John Lovet MacTavish ( – June 21, 1852)Sylvanus Urban: ''The Gentleman's Magazine'', Volume XXXVIII, New Series, July to December 1852, John Bowyer Nichols and Son, London, p. 213. was a Scots-Canadian heir to the

North West Company The North West Company was a Fur trade in Canada, Canadian fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in the regions that later became Western Canada a ...

and diplomat.

Early life

MacTavish was born around 1787 in Stratherrick, Invernesshire,

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

into Clan MacTavish. He was the son of Alexander MacTavish (1753–1788) and Marjory (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Fraser) MacTavish (1758–1828), and a nephew of Scots-Quebecer entrepreneur Simon McTavish, who took him in to raise after his father's death. His paternal grandparents were John McTavish,

tacksman A tacksman (, meaning "supporting man"; most common Scots spelling: ''takisman'') was a landholder of intermediate legal and social status in Scottish Highland society. Tenant and landlord Although a tacksman generally paid a yearly rent for th ...

of Garthbeg, and Mary (née Fraser) McTavish of Garthmore. His grandmother was descended, through Simon Fraser of Dunchea and the Frasers of Foyers, from an illegitimate son of the 1st Lord Lovat.

Career

MacTavish served as the British Consul to the State of Maryland. After his wedding to Emily Caton of Maryland, they lived at Brooklandwood estate in the Green Spring Valley of Baltimore County, where Emily had been born, before moving to 1,000 acres of the "finest farm land in Howard County, given as a wedding gift from his wife's grandfather and named "Folly Quarter" after the MacTavish family estate in Scotland. Folly Quarter was built near her grandfather's estate and home Doughoregan.

Personal life

On August 15, 1815, MacTavish was married to Emily Caton, the fourth daughter of Richard Caton and Mary (née Carroll) Caton.John Martin Hammond: ''Colonial Mansions of Maryland and Delaware'', J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia & London, 1914, pp. 125-127. Emily's maternal grandfather was Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and the longest-surviving signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

.Anne Sebba (reviewer): ''"They adore titles..." Sisters of Fortune: The First American Heiresses to Take Europe by Storm, by

Jehanne Wake Jehanne Deirdre Alexandra Wake (née Williams) is a British biographer, historian and archivist. She has written critically acclaimed biographies of Princess Louise, the sixth child of Queen Victoria, and of the four early American Caton sisters ...

'', , accessed 10 Oct 2011. They were staunch

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

s, members of St. Paul's Catholic Church in Baltimore County. John and Emily were the parents of four children: * Charles Carroll MacTavish (1818–1868), who married Marcella Scott, youngest daughter of Gen.

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861, and was a veteran of the War of 1812, American Indian Wars, Mexica ...

. * Mary Wellesley MacTavish (1826–1850), who married the Hon. Henry George Howard, youngest son of George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle.Thomas Allen Glenn: ''Some Colonial Mansions and Those Who Lived in Them'', Philadelphia: Henry T. Coates & Company, 1899, p. 362. * Alexander Simon MacTavish (1829–1863), who married Ellen Gilmor (1835–1909), sister of Harry Gilmor, Confederate officer.Green Mount Cemetery: ''Features'', http://greenmountcemetery.com/greenmount-cemetery-features.html, accessed 10 Sep 2011. * Richard Caton MacTavish (1831–1841), who died young. Emily's three sisters Marianne, Bess, and Louisa Caton, entered British society and married into

British nobility The British nobility is made up of the peerage and the gentry of the British Isles. Though the UK is today a constitutional monarchy with strong democratic elements, historically the British Isles were more predisposed towards aristocratic gove ...

. Marianne marrying first Robert Patterson (brother of Elizabeth Patterson, the first wife of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's younger brother Jérôme Bonaparte) and second Richard Wellesley 1st Marquess Wellesley and

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...

(older brother of the Duke of Wellington); Bess marrying Sir George Strafford, 8th Baron Strafford of Costessey Hall in Norfolk, England; and Louisa marrying first Sir Felton Hervey-Bathurst, 1st Baronet and second Francis D'Arcy Osborne, Marquess of Carmarthen (the future 7th Duke of Leeds). MacTavish died on June 21, 1852, at age 65. His widow died on January 26, 1867, at Folly Quarter and was interred with MacTavish at Green Mount Cemetery in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

References

External links

*
Carroll-McTavish Papers, 1652-1867, MS 220
at the Maryland Historical Society {{DEFAULTSORT:MacTavish, John 1780s births 1852 deaths People from Highland (council area) People from colonial Maryland American Roman Catholics