Thurburns

21
" her nest ; she broke down an old silver flagon into tea equip-
" age, and got a right to all his furniture, and gets her annuity
" half-yearly paid, though sometimes I get my interest but once
" in two years."
Coming to more recent days, we find that James Thurburn
of Keith, the minister's son, was born at Kirknewton in 1733,
his mother being Isabella Stevenson, daughter of Dr. Stevenson,
of Ayr, and granddaughter of Boyd, of Trochreg. In early life,
it is surmised that James's home was an unhappy one, in
consequence of the depressing influence exerted against him
by his stepmother. He therefore took an early opportunity
of quitting, the paternal roof, receiving at the time some en-
couragement from Lord Findlater to remove to Banffshire,
and there introduce the cultivation of flax and manufacture
of linen. Being unfortunate in the selection of his partner
in this undertaking, one disaster was found to follow another ;
and had it not been for the good offices of Lord Findlater,
who gave him a long lease of the lands of Drum, near Keith,
on easy terms, his ruin would have been accomplished. He
was a man of kind heart and amiable manners, and thus
acquired many friends in the county of his adoption. In
177*4 he married Barbara Anderson, of the family of Linkwood,
by whom he had a numerous family, the immediate progenitors
of the present and passing generations of Thurburns. In the
year 1763 James Thurburn was mixed up in a curious occur-
rence, which was the topic of conversation for many years
afterwards. It would seem that two persons of family — viz.,
Abernethy (Laird of Mayne) and John Leith, of Leith Hall —
had met at dinner in Aberdeen, when Leith jocularly accused
Abernethy of throwing a quantity of bad and adulterated meal
for sale into the market. Upon this, Abernethy left the room,
and meeting Leith afterwards in the Castle-street, some high
words passed between them, which ended in Abernethy drawing
a pistol and shooting Leith dead on the spot. Seeing the
gravity of his position, Abernethy rushed to the stable of the