Alexander Cameron was the rightful heir to the Urquhart Millions

1934.From left to right, front row: Stella & Lydia Potter, Rhoda, Nunny, Loyda Cameron
Seated middle row: Annie Cameron, Mrs Potter, Agnes Cameron with Alex in her lap, and Douglas Cameron.
Standing middle row: Irma Gaugin, Maile ?, Tanty Lydia
Back row: Sydney Potter, Alexander and his son John Cameron


In order for this anecdote to be understood, one has to make three assumptions:
1) The Urquhart Estate was exceedingly wealthy,
2) Alexander Cameron was the logical inheritor
3) Alexander Cameron was denied his rightful inheritance.

I will look at each of these separately.

1) The Urquhart Estate was exceedingly wealthy
We have copy of Walter Urquhart last will. It is a hand written, sewn bound document titled “Copy. Settlement of Walter Urquhart. Merchant New Elgin. 1903. Stewart & McIsaac” I have reproduced it below.

Walter Urquhart, merchant, New Elgin, in order to settle the succession of my means and estate after my death do hereby give grant assign and dispose to and in favor of Hugh Stewart, solicitor, Elgin, John Hunter Clark, plumber, Elgin and James Rhuid Stewart, solicitor, Elgin and the successors and survivors of them and such other person or persons as I may hereafter appoint, or as may be assumed into the Trust hereinafter designed my Trustees, as Trustees, for the ends uses and purposes aftermentioned my whole means and estate heritable and moveable real and personal wheresoever situated presently belonging to me or which shall belong to me at my death with the writ vouchers and instructions thereof and I nominate my said Trustees to be my Executors: declaring that these presents are granted in trust (First) For payment of my debts death bed and funeral expenses including a memorial stone over my grave of such values as my trustees may think fit. (Second) To pay to the Parish Council of Farrintosh for the purpose of providing a hearse for the Parish or if that be not necessary to be expended on such other object for the good of the Parish as the Parish council of the said parish of Farrintosh may with the consent of my said Trustees determine. (Third) To hold the property on the east side of High street New Elgin belonging to me for behoof of my sister Janet Urquhart residing at Farrintosh in life rent and on her death to be realized by my Trustees the price to be paid to the family of Donald Gillies, laborer, Burghead and my sister Mary Urquhart or Gillies, his wife, other than their son John who went abroad and has not been heard of for several years and that in the proportion of two fifths to their daughter Annie and three fifths among the other children equally, the children of any predeceasing taking their parents share and if any predecease without leaving children their share to be divided amongst the others, other than said John in the above proportion (Fourth) I direct my Trustees to convey and make over the property belonging to me lying between Main street and Convener street, New Elgin to the Elgin Parish Council to be used by them as a town hall for New Elgin or to sell it and apply the price toward providing such a town hall, it being my wish and desire that the hall may be open on such terms as the Council may fix for the use of all such denominations of whatever views so long as they are not immoral and their lectures or performances are conducted with propriety (Fifth) I hereby provide that the foregoing legacies and provisions will be paid free of legacy duty (Sixth) The residue and remainder of my means and estate to be held by my Trustees for the purpose of contributing an annual sum of three pounds towards the expense of an annual treat to the children attending the New Elgin Public School, three pounds sterling towards the funds of Doctor Grays Hospital Elgin to help toward the maintenance of a child’s crib in that hospital and the balance to the Baptist Union of Scotland and I authorize my trustees to sell or let the heritable subjects by public or private bargain to invest the Trust funds in such securities heritable or personal as to them may seem best and to employ one of their own member or others at suitable remuneration as law agents in the trust. And I consent to registration for preservation in witness whereof I have subscribed these presents on this and the preceding page at Elgin on the seventh day of July nineteen hundred (Jul 7, 1900) Before these witnesses David Mckie Edwards clerk in the office of the Royal Bank of Scotland at Elgin and John Middleman was clerk to Steward and McIsaac solicitors Elgin Signed Walter Urquhart Signed D. Mackie Edwards witness Signed J. Middleman witness I Walter Urquhart, merchant, New Elgin, the granter of the within settlement do hereby make the following alterations thereon (First) Instead of my Trustees holding the property on the east side of High street, New Elgin, belonging to me for behoof of my sister Janet Urquhart residing at Farrintosh is different and on her death to be realized by my Trustees and the piece paid to the family of Donald Gillies, laborer, Burghead, and my sister Mary Urquhart or Gillies, his wife other than the son John who went abroad and has not been heard of for several years in the proportions within mentioned, I direct my Trustees to convey the said property to the family of the said Donald Gillies and Mary Urquhart or Gillies other than their said son John in the proportion of three fifths to their daughter Annie and two fifths among the other children equally, the children of any predeceasing being entitled to the share which would have fallen to their parents, but under the real burden always of an annual payment from the rents of said property to my said sister Janet Urquhart of four pounds sterling during her life and (Second) Instead of conveying and making over the property lying between Main street and Convener street belonging to me is the Elgin Parish Council at the period of my death to be held by them as within mentioned I direct my Trustees to hold the said property during the life time of my said sister Janet for her life rent use and on her death to convey it over to the said Parish council for the purposes within mentioned. In witness whereof I have subscribed these presents on this and the preceding page at Elgin upon the sixteenth day of April nineteen hundred and one year (April 16, 1901) before these witnesses Alexander Russell teller in the office of the Royal Bank of Scotland Elgin and John James Petrie Clerk to Messrs Stewart and McIsaac, Solicitors, Elgin (signed) Walter Urquhart (Signed) Alexander Russell, Witness (Signed) John J Petrie, Witness

So these facts indicate that Walter Urquhart had two properties. The property lying between Main street and Convener street was left to the New Elgin Parish Council. The other property on the east side of High street, New Elgin, was left to the children of Donald Gillies. Annie received three fifths while Henry, Daniel and Margaret Gillies shared two fifths.

Other correspondence indicates that Annie Camerons' three fifths amounted to a total of £ 291 which would make the total price of the High street property to be approximately £ 485. A simple deflator of currency (http://www.friesian.com/coins.htm) allows us to estimate that the purchasing power of £ 485 in 1910 would be roughly equivalent to £ 7760 in 2000, or roughly $14,000 USD.

I believe that these simple calculations, although containing potential errors, allows us to understand that Walter Urquhart was wealthy, but was not a millionaire, as the family lore had it. To bad : (

2) Alexander Cameron was the logical inheritor
The relationship of Annie to Walter Urquhart has already been described (see blog entry dated Sunday, August 10, 2008) and given the traditions of the day, the inheritance would have gone to her husband Alexander Cameron. Not much to add here.

3) Alexander Cameron was denied his rightful inheritance.
The settlement document seems quite clear, and I don't believe there is any substantive reason to believe he was denied any inheritance rights.


To conclude, the existing documents supports that Alexander and Annie Cameron received the inheritance left in the Urquhart will. The sizable amount of the inheritance must have had an enormous purchasing power in Southern Chile in 1908, but Walter Urquhart was a wee bit short of being a millionaire.



1932 From left to right: Rhoda, Alex, Nunny, Loyda and Douglas Cameron