A MEDICALLY BASED GENEALOGICAL ENQUIRY

An enquiry has been received from Susan Bartig who wishes on behalf of her family to know it there are any Scrimgeours who have been afflicted with the hereditary illness known as Porphyria (which has symptoms similar to Bright's Disease). Porphyria, according to a medical encyclopaedia, is a rare blood disease that can affect the liver, circulatory system or the brain. While of a hereditary nature, it usually does not make its appearance until adult age, possibly after the experience of some event that acts as a trigger.

Susan advises that her g.g.g.g. Grandparents were Alexander Scrymgeour and his wife Jane McRitchie of Dundee who emigrated to New York City in the USA around 1836 or sometime before 1839. There is record of one son James, b. 24 Mar. 1826 (who is her g.g.g. Grandfather) and his sister Mary, b. 10 Aug. 1828, being born in Scotland plus a son William b. 16 July 1837 in New York and another son Alexander b. 26 Nov. 1839, also in New York. James and Mary married a brother and sister, Jacob and Mary Fry, in Ohio, USA. All are buried in Fenville, Michigan.

James and Mary had seven children: Wallace, David, William, James (Susan's g.g. Grandfather), Herbert, Frederick, and Mary Jane. The son William (a brother to Susan's g.g. Grandfather James) was listed as having died of Bright's Disease but later in fact it was discovered that it was Porphyria. Susan is trying to track down the source of this inherited disease that is very prominent in her family. It is possible, of course, that it could have come from Jane McRitchie's side of the family, or from Mary Fry's side, rather than from the Scrymgeour side of the family.

Editor's Note: If any readers have information to offer, could they please correspond with Susan Bartig at her mailing address: S. Bartig, 1401 Wisconsin Street, Stevens Point, Wisconsin 54481, USA or at her E-mail address: SBartigwebtv.net (Susan Bartig). She will certainly appreciate any information that is received.