GENEALOGICAL AND FAMILY NOTES 3 



In the presence of these curious facts, attested by many 

 witnesses, the people in the neighborhood, when the 

 estate was acquired in 1854 by Mr. Robert Baird, became 

 curious to see whether the eagles would return. In par- 

 ticular the Rev. Mr. Gardiner, the then minister of the 

 parish, was on the lookout. Strange to say, they did return 

 to their old eyrie, and continued there for some time. Un- 

 happily there was then a coastguard station at Pennan, 

 and the men tried to shoot the eagles, which scared them 

 away. Since then there is no record of their return. 



Many of this ancient and honorable family were of 

 Jacobite sympathies, among whom might be mentioned 

 the celebrated Lord Pitsligo. After the ill-fated uprising 

 of 1745 some may have participated in that emigration 

 to America in which for prudential reasons so many Scots 

 took part. However this may be, the somewhat indefi- 

 nite family traditions which remain are to the effect that 

 Thomas Baird, born in Scotland in 1724, came to America 

 somewhat before 1747, after a sojourn in Tyrone, Ireland. 

 His brother John, born in 1730, came over about the same 

 time. The brothers settled in Chester County, where their 

 names appear on the assessment lists prior to 1747, but not 

 later. It is probable that they removed to Cumberland 

 County about that time, as their names appear on the first 

 assessment list of that county in 1751. 



John Baird, said to have married Margaret McLean, 

 died in East Pennsboro township, July, 1778, leaving a 

 widow and five children. Thomas Baird, the great grand- 

 father, and earliest known paternal ancestor of Professor 

 Baird, married Mary Douglas, probably of Chester 

 County, about 1746 or 1747, and his removal to Guilford 

 township, Cumberland County, may very probably have 

 immediately followed his marriage. The date of his death 



