"The name Cairnes probably was derived from Scottish Gaelic "Carn or Cairn'
meaning a heap of stones piled up as a memorial or as a landmark. The first
two generations in Maryland spelled the name Careins. They were
Scotch-Irish; that is people from northern Ireland descended from Scotch
settlers. The Cairnes family came to Maryland in 1774 or 1775 when William
and Margaret McMath Careins came from Lugan, northern Ireland. They came
upon the Delaware River, probably landing near Philadelphia. The family with
five young children travelled on foot about eighty miles to the Jarrettsville
area of Harford County which was then called Upper Node Forest. They were
undoubtedly attracted to the area by the presence of other Scotch-Irish
settlers who had established Bethel Presbyterian Church some years earlier.
Both William and Margaret Careins are buried in Bethel Cemetery; their stones
are among the oldest there." - compilation of information "George Andrew
Cairnes Family" by Ralph Sloan
I am a descendent of William and Margaret McMath Careins although my family
changed the spelling to Cairnes. My website is <A
HREF="http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/j/a/n/Sarah-S-Janda/index...
ily Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: User Home Pages: "The Sarah Seward and Rock
Janda Home Page"</A>
I got your letter yesterday Rolland, so glad to hear from you. This is my
correct email address (I will fix the one on my site in just a few minutes).
I'll bet there are quite a few of us who can trace our ancestry back to this
couple.
Keep in touch
Sally