From: SBiggs1020@aol.com
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 11:28:10 EST
Subject: Re: Margaret Leslie

The account of James Campbell and Margaret Leslie and their supposed
connection to a James Campbell McCollum who immigrated to Nova Scotia then
New York circa 1760 has proliferated through out the internet. What its
original source was, I do not know. What I do know without question, is that
these accounts are false! James Campbell (1667-1713) who was the 4th son of
the 9th Earl of Argyll did indeed marry Margaret Leslie (c1675-c1730). She
was his second wife. The first Mary Wharton was a minor child (9 years old!)
that James abducted then married in 1690 (for the inheritance) this was
annulled by act of Parliament, all of which is well documented. They
obviously had no children. James and Margaret were married in 1693. They
had 5 children: Archibald who disappeared in 1713, John who died without
issue, Charles (who was living in 1717 but no other info available), Ann
(b1696 died young?), and Mary who inherited her parents estate when Margaret
died. As you can see they had no son James. James "Campbell" McCollom who
did immigrate to America before 1760 is well recorded in several land grants
and records of Albany later known as Montgomery and Tyron counties of New
York. He was born 1744 and was a Tory, Loyalist during the Revolution and
migrated to Ontario in 1793 to take the UEL lands that were being distributed
to Loyalists. James McCollom died in Gainsborough Township in 1819. He
could not possibly have been the son of Margaret Leslie and James Campbell as
the former would have been 69 at the birth and the latter had been dead for
31 years!
James McCollom's father has been determined to be John McCollom who
immigrated to Nova Scotia circa 1758 then New York prior to 1760. John
McCollom had 9 children. The oldest Archibald b1741 remained in Argyll,
Scotland. The remaining children accompanied their parents. The immigrant
children were James McCollom (1744-1819) [his first wife was Sarah Campbell
d/o James Campbell Sr. of Cherry Valley, so James McCollom was a son-in-law
of a James Campbell and probably resulted in all the confusion about Campbell
to McCollom names], Mary (1745-1829) who married James Campbell Jr. of
Cherry Valley [note this James Campbell was a brother-in-law of James
McCollom and is descendant from the first settlers of Cherry Valley and has a
lot of info on the Web, see Rootsweb], John McCollom Jr. (1747-c1820), Daniel
McCollom (1748-1829), Alexander McCollom (1750-c1830), Elizabeth McCollom
(1751-1824), Andrew McCollom (1753-c1780), and Findlay McCollom (1754-1829).
As you can see above the relationship of James McCollom to James Campbell was
through the first wife Sarah Campbell. The Campbell's of Cherry Valley are a
well documented family that probably descended from the Campbells of
Auchenbeck rather than the Argyll's, though the two lines did merg about 10
generation back this Campbell data can also be found on the LDS site.
So in conclusion, James McCollom was not the son of James Campbell
and Margaret Leslie and the attributions of a McCollom/Campbell link probably
resulted from the in-law James Campbell who also was not related to James
Campbell and Margaret Leslie.


Now for another bit of confusion. There is an account that has been
unconfirmed and probably never could be confirmed that has James' father John
McCollom (1721-c1780, died in NY) son of Archibald Campbell McCollom
(1688-c1750). This Archibald Campbell McCollom was said to be the bastard
son of James Campbell of Boquhan, (he the son of Archibald the 9th Earl of
Argyll). Considering this James Campbell's reputation, that is certainly
believable. There is an Archibald listed as the son of James and Margaret
but he was born before the marriage, and my guess if this account is true, he
was not the son of Margaret but raised in that family (as was a custom for
bastard children of the upper classes). It is known that Archibald Campbell
"disappeared" from the record in 1713 the year of his father's death and he
probably was disinherited by the mother as James died intestate. Archibald
then may have taken the generic Campbell surname of McColin (ie. descendant
of Colin Mor the founder of the Campbell Clan) which hence became variously
spelled as McCollum, McCollom, and McAllum. Of course the latter is
speculation .
If you all haven't been confused by all the Jameses etc., I hope this
helps to clarify the line of James McCollom of Gainsborough.

Scott Biggs

• Married: 1690

• Married: 1693

1. Archibald Campbell
2. John Campbell
3. Charles Campbell
4. Ann Campbell b: 1696
5. Mary Campbell