Author Topic: Macleods of Achunahanait and various spellings there after  (Read 28300 times)

Offline djct59

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Re: Macleods of Achunahanait and various spellings there after
« Reply #45 on: Sunday 11 May 14 20:37 BST (UK) »
Incidentally, when I was up there a fortnight ago I took a photograph of Cnoc Ach na H'Anaite. Unfortunately as it's been farmland for over 150 years there is no evidence of the old homes visible on the ground that you can see from the roadside, unlike some of the other abandoned townships (Croispol, Borralie, Sangobeg, Ceannabeinne). THere aree some building foundations visible on Google Earth (including a church), but to reach them I'd have had to cross sheep fields during lambing. FWIW I can send you the photo...

Offline CMcLeod07

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Re: Macleods of Achunahanait and various spellings there after
« Reply #46 on: Wednesday 18 February 15 14:33 GMT (UK) »
Hi, I'm fairly new to this forum but came across this thread whilst putting together my family tree and  I think there could be some similarities to some of the names mentioned. I have got as far back to Murdoch McLeod (born c1766) and Barbara Mackay (born c1771) who are both mentioned. From what I can see they married in Durness and that is where they had their children.

I am a descendant of their son Angus McLeod (born c1790) and trying to go as far back and find out as much as I can. It looks as though he and his wife Ann Sutherland moved from Durness to Latheron, Caithness where they had their three children (Murdoch, John and Ann).

If any of you have any information or guidance of where to look next that would be really appreciated.

Thanks, Craig

Offline IanB

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Re: Macleods of Achunahanait and various spellings there after
« Reply #47 on: Wednesday 18 February 15 15:40 GMT (UK) »
Hi Craig,

I see the registration of this marriage in 1788, Jan 4:
Murdoch MacLeod, alias macnishbhain, in Auchunahainait...Barbara Mackay, alias nin Neilicemish, in Keoldale. Murdoch's patronymic means "son of Angus the fair". and Barbara's means "daughter of Neil, son of James"

Also christening of William on Sep 26, 1788 to Murdoch (tenent in Keoldale) and Barbara;
             "              Angus      May 7    1790       "                      "                        "

I took a quick look for the christening of Murdoch C1766 but couldn't find it, although Angus bain christened a son, George, in that year, and a son, Neil, in 1768. Perhaps the christening of Murdoch and the Marriage of Angus bain took place before the register commenced in 1764. Where did you get the dates from?
Ian
Morrison, MacKay, MacCulloch, Sutherland, Dingwall, MacLeod, Donn, Calder,Blyth/Blythe; Baxter; Woodburn;Fleming;Hobkirk

Offline CMcLeod07

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Re: Macleods of Achunahanait and various spellings there after
« Reply #48 on: Wednesday 18 February 15 16:20 GMT (UK) »
Hi Ian,

Thanks for the quick reply. I have been getting my information from Scotland's People but I have also struggled to find the christening of Murdoch. There are two Murdoch MacLeod's with birth dates in 1766 but they are showing as Inverness and Urray respectively and I don't have any other details to support this as the rest of the family are from Durness.

I did however find some more information on RootsWeb.... it was showing Murdoch and Barbara as having 8 children including my descendant Angus and the William that you mention. This website says that Murdoch was born (one of 3) in Durness ABT 1760, his father was Donald MacLeod (born in Tongue, Sutherland ABT 1725) and his father was Hugh MacLeod (born in Durness ABT 1690). I dont have any other information to confirm this.

Do you know where else I can look for this information?

Craig


Offline djct59

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Re: Macleods of Achunahanait and various spellings there after
« Reply #49 on: Wednesday 18 February 15 23:02 GMT (UK) »
Craig: Murdoch was married in January 1788. Early marriages were very rare in Durness in the 18th century, as you had to have demonstrated yourself to be possess a degree of skill and maturity. the parish records often refer disapprovingly to the marriage of "a young man". This, he's likely to have been born about 1762/3, a few years before there was any local record keeping.

There are a few MacLeods listed in the Judicial Rent Roll of the Reay Estate in 1678 (you can locate this in the Book of MacKay, out of copyright and locatable online, but proving a link over the best part of a century is virtually impossible. They are all over towards West Moine and beyond, viz - Neil MacLeod in Kirkiboll by Tongue, Donald MacLeod in Kinsaid, Donald MacLeod in Lettermore and Hector MacLeod on Eilean Choraidh. This does at least prove that MacLeods were established in "MacKay Country" in the 17th Century.

Unhelpfully, in 1789 the land at Keodale was all let to James Anderson so the names of his subtenants are not recorded in the Judicial Rent Roll

Offline djct59

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Re: Macleods of Achunahanait and various spellings there after
« Reply #50 on: Wednesday 18 February 15 23:15 GMT (UK) »
Incidentally, Barbara's birth is registered on 16th May 1768, daughter of Neil MacKay alias MacEmish in Keodale, about 500 metres from Achunahanait where Murdoch lived. Neil had married Christian Campbell on 18th November 1765 in Clashneach, less than a mile from Keodale. There are no other children of that marriage listed in Durness

Offline djct59

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Re: Macleods of Achunahanait and various spellings there after
« Reply #51 on: Wednesday 18 February 15 23:57 GMT (UK) »
Other children of Murdoch MacLeod and Barbara MacKay:

Jean (chr. 3rd June 1792)
Neil (chr. 29th May 1794)
Twins Janet and Joanna (chr. 9th April 1796)
William (29th March 1798)
Johanna (chr. 2nd May 1800, suggesting at least one twin died in infancy)
Jean (chr. 15th June 1803, suggesting that the previous Jean also died young
Janet (chr 23rd December 1805, suggesting an early death for the other twin)

Adding those to the two mentioned in your post and verified by IanB,  I get a total of ten.

Offline CMcLeod07

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Re: Macleods of Achunahanait and various spellings there after
« Reply #52 on: Thursday 19 February 15 05:19 GMT (UK) »
Thanks djct59 for all of the information. I had come to the realisation that my research would likely end with Murdoch given the lack of birth certificate but the information I read on RootsWeb where they show Murdoch's father and grandfather has got me intrigued. Do you think this is trustworthy information and, if so, where could they have got this from? Or would you say that I have reached an impasse in my efforts to track my ancestry beyond Murdoch?

Thank you for the additional details on Barbara. If you don't mind me asking, where are you getting your information from? Like I said in my original post, I am new to this but really enjoying it.

Offline CMcLeod07

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Re: Macleods of Achunahanait and various spellings there after
« Reply #53 on: Thursday 19 February 15 05:20 GMT (UK) »
Not sure if this will show up properly but I have attached the information I have come across on RootsWeb.

Craig