Andrew Usher

Andrew Usher (c. 1782-1855), Scottish wine and spirit merchant, brother of Thomas Usher (q.v.), asserted the claim of his family to the compensation for his brother’s enslaved persons versus ‘some person or persons having no right or title whatever to interfere with it.’ Compensation for the ownership of 4 enslaved persons in St Ann was awarded to Thomas Usher but compensation for the enslaved persons on Cedar Valley went to Charles Mack Glashan (q.v.) as trustee and assignee of Thomas Usher.

1. Baptised 07/04/1782 in Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scotland, the son of James Usher of Toftfield and Margaret (Peggy) Grieve. His father was the local laird (landowner). He married Margaret Balmer in Edinburgh, 31/12/1806; they has 12 children all born in Edinburgh between 1807 and 1828. At least five of the sons left for Jamaica, including Andrew junior and Thomas. One died on the island of yellow fever and two were drowned en route.

2. In the 1841 census, he was living at Cottage, Cramond, Edinburgh, age 57, Wine Merchant, with his wife Margaret age 55 and his children Agnes age 31, Margaret age 30, Mary age 15, John Graham age 1 [sic.] and 2 female servants. By 1851 he had moved to West Nicholson Street, Edinburgh, Wine and Spirit Merchant, where he was living with his wife Margaret, children Agnes, Margaret and John and 2 female servants.

3. Andrew Usher died at 26 West Nicholson Street, Edinburgh, 17/08/1855 age 73. On his death certificate, his father’s occupation was given as ‘Gentleman Farmer’.

4. John Usher, (brother of Thomas and Andrew) third laird of Toftfield, sold the estate (afterwards named Huntlyburn), to Sir Walter Scott, the novelist and family friend, in 1817 where Abbotsford was to be built, started in 1824.

T71/852 St Catherine claim nos. 612 and 613. T71/1593 letter to Andrew Usher of Edinburgh, Scotland. T71/1606 letter dated 19/12/1835 from Andrew Usher of Edinburgh.

1. www.familysearch.org batch no. C10009-1. Comprehensive genealogy of the Usher family and details of Andrew Usher’s business ventures available at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~usher/ushersct/239.htm [accessed 04/07/2012]. See also C.M. Usher, A History of the Usher Family in Scotland (1956) [via Googlebooks] pp. 36-37.

2. 1841 and 1851 censuses online.

3. General Register Office for Scotland, Deaths 1855 685/2 329.

4. Email from Roger Grant 26/-7/2015 sourced to Usher, op. cit.

We are grateful to Roger Grant and William Douglas for their assistance with compiling this entry.