Re: John Sutherland Sinclair

Yup! I knew there would be a good story! So many unanswered questions. How was it the Sinclair lands were 10 miles wide across Scotland? Do I remember that this had something to the "clearances" is that what it was called. Which castle was it? Is there a map showing this strip? And the Nova Scotia thing is a huge mystery? Was he married? What happened then to the Earldom? Sent butter to Montana would mean, I would think to Miles City and Fort Peck. I can't find anything very large. The whole operation is so strange. Why wouldn't he have one of his employees sell the butter. Maybe he was lonesome. Was the Great Northern operating then and take it to Havre.? Jersey cows for more butter?

-----Original Message-----
From: WILLIAM F. ST. CLAIR <wfs@sullybuttes.net>
To: sinclair mailinglist <sinclair@jump.net>
Date: Monday, February 15, 1999 5:58 PM
Subject: John Sutherland Sinclair

Dear Cousins,

From the Lakota ND. souvenir booklet I shall quote: "A modest man, he always referred to himself as Mr. Sinclair though he held these titles: BARONET OF NOVA SCOTIA, Lord Berridale of Scotland, and later Earl of Caithness.

Coming To Lakota on 1884, he bought 3040 acres of land about six miles NE. He ran a dairy herd of 50 or more purebred dairy cows. In a model creamery on his farm 50 pds of butter were made daily. This packaged in five pd. packages and a large part of it sent to Montana. The rest of it was sold at the back doors in Lakota to regular customers by the noble-born gentlemen himself. Surely this would be an unusal occurrence anywhere but imagine a member of the Scottish nobility peddling butter in Lakota. Only his genteel manners and the quality of his impeccable attire hinted of the fact of his noble lineage. A special accent of his courtly appearance was a bright red silken sash. Many of his workers came from Scotland, their transportation paid for them by the Earl.

In 1905 Lord Berridale returned to Scotland to take over his hereditary estate as Earl of Caithness. This estate consisted of a strip of land ten miles wide clear across the north of Scotland. The next few years he spent repairing his castle and tenant houses. Then returning to the US. he engaged in various mining ventures in

California and for a time lived in Peace River territory of Canada.

He lived Quietly at the Balboa Hotel in LA. for 3 yrs. After a few years, injured in an auto accident, he died and was buried inForestlawn Cemetary."

In my mind the burning question haunts....Why Baronet of Nova Scotia??? After all the spilled ink of Prince Henrys voyage in 1398, is this a silver thread to Kirkwall or just another "coincidence"?? Perhaps one of you experts on Herealdry can comment!

Wm. F. St. Clair