John REACH

1838 -

• Name	John REACH
  Birth	4 Jun 1838	Alyth, Perthshire   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  1851 Census	Back Burn, Alyth, Perthshire   [1]
  	At 1851 Census, he is 13
  1861 Census	"Auchrannie", Glenisla, Forfarshire   [3]
  	At 1861 Census, he is 22, occ "Ploughman"
  1871 Census	"Netherton of Eastercraig", Glenisla, Forfarshire   [4]
  	At 1871 Census, he is 32, occ "Farm serv"
  1881 Census	"Auchrannie", Glenisla, Forfarshire   [5]
  	At 1881 Census, he is 40, occ "Farm manager of 150 ac of which 116 are arable"
  1891 Census	"Upper Auchrannie Farm", Glenisla, Forfarshire   [6]
  	At 1891 Census, he is 52, occ "Farm overseer"
  Reference Number	V874
  Person ID	I874	VaughanDavies
  Last Modified	9 May 2026

  
  

  Father	James REACH,   b. 1805, Forfarshire d. 15 Nov 1882 (Age 77 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Helen DOIG,   b. 5 Jan 1816, Alyth, Perthshire d. 11 Sep 1879 (Age 63 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Notes	There are elements about the family that are not clear. The gravestone for Helen and James (erected by a child of Ann Cownie Reach) also mentions Betsy, assumed to be their daughter and says "Betsy Reach or Anderson", from which it might be assumed that she marries an Anderson. In 1861 when she is 11, is James and Helen's grandson William ANDERSON aged 1, born in Alyth, and so clearly not Betsy's son. In 1871, William is there, along with James, also described as a grandson, aged 8 at that date. There are other granchildren in 1871, who will need investigation. Then in 1881 is William REACH, still a grandson, aged 20, and in all likelihood the same person as William ANDERSON in the 2 previous Censuses. There is also Catherine HALKETT, aged 11. The above gravestone mentions Katie Halkett, Ann's neice, and so presumably the same person as Catherine, dieing 26/7/1885, aged 16. Note that all the Censuses up to and including 1881 imply that both Ann and Betsy are unmarried, and both have the surname REACH. Is the most likely thought that William and James are sons of the older sister Ann, and maybe a father named Anderson, but that it is Betsy who adopts the children when she is older? Ann does marry William GALLOWAY, but not sure when this is at the moment.
  Family ID	F296	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 4 Jun 1838 - Alyth, Perthshire 1851 Census - At 1851 Census, he is 13 - - Back Burn, Alyth, Perthshire 1861 Census - At 1861 Census, he is 22, occ "Ploughman" - - "Auchrannie", Glenisla, Forfarshire 1871 Census - At 1871 Census, he is 32, occ "Farm serv" - - "Netherton of Eastercraig", Glenisla, Forfarshire 1881 Census - At 1881 Census, he is 40, occ "Farm manager of 150 ac of which 116 are arable" - - "Auchrannie", Glenisla, Forfarshire 1891 Census - At 1891 Census, he is 52, occ "Farm overseer" - - "Upper Auchrannie Farm", Glenisla, Forfarshire  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  Appears to marry Elizabeth PHILIP 26/8/1864 at Kingoldrum in Angus. There is a John Reach who lives closer with a similar age, but the later Census entries appear to have our John with Elizabeth. Kingoldrum is 9 miles from Glenisla (where John was in 1861 and they both appear in 1871), and 8 miles from Alyth. Alyth is 10 miles from Glenisla. Note also that son Thomas who is 6 at the 1871 Census, was born in Alyth. So after getting married in Kingoldrum, they moved to Alyth (probably where John was still working), and then to Glenisla, where they stayed for future Censusses. It is also good to see that he becomes farm manager in 1881 at a place where he was a ploughman in 1861.

  
  

• Sources

  [S1324] 1851 Census :- Back Burn, Alyth, Perthshire. [S1432] Birth transcript :- John Reach (1838). [S1447] 1861 Census :- "Auchrannie", Glenisla, Forfarshire. [S1445] 1871 Census :- "Netherton of Eastercraig", Glenisla, Forfarshire. [S1448] 1881 Census :- "Auchrannie", Glenisla, Forfarshire. [S1446] 1891 Census :- "Upper Auchrannie Farm", Glenisla, Forfarshire.