The Stewarts of Balquhidder
Welcome to the Official Home of the Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group. We are a collection of descendants and volunteer researchers interested in learning more about the history of Clan Stewart of Balquhidder. We are not a clan association. We recognize the Stewart Society in Edinburgh as our clan association and Sandy Stewart, 15th of Ardvorlich, as chief of our branch of the Stewarts.
Here you will find lots of information about the Stewarts of Balquhidder including individual family histories and helpful research aids to assist you with your own Stewart family history research.
Please join our Facebook Group or our Discussion Forum to join the discussion about our clan.
Latest Blog Post:
Benvane, Trossachs
Benvane, Trossachs, Stirlingshire, Scotland If you have enough energy I would recommend a walk up Benvane. It was about 4 hours but look at the views. You could see south west down to Arran, north to Rannoch and beyond, east all the way past Ben Vorlich and Stuc a...
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If you think your Stewart ancestor might belong to our clan, but you’re not sure, click here for assistance:
Site Tour and Navigation Tips
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Clan Stewart of Balquhidder
Who are the Stewarts of Balquhidder?
The founder of our clan
Balquhidder
Royal Stewart Ancestry
Where Our Clan Lived
Clan Association, Badge, and Motto
Clan Chief
Clan Tartan
From The Stewarts: Highland Branches of a Royal Name by the late Maj. John A.M. Stewart, 14th of Ardvorlich, (Johnston’s Clan Histories, Edinburgh, 1954)
Royal Stewart Tartan
Hunting Stewart Tartan
The Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group
This website has been created to help bring together independent researchers who are researching Stewart families originating in the Balquhidder area of Perthshire, Scotland during the 15th to 20th centuries. It was during this time period that emigration from Scotland was at an all time high. The Highlands were emptying and the Stewarts of Balquhidder were scattering across the globe. We are their descendants.
The Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group is a group of volunteer genealogical researchers who either descend from the Stewarts of Balquhidder or have an interest in researching the history of the clan. While we cannot do your research for you, we will make every effort to assist you with your research. And we make our wealth of resources available to you for free.
If you are researching any of these Stewart families, we encourage you to contact us on our Facebook Group or our Discussion Forum. We are hopeful that through our joint research efforts, we will be able to better understand our Stewart ancestors who lived so many years ago in this beautiful part of the Highlands of Scotland.
Membership is Free
The History of the Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group
Join Our Online Facebook Group
You do NOT need to be a confirmed descendant of the Stewarts of Balquhidder in order to join our group. We welcome anyone with an interest in the history of our clan, whether or not you are a descendant.
Join Our Online Discussion Forum
You do NOT need to be a confirmed descendant of the Stewarts of Balquhidder in order to join our group. We welcome anyone with an interest in the history of our clan, whether or not you are a descendant.
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Credit and Acknowledgement for Research Contributions
We practice the principle of “collective” research. That is, we freely and voluntarily work together and share our research with each other to produce the content of this website. By voluntarily contributing research to this project via our Facebook Group, Discussion Forum, email, or any other means, you consent to the use of your research as part of this shared project. And you get to share in the benefits of the contributions of others like you. We do not, and will never, require a fee for access to the information on this website. This website will always remain free. However, this website does cost money. Your voluntary donations to help support the cost of this website are always welcome.
Click here for more information on our Collective Research policy
Our Team
Current Stewarts of Balquhidder Group Membership: 400+ volunteer researchers.
Rev. Ryk Brown
Website & Facebook Group Admin, Co-Founder and Lead Researcher (Ardvorlich Family)
Ryk Brown is a minister in the United Church of Canada, living in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He is descended from Robert Stewart in St. Fillans, of the Stewarts of Dalveich, whose widow and children fled The Clearances to immigrate to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1834. Ryk has over 25 years of experience in genealogical research.
Ryk and Chuck co-founded The Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group in 2002. Ryk is the administrator of this website and our Facebook group.
Genealogy: rykbrown.net
Personal Blog: rykbrown.ca
Chuck Speed
Co-Founder and Lead Researcher (Glenbuckie Family)
Chuck Speed is a retired former Human Resources Director for the City of Amarillo, Texas and Corpus Christi, Texas, USA. He is a descendant of Patrick Stewart of Ledcreich who first immigrated from Ledcreich, Balquhidder, Perthshire, Scotland to the Cape Fear area of the North Carolina colony in America in 1739.
Chuck and Ryk co-founded The Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group in 2002. Chuck administered the first iteration of our original website.
Jared Olar
Founding Member and Lead Researcher (Gartnafuaran Family)
Jared Olar oversees the local history collection at the Pekin Public Library in Pekin, Illinois, USA. A father of eight, Jared is a descendant of the Stewarts of Londonderry, New Hampshire, who were identified as a junior branch of the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran through the research of Philip Battell Stewart II, Kenneth Robertson, and James Dinwoodie.
Belinda Dettman
Founding Member, DNA Specialist, Lead Researcher (Annat Family)
Belinda Dettmann is a retired biometrician and geneticist, living in Sydney, Australia. Her ancestor James Graham (1784-1833) married twice, to Janet Stewart and Katherine Stewart, both from Balquhidder families, while James Graham’s mother and his great-grandmother were also local Stewarts. His descendants emigrated to Melbourne, Australia in 1857 and Belinda has many different connections to the Stewarts of Balquhidder. She specializes in DNA research and is volunteer administrator to the Stewart DNA surname project at FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA).
Shuna Mayes
Content Creator, Photographer, Social Historian, Admin
Shuna Mayes lives in Dunblane, Scotland well within hiking, biking or kayaking distance of every locale where a Stewart of Balquhidder once lived. She enjoys getting outside with her camera and capturing sights that we would never have access to without her generosity and enthusiasm. Shuna has traced her ancestry to an 18th century soldier named James Stewart, who is genetically linked to our clan, but remains frustratingly elusive in his exact relationship.
The aesthetic value of Shuna’s contributions to our project cannot be overstated. To see her artistic contributions, go to:
Gordon MacGregor
Professional Research Consultant
Gordon MacGregor is one of Scotland’s premier professional genealogists with over 30 years of professional research experience. He is the author of The Landed Families of Strathearn and the encyclopedic Red Book of Scotland. He regularly does commissioned research for the Lord Lyon Court. He generously shares his skills and knowledge with our team.
Gordon’s contributions to the knowledge of the primary branches of Ardvorlich, Glenbuckie, Gartnafuaran and Annat is invaluable. He also deserves sole credit for discovering the previously unknown family of the Stewarts of Garchell.
Gordon’s work can be found at: