Donald Ross

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.

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.