Donald Ross

???? - 1841

Claimant or beneficiary

Biography

Scottish-born son of a well-to-do Highland farmer; owner of Port Mourant [and Ankerville, reportedly] in British Guiana.

  1. "Donald Ross was the third son of John Ross, farmer, Cadboll (Ross-shire, Scotland) and Janet Robertson (of Balcony, Kiltearn, Ross-shire). When he wrote his will in 1836 he had been 30 years in Berbice and had become the owner of plantation Port Mourant and Ankerville on the Corentyne coast... In his will he left money to his children by two women in Guyana: the colored girl Lucy 'supposed to be my daughter' by the free woman Elizabeth Meredith of New Amsterdam, one thousand pounds to be given to her at the age of 25 on 3 September 1842; Betty (or Bessy) Ross and George Millar Ross (former born 18th December 1832 and latter on 24 May 1835), children of the 'mulatto girl or woman Nanette', two-thirds of his estate. He also bequeathed legacies to Nanette and to his former housekeeper in New Amsterdam, the free black woman Ann Bone."

  2. In the 1818 slave registration, Donald Ross junior registered 52 enslaved people (43M 9F) in Berbice 15/12/1817.


Sources

T71/885 British Guiana claim no. 376 (Port Morant).

  1. http://www.spanglefish.com/slavesandhighlanders/index.asp?pageid=445827 [accessed 28/06/2013]. The families of Douglas of Mulderg and Robertson of Kindeace (Dingwall, A.M. Ross & Company, 1895), p17.

  2. T71/437 p. 304.

We are grateful to David Alston for his assistance with compiling this entry.


Further Information

Absentee?
Transatlantic?
Children
[With Elizabeth Meredith] Lucy (1817-), [with 'Nanette'] Betty (or Bessy), George Millar
Occupation
Planter

Associated Claims (1)

£12,083 14s 9d
Awardee

Associated Estates (3)

The dates listed below have different categories as denoted by the letters in the brackets following each date. Here is a key to explain those letter codes:

  • SD - Association Start Date
  • SY - Association Start Year
  • EA - Earliest Known Association
  • ED - Association End Date
  • EY - Association End Year
  • LA - Latest Known Association
1825 [EA] - 1825 [LA] → Buyer
1826 [EA] - 1836 [EY] → Owner
1823 [EA] - 1826 [LA] → Joint owner

Relationships (2)

Business associates
Executor → Testator
Notes →
Donald Ross 'junior' owner of half Port Mourant was among the executors appointed under the will of Donald Ross...