DONALD J.
TRUMP
Chairman and President, The Trump Organization
Donald J.
Trump is the very definition of the American success story, continually
setting the standards of excellence while expanding his interests in
real estate, sports, and entertainment. He is the archetypal businessman
– a deal maker without peer.
Mr. Trump started his business career in an office he shared with his
father in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. He worked with his father
for five years, where they were busy making deals together. Mr. Trump
has been quoted as saying, "My father was my mentor, and I learned a
tremendous amount about every aspect of the construction industry from
him." Likewise, Fred C. Trump often stated that "some of my best deals
were made by my son, Donald...everything he touches seems to turn to
gold." Mr. Trump then entered the very different world of Manhattan real
estate.
In New York City and around the world, the Trump signature is synonymous
with the most prestigious of addresses. Among them are the
world-renowned Fifth Avenue skyscraper, Trump Tower, and the luxury
residential buildings, Trump Parc, Trump Palace, Trump Plaza, 610 Park
Avenue, The Trump World Tower (the tallest building on the East Side of
Manhattan), and Trump Park Avenue. Mr. Trump was also responsible for
the designation and construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center
on land controlled by him, known as the West 34th Street Railroad Yards,
and the total exterior restoration of the Grand Central Terminal as part
of his conversion of the neighboring Commodore Hotel into the Grand
Hyatt Hotel. The development is considered one of the most successful
restorations in the City and earned Mr. Trump an award from Manhattan's
Community Board Five for the "tasteful and creative recycling of a
distinguished hotel." Over the years, Mr. Trump has owned and sold many
great buildings in New York including the Plaza Hotel (which he
renovated and brought back to its original grandeur, as heralded by the
New York Times Magazine), the St. Moritz Hotel (three times and now
called the Ritz Carlton on Central Park South) and until 2002, the land
under the Empire State Building (which allowed the land and lease to be
merged together for the first time in over 50 years).
Additionally, the NikeTown store is owned by Mr. Trump, on East 57th
Street and adjacent to Tiffany's. In early 2008, Gucci opened their
largest store in the world in Trump Tower.
In 1997, the Trump International Hotel & Tower opened its doors to the
world. This 52 story mixed–use super luxury hotel and residential
building is located on the crossroads of Manhattan's West Side, on
Central Park West at Columbus Circle. It was designed by the
world-famous architect, Philip Johnson, and has achieved some of the
highest sales prices and rentals in the United States. As one of only
three hotels in the nation to have received a double Forbes Five-Star
rating for both the hotel and its restaurant, Jean-Georges, it has also
received the Five Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of
Hospitality Sciences, and was voted the number one business hotel in New
York City by Travel + Leisure Magazine. Conde Nast Traveler Magazine has
named it the number one hotel in the US, and its innovative concept has
been copied worldwide. It has won the Forbes Five-Star Hotel Award each
year from 2009 to 2015 and ranked in the Conde Nast Traveler "Readers'
Choice" awards every year since 2010. This year marks the eighteenth
anniversary of this Trump Hotel Collection gem.
Mr. Trump was also the developer of the largest parcel of land in New
York City, the former West Side Rail Yards which is now Trump Place. On
this 100 acre property, fronting along the Hudson River from 59th Street
to 72nd Street, is the largest development ever approved by the New York
City Planning Commission. There are a total of 16 buildings on the site,
with Mr. Trump building the first nine buildings and the other portion
of land being sold for a substantial amount. Mr. Trump also donated a 25
acre waterfront park on Trump Place and a 700 foot sculptured pier to
the city of New York.
Other acquisitions in New York City include The Trump Building at 40
Wall Street, the landmark 1.3 million square foot, 72-story building
located in Manhattan's Financial District, directly across from the New
York Stock Exchange and the tallest building in downtown Manhattan. This
purchase, which took place at the depths of the New York City real
estate market, is said to be one of the best real estate deals made in
the last twenty-five years and is considered to have one of the most
beautiful "Tops" of any building in the country. In addition, Mr. Trump
built 610 Park Avenue (at 64th Street), formerly known as the Mayfair
Regent Hotel, which was very successfully converted into super-luxury
condominium apartments achieving, at that time, the highest prices on
Park Avenue. Further east, adjacent to the United Nations, sits the
spectacular Trump World Tower, a 90-story luxury residential building
and one of the tallest residential towers in the world. The Trump World
Tower has received rave reviews from the architectural critics, with
Herbert Muschamp of the New York Times calling it "a handsome hunk of a
glass tower." Likewise, Trump World Tower is considered one of the most
successful condominium towers ever built in the United States.
In 2001, Mr. Trump announced plans for his first foray into Chicago,
where he planned to build the Trump International Hotel & Tower/Chicago.
The 2.7 million square foot, 92-story mixed-use tower is located on the
banks of the Chicago River, directly west of Michigan Avenue (the most
prominent site in Chicago), and is one of the tallest residences in the
world and the ninth tallest building in the world. The architect is
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Chicago, and the tower also includes four
levels of retail shops. The hotel opened in January of 2008 to great
acclaim, and in 2010 received Travel + Leisure Magazine's award as the
#1 Hotel in the US and Canada as well as their "World's Best Business
Hotel" Award in 2014. Conde Nast Traveler ranked the hotel in its
"Readers' Choice Awards" every year since 2011. The hotel has earned
Five-Star ratings for hotel and restaurant in the Forbes Travel Guide
Awards in 2014 and 2015, and has been a AAA Five Diamond Hotel award
winner since 2011.
In 2002, Mr. Trump purchased the fabled Delmonico Hotel, located at 59th
Street and Park Avenue and re-developed it into a state-of-the-art
luxury 35 story condominium named Trump Park Avenue. It was Mr. Trump's
desire to make this one of the most luxurious buildings in New York
City, which was achieved. Mr. Trump has been lauded by a multitude of
publications for having retained the grandeur and charm of the building
while incorporating 21st century services and amenities. Mr. Trump is
co-owner, with Vornado Realty Trust, of the iconic 555 California Street
Tower (The Bank of America building) in San Francisco, one of the most
important office buildings on the West Coast of the U.S., and the prized
1290 Avenue of the Americas building, one of New York's biggest
buildings with the largest office floorplates in New York.
Mr. Trump's portfolio of holdings also includes Trump National Golf Club
in Westchester, NY, a signature Fazio golf course and residential
development, and a 250 acre estate known as the Mansion at Seven
Springs, the former home of Katharine Graham (of The Washington Post and
Rockefeller University), which will be developed into a world class
luxury housing development. Mr. Trump also purchased one of the largest
parcels of land in California which fronts, for two and a half miles,
along the Pacific Ocean. A Donald J. Trump championship golf course,
called Trump National Golf Club/Los Angeles, has been built on this
site, and it has been voted the number one golf course in California.
Seventy-five luxury estates will follow. In addition, the Tom Fazio
designed Trump National Golf Club has been built in Lamington Farms in
Bedminster, New Jersey, on the 525 acre Cowperthwaite Estate, considered
to be the best in the state. An additional 18 hole course was opened
recently. In November of 2008, Mr. Trump received approval to develop
Trump International Golf Links Scotland, located in Aberdeen, Scotland,
with over three miles of spectacular ocean waterfront. It opened on July
10 of 2012 and a second 18 hole course has been approved. In July 2013,
Golf Week Magazine named Trump International Golf Links Scotland "The
Best Modern Day Golf Course In The World." Trump International Golf Club
in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, has 1250 acres of ocean waterfront and has
two 18 hole championship courses. In August of 2008, Mr. Trump purchased
a golf course in Colts Neck, New Jersey, which is now Trump National
Golf Club/Colts Neck, and in February of 2009 he bought an 800 acre
parcel of land and club near Washington, D.C. that fronts the Potomac
River for three miles, to become Trump National Golf Club, Washington
D.C. Two more golf courses were added to his portfolio in December of
2009, Trump National Golf Club—Philadelphia, and Trump National Golf
Club—Hudson Valley. In April of 2010, a new celebrity reality series,
"Donald J. Trump's Fabulous World of Golf" debuted on Golf Channel with
great success and the Feherty interview of Mr. Trump was the highest
rated show in the history of Golf Channel.
In Palm Beach, Florida, Mr. Trump has converted the famous and historic
estate owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post and E.F. Hutton, Mar-a-Lago,
into the 2013private, ultra-luxury Mar-a-Lago Club. It has received the
award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences as the "Best
Club Anywhere in the World." It was designated a National Historic
Landmark in 1980 and Mar-a-Lago is often referred to as "The Jewel of
Palm Beach." Also in Palm Beach and located 7 minutes from Mar-a-Lago is
the Trump International Golf Club. Designed by the famed golf course
architect Jim Fazio, this $40 million golf course has magnificent
tropical landscaping, water features and streams and elevations of 100
feet (unprecedented in all of Florida). Opened in October 1999, this
course has been acclaimed as one of the best in the United States. An
additional nine hole course was opened in 2006 to equal acclaim.
The Trump Hotel Collection was created to designate a new level of
internationally important hotels, defined by elegance and attention to
detail. One of the most elegant additions to the Las Vegas skyline is a
super-luxury 60 story hotel condominium tower, the 5-star Trump
International Hotel Las Vegas. This hotel was named by USA Today as the
"Best Bet in Vegas" in 2012 and was listed on Travel + Leisure's list of
"World's Best Business Hotel Awards" in 2011. Current and future
developments in the Trump Hotel Collection include towers in SoHo/New
York (which opened in spring of 2010 and made Travel + Leisure
Magazine's list of the best new hotels—the only one in New York to be
included—as well as the AAA Five Diamond distinction in 2013 and 2014),
their "World's Best Business Hotel Awards: New York" in 2011), Chicago
(opened 2008), Waikiki/Hawaii (opened November 2009 which has received
Forbes Travel Guide's Five Star hotel rating in 2015), Panama (opened
July 2011 and received the Luxury Travel Advisor's "Top 10 Luxury Hotel
Openings in 2011), Toronto (which received the Forbes Five Star rating
in 2014), Trump National Doral Miami (which will complete its $250
million transformation in early 2015), and Trump International Golf
Links & Hotel Ireland (a highly sought-after acquisition by The Trump
Organization in 2014). International hotels developments as of 2015
include Baku, Azerbaijan (opening in June 2015); Vancouver, BC and Rio
de Janiero, both opening in 2016. Trump Towers, Istanbul, Sisli,
combines two towers (one residential tower and one office tower),
located in the vibrant Mecidiyekov district.
In February of 2012, The Trump Organization was selected as the
developer of the famous Old Post Office Building in Washington, D.C.
This building is considered a prized jewel and competition for it was
fierce. Plans include a nearly 300 room luxury hotel, a museum gallery,
and retaining the original exterior façade, doors, hallways and interior
features. When completed, this hotel, which sits on Pennsylvania Avenue,
will be one of the most luxurious in the world, and is seen as a
generational asset by the Trump family. Trump International Hotel
Washington, D.C., is slated to open in 2016.
In a departure from his real estate acquisitions, Mr. Trump and the NBC
Television Network are partners in the ownership and broadcast rights
for the three largest beauty competitions in the world: the Miss
Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA Pageants. A recent Miss Universe
pageant won the night in ratings in the #1 slot and it is currently
broadcast in 180 countries. Miss USA won the night in ratings in 2011.
Trump Model Management, which was founded in 1999, has become one of the
leading modeling agencies in New York City.
Mr. Trump rebuilt the Wollman Skating Rink (now the Trump Rink) in
Central Park. This project was particularly special to Mr. Trump. The
city had been trying for seven years to rebuild and restore the Rink,
whereupon Mr. Trump interceded and restored the rink in four months at
only $1.8 million of the City's $20,000,000 cost. Similarly, he rebuilt
Lasker Rink, in Harlem, also located in Central Park, which has had
great success as well. In addition, Mr. Trump is given credit, as stated
by everyone in the know and as Mark J. Penn's book Microtrends reports,
for having made a major and very favorable impact on the economy of the
city by creating the condominium boom, versus the co-ops that were more
prevalent in the past.
An accomplished author, Mr. Trump's 1987 autobiography, The Art of the
Deal, became one of the most successful business best-sellers of all
time, having sold in excess of three million copies, and being a New
York Times number one best-seller for many weeks. The sequel, Surviving
at the Top, was on The New York Times best-seller list and was also a
number one best-seller as was his third book, The Art of the Comeback.
Mr. Trump's fourth book, The America We Deserve, was a departure from
his past literary efforts. This book deals with issues most important to
the American people today and focuses on the views regarding American
political, economic and social problems. His fifth book, How To Get
Rich: Big Deals from the Star of The Apprentice, became an immediate
bestseller on all lists, as did Trump: The Way to the Top and Trump:
Think Like a Billionaire which was released in October of 2004. Trump:
The Best Golf Advice I Ever Received was published in April 2005,
followed by Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received in 2006.
He has also teamed up with Robert Kiyosaki to make publishing history
with their book, Why We Want You To Be Rich: Two Men, One Message, which
in October of 2006 made the #1 spot on the New York Times, The Wall
Street Journal, and Amazon bestseller lists. Trump 101: The Way To
Success debuted in late 2006. In October of 2007 Mr. Trump's book with
Bill Zanker, Think Big was launched. In early 2008, Mr. Trump's Never
Give Up was released, followed by Think Like a Champion in April of
2009. Midas Touch, another collaboration with Robert Kiyosaki, was
released in October of 2011. Time To Get Tough: Making America #1 Again
was released in early December of 2011, becoming a bestseller.
A native of New York City, Mr. Trump is a graduate of The Wharton School
of Finance and in 1984, he won the Entrepreneur of the Year award from
The Wharton School. Involved in numerous civic and charitable
organizations, he is a member of the Board of Directors for the Police
Athletic League. Mr. Trump also serves as a Chairman of the Donald J.
Trump Foundation as well as Co-Chairman of the New York Vietnam
Veteran's Memorial Fund. In 1995, he served as the Grand Marshal of the
largest parade ever held in New York, The Nation's Parade, which
celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. He also
hosts the annual Red Cross Ball at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach. In
January of 2012, he received the American Cancer Society Lifetime
Achievement Award. In April of 2015, Mr. Trump received the Commandant's
Leadership Award from the Marine Corps—Law Enforcement Foundation, given
to him by General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., the chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff.
Mr. Trump is a founding member of both the Committee to Complete
Construction of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and The Wharton
School Real Estate Center. Mr. Trump was also a committee member of the
Celebration of Nations commemorating the 50th anniversary of the United
Nations and UNICEF. He was also designated "The Developer of the Year"
by the Construction Management Association of America and Master Builder
by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreational & Historic
Preservation. In June 2000, Mr. Trump received his greatest honor of
all, the Hotel and Real Estate Visionary of the Century, given by the
UJA Federation, and in 2003 was named to the Benefactors Board of
Directors by the Historical Society of Palm Beach County. In 2007, he
was awarded the "Green Space" Award by the friends of Westchester County
Parks, as he donated 436 acres of land in Westchester, New York, to
create the Donald J. Trump State Park.
By January of 2004, Mr. Trump had joined forces with Mark Burnett
Productions and NBC to produce and star in the television reality show,
The Apprentice. This quickly became the number one show on television,
making ratings history and receiving rave reviews. The first season
finale had the highest ratings on television that year after the Super
Bowl, with 41.5 million people watching. Few shows have garnered the
worldwide attention that The Apprentice has achieved, including three
Emmy nominations. In 2007, a New York Times article quoted NBC's
President, Ben Silverman, as saying The Apprentice "has been the most
successful reality series ever on NBC." The Celebrity Apprentice has met
with great success as well, being one of the highest rated shows on
television, and Mr. Trump signed to continue in this role for the
2015-2016 television season. This will mark the fifteenth season of the
show. In 2005, he hosted Saturday Night Live which resulted in their
highest ratings of the year. Moreover, Mr. Trump is producing additional
network and cable television programming via his Los Angeles based
production company, Trump Productions LLC. His radio program with Clear
Channel Radio, parent company of Premiere Radio Networks, beginning in
the summer of 2004, was a wonderful success.
In 2005, Mr. Trump launched his Donald J. Trump Signature Collection,
which includes tailored clothing, dress shirts, ties, cufflinks,
eyewear, leather goods, and belts. The ties are a top selling brand at
Macy's Herald Square, New York, highlighting the consumer demand to
emulate Mr. Trump's business style. Trump Home was later introduced and
includes furniture, mattresses, bedding, lighting, home décor, bath
textiles and accessories. The mattress is the #1 selling brand at Serta.
In 2012, Mr. Trump partnered with Parlux to launch his fragrance,
Success by Trump. Because of its success, his second fragrance, Empire,
was launched in 2015.
In the August 21-28 2006 issue of BusinessWeek magazine, Mr. Trump was
voted, by their readers, as "the world's most competitive
businessperson" and voted by the staff and writers of BusinessWeek as
one of the Top 10 most competitive businesspeople in the world. The
ongoing business success of the Trump Organization was recognized by the
Crain's New York Business List 2012, with a ranking of Number 1 for the
largest privately held company in New York. Also renowned for his
celebrity status, Forbes ranks Mr. Trump number 14 in the world on their
top 100 celebrity list in 2012. Mr. Trump is one of only two people (the
other being Hillary Clinton) named to ABC's Barbara Walter's Special,
"The Most Fascinating People" two times, most recently on her 2011 show.
In 2011, after failed attempts by both Senator McCain and Hillary
Clinton, Mr. Trump single handedly forced President Obama to release his
birth certificate, which was lauded by large segments of the political
community. In 2012, Mr. Trump was voted "Statesman of the Year" by the
Sarasota Republican Party.
Mr. Trump is one of the highest paid speakers in the world, often
drawing tens of thousands of people. In September of 2011, Mr. Trump
gave a two city speech in Australia, for over 3 million dollars. In
October of 2012, Mr. Trump spoke in London, England, at the National
Achievers Congress. In January of 2007, Mr. Trump received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2008, "You're fired!" was listed as the
#3 greatest TV catchphrase of all time, led only by "Here's Johnnny" and
"One small step for man " In March of 2013, Mr. Trump was inducted into
the WWE Hall of Fame in front of 25,000 fans at Madison Square Garden.
The reasons for this great honor were that he held two of the most
successful WrestleMania events ever -- but of even greater importance,
he and Vince McMahon were involved in the WrestleMania 23 "Battle of the
Billionaires" in 2007 at Ford Field in Detroit, which to this day is the
highest rated show and the highest dollar amount on Pay Per View in the
history of wrestling. In April of 2013, the New York Observer named Mr.
Trump as #1 in its Power 100 Readers Poll. Also in April of 2013, Mr.
Trump spoke at the annual Lincoln dinner in Michigan, which was the
largest Lincoln dinner in their 124 year history and the largest Lincoln
event in our country's history where a U.S. President was not the
speaker. In 2013, Mr. Trump received the T. Boone Pickens Award from The
American Spectator at the Robert L. Bartley Gala. The highly respected
writer, Joe Queenan, after hearing Mr. Trump speak at a Learning Annex
event in 2006, notes that the $30 million he was paid for his
appearances may have been an underpayment.
On the Larry King Show in June 2008, Barbara Corcoran, a well respected
real estate expert, said "How can I possibly compete with Donald Trump?
Thanks to him I sold more property in Manhattan. He single handedly
turned the whole image of Manhattan around in the 1980's when nobody
wanted to live in New York." Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor
Dad, added, "Donald is the smartest man in real estate—no one else even
comes close." In an article in the New York Times in November of 2013,
Arthur Zeckendorf, a NYC developer of ultra luxury condominiums, was
asked who most influenced him in the industry: "I think Donald Trump. He
basically started the high-end condo business. I certainly followed him,
admired him." When asked specifically what he learned: "That building
great condos is an art, and you really have to make the product the best
out there."
In July of 2008, Mr. Trump sold an estate that he purchased (a short
time earlier) for $40 million at 515 South Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach
for a record setting price of $100 million, and in March of 2010, the
penthouse apartment at Trump International Hotel & Tower in New York
City sold for $33 million. In May of 2011, Mr. Trump purchased the Kluge
Estate and Vineyard in Charlottesville, VA, now the Trump Vineyard
Estates. It is the largest vineyard on the East Coast.
In February of 2012, Mr. Trump purchased the iconic 800 acre Doral Hotel
& Country Club in Miami which includes five championship golf courses,
the world renowned Blue Monster championship golf course, a 50,000
square foot spa and a 700 room hotel. It is the home to the Cadillac
World Championship of Golf. In April of 2012, Mr. Trump purchased the
Point Lake & Golf Club in North Carolina which has become Trump National
Golf Club, Charlotte, and in December 2012 he purchased the Ritz Carlton
Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, which is now Trump National Golf Club,
Jupiter. In April of 2013, Trump International Golf Club, Dubai, was
announced, and The Trump Estates, which includes more than 100 luxury
villas overlooking the golf course, were released for sale in March of
2014. Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, New York City, will open to the
public in Spring of 2015. As Jack Nicklaus said, "Trump has been very,
very good with getting things done with the city. I think he pushed it
over the edge. He did a really good job of getting it to the finish
line." The club was under construction for several decades, with tens of
millions in taxpayer money being wasted. When Mr. Trump got involved it
was completed in one year, and designed by Jack Nicklaus. All are
destined to become great additions to a burgeoning golf course and club
portfolio.
In February of 2014, Mr. Trump announced that he had purchased the
Doonbeg Golf Resort in Ireland, which will become Trump International
Golf Links, Ireland. This 450 acre property was originally designed by
the legendary golfer Greg Norman, and fronts the Atlantic Ocean in
County Clare. It is now being totally redeveloped by Mr. Trump. In April
of 2014, Mr. Trump purchased the famed Turnberry Resort in Scotland,
home of the Open Championship. Located on over 800 acres, and with views
of the Irish Sea and Isle of Arran, many consider the Championship
Course to be #1 in the world. In addition, in April of 2014, the PGA of
America announced that the 2022 PGA Championship would be hosted by
Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster and that the 2017 Senior PGA
Championship would be held at Trump National Golf Club, Washington, D.C.
It was announced in October of 2014 that the Trump World Golf Club
Dubai, an 18 hole championship course, will be designed by Tiger Woods.
Mr. Trump has recently been recognized by Golf Digest Magazine as
"Golf's Greatest Builder Today" and by Sports Illustrated as "The Most
Important Figure in the World of Golf." Brian Morgan, the leading golf
photographer, has stated, "Donald Trump has the greatest collection of
golf courses and clubs ever built or assembled by one man."
On 26th May 2016 Mr Trump reaches delegate count needed to clinch
Republican nomination for President of the Unites States. Note also his
mother is a Scot.
Donald
Trump is the son of a Scotswoman. His mother, Mary Anne MacLeod was
from the hebridean Island of Lewis, off the west coast of Scotland, from
where she emigrated to America and met and married Frederick Trump, of
German origin. At that time, MacLeod was the most common surname in the
island and is well represented there to this day.
Mary Anne was born in the village of Tong, in the parish of Stornoway on
10th May 1912, to a fisherman named Malcolm MacLeod and his wife, Mary
Smith. This couple had been married in 1891 and both were Gaelic
speakers, and although not so widespread as it once was, the language is
still alive and well in that region. It is thus likely that Mary Anne
herself would have spoken it and the young Donald may well have been
soothed by Gaelic lullabies as a child.
Mary Smith MacLeod lived until the age of ninetysix years, dying in
1963. At that time her address was No. 5, Tong; she had been born,
married and died in the village which is on a promontory 4 miles NNE of
Stornoway. The birth of her daughter, Mary Anne, had taken place at No.
3 Tong and it seems to have been a close-knit community of crofters and
fishermen, many of the menfolk following both these traditional
occupations in the appropriate seasons of the year. Certainly, Malcolm
MacLeod, Mary's husband was variously described as crofter and
fisherman; he also lived to a respectable age and died (also at No. 5
Tong) in 1954 aged eightyseven.
Malcolm MacLeod was born in 1866 in Aird of Tong and his parents were an
illustration of the prevalence of the surname, both being MacLeods. His
mother had been Ann MacLeod before her marriage in 1853 to Alexander
MacLeod. At that time, the spelling of names and placenames was erratic
and inconsistent, depending merely upon the whims of the individual
themself or of the clerk concerned. Frequently it was the preference of
the clerk which prevailed as the earlier generations were not always
literate and many of the documents were signed with "X - his mark".
Malcolm had evidently learned to write but on registering his 1866
birth, his father, Alexander had simply added his mark.
These families, invariably with numerous children (Malcolm was one of
ten) lived in fairly primitive conditions in a harsh environment, and
examples of the famous 'black houses' of the area survive today. These
consisted of low, thick, stone walls and sturdy roof coverings of thatch
(well seasoned with generations of soot) which kept out the worst of the
winter weather. The central hearth, in the middle of the floor provided
both warmth and cooking facilities. Both men and women worked on the
land,with women generally bearing the brunt of the hard labour of
cutting and carrying home the peats which fuelled the household fires -
children were also pressed into service at this task. Life was hard in
this bleak moorland island where the few indigenous trees struggled up
through the generally boggy landscape, covered with heather, moss and
rushes. The machair, a strip of sandy soil made up of shell sand and
vegetation which bordered the sea was good pasture for those who kept
cattle.
No official record was made of the birth or baptism of Alexander MacLeod
- the grandfather of Mary Anne MacLeod Trump) but, according to the ages
shown for him in various sources, i.e. census returns, his marrage and
death certificates, he would have been born in Stornoway around 1830.
This was before the advent in Scotland of compulsory registration of
these events in 1855. His death record reveals that both he and his
father had been crofters and that each of his parents was also named
MacLeod - William and Catherine.
Mary MacLeod Trump's maternal line was also well established in Tong,
her mother, Mary, being born there in 1867 to Donald Smith and Mary
Macaulay Smith. They had been married in Garrabost, also in the parish
of Stornoway, in 1858. At that time Donald was said to have been a
fisherman and the son of Duncan Smith and Henrietta MacQueen Smith. A
note of tragedy creeps into the family tree here as Donald was lost in
Broadbay, off Vatisher Point, Stornoway when a squall of wind overturned
his open boat in 1868. He was aged thirty four and left his widow to
carry on the family croft after his death and to bring up their four
children, the youngest of whom, Mary, was only a year old. Donald's
father was the only man in the family not to have the dual occupations
of crofter and fisherman as he was described as a woollen weaver and
cottar. His widow, Henrietta, worked the croft after his death.
Given the harsh economic realities of life in such isolated communities
of subsistence farming and fishing, it is little wonder that numerous
Lewismen (and women) emigrated as the land simply could not sustain the
growing population. Clearly there was a better life for them in the new
world.
This comment system
requires you to be logged in through either a Disqus account
or an account you already have with Google, Twitter,
Facebook or Yahoo. In the event you don't have an account
with any of these companies then you can create an account
with Disqus. All comments are moderated so they won't
display until the moderator has approved your comment.
