MELODIES AND MEMORIES
BY JOHN BLACK
The Blacks of Breich Water
In 1909 a book written by John Black was published entitled Melodies and Memories, subtitled with a history of the Blacks of Breich Water District. The bulk of John’s publication was poetry, but the last twenty pages contained a family tree in a narrative format outlining the descendants of William Black and Mary Tod who married in 1719, just shy of two hundred years before the book was published. He wrote from his own knowledge and from the memories of an elderly aunt. Although not perfect, and sometimes difficult to follow, the narrative is amazingly accurate in detailing the six Black families that descended from this couple. Initially the family were centred along the Breich Water, a stream that flows south of Whitburn, West Lothian, but with the industrial revolution, descendants moved to the cities and also to the far corners of the earth.
Students of family history are rarely presented with such an amazing start in their journey and anyone stumbling on this document is amazed by its content and John’s obvious love and respect for his extended family. As the author conceded: 'This so-called history being mainly to trace the male line of descent and branches, the female line will be indicated very briefly.' We could also add - if at all in some cases!
We should be aware that the early Blacks were humble tenant farmers and members of a dissident church that kept their own records for baptisms. Marriages however were often recorded in the established parish records as this was the only way the union was legitimatised. Many attended the church at Longridge which was established in 1772 under the leadership of the Reverend John Brown. Records from this church have been lost so there are many gaps in our knowledge. The church however did not have its own burial ground so even John Brown was buried in the Whitburn South churchyard. The other thing that is important about this family is education. Because the Bible was a part of their everyday life, we believe both male and female children were literate.
The purpose of this website is to prove the accuracy of John Black’s account, fill in the missing details and correct any errors made. It is not intended to follow each family down to the present day. Please read the purposes and limitations to this website before you begin exploring this website.
This is a labour of love of a few individuals, who have done their best! You can help by:
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