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Anthony Oliphant, a
Freelance Writer, Musician, and Entrepreneur, has written a new book
called; “Oliphant – TheBrokenBranch”
The book focuses on a
young boy William Oliphant, of the Ancient Baronial house of Oliphant
who fled the continent of Scotland in 1715 during the days of
persecution. This young boy was the rightful heir to the peerage title
and dignity of the senior male line of Oliphant. He was believed to have
been lost at sea and given up for dead by 1721. However, a few years
later, he mysteriously reappears on the scene in Edinburgh and becomes
successful as the Bulker of Leith or Collector of His Majesty’s Customs
for the port. He manages to live and thrive virtually unrecognized among
his extended family and half-cousins. Namely, his estranged brother, who
was now 10th Lord Oliphant, after declaring him lost at sea and
presumably dead. However, he doesn’t appear to go unnoticed by the
infamous Jacobite Loyalist and local Parish Bishop Robert Forbes!
The book is a culmination of a lifetime of research on the descendants
of this young boy who also fled Scotland after turbulent times in their
family history in 1833. People have asked me what enticed me to research
and write this book. To which I replied, ‘It started as a question
presented to my father by my grandmother in a letter I saw when I was
younger that accompanied our family Bible when she sent it to him back
in 1971. This letter mentioned some communication between my second
great-grandfather and a professor, Samuel Grant Oliphant, of the
University of PA. It suggested my father should investigate into his
family heritage, and find out what Samuel “was after.” She suspected he
was only interested in the inheritance back in Scotland while hiding his
motives from the Oliphant’s in Newfoundland.
The further I delved into this mystery, a second question presented
itself, but this time to my second great-grandfather from one of the
attorneys handling the claims on the Gask Estate in Scotland. He asked
him; “Can you prove your grandparents' marriage?” He never gives a clear
explanation to the question. So… I set out to find the answer. I thought
that with the technology available today and the information I had
already developed, surely it couldn't be that difficult to answer what
seemed like a simple question of paternity. However, as it turned out,
it was much more involved than I originally anticipated.
I’ve always had an insatiable curiosity and an absolute love for
following treasure maps, so I asked my father if he was even remotely
interested in finding out what happened with all this, and his response
was; “My son, why would you want to go digging up bones?” Besides, it’s
ridiculous. What would we gain from it? Nothing! If there were anything,
it should be donated to the church, because it would cause nothing but
bickering and arguments among family members and be nothing but
trouble.” Of course, this response did nothing but pique my interest
even further, and despite my dad's opinion, I was determined to try and
answer these questions, which at the time, I didn’t realize would turn
into a lifelong adventure.
So… I invite you to come along on this compelling journey of
genealogical intrigue and family history and meet this once noble line
of this Ancient Baronial family I dubbed ‘The Broken Branch'.
Price is $17.69 US and is in Paperback
format available on Amazon |
