Author: Strachan, John
Biography:
STRACHAN, John (1798-1853: findmypast.co.uk)
Born at Forres, Moray, he was the son of Margaret (Smith) and James Strachan. Nothing is known about his education but he became a messenger-at-arms (that is, an officer of the Scottish Court of Session), and he belonged to the secession church of Scotland. He married Jane (or Janet) Haldane in 1825, and they had seven children: one son, James, died in 1847 and another, Alexander Strahan, became a well-known publisher in London. The family moved to Tain, Ross-shire, in about 1833. He died 30 May 1853. Walter and Emma seems to be his only publication; it is dedicated to Sir Thomas Dick Lauder who lived at Forres. (ODNB 1 Oct. 2020 [Alexander Stuart Strahan]; ancestry.co.uk 1 Oct. 2020; findmypast 1 Oct. 2020; “John Strachan, a Tain Poet,” Ross-shire Journal 24 June 1898; Death notice, Elgin Courier 3 June 1853)