Scots and the American Civil War

[littlealison]

I haven't been on here for a while, but hello, and here goes:
Last night I watched a programme on BBC about Scots, blockade runner ships in the 1860s, and Scots weavers who formed an Antislavery association.
(It's on iplayer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01n8jf6 and is called 'The Story of the Robert E Lee'.)

I didn't know that many of the ships were built on the Clyde and were paddle steamers. There's a whole lot more I learned!
And I realised that I had a distant relative by marriage who may have been involved in the Antislavery campaign.
He was Gavin MacPherson, a weaver, who was around 50 at the time - and lived in/near Newmilns, where the group was formed, I gather by 16 weavers. I have another family name Morton as a possible.

There isn't much detail online, just bit about Newmilns and Fenwick.
Is there anywhere I can find out any more, Ideally a list of names......? cheers, Alison

[Currie]

Hello Alison,

BBC iPlayer won't work for me in my neck of the woods (unless I do something devious).

As for members of the society, here's a start. https://archive.org/stream/assassinatio ... 2/mode/2up

President: Matthew Pollock
Secretary: Alexander Dykes

Alan

[littlealison]

Hi Alan. ....sorry I have not been around for a while, had a family bereavement.

I had Pollock but not Dykes, Thanks. I found another Pollock, T, a teacher, in Stewarton, Ayrshire (not far away) with a similar letter. Bet he's a relative. But no more in that county.
I didn't find any letters of sympathy about Lincoln from Glasgow!
The letters in the Glasgow Herald before this, during the war, were extraordinarily anti this society...but there, the Clyde shipbuilders were busy making ships - and money - trying to break the blockade.
Some stuff here if you like:
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/1330 ... Civil_War/
(Oddly, the programme did emphasize that many of these ships brought back escaping slaves!)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/scien ... 57937.html (British complicity)

Pity you can't be devious, this programme was worth seeing....
I know that Scottish weavers could be very radical and that my relatives tended to be non-Conformist....I may not find a connection but I wouldn't be surprised! - Alison