Henry Buist was born at East Mill just outside of the village of Strathmiglo. He was only seven years of age when he lost his father, George Buist (1799-1832), who was the tenant farmer of East Mill. He would spend the rest of his childhood in the village of Strathmiglo living with his mother and sister, Rachel. By 1861 Henry Buist was working as a linen factory worker in Leslie Parish, Fife when he met and later married Margaret Reid. They would have seven children. The family would later relocate to Dundee where Henry began working at the Rockwell Works, a jute mill, where he eventually rose to become manager of the entire mill. The family resided at Rockwell House where Henry and Margaret raised their children. This then is the narrative of the life and times of Henry Buist.