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Hi John,
I think that I can help:-
The US census of 1880 has a Melvill Oliphant in 3rd Ward, Erie,Erie, Pennsylvania, house painter aged 45 (so born circa 1835 - they say, that to me means 1834). His birthplace, and also that of his parents, is given as Scotland.
As it happens, I was sent some information about a family with quite similar names, living at about the same time as your family.
There are letters about them in the SGO papers. This is what (by the oddest co-incidence, since it happened on 15th June this year, around the time of your posting) Ken Middleton wrote:-
"Roddy, Found some letters written in the 1890's to SGO from Baltimore Maryland which support your theory about letters being written back to Scotland which spur later immigrations to America. The first letter is from Rosa Reid in 1897. Her mother was Isabella Oliphant, the daughter of David and Jesse Oliphant. David was the captain that went to the West Indies on a three-year voyage. He supposedly drowned at sea. Isabella had brothers Melville and Ben. Isabella's mother died in 1861 and she was put in an orphan's home. A second letter sent to SGO about this family was from Mary Oliphant from Washington DC. She says, "my father works at his trade in the navy yard. His sister lived in Richmond and was named Isabella. His brother, Melville went to sea and was rumored drowned, but later was seen in San Francisco. A second letter from Mary Oliphant expands on this picture: My grandfather David Oliphan t was born in Kircaldy, Fifeshire[no date] He served on the English Sloop of War The Spider during the War of 1812. Later he married Jessie Smythe in the Church of Scotland in Fifeshire. After there first child was born, they moved to the USA. The children were Melville, Dalrymple, Mary, Isabella and Benjamin Franklin.{David Oliphant, son of Duncan, was a protagee of Wm. Franklin, son of Benjamin Franklin.} ken"
John, could it be that the melville Oliphant mentioned above, who was last seen in California, is the same one who ended up in Erie? I think so. If he had a son James, then the chronology might be right for your family (James then having a son, Melville).
If I am right, then I know of another person who I think is from the same family.
Any idea where James was born?
Yours aye,
Roddy.
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