On August 15, 1825 John P. McHarg wrote his memoir. It told the story of his father Peter McHarg coming to America from Scotland in the year 1774. (Son John would have been 4 years old at the time.)

John wrote a section on his wife & children...

"I, John P. McHarg, was born on the 9th day of May, 1770.

Catherine McHarg, daughter of Pryse and Margaret Campbell of Rensselaer, was born the 4th day of December, 1781. We were married the 9th day of January, 1802. We had a son born, and buried in the burying ground of Mr. Haswell, January 1, 1803.

Charlotte McHarg was born....December 17,1803
Judith McHarg was born....February 13,1806
Peter McHarg was born.....February 2,1808
John McHarg was born........July 15,1810
Jeannette McHarg was born........July 24,1812
Mary McHarg was born......August 30,1814
Horatio McHarg was born.....December 1,1816
William McHarg was born.....January 23,1819
Margaret McHarg was born.........May 22,1821
Andrew & James McHarg were born August 28,1824
James died.............July 9,1825
Andrew died............July 25,1825
They were interred in the family
burying ground.

My wife being a member of the church of Bethlehem, my children were baptized in that church and their names registered in said church book, excepting my son Horatio, who was baptised by Rev. Thomas Haliday of New Scotland at a time when the church at Bethlehem was without a pastor."

John P. McHarg's son William McHarg kept up the family narrative...the following was compiled & written about 1898 by William McHarg (who died June 6, 1905 age 86 year)...

"For over seven years my father, John P. McHarg, wrote a record of his family in the family Bible now in my possession.

It has seemed to me to be my duty as sole survivor of his children to continue that record, and to trace the history of his descendants to the present time, with a brief reference to the history of the family homestead where he lived and died.

He died.............February 5, 1830

My mother survived him over 28 years, dying May 4, 1858. They were interred in the family burying ground on the homestead, but when my brother sold the last of the homestead, including the Burial Ground, their remains were removed to a lot purchased by him in the cemetery in Delmar.**

By the will of my father, the Homestaed, consisting of 226 acres of land, was devised to my brothers Peter and John. In the year 1835 they made a division of the farm between them, Peter taking 100 acres on the easterly side of the farm, and John the westerly side, 126 acres, with the dwelling and farm buildings.

In 1839 Peter exchanged his portion with my brother-in-law, Adam Haliday, for his undivided half of a farm of about 180 acres purchased by him and my mother in the spring of 1838, situated on the Normans Kill, in the town of New Scotland, and moved to that place.

In 1845 Adam Haliday sold the land he got of my brother Peter to George A. Legget, and so that place passed out of the family.

My mother and Peter occupied and worked on the place on the Normans Kill together until 1848, when a division was made thereof, Peter taking 92 acres, and mother 87 acres with buildings. Peter built upon his portion and lived there until 1863, when he conveyed this farm to Andrew in the spring of the year 1871, and the same is now in possession of Andrew's widow.

Upon the sale of this farm Peter removed to Vinland, New Jersey and afterward to Atco, New Jersey where he died."


(**Added note from Shirley Hemingway: The cemetery in Delmar was most likely the Bethlehem Cemetery in Delamar, Albany County, New York. I wonder if all interred family members weren't moved from the family burying ground when the land was sold.)