I am a direct descendant of John and Maria, and also have good information on the family tree extending down from them.

I do not have anything yet beyond what you mention in this message for ancestors. I would like the opportunity to compare notes and fill in some holes that I have in my tree.

If I do get any information on the Hotsons or Butterys further back, I will certainly pass it along.

Mike Hotson
Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada

Hello Cousin Mike!

I am descended from John & Maria Hotson's eldest child,
John Buttery Hotson who was my great-grandfather and who lived most of his adult life in Australia (I live in Melbourne). I have a full list of his descendants - who number a grand total of only 13 people in four generations!

From the informaton I have, I might guess you are descended from the next child, Alexander, who married Eliza Balderstone in 1868 and had seven children.

Of the other children:
James H was unmarried;
William Candlish H died young (and I think unmarried);
Hamilton Andrew H had three children whose families I know about (his son was Sir John Ernest Buttery Hotson for whom I have created a page on Wikipedia. Of his daughters, Jessie's daughters are Evelyn who married the 3rd Viscount Younger of Leckie, and Marion who marreid into the Salvesen shipping empire.);
Andrew H I have no details about; and
Maria Christina I have no details of either.

I am indeed descended from Alexander and Eliza.

While I do not have specific details, I do know that Alexander and Eliza moved to Burma (at some point in the 1860's I think), as that is where my great-grandfather Arnold was born in 1871. Arnold became harbormaster in Canton, China in 1909 or 10, and Arnold and his wife Kate Lay brought their children to Canada in 1914, before Arnold and Kate returned to Canton while the children were in boarding school in Vancouver.

The family stays in Canada from there, leading to my family's presence in Nova Scotia with my wife and two children Theresa and Ian).

I have found a photo of John and Maria's tombstone in Glasgow, Scotland. It is near the bottom of this page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kentigern/

Talk to you again,

Mike

I have the children of your grandparents Arnold Hotson and Kate (nee Lay) as:
Denis Alexander (b. Shanghai c. 1903)
Walter Arnold (b. Shanghai c. 1906)
Kate (b. ? c. 1908)
Eleanor (b. Canton c. 1916) - after they returned to China

Can you fill some of that in?

Actually, I have a letter form Arnold to my gt-grandfather John Buttery Hotson in Sydney, saying that he is sailing in and hoping to meet.

John Buttery Hotson married Emma Annie Maitland in London in 1881. Their two children were:
Annis Harriott Maria 1883-1966 (unmarried)
John Maitland Hotson 1890-1961

Mike,

Seeing that your family went to Canada, I wonder if you are related to the noted Shakespeare authority (John) Leslie Hotson, b. Delhi Ontario, 16 August 1897?

Peter: Kate was born in Shainhai in 1908

Unlikely that Leslie Hotson is part of Arnold Hotson's descendants - I will check with some other family members to determine if he is known to be from another branch.

Would love to see a copy of the letter from your great grandfather to mine.

Ian Murray
Grandso of Walter/Cousin of Mike
ian.murray@centurytel.net

Hi Ian,

Have heard from others that Leslie Hotson is not related (at least to our bits of the family).

I sent a private message to Mike with my email address in case he had some larger documents to send and to which I could reply with my chart that links us all. I might send it to you ...

Stay in touch.
Peter

Peter
I'm not sure if this is any help, but I have some McAra people in my family. Ann McAra married Charles Cochrane in 1829 in Scotland. The name Christian also features among the girls in the family.
Frances