Taits of Eckford

Hello

My first post to this forum.  Reading the history of Eckford mention is made of tailor, hook dresser & joiner as trades available in Eckford.  Three of my Tait family were engaged in those enterprises.

Thomas TAIT b. abt. 1791 d. Eckford 1869 was a Tailor (his father William having been a Weaver who had at least 10 children that I know of)

John TAIT b. abt. 1787 d. Eckford 1860 - Thomas' brother - was a Joiner who took Thomas' son

Peter TAIT b. 1831 d. Eckford 1905 in as an apprentice and eventually Peter took over the joiner's business and ran it from the joiner's shop in Eckford before transferring down to Eckford Mill when it had ceased to function as a grainmill.  My grandfather and his two brothers worked for their father. My father also Peter, was born there but then my grandfather split from the family business and went to do estate joinery.

Thomas the Tailor's other son William b. 1828 d. 1890 Eckford was a Fishing Tackle Maker or Hook dresser who appears to have trained (or worked before his marriage) in Edinburgh and then returned to work in Eckford.  William had 4 sons all born in Eckford, two of whom became Gamekeepers, one Alexander (b. 1861), in south of England and the other Thomas (b. 1859), in Invergarry, Invernessshire. The younger sons - William (b. 1873) went on the railways and became an engine driver in Glasgow and James (b. 1880) trained as a joiner in Inverness and then went to join the railways as a carpenter in Glasgow.

The Invergarry family have died out, the English Taits went over to Canada and I have contact with them but, despite my having been born & brought up in Glasgow, I have never been able to make contact with any Tait family relatives of William or James.  I would very much like to do so as the Eckford Taits seem to be pretty thin on the ground now!

Regards

Lorna