John McCrae (1751 - 1827)  Robert McCrae, of Cumnock, Ayrshire, had a son John, born in 1749. This John lived for many years in New Cumnock and married Jean McCowan. He was a popular and godly man, and a strong supporter of the early dissenters*, his house being a resort of the preachers of the old secession. His family consisted of seven sons and two daughters. The eldest, Marmaduke McCrae, born in 1772, moved to Carsphairn, and for many years herded on the lofty Cairnsmore.  A Cyclopedia of Canadian Biography, page 667, published in 1888. *Scottish dissenters were groups of Protestants who separated from the established Church of Scotland over state interference, church governance, and doctrine. By 1830, they represented roughly one-third of the population and heavily influenced Scottish political, social, and cultural life. Cyclopedia : Thomas McCrae Article - pages 667-671 (opens in another window) Note : In addition to a lot of variations in the spelling of McCrae, McRae, McRee, etc., the name of John McCrae’s wife appears variously as Jean Cowan, McOwan, and McCowan. The biography gives John’s birth year as 1749. The only record I have found is a baptism in 1751 in Auchinleck, the centre of which is just one and a half miles from the centre of Old Cumnock. John Mcree married Jane Mcowan in Old Cumnock in 1775.