 11, 1488, until his death.

James was the son of James III and Margaret of Denmark. In 1474, his father had arranged his betrothal to Princess Cecily of England, but the union did not result in any children. James then married Margaret Tudor in 1503, daughter of Henry VII of England. This marriage produced four live births: James, Duke of Rothesy, (1507-1508); Arthur Duke of Rothesy, (1509-1510); James V, (1512-1542), King of Scots; Alexander, Duke of Ross (1514-1515), born after James' death.

James was a Renaissance King who spoke several languages, including Gaelic, English and French, and was keen on arts and learning. During his reign Aberdeen University was founded, the printing press came to Scotland, and education was made compulsory for barons and wealthy landowners. He spent lavishly on the court and built new halls in Edinburgh and Stirling castles, and Edinburgh became the main city and the center of government and justice.

He successfully settled major feuds between his nobles and between the Highland clans, and ended the hold of the MacDonald clan chiefs who had semi-independently ruled the Western Isles. He supported the Yorkist English crown pretender Perkin Warbeck, which provoked a military response from Henry VII of England. However this was patched up in a truce “of perpetual peace” in 1502, and his marriage to Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII, the following year ultimately brought the thrones of Scotland and England together.

By 1513, Henry VIII was on the throne of England and fighting in France. As part of a long-running conflict in Italy, England and France ended up at war. Under the obligations of the “Auld Alliance”[1] (signed by John Balliol in 1295), James was honour-bound to aid the French. This was, of course, at odds with the Treaty he had signed with Henry VII in 1502.

Nevertheless, he declared war on England and led his army south. On the September 9, 1513, James led his army into battle at Flodden, Northumberland. The campaign was a disaster. The Scots were slaughtered. James was killed, as were many of the Scottish nobility.

James IV is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from Scotland, as well as from all of Great Britain, to be killed in battle.

Margaret Stewart (1497-1516). James Stewart IV had four children with Margaret Tudor, but he also had eight illegitimate children, with four different mistresses. One of those mistresses was Margaret Drummond, daughter of John Drummond, First Lord of Drummond. This liaison produced Margaret Stewart. Margaret first married Lord John Gordon, and second, Sir John Drummond. The first marriage produced three sons, the first being Earl George Gordon.

George Gordon, 4^th Earl of Huntly (1513-1566). George Gordon inherited his earldom and estates in 1524 at age ten. As commander of the King's Army he defeated the English at the Battle of Hadden Rig in 1542. He was captured at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547, but escaped and in 1550 accompanied Mary of Guise to France. He joined the Lords of the Congregation in 1560 and was prepared to accept Mary, Queen of Scots until she transferred the Earldom of Moray, which had been given to the Earl of Huntly in 1549, to her half-brother Lord James Stewart, at which point he withdrew to his estates in northeast Scotland.

Mary toured the northeast in August 1562, but was refused entry to Inverness Castle on Gordon's orders. The Queen's forces captured the Castle before moving to Aberdeen where she issued a summons for Gordon. He refused to answer and was outlawed. He marched on Aberdeen but was defeated by James Stewart, 1^st Earl of Moray, at the Battle of Corrichie in October 1562. He died of apoplexy (stroke) after his capture.

George married Elizabeth Keith in 1530. They had eleven children; eight sons and three daughters. Sir John Gordon, one of their sons, who was captured with George in 1562, was executed by Queen Mary’s edict in Aberdeen the same year. The Huntly estate was posthumously ordered forfeited by parliament in May 1563.

Lady Jean Gordon, Countess of Bothwell (1546-1629). Lady Jean Gordon was born at Huntly Castle in Aberdeenshire. She was the second eldest daughter of George Gordon, 4^th Earl of Huntly – who at the time was the wealthiest and most powerful landowner in the Scottish Highlands – and Elizabeth Keith.

On February 24, 1566, Lady Jean, who was a Catholic, married James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell. Bothwell, however, refused to attend mass, so they were wed in a Protestant-rites ceremony, thus making Lady Jean the Countess of Bothwell. Her uncle, Alexander Gordon, Bishop of Galloway, preached at the ceremony at the court at Holyrood House in Edinburgh.

Queen Mary, who strongly approved of the match – supplied cloth of silver and white taffeta for Jean's wedding gown, although she had wanted the marriage to take place in the Chapel Royal during a mass (apparently neither Lady Jean nor Queen Mary held any animosity towards the other, even though Mary had ordered the execution of Jean’s brother).

On May 3, 1567, Jean was granted a divorce judgement against Bothwell in the Protestant commissary court on the grounds of his alleged adultery with her maid and seamstress, Bessie Crawford. Jean was awarded ownership of Bothwell’s Crichton Castle as part of the divorce settlement. Jean had no children with Bothwell.

Countess Bothwell then married, on December 13, 1573, Alexander Gordon, 12^th Earl of Sutherland, thus now becoming the Countess of Sutherland. Jean and Alexander had seven children; four sons and three daughters.

Sir Robert Gordon (1580-1656). Sir Robert was born at Dunrobin Castle, the third child and the second son of Jean and Alexander Gordon, 12th Duke of Sutherland. Robert Gordon was educated at the University of St. Andrews, and then in Edinburgh. He studied law in France and then moved to London where, in 1606, he was appointed a privy councillor by King James VI. He was granted a generous pension in 1609, and was knighted.

In 1617, King James visited Scotland for the first time since leaving in 1603. Among the entertainments was an archery competition in the garden of Holyrood Palace, at which Gordon won a silver arrow[2].

In 1623, Gordon pursued the rebel George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness, and took possession of Castle Sinclair, the Earl's residence. Two years later, he was granted land and created a hereditary baronet of Nova Scotia in gratitude for services to the new King Charles I. Gordon was one of Charles’ favorites, and employed him as his confidential messenger to his future wife Henrietta Maria of France.

In 1629, Gordon was appointed Sheriff Principal of Invernesshire, and the following year he was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of Scotland. During the Covenanting Wars, Gordon acted as a mediator between the opposing parties.

Gordon had acquired various estates in Moray, and united these into the Barony of Gordonstoun in 1642. He extended the tower-house there into a fine home for himself, which is now the Gordonstoun School, an academy primarily for the children of royalty and bluebloods.

Lady Catherine Gordon (1621-1663). Lady Catherine was a descendant of the Stewarts of Holland, as were Princess Elizabeth of Holland and James I and James II of Great Britain. Lady Catherine inherited her father’s home, which is today’s Gordonstoun School, a boarding school for royalty and the privileged. Prince Charles, son of Queen Elizabeth II, received part of his early education there.

Catherine married David Barclay (1610-1689) December 25, 1647, in Gordonstoun, Scotland. Lady Catherine and David had five children; three sons and two daughters.

In the mid-seventeenth century, on his return from the Thirty Years War,[3] Sir David Barclay acquired the estate of Urie, near Stonehaven in Kincardineshire from William Keith, 7th Earl of Marischal.

He had attained the rank of Colonel as a professional soldier while serving in the armies of Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden. He officially retired in 1647, though it was not a peaceful retirement, for in the following year (1648) Colonel Barclay took up arms for Charles I. He was charged with hostility to the government following the Restoration, but was released after pressure from his friends. During his time in detention he was converted to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) by Laird Swinton, who was also imprisoned.

He later served as a Scottish representative to London under the rule of Cromwell.

A bit of trivia: Col. David Barclay’s fifth great-grandfather, also David Barclay (1453-1483), was married to Janet Irvine, daughter of Alexander Irvine (1440-1493), fifth Laird of Drum; thus the descendants of James N. Irvine, immigrant, have two “connections” to Robert the Bruce.

Robert Barclay (1648-1690). Robert Barclay was the eldest child of David and Catherine Barclay. Robert’s father, David Barclay, had become a Quaker, and in 1667, Robert followed his example. Soon afterwards he became a theologian of the Quaker viewpoint, writing in defense of the Society.

It was about this time that the Quaker movement came under attack in Scotland and England, and Robert’s writings became more inflammatory. He published Truth Cleared of Calumnies in 1670, and Catechism and Confession of Faith in 1673. Barclay published his classic exposition of Quakerism in Latin in 1676, and then translated it into English. The Apology for the True Christian Divinity has since been reprinted over sixty times, and translated into several other languages as well. Robert was known in his later life as the “Quaker Apologist.”

In 1670, he married Christian Mollison, another Quaker from Aberdeen. They had seven children, three sons and four daughters, and all were ardent Quakers. Their descendants were prominent among the famous Quaker families of subsequent centuries: the Barclays, Gurneys and Frys.

Robert was also governor of the East Jersey colony in North America through most of the 1680s, although he himself never resided in the colony (during the period 1674-1702 there were two colonies of Jersey, an East and a West, later merged to become the province of New Jersey).

Barclay’s influence was not through his theology alone. He was active in national affairs and negotiated on behalf of King James II. He died at the age of forty-two.

Robert Barclay II (1672-1747). Robert was born in Ury, Feteresso, Kincardineshire, Scotland, the eldest child of Robert and Christian Barclay, and died in Rowan County, North Carolina. He married Elizabeth O’Brian – who was born in London – in 1696, in Kincardineshire, Scotland. They had eight children, three sons and five daughters, all believed to have been born in Scotland.

Robert Barclay III (1699-1760). Robert was the eldest son Robert and Elizabeth above. He married Una Cameron in 1725, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Robert and Una are known to have had at least six children. Little is known about this Robert, except that it is believed that he, his wife, and some of his children, emigrated to the Colonies about 1747. He was born in Kincardineshire, Scotland, but died in Rowan County, North Carolina.

Henry Thomas Barkley (1725-1808). Henry Barkley was the eldest child of Robert and Una Barclay. He was born in Scotland, but died in Rowan County, North Carolina. He married Mary Knox, daughter of John Knox and Jean Sinclair Gracey, in 1751, in Rowan County. Henry and Mary had seven children: six sons and one daughter.

Mary Elizabeth Barkley (1755-1836). Mary was the only daughter of Henry and Mary Barkley. She was born, and died, in Rowan County, North Carolina. She married Thomas Lockridge Cowan in 1773. They had fourteen children: ten daughters and four sons. Henry Barkley, Jr., one of Mary’s brothers, was an ancestor of Alben W. Barkley, Vice President of the United States (1949-1953). The home of Thomas and Mary Cowan still stands on Sherrill's Ford Road about fifteen miles southwest of Salisbury in Rowan County, North Carolina. Thomas called it "Wood Grove."

In the early years of the Revolutionary War most battles were fought along the coast of the Carolinas and in the North. In 1780, however, Cornwallis moved his British forces into the South. Many men of the Piedmont area joined the fight for independence, and among them was Thomas Cowan of Second Creek. He served as a Captain and commanded, at different times, cavalry as well as infantry in the North Carolina Militia. Thomas Cowan participated in the battles of King's Mountain, Cowpens, Ramseur's Mill, Lincoln town, Eutaw Springs, and others. He was wounded September 8, 1781, in the battle of Eutaw Springs.

Catherine Nancy Cowan (1774-1839). Catherine was the eldest child of Thomas and Mary Cowan. She was born in Rowan County, North Carolina, and died in Henry County, Tennessee. She married Joseph Erwin, Sr. (1769-1846) in 1792 in Rowan County. Catherine and Joseph had fourteen children: ten sons and four daughters. Eleven were born in Rowan County, and the last three in Giles County, Tennessee. Catherine is buried in the Palestine Cemetery, near Paris, in Henry County Tennessee. After Catherine’s death Joseph moved to Lowndes County, Mississippi to live with a son. It is not known where he was buried.

Joseph Erwin, Jr. (1794-1879). This Joseph was the second child of Joseph and Catherine Erwin. On December 10, 1812, when he was eighteen, he enlisted for two years in the Tennessee Militia, thus serving during the War of 1812. He married Nancy Rebecca Davis January 22, 1818, in Giles County, Tennessee. Joseph and Nancy Erwin had eleven children: six daughters and five sons. It is thought that two, a son and a daughter, died in infancy. It is thought that Joseph moved his family from Giles County to Henry County about 1828-1830. Then, in 1853, Joseph and Nancy, with possibly two of their unmarried children, moved to Carroll County, Arkansas. Joseph and Nancy died in Carroll County, but their place of burial is not known.

Thomas Johnston Erwin (1822-1892). Thomas was the third-born child of Joseph Jr. and Nancy Rebecca Erwin. He married Nancy Caroline Davis in Henry County, Tennessee in 1845, but moved to Carroll County, Arkansas in 1848. Joseph and Nancy had eight children. The first two were born in Henry County, and the other six in Carroll County. Thomas and Nancy both died in Carroll County, and are buried there in the Denver Cemetery.

Michael Ransellauer Erwin (1867-1953). “Mike” Erwin was the last-born child of Thomas and Nancy Caroline Erwin. On December 15, 1886, Mike Erwin married Minnie Olive Freeman in Carroll County. It was, in fact, a double wedding. Mike’s next oldest brother, William Coleman “Cole” Erwin, married Indiana May (India) Freeman during the same ceremony. Both young ladies were the daughters of John and Sarah Ellen Freeman. Mike and Minnie had eight children: seven sons and one daughter (one son died in infancy).

In 1898, Mike and Minnie moved – with ten-year-old Odes, Dale who was eight, and Thomas who was born in 1892 – by covered wagon to Elk County, Kansas where Vachel Freeman, Minnie’s half-brother, lived. Details are sketchy, but it is thought another Erwin family, most likely that of Cole and India, made the trip as well. The joint-family group traveled west from Green Forest, Arkansas into Oklahoma Territory, crossed the Grand River about where Grand Lake is now (also called Lake of the Cherokee) and on west and north into Kansas. According to my father’s recollection, the trip took nineteen days. If the other Erwin group was indeed that of Cole and India they did not stay, for they later homesteaded, and are buried, in Dewey County, Oklahoma.   

Odes Herman Erwin (1888-1966). Odes Erwin was the first-born child of Mike and Minnie Erwin. The old adage about the attraction of opposites was certainly true when my father Odes courted and won Hazel, my mother. Both grew up in the farm community of Longton, Kansas. Living in the same area and on adjoining farms, Mom and Dad grew up knowing each other. Mom, I think, must have been very flattered and happy when the tall, good looking neighbor boy showed an interest in her. She was quite small; their wedding picture shows the top of her head coming only to his shoulder.  

 According to the February 15, 1907, issue of the Longton Gleaner, my mother and father were married on Sunday, February 10, at the home of Mom’s Uncle Tom and Aunt Ellen Stillwell. Hazel was seventeen and Odes was nineteen when they were married. The paper described my father as “…one of Longton Township’s most industrious young farmers.” Apparently he was considered a good catch.

Odes was a talkative and outgoing individual, one who needed to be around people, but was quick to judge and criticize. On the other hand Hazel was quiet, passive and unassuming, only rarely showing aggression, and then only when she was really pushed or crowded. They were both hard-working and unassuming, and neither expected or sought assistance from their government. Both had been born in a place and era where hard work was necessary for survival, and they were survivors.

For the first two years or so of their married life Odes farmed a rented place in Oak Valley, about a mile and a half from Longton. He also drove a dray (a horse-drawn delivery wagon) part-time, delivering freight from the train depot to local merchants in order to help with family expenses. By the time their second child was born my father had moved from the farm, setting a pattern that was to last most of his life. He was a restless person, and until he reached middle age he never stayed in one place more than about two years. As a young man he applied for a homestead in Oklahoma, but moved the family before the property was patented. He was afraid of being “tied down,” and he would be in his fifties before he owned any real estate.

Thus began the gypsy-like existence that was to be the family’s life for many years. The reasons were many: a more productive farm in the next township or the next county, or the discovery of oil in Oklahoma, or high-paying jobs for teamsters in the oil field “down the road a-piece,” or the hiring of men with strong teams by the railroad, or….or… My father was an eternal optimist, and always seemed to believe that there was something better just out of reach. This, along with his natural wanderlust – so common in the Erwin families – caused the family to be continuously on the move.

But I won’t criticize my dad for his restlessness, for it is a recognized fact that one of the genes coursing through the veins of many Erwins is commonly referred to as the “itchy foot” gene, resulting in an affliction known as the “itchy foot syndrome.” The effect is most noticeable in the male of the species, and it seems to make them believe that the grass is always greener someplace else; in fact, anywhere other than where they happen to be. Those with the affliction tend to always wonder where this or that road goes. They have an urge to follow every trail in the woods and every little meandering road, just to see what is at the end. Most don’t actually record their wanderings. Traveling really isn’t a status thing, but merely a persistent curiosity that is like an itch that needs to be constantly scratched.

Odes and Hazel had eight children, and no two consecutive births occurred in the same town. My father was notorious for his itchy-feet, but perhaps a song by Merle Haggard, titled Ramblin’ Fever, says it best:

                                                              My hat don't hang on the same nail too long

My ears can't stand to hear the same old song
And I don't leave the highway long enough
To bog down in the mud,
Cause I've got ramblin' fever in my blood…

Donald Dean Erwin (1933-). As noted above, Odes and Hazel had eight children, and I’m the youngest. While I’ve managed to put down roots from time-to-time, I’ve enjoyed the Erwin tendency to want to look over the next hill, and to be curious about where this or that road might lead me. I’ve described the roads I’ve travelled, the people I’ve met, and places I’ve seen, in Donald D. Erwin, My Life as I Remember it.

Elizabeth Windsor, Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain (1926-). The following chart illustrates a “connection” from Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of England, back to King James IV, King of Scotland, and then forward to Donald D. Erwin.

12th Great Grandparent of Queen Elizabeth II 15th Great Grandparent of Donald D. Erwin King James Stewart IV   (1473-1513) James Stewart V King of Scotland (1512-1542) Mary Stewart Queen of Scots (1542-1587) James Stewart I King of England & Scotland (1566-1625) Elizabeth Stewart (1596-1662) Sophia Wittlestock (1630-1714) George II King of Great Britain (1683-1760) Frederick, Prince of Wales (1701-1751) George III King of Great Britain (1738-1820) Edward, Duke of Kent (1767-1820) Victoria Hanover Queen of Great Britain (1819-1901) Edward von Coburg Edward VII King of Great Britain (1841-1910) George Windsor King George V of Great Britain (1865-1936) George Windsor King George VI of Great Britain (1895-1952) Alexandra Mary Elizabeth Windsor Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain (1926-)   Margaret Stewart (1497-1516) George Gordon 4th Earl of Hundly (1513-1566) George Gordon (1535-1596) Lady Jean Gordon (1546-1629) Sir Robert Gordon (1580-1656) Catherine Gordon (1621-1663) Robert Barclay (1648-1690) Robert Barclay (1672-1747) Henry Barkley (1725-1801) Mary Barkley (1755-1836) Catherine Cowan (1774-1839) Joseph Erwin (1794-1879) Thomas Johnston Erwin (1822-1892) Michael R. Erwin (1867-1953) Odes H. Erwin (1888-1966) Donald D. Erwin (1933-)

Queen Elizabeth II was born Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on April 21, 1926, in London, to Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. She married Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh in 1947, became queen on February 6, 1952, and was crowned on June 2, 1953.

At the time of her birth, no one thought Elizabeth would someday become queen of Great Britain. Her father was the second son of King George V and Queen Mary. Elizabeth got to enjoy the first decade of her life with all the privileges of being a royal without the pressures of being an heir apparent.

Her father and mother, also known as the Duke and Duchess of York, divided their time between a home in London and Royal Lodge, the family's home on the grounds of Windsor Great Park. Elizabeth and her younger sister Margaret were educated at home by tutors. Their studies included French, mathematics, history and geography. They also took dancing, singing and art lessons.

In 1936, the course of Elizabeth's life changed with the death of her grandfather, King George V. Her uncle became King Edward VIII, but he only ruled for six months. King Edward was in love with American divorcee Wallis Simson, and had to choose between her and the crown. In the end, Edward chose Simpson and Elizabeth's father, Prince Albert, became King George VI.

With the outbreak of World War II, Elizabeth and her sister largely stayed out of London, spending much of their time at Winsor Castle. From there, she made one of her famous broadcasts. Over the radio, Elizabeth sought to reassure children who had been evacuated from their homes and families. The fourteen-year-old princess, showing her calm and firm personality, told them that "in the end, all will be well, for God will care for us and give us victory and peace."

Elizabeth soon started taking up other public duties. Appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Grenadier Guards by her father, Elizabeth made her first public appearance inspecting British troops in 1942. She also began to accompany her parents on official visits within Great Britain.

In 1945, Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service to help in the war effort. She trained side-by-side with other British women to be an expert driver and mechanic. While her volunteer work only lasted a few months, it offered Elizabeth a glimpse into a different, non-royal world.

Elizabeth first met Philip Mountbatten, son of Prince Andrew of Greece, when she was only thirteen and was smitten with him from the start. Distant cousins, the pair kept in touch over the years and eventually fell in love. Her father, King George VI, was hesitant about the match. Mountbatten had ties to both the Danish and Greek royal families, but he didn't possess great wealth and was a bit rough in his personality. They made an unusual pair. Elizabeth was quiet and reserved, while Philip was boisterous and outspoken.

Elizabeth and Phillip were married November 20, 1947, in London's Westminster Abbey. The couple wasted no time in producing an heir. Son Charles was born the following year, and daughter Anne arrived in 1950.

On February 6, 1952, King George VI died, and Elizabeth assumed the responsibilities of the ruling monarch. She and Prince Phillip had been in Kenya at the time of her father's death. Her official coronation took place in June 1953 in Westminster Abbey. And – for the first time – the ceremony was broadcast on television, allowing people from across the globe to witness the pomp and spectacle of the event.

In her new role Queen Elizabeth II had new political duties. She held weekly meetings with the country's prime minister, starting with Winston Churchill and every leader after him. As head of the Commonwealth, Elizabeth II traveled extensively. She also made visits to other countries as a representative of Britain, including a groundbreaking trip to Germany in 1965. Elizabeth became the first monarch to tour there since before World War I.

Major events in the Queen's reign have included the troubles in Northern Ireland, the Falklands War, and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There have been times of personal grief, which include the death of her father at age fifty-six, the assassination of Prince Philip's uncle Lord Mountbatten, the breakdown of her children's marriages in 1992, the death in 1997, of her daughter-in-law Diana, and the deaths of her mother and sister in 2002.

The Queen has occasionally faced severe press criticism of the royal family and republican sentiments, but her personal popularity and support for the monarchy remains high.

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[1] The Auld Alliance was the alliance between the kingdoms of Scotland and France. The alliance played a significant role in the relations between Scotland, France and England from its beginning in 1295 until the 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh. The alliance was renewed by all the French and Scottish monarchs of that period except for Louis XI. By the late 14th century, the renewal occurred regardless of whether either kingdom was involved in a conflict with England. The alliance dates from the treaty signed by John Balliol and Philip IV of France in 1295 against Edward I of England. The terms of the treaty stipulated that if either country was attacked by England, the other country would invade English territory, as became evident at the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513.

[2] During the 17th and 18th centuries in Scotland, it was common to have an annual ceremonial military muster, called a wapenshaw (a weapon-showing). Men of all stations were invited to play their part in each rendezvous, and to show up equipped in military gear that conformed to their respective ranks. One of the events was archery. The winner of the event was presented with a silver arrow, which he held for one year, or until the next competition when it would be presented to the next event winner.

[3] The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) was a series of wars principally fought in Central Europe, involving most of the countries of Europe. It was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, and one of the longest continuous wars in modern history.