John Reid

1655 - 1723  (68 years)

• Name	John Reid
  Birth	13 Feb 1654/55	Kirkliston, West Lothian, Scotland   [1]
  	The Setons sold Niddry Castle to the Hopes of Hopetoun in 1676 Niddry Castle, where his father was gardener (employed by the Seton family), and his grandfather before him
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	22 Jun 1668	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland   [1, 2]
  	Apprenticed to Andrew Wardlaw, merchant, as son the 'the late John R., indweller at the castell of Niddery'. His master died before the end of his term and John returned home.
  	Reid's 'memorandum' (family record' refers to having "bound myself to arrive when of age to a printer in Edinburgh 1667-68"
  Religion	1674	Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland   [1, 3]
  	Quaker
  	In his memorandum, he observed that, having moved to Hamilton working under Hew Wood, he "was happily drawn into Quakerism by their great professions of sanctity and immediate Inspirations and I doubted not of their soundness in the Christian religion".
  Occupation	Sep 1674	Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland   [1]
  	Under-gardener to Hew Wood on the Duke of Hamilton's estate
  	On returning home, where his mother had remarried, he was "persuaded to learn the old but pleasant art of Gard'nery, and after I had seen what I could expect there, went to the celebrated gardens of Hamilton"
  Occupation	Sep 1675	Muthill, Perthshire, Scotland   [1]
  	Gardener to James Drummond, Earl of Perth at Drummond Castle
  Occupation	27 Sep 1676	Lawers, Perthshire, Scotland   [1]
  	Gardener to Colonel Sir James Campbell of Lawers (Lawers estate formerly called Forden)
  Occupation	Abt 1679	Lawers, Perthshire, Scotland   [4]
  	Author of 'The Scots Gard'ner', the first book on gardening (including elements of horticulture and landscaping) in Scotland. This was published by John Reid in Edinburgh in 1683
  Occupation	4 Sep 1680	Borthwick, Midlothian, Scotland   [1]
  	Gardener to Sir George McKenzie of Rosehaugh on his estate at Shanks/ The Shank - date of move there
  Departure	31 Aug 1683	Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland   [1, 5]
  	Aboard the Exchange of Stockton
  Arrival	19 Oct 1683	Staten Island, Richmond, New York, USA   [6]
  	Imported on a four year contract as an Overseer, imported by the 'Proprietors as belongs to Scotland'
  Role	1684	Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [7]
  	Indentured servant
  Title Suffix	of Hortencie
  Residence	25 Jun 1684	Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [6]
  	Date when they first moved there. Ague hit the family that September and John was again ill the folowing June.
  Property	21 Jun 1686	Monmouth, New Jersey, USA   [8]
  	Granted 200 acres by the Proprietors in recognition of his “good paines, costes, trouble and expense” in mapping the province. To be called Hortencie.
  Residence	26 Sep 1687	Marlboro, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA
  	Date when the Reid family arrived at the place they called Hortencie
  	At the junction of the Hope (Hop) River (now called Winding Brook) and Westbrook. The property was demolished in the 1990s. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic_sites_in_Marlboro_Township,_New_Jersey#Hortensia
  Occupation	16 Sep 1692	Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [9]
  	Member of the Board of Proprietors, as proxy for William Dockwra. Post held until 27 Oct 1705
  Property	30 Dec 1701	Marlboro, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA   [10]
  	Deed, John Reid of Hortencie to Captain John Anderson of the same place, for two tracts in Monmouth Co., the first on Manalapan Creek, conveyed to grantor by deed from Robert Barclay, 4 Nov 1699, and patents of 7 Oct 1700, and 7 Jun 1701; the other tract
  Occupation	1703	Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [11]
  	Member of the Provincial Assembly of New Jersey
  Religion	28 Mar 1703	New Jersey, USA   [6]
  	Anglican: date of his first Communion
  Residence	6 Jul 1708	New York, New York, USA   [6]
  	When he had third attack of ague
  Occupation	1714	Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA
  	One of the Commissioenrs of Ropads
  Property	14 Sep 1714	East Jersey, New Jersey, USA   [12]
  	On list of debtors to John Bowne of Matawan, listed in the inventory of his estate
  Occupation	Nov 1715	Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA   [13, 14]
  	Judge, presided over the first meeting of the County Quarter Session Court in Freehold
  Burial	1723	Topanemus, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA   [15, 16]
  Death	16 Nov 1723	Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA   [15, 16]
  Probate	27 Feb 1723/24	Monmouth, New Jersey, USA   [17]
  	Administration granted to son John. 16 Mar 1724 inventory of £338 9s. Made by Wm Lawrence, Gerret Schenk, Benjamin Hal[...]
  	Left "law books, theological, astronomical, historical, belles lettres (Mrs Blen's novels, songs and sonnets, Coffyhouse Jests)", 109 in all. 'Mrs Blen' would be Aphra Behn, author of 'Oroonoko: or, the Royal Slave' (1688),
  Origin	Kirkliston, West Lothian, Scotland
  	Niddry Castle, by Winchburgh
  Person ID	I44963	East Jersey Genealogies
  Last Modified	19 Oct 2025

  
  

  Father	John Reid,   b. Kirkliston, West Lothian, Scotland d. Sep 1663, Kirkliston, West Lothian, Scotland
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Anna Thomsone
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	11 Nov 1651	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland   [18]
  Family ID	F31289	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Margaret Miller,   b. Abt Feb 1644/45, Kirkintilloch, Dunbartonshire, Scotland d. 1 May 1728, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA (Age 83 years)
  Marriage	29 Sep 1678	Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland   [3]
  	Reported at the West of Scotland Meeting
  Children	1. Anna Reid,   b. 4 Jan 1678/79, Lawers, Perthshire, Scotland d. 6 Jul 1723, Manalapan, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA (Age 44 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   2. Helen Reid,   b. 2 Oct 1680, Borthwick, Midlothian, Scotland  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   3. Margaret Reid,   b. 11 Mar 1682/83, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland d. 15 Jan 1683/84, Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA (Age 0 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   4. stillborn Reid,   b. 10 Sep 1684, Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA d. 10 Sep 1684, Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA (Age 0 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   5. John Reid,   b. 27 Jul 1686, Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA d. 1 Jun 1777, Westchester, New York, USA (Age 90 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F31383	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	19 Oct 2025

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 13 Feb 1654/55 - Kirkliston, West Lothian, Scotland Occupation - Apprenticed to Andrew Wardlaw, merchant, as son the 'the late John R., indweller at the castell of Niddery'. His master died before the end of his term and John returned home. - 22 Jun 1668 - Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Religion - Quaker - 1674 - Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland Occupation - Under-gardener to Hew Wood on the Duke of Hamilton's estate - Sep 1674 - Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland Occupation - Gardener to James Drummond, Earl of Perth at Drummond Castle - Sep 1675 - Muthill, Perthshire, Scotland Occupation - Gardener to Colonel Sir James Campbell of Lawers (Lawers estate formerly called Forden) - 27 Sep 1676 - Lawers, Perthshire, Scotland Marriage - 29 Sep 1678 - Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland Occupation - Author of 'The Scots Gard'ner', the first book on gardening (including elements of horticulture and landscaping) in Scotland. This was published by John Reid in Edinburgh in 1683 - Abt 1679 - Lawers, Perthshire, Scotland Occupation - Gardener to Sir George McKenzie of Rosehaugh on his estate at Shanks/ The Shank - date of move there - 4 Sep 1680 - Borthwick, Midlothian, Scotland Departure - Aboard the Exchange of Stockton - 31 Aug 1683 - Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Arrival - Imported on a four year contract as an Overseer, imported by the 'Proprietors as belongs to Scotland' - 19 Oct 1683 - Staten Island, Richmond, New York, USA Role - Indentured servant - 1684 - Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Residence - Date when they first moved there. Ague hit the family that September and John was again ill the folowing June. - 25 Jun 1684 - Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Property - Granted 200 acres by the Proprietors in recognition of his “good paines, costes, trouble and expense” in mapping the province. To be called Hortencie. - 21 Jun 1686 - Monmouth, New Jersey, USA Residence - Date when the Reid family arrived at the place they called Hortencie - 26 Sep 1687 - Marlboro, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA Occupation - Member of the Board of Proprietors, as proxy for William Dockwra. Post held until 27 Oct 1705 - 16 Sep 1692 - Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Property - Deed, John Reid of Hortencie to Captain John Anderson of the same place, for two tracts in Monmouth Co., the first on Manalapan Creek, conveyed to grantor by deed from Robert Barclay, 4 Nov 1699, and patents of 7 Oct 1700, and 7 Jun 1701; the other tract - 30 Dec 1701 - Marlboro, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA Occupation - Member of the Provincial Assembly of New Jersey - 1703 - Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Religion - Anglican: date of his first Communion - 28 Mar 1703 - New Jersey, USA Residence - When he had third attack of ague - 6 Jul 1708 - New York, New York, USA Occupation - One of the Commissioenrs of Ropads - 1714 - Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA Occupation - Judge, presided over the first meeting of the County Quarter Session Court in Freehold - Nov 1715 - Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA Burial - 1723 - Topanemus, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA Death - 16 Nov 1723 - Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA Probate - Administration granted to son John. 16 Mar 1724 inventory of £338 9s. Made by Wm Lawrence, Gerret Schenk, Benjamin Hal[...] - 27 Feb 1723/24 - Monmouth, New Jersey, USA Origin - Niddry Castle, by Winchburgh - - Kirkliston, West Lothian, Scotland  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S3666] Bartow, Evelyn P., Bartow Genealogy, p245. [S3595] Boog Watson, Charles B., Register of Edinburgh Apprentices, 1666-1700, p76. [S3615] Strath-Maxwell, Archibald, Digest of Quaker births, marriages and burials in Scotland, 1647-1878, (Location: Aberdeen; Date: 1960;), p130. [S3667] Brown, Marilyn, Scotland’s Lost Gardens, p246. [S3587] Wagner, Joseph, "The Scottish Colonising Voyages to Carolina and East New Jersey in the 1680s", p166. [S3666] Bartow, Evelyn P., Bartow Genealogy, p246. [S3607] Nelson, William, Calendar of Records in the Office of the Secretary of State, 1664-1703, p61. [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, A(EJ): Folio 344 (SSTSE023). [S3720] Miller, George J., The Minutes of the Board of Proprietors of the Eastern Division of New Jersey from 1685 to 1705, p2. [S3607] Nelson, William, Calendar of Records in the Office of the Secretary of State, 1664-1703, p147. [S3715] Ellis, Franklin, History of Monmouth County, New Jersey, p108. [S3607] Nelson, William, Calendar of Records in the Office of the Secretary of State, 1664-1703, p53. [S3715] Ellis, Franklin, History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. p272 [S3715] Ellis, Franklin, History of Monmouth County, New Jersey, p274. [S3666] Bartow, Evelyn P., Bartow Genealogy, p244. [S3554] Symmes, Frank Rosebrook, History of the Old Tennent Church, p258. [S3542] Nelson, William, Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Volume 1, 1670-1730, p380. [S3608] Marriages (OPR) Scotland, (Name: National Records of Scotland; Location: Edinburgh;), Edinburgh 685/1 440/10.