Strathendrick, and its inhabitants from early times

A UCHENECK 2 1 7
a son, Walter, who was a "foreign trader," and who joined the Merchants'
House in 1790. 1 Soon after her husband's death, his widow, with consent of her
father, Peter Murdoch, began to sell his lands. In 1735 she sold Aucheneck
to James M'llquham, as we have already shown, and in 1741 she sold Easter
Cameron, or Cameron Douglas, to Moses Steven and Thomas Steven, sons of
the deceased John Steven, portioner of Finnick Tennant, equally betwixt them. 2
Moses Steven was succeeded by his son Moses, who in 1770 sold his half of
these lands to his uncle, Thomas Steven, who was then in possession also of
part of Finnick-Tennant, and who, as already shown, was shortly afterwards in
possession of Middle Cameron, or Cameron Logan, thus uniting in himself the long
separated parts of Cameron.
We shall return presently to this Thomas Steven, for we must not wholly
neglect his nephew, Moses Steven, the father of the founders of the Bellahouston
Bequest, which is now benefiting so greatly the University and other institutions
in Glasgow.
Moses Steven, whose mother was Grizel Buchanan, daughter of George
Buchanan of Blairlusk, and whose aunt was Margaret, another of Blairlusk's
daughters, and mother of James Buchanan, afterwards of Dowanhill, left
Strathendrick and came to Glasgow before 1770, the year he sold his part of
Cameron Douglas to his uncle; and before 1783 he was in partnership with
his cousin, James Buchanan, afterwards of Dowanhill, as a linen merchant, under
the firm of Steven, Buchanan & Co., a firm which was afterwards united to
or incorporated with the well-known firm of Dennistoun, Buchanan & Co.
Moses Steven and his partner, James Buchanan, were thus prosperous, and,
like most prosperous Scots, they invested part of their fortunes in land, the
one purchasing Polmadie and part of Bellahouston, and the other Dowanhill.
The laird of Polmadie married Janet, daughter of William Rowan of Bellahouston,
and by her he had four children — Elizabeth, born in 1803, died 1892; Grace,
who died 1888; Moses, died 1871 ; and Margaret, who was the only member
of the family who married. Her husband was Mr. John Peter Grant, W.S.,
but their union did not long subsist for she died childless in 1837. Moses
Steven of Polmadie died in 1831, and was succeeded in Polmadie and his
part of Bellahouston by his only son, Moses, who already owned the rest of
Bellahouston, having fallen heir to it on the death of his uncle, Thomas Rowan,
in 1824. Moses Steven, second of Polmadie, added to Bellahouston, by
purchase, certain adjoining lands. He died in 187 1, and the whole of his
landed property and his other means went to his sisters, the last of whom,
Elizabeth, died in 1892. While Mr. Steven left his fortune to his sisters
1 List of the Matriculated Members of the Merchants' House of Glasgow.
2 Aucheneck Writs.
2 E