08/05/2026
🌿 Calling all Buchanans near and far! 🌿
Welcome to this little corner of Facebook dedicated to all things Clan Buchanan. Right now the page may be small, but every family story starts somewhere — and perhaps together we can help each other break through those frustrating genealogy “brick walls.” 🧱🔍
I’m a member of the Combined Clans society and created this page as a place where Buchanans can share family history discoveries, clan news, genealogy questions, and hopefully make connections with fellow descendants around the world. I’m only an amateur genealogist myself, but sometimes the smallest clue shared by one person can unlock an entire family mystery for another.
To begin, I’d love to introduce my own great-grandfather, David Buchanan.
David was believed to have been born in Strabane, Ireland, and was baptised at Donagheady Church of England on 23 March 1845. He was one of nine children born to John and Mary Buchanan, his father working as a flaxdresser. Family stories tell that when David was a child he was kicked in the head by a horse and left concussed for some time before being discovered. After that, he struggled badly with schoolwork and eventually his father removed him from school altogether. David remained illiterate for the rest of his life, yet everyone who remembered him described him as a gentle and kind man.
One of the most intriguing clues he left behind came later, when he told one of his daughters that his mother Mary’s maiden name was believed to be “Mellish.” Of course, with David’s heavy Irish accent — and the fact he could neither read nor write — that surname could honestly have been almost anything! It’s one of those frustrating but fascinating genealogy puzzles that keeps family historians awake at night. 😅
At the age of 22, David left Ireland alone and immigrated to New Zealand in 1874 aboard the Mairi Bhan, working as a ploughman. What makes his story even more mysterious is that we have no idea why he came. By 1874 the major gold rushes had largely ended, and unlike many immigrants, David didn’t travel with family or friends — he came alone. What prompted a young Irish labourer to leave his parents, brothers, sisters, and homeland behind for the other side of the world? Was it opportunity, hardship, adventure, or something else entirely? That question has never been answered.
Just a few years later, while employed as a labourer, he married Mary Ann McVicar at the registrar’s office in Tokomairiro (Milton) in 1877. David was 25, and Mary Ann was only 16 and working as a servant in Milton. Together they went on to raise eight children, living first in Milton and later Lawrence, Otago. David eventually passed away in Gore in 1931 while visiting one of his daughters, reaching the advanced age of 86.
And yet, despite everything I’ve uncovered about his life in New Zealand, my biggest mystery still lies back in Ireland. 🇮🇪
That’s my Buchanan brick wall. Perhaps someone here holds a missing piece of the puzzle — and maybe together we can help solve yours too.
If you’re a Buchanan descendant (or connected through marriage), introduce yourself in the comments and tell us where your Buchanan line comes from! 👇🍀
Cheers - Desiree
