James Rennie was a Miller and owner of Grahamston Mills. He married Mary Cook, daughter of John Cook. They had three children: John Cook Rennie, who became a grain merchant, Mary Gaff Rennie who married John Russel (later Provost John Russel, of Russel & Aitken), and Margaret Walker Rennie. James Rennie died in 1855 and his widow died in 1874.

His sister, Helen Rennie married Thomas Walker of Cloybank, near Denny, and they had one daughter, Margaret. Thomas Walker died in 1868 after some months of illness and disputes over his executry produced most of the papers in this collection. His nephew in law, Hugh MacPherson of Slafarquhar, farmer and cattle dealer, (husband of Margaret Kirkwood, Thomas’s niece) was Executor Nominate, but Thomas’s widow, Helen, acted against MacPherson’s wishes and Macpherson took out a court action against her. She died in 1869 and her nephew John Cook Rennie of Gowanbank was Executor of her estate. Robert Campbell Writer, Stirling, acted for Hugh MacPherson while Russel & Aitken acted for Helen Walker.

There was also a second dispute involving Thomas Walker’s estate. William Harley, another nephew of Helen Walker, looked after Thomas Walker as personal attendant for several months before his death and made a claim on estate for wages. William Harley claimed that Hugh MacPherson of Slafarquhar as Executor Nominate of the deceased Thomas Walker owed and refused to pay him the sum of 23 pounds eight shillings per account.