There are a couple of stories that have been passed down through the family.

One of them is that we are descended from the Royal Stewarts. I have also heard this from other distant family members.  This has not been proven, and is highly unlikely to be proven. Although it’s nice to think it might be true.

Another story is that we are descended from the Stewarts of Leth na Coille (also spelt as Leth-na-coyle and lean choil) in Abernethy and Kincardine.  Again, this has not been proven.  However, I have come across several distant cousins who have all been told this story.

There is a story in Rev. W. Forsyth’s book In The Shadows of Cairngorm, the chronicles of the United Parishes of Abernethy and Kincardine (1900). In this book, he states that the Stuarts of Lethnachyle are one of the oldest families and were originally from Atholl.

Extract from In The Shadows of Cairngorm, the chronicles of the United Parishes of Abernethy and Kincardine (1900).

Adding on to the story that we are descended from the Stewarts of Leth-na-coyle, is that we are distantly related to Lord Strathcona, AKA Donald Smith son of Alexander Smith and Barbara Stuart, daughter of Donald Stuart of Leth-na-coyle.

Lord Strathcona pursued a career in law before shifting to commerce with the Hudson’s Bay Company and emigrating to Canada. He was one of the leading figures of the Canadian Pacific Railway along with his cousin Lord Mount Stephen (George Stephen).

Fun fact, through my Stephen family line, another story handed down is that we are distantly related to Lord Mount Stephen. 

Lord Mount Stephen had a key role in building the Canadian Pacific Railway. He started as a successful textile businessman and become involved in finance and railroads. He lived in Canada until 1888 when he returned to England.

To prove or disprove the Lord Strathcona or Lord Mount Stephen stories will likely to come down to DNA.

Sources

• Oral history Stuart Family.
• Oral history Stephen Family.
• Tartan Photograph from personal collection
• In The Shadows of Cairngorm, the chronicles of the United Parishes of Abernethy and Kincardine (1900). Electric Scotland. https://electricscotland.com/history/cairngorm/index.htm.