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Chisholm Bibliography

Compiled by the The Clan Chisholm Society Genealogists and Historians

Updated November 22, 2004



Alphabetical Index

A - B | C | D - K | M | N - R | T - W | General Notes



Albergotti, William Greer. ABIGAIL'S STORY: Tides at the doorstep

The Mackays, LaRoches, Jenkinses, and Chisolms of Low Country South Carolina, 1671-1897. Reprinted by Reprint Co., 1999. ISBN 0871525240.

Anderson, James S.M. MEMOIR OF THE CHISHOLM, 1842.

Includes the correspondences of Alexander William Chisholm with his mother. He died Sept 8, 1838 at the age 28.

--Suggested by Daniel R Chisholm, Sr. of Tarrytown, NY, USA


Atkinson, Diane. Elsie and Mairi Go to War
Preface Publishing 2009





Barney, Audrey. CHISHOLM CAMEOS: Joseph Wilson Chisholm's Yorkshire ancestors and New Zealand descendants. 2004. 212 pp. Approx. 140 illustrations.

This book was launched at a celebration in Wellington on 13-14 November 2004, to mark the 150th anniversary of Joseph Wilson Chisholm's arrival.




Barney, Audrey. CHISHOLM PIONEERS IN COLONIAL NEW ZEALAND. Orewa, 2001.

Book Review

The book is now out of print but a PDF version can be accessed here



Barney, Audrey, comp. JIM CHISHOLM: Blacksmith, gum digger, soldier, orchardist and poet. Auckland, 2002. 90 pp.

This Chisholm traces his background to the 1770s in Stow, Roxburghshire. Blinded in World War I, he goes back to New Zealand, and with help of his family successfully establishes a tropical orchard. His life mostly told through his poems, all written after he became blind.

Barney, Audrey, Lest We Forget, 2015. 71 pp.

First New Zealand Expeditionary Force in World War I
Ordering Information: Email John Ross

Breakachian, pseud. see McDonald, William.

Byle, Robin, comp. THE FORSYTH SAGA IN NEW ZEALAND. 1993. 81 pp.

NOTE: The original Mrs. Forsyth in New Zealand was a Chisholm when she arrived in 1863.

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Cambridge in the 1830s: The letters of Alexander Chisholm Gooden, 1831-1841. Edited by Jonathan Smith and Christopher Stray. Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Boydell and Brewer Ltd. Rochester, NY, USA: Boydell and Brewer Inc, 1 b/w illus., 234pp.

NOTE: Alexander was a son of the famous Mary Chisholm who resisted the Clearances in Strathglass and who was daughter of Chief Alexander.

Catholics of the Diocese of Antigonish, Nova Scotia Aand the War, 1914 - : With nominal enlistment rolls by parishes. Antigonish, NS: St. Francis Xavier University Press.

Champion, Janet Maxwell. LADY OF KANTARA: A biography of Dame Alice Chisholm 1856-1954. Australia: Champion, n.d. 125 pp. illus.

NOTE: Dame Alice Chisholm served in Egypt and Palestine during the First World War, receiving the decoration of "Dame of the British Empire" for the work she did setting up canteens for the men.

A portrait of Dame Alice Chisholm can be found in the art datatase collection at the Australian War Memorial's website.

Chisholm, Alexander. FROM LOCH LEVEN TO WEST TAIERI: The Chisholms of Scotlandwell. 1972. 39 pp.

NOTE: West Taieri is in the south of New Zealand.

Chisholm, Alexander. GROWING UP IN WEST TAIERI. 1977. 71 pp.

Chisholm, Alexander. THE OLD CHISHOLM TRAIL: LIFE LINE OF THE GREAT PLAINS. 1968. 564 pp. Handkraft Art & Publishers, Salt Lake City, Utah.

"A gripping saga of one of America's most colorful and exciting eras depicted in narrative verse." It is a 564 page poem which relates the entire history and folklore of the Chisholm Trail. It consists of 3 Books, consisting of 3367 stanzas altogether. Book 1 has 14 chapters. Book 2 has 18 chapters. Book 3 has 11 chapters. Every fact and story is supported by a 16 page bibliography at the back of the book. Alexander Chisholm was a descendant of Jesse Chisholm, the blazer of the trail. He never saw the inside of a schoolhouse until he was 12 yrs old, but retired a public accountant.

Chisholm, Colin. "Strathglass Evictions." Pub. in TRANSACTIONS OF THE GAELIC SOCIETY OF INVERNESS.

Chisholm, Colin. "Traditions of Strathglass." in CELTIC MAGAZINE, Vol. VI, 1880-1881; as a serial of 40 pp.

Chisholm, James. FIFTY YEARS SYNE: A jubilee memorial of the Presbyterian Church of Otago, 1848-1898. 1898.

NOTE: A book by a Chisholm, rather than about Chisholms. Included in this bibliography mainly because James was an original settler of NZ and acquired fame as the moderator of the Presbyterian Church.

Chisholm, James Marquis. THE ADVENTURES OF A TRAVELLING MUSICIAN IN AUSTRALIA, CHINA AND JAPAN. [Reprinted from the Glasgow Herald] 1865. 103 pp.

NOTE: NZ connection between James Marquis and his brother William who migrated to NZ.

Chisholm, John and Edna. THE CHISHOLM FAMILY OF FORTROSE. 1989. 128 pp.

NOTE: Fortrose is in Southland, New Zealand.

Chisholm, Margaret, comp. CHISHOLM FAMILIES OF AUSTRALIA, VOLUMES 1-5.

A series of family history reports produced by Margaret Chisholm from Reunion files covering 88 Chisholm families with Australian connections. Volumes 1-5 of "Chisholm Families of Australia" may be consulted at the National Library of Australia, Canberra; the Society of Australian Genealogists, Sydney; and the Genealogical Society of Victoria, Melbourne.

About Margaret Chisholm, Former Genealogist forThe Clan Chisholm Society-Australia Branch.

Chisholm (Inspector) W.V.C. CHISHOLM'S TRAIL ACROSS CANADA AND THE USA. NY: Vantage Press, 1976.

Chisholm, Ruari, Ladysmith. Londo, Osprey Press, 1979. ISBN: 0850453127, 224 p. illus., maps, plans, port. 26cm.

On the siege of Ladysmith, during the Boer Warr, 1899-1900.

Chism, John D. Jr. THE CHISZ: A history of the Chisholme/Chism family. South Carolina:

Chisolm, William Garnett. CHISHOLM GENEALOGY: Being a record of the name from AD 1254 with short sketches of allied families. NY: Knickerbocker Press, c1914. Also publ. by the Library of Congress Photoduplication Service, Washington, D.C on microfilm.

Chown, Carolyn, ed. and comp. THE CLAN CHISHOLM IN AUSTRALIA, 1790-1990: Some histories of Chisholm families in Australia.

Description and Table of Contents.

About Carolyn Chown, former Australia Branch Newsletter/History Editor, The Clan Chisholm Society.

Clan Chisholm Journal. Published by The Clan Chisholm Society (CCS).

NOTE: Subscription to the Clan Chisholm Journal available to members of The Clan Chisholm Society.

Colket, Meredith B. Jr. "Chisholm Families in the American Colonies." F.A.S.C., NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY, Vol. 72, no. 2, June, 1984.

Craig, Leah. THE CHISHOLMS OF SLEAT. Compiled 2001.

Crooked Glen of Stones. HIGHLANDER magazine, May/June, 1995; p. 42.

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Dowswell, Paul. TRUE STORIES OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR. London: Usborne Publishing Ltd., 2004. ISBN: 0 7460 5749 0 (American ISBN: 0794507212).

NOTE: This is a children's book. The chapter edited by Jane Chisholm of the UK, titled "The cellar house of Pervyse: 1914-1918" is about Miss Mairi Chisholm. For ordering information, please visit the Usborne website.

--Contributed by Jane Chisholm, Editor, Usborne Publishing, Ltd., London, England

Dunlop, Jean. THE CLAN CHISHOLM. 1953 (reprinted 1968); 2nd ed. 1993, The Clan Chisholm Society.

NOTE: Jean Dunlop Munro, Ph.D., is a former editor of The Clan Chisholm Society Journal and author of several publications (her other works are listed under "Munro"). Members of The Clan Chisholm Society may contact their Branch Chairman to order copies of Dr. Munro's publications. Her publications are also available from Duncan Chisholm, Kiltmaker, Inverness.


Forbes, (Rev.) Robert. THE LYON IN MOURNING: Collection of speeches, letters, journals, etc. relative to the affairs of Prince Charles Edward Stewart. Originally published in Edinburgh, reprinted by the Scottish History Society, 1975, 3 vols.


Gibbs, Lewis Chisholm Jr. "Chisholms - Tuscumbia, Alabama."

NOTE: Short paper researched and written by Lewis C. Gibbs relating to his family in the Tuscumbia, AL area.


Hale, Simon. TWO HANDS AND AN AXE: Hawken pioneers from Cornwall. 1981.

NOTE: Two of the Hawken boys from the original family married two Chisholm girls.

Hoig, Stan. JESSIE CHISHOLM: Ambassador of the Plains. University of Colorado Press, Niwot, CO, 1991.


Kilmorack Heritage Association. Published several books relating to Clan Chisholm history in the Strathglass area. Please see the current list of publications for more information
Copies can be ordered from the archivist at the Highland Archive Centre.

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MacKay, Iain R. "The Davoch of Clachan (Notes on Removals by the Chisholms in Strathglass)" TRANSACTIONS OF THE GAELIC SOCIETY OF INVERNESS. Nov. 6, 1968.

MacKay, William. URQUHART AND GLENMORISTON IN OLDEN TIMES IN A HIGHLAND PARISH. Inverness: Northern Counties Newspaper, 1914.

NOTE: Includes information on the Chisholms.

Mackenzie, Alexander. HISTORY OF THE CHISHOLMS. Inverness: A and W Mackenzie, 1891. Reprinted 2004 by the Clan Chisholm Society.

MacKenzie of Eskadale, Rev. Angus. "A Short Memoir of the Mission of Strathglass, Inverness-shire." From THE CATHOLIC DIRECTORY FOR THE CLERGY AND LAITY IN SCOTLAND. Glasgow: J.S. Burns, 1846, pp. 97-104.

MacLean, John. HISTORICAL AND TRADITIONAL SKETCHES OF HIGHLAND FAMILIES AND OF THE HIGHLANDS. (Scotland in the 1600's and 1700's, including information on the Family of Chisholm), 1895.

MacLean, Raymond A., ed. HISTORY OF ANTIGONISH. Antigonish, NS: The Casket Printing and Publishing Co., 1976.

Mathews, Hazel Chisholm. CHISHOLMS OF CROY. Unpublished manuscript owned by the Oakville Historical Society.

About this Book:
The CHISHOLMS OF CROY by Hazel Chisholm Mathews details the history of her ancestors from the time they left Croy (near Culloden and Cawdor Castle) in the 1760s. This manuscript was never published; however, a copy of the manuscript is owned by the Oakville Historical Society of which I am secretary and past president. I have retyped it and am in the process of redoing the index and updating the genealogy. It has detailed infomation on 6 generations of the Chisholm family. The two brothers, John and George, left Croy and settled in New York State. After the revolution, they ended up in Ontario. John crossed at Queenston and settled there. His brother, George, arrived in the Burlington/Oakville area by way of Shelburne. Nova Scotia. He was the father of William Chisholm, founder of Oakville, and the great great grandfather of Brock Chisholm, founder of the World Health Organization.

George Frank Chisholm
Secretary/Past President
Oakville Historical Society
email: georgechisholm@sympatico.ca
website: http://www.oakvillehistory.org


Mathews, Hazel Chisholm. OAKVILLE AND THE SIXTEEN: From its beginnings to post World War II (History of an Ontario Port). Originally published by University of Toronto Press, 1953. Reprinted by the Oakville Historical Society (P.O. Box 69501, 109 Thomas St., Oakville,ONT, Canada L6J 3A7. Email: info@oakvillehistory.org).

Mathews, Hazel Chisholm. THE MARK OF HONOUR. University of Toronto Press. 1965. Reprinted 1967. Out-of-print. Details the history of the UEL. Available at the Public Library in Oakville, Ontario and possibly from online booksellers.

McDonald, William (Breakachian, pseud). "Breakachy: To the friends of my boyhood days in memory of many hours of stimulating and ennobling companionship." Privately printed, Breakachy, Auckland, 1928, 28pp. Available in the NZ Clan Chisholm Archives.

NOTE: A very full picture of all the Chisholms living in Breakachy in the 1870s.

McDonald, William N. "The Chisholm Trail." HIGHLANDER magazine, vol. 18 no. 2, March, 1980; pp. 1-2, 4.

Meldrum, Edward, "From Loch Ness to the Aird." pamphlet (Local History and Archaeology guidebook #2). 2nd ed; Printed by John G. Eccles Printers, 1987.

NOTE: May be available at the Tourist Information Office, Inverness.

Miss Mairi Chisholm of Chisholm or "Heroine of Flanders." Taken from MONSTROUS REGIMENT by David Mitchell; Macmillan; 1965.

NOTE: Permission to reproduce a limited number of copies has been granted to The Clan Chisholm Society.

Morrison, Christina "Yesterdays Child"; autobiography of Christina Chisholm Morrison of Lewis, 2016.

NOTE: Can be ordered from "The Islands Book Trust", Laxay Hall, Lochs, Isle of Lewis HS2 9PJ

Munro, Jean. ERCHLESS CASTLE. Pamphlet. The Clan Chisholm Society.

NOTE: Jean Dunlop Munro, Ph.D., is a former editor of The Clan Chisholm Society Journal and author of several publications (see also "The Clan Chisholm" listed under "Dunlop"). Members of The Clan Chisholm Society may contact their Branch Chairman to order copies of Dr. Munro's publications. Her publications are also available from Duncan Chisholm, Kiltmaker, Inverness.

Munro, Jean. STRATHGLASS: Home of the Clan Chisholm. First published in Scotland's Magazine. Republished with permission in booklet format by The Clan Chisholm Society.

Munro, Jean, ed. THE INVENTORY OF CHISHOLM WRITS, 1456-1810. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, New Series 18; 1992.

NOTE: A copy is available for reference at the NY Genealogy and Biography Society.

Muster Roll of Prince Charles Edward Stuart's Army, 1745-1746. Ed. by Alastair Livingstone, et al. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press.

NOTE: A copy is available at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

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Nydegger, James Archibald. THE CHISHOLMS: Being a brief history of the Chisholm family with special reference to the Chisholms of Maryland. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms International, microfiche. Orig. published 1922.


Our Chisholm Story. 3 vols., available for reference at the Powassan Area and District Library, Powassan, Ontario, 1880-


Patch, Guthrie Shaw. HIGHLAND BROTHERHOODS. Pegasus Publ. Co., NY (Chapter IV - Clan Chisholm, p. 37).


Rankin, Reverend D.J. A HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF ANTIGONISH, NOVA SCOTIA. Toronto: Macmillan Co. of Canada; 1929. Out-of-print.

Robson, Michael. SURNAMES AND CLANSMEN: Border family history in earlier days. Pub. by the author; 1998. 201 pp.

NOTE: Five of the ten chapters in this book deal with Border Chisholm families of the 13th till the 17th century; a very scholarly book.

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The Civil War Notebook of Daniel Chisholm: A Chronicle of daily life in the Union Army, 1864-1865, Ed. by W. Springer Menge and J. August Shimrak. NY: Orion Books (Crown Publ.), c1989.

The MacRaes of Strathglass. (With mention of the Chisholms).

NOTE: Some ancestry research details here.

Thorman, George. MYTH AND REALITY: The Chisholm Family in Elgin County, 1819-1835. 1992.

Ordering Information: This book can be ordered from"The Old St. Thomas Church Restoration and Maintenance Trust, 55 Southwick Street, St.Thomas, ON, CANADA N5R 3S3, Attn:Gail Ballard". The price is $5.00 US Dollars for US mailing addresses and $7.50 Canadian funds for Canada addresses. Prices include mailing costs.

Thrasher, Harriette F. THE CLAN CHISHOLM AND ALLIED CLANS. 1936, privately printed. Out-of-print.

Todd, George Eyre. THE CLAN CHISHOLM. Scot Press, paperback.


Walker, Lloyd. THE TRIALS OF ADAM CHISHOLM. c1995. 33 pp.

Webb, Millington and Co., publishers. CAROLINE CHISHOLM: HER LIFE AND LABOURS. 1852.

An Account of her philanthropic labours in India, Australia and England to which is added a history of the Family Colonization Loan Society.

Wells, James. THE CHISHOLM MASSACRE: A Picture of Home Rule in Mississippi.

Whitford, Margaret. CHISHOLM, MURCHISON, MCRAE. 135 pp.

NOTE: A large Southland Chisholm family from Ross and Cromarty.

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General Notes:

If you have corrections or additions for the Clan Chisholm Bibliography, please email them to The Clan Chisholm Society.

Many books, if they are still in print, may be obtained through your local library's Interlibrary Loan Program. Also, check with your local, state, or regional Historical Society to see what materials their libraries have.

Chambal.com compares prices of books across major online book sellers in real time. This site includes several other useful services:

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Be sure to check out The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society's website

To find out whether or not a book is still in print, try Chambal.com or Amazon.com

To purchase out-of-print books, check with a used or out-of-print bookstore, or on the web at Bookfinder.com (among other web sites).

The Boston Public Library in Boston, MA has reference copies of The Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness.

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