A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE GARDINER AND AZBILL FAMILIES

For genealogy records of the children of  Minnie and Harry Gardiner
click here:  Genealogy of the Gardiner Family

Click on an individual's picture to read her/his story

Esther,  Barbara,  Harry,  Minnie,  Milton,  Donna,
Betty,        Ruth,          Mary,           Lois,    Florence
1952~53

"Tell them you are Brother Gardiner's children"

The Name Gardiner

The name Gardiner is said to be a derivative of the name Garden.  According to The Armigerous Clans and Families of Scotland, this name is frequently spelt 'Gardyne', and Black states that a family ‘long of that Ilk’ hailed from the barony of Gardyne in the parish of Kirkdon in Angus.  They built a strong and splendid tower, which was extended in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.  Gardyne Castle is one of the most unusual and attractive examples of Scottish vernacular architecture.  The Gardynes seem to have been almost permanently quarreling with the nearby Guthries, whose even more impressive Castle of Guthrie was only a few miles away.  Patrick Gardyne of that Ilk was slain in 1578 by William Guthrie, and in the feud that followed both sides appear to have suffered heavy casualties.  There are two accounts of the origin of the feud: according to the Gardyne version, Patrick and his kinsman Robert were slain on Carbundow Moor in1578, and those deaths were avenged by the killing of Alexander Guthrie in Inverpeffer in1587 by Thomas Gairden.  The Guthrie account holds that his cousin murdered Alexander Guthrie.  Thomas Gairden of Legatston, and that his nephew, William Guthrie, who slew the said Patrick, avenged him.  Whatever the cause of the feud, the result was ultimately a victory for the more powerful Guthries and David, the tenth Laird, sold the castle and much of the lands and acquired the estate of Lawton.  In 1603 he married Janet Lindsay, daughter of Sir David Lindsay, Lord Edzell.  This family failed in the direct male line and is now represented by Bruce-Gardyne of Middleton.  The arms of a black boar's head on a silver shield are borne by the family of Gardyne of Troup, descended from Gardyne of Banchory.  The first Laird of Troup was a Son of the house of Banchory who was sent by Charles I to assist Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, during the Thirty Years' War.  He saw distinguished service and remained at the Swedish court until 1654.  He returned to Scotland and purchased the lands of Troup in Banffshire, which remain in the family to this day.

Nancy Gardiner would like to see if we can trace our ancestors back to Lion Gardiner of Gardiner's Island, New York. (Harry Ross Gardiner once mentioned this to his son, Milton Gardiner.)

Gardiner's Island

Also Gardiner's Island, island of SE New York, forming a part of the town of East Hampton, in Gardiners Bay, near the E end of Long Island. The island has an area of 3300 acres. It was purchased from the Indians in 1639 by Lion Gardiner (I5991663), an English colonist, who, in settling there, is said to have established the first English settlement in what is now the state of New York. The island has remained in possession of the Gardiner family, but its status was under discussion in the early 1980s. Legend holds that the pirate William Kidd buried some of his treasure on the island in 1699.

Apparently the last remaining male relative still lives on the island but he will not allow anyone to visit. The island is now a bird refuge.

May, 2001 - David L. Gardiner makes three points of clarification:

(1) Robert David Lion Gardiner, 16th Proprietor of Gardiner's Island, actually lives in East Hampton--not Gardiner's Island.  

(2) He provides a tour every August (via his lawyer because he is blind now).

(3) He isn't the last living relative of Lieut. Lion Gardiner--there are thousands of direct descendants with the surname "Gardiner"--including myself.  

Every generation the Island has been passed down through the oldest living son until Winthrop Gardiner who sold the Island to the current owner's aunt, Sarah D. Gardiner.  She had no living relative and left it "in trust" to Robert and his sister Alexandra (who has since passed away and her daughter Alexandra Creel-Goelet has "inherited" her mother's portion--in trust).   Alexandra's family as well as Robert have legal access to the Island (with Robert "fighting" every step of the way because he wanted to officially purchase the Island after his sister died but his niece, Alexandra, obviously is also interested in it as well.  Robert has made every effort to keep the Island in its original state it was found centuries ago...

Rev. David L. Gardiner has a genealogy forum and is looking for anyone with the Gardiner surname www.my-ged.com/gardiner/ . His e-mail address is: GardinerFamily@aol.com

Nancy also would like to see if Grandma's ancestors (Azbill) can be traced back to John Ross. She and Milton visited the John Ross House when they were in Georgia. The following excerpts come from their brochure.

The John Ross House

Built in 1797 by John McDonald
at Poplar Springs, now Rossville, Georgia

The John Ross House is a memorial to John Ross, greatest of the chiefs of the Cherokee Nation. Although only one-eighth Cherokee, he was devoted to his nation and served as Principal Chief from 1828 to 1866. He fought long and hard against the removal of his people by the United States government from Georgia and surrounding states. Ultimately he led the Cherokees on the sad Trail of Tears journey to Oklahoma in 1838.

John Ross struggled unsuccessfully against Andrew Jackson's plan to drive the Cherokees west of the Mississippi, after the discovery of gold in north Georgia. He witnessed, in despair, the horrible scene of United States soldiers herding, as cattle, Indian men, women, and children for the journey west. Indescribable was the suffering, heartbreak, and death of so many on the journey known as the Trail of Tears.

Quatie, Ross' first wife, died of pneumonia en route to Oklahoma, due to cold and exposure, it is said, after she gave her blanket to a sick child.

For Genealogy of the Gardiner Family Click Here.

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Last modified: March 31, 2008