MACKELLAR- New South Wales

[Janice M]

Hopefully someone can help.

I have found some conflicting information, and don’t quite know which is true

This is what I know:

I am looking for information on a Janet Leitch who married a Duncan MacKellar in Kilmodan, Argyll, Scotland on January 9th, 1819.

They immigrated to Australia approximately 1825.  They had at least 3 children while still in Kilmodan, Argyll, Scotland.

Ellar MacKellar born October 20th, 1819 Kilmodan (also referred to as Duncan)
Alexander MacKellar born December 23rd, 1821 Kilmodan
John Garvie MacKellar born June 2nd, 1824 Kilmodan

Apparently, Janet was murdered in March of 1828 in a place called Camden. (Her usual residence was Shoalhaven.)


This is where it gets confusing. 

This site states that Duncan, Janet and 3 children arrived on a ship captained by Duncan’s uncle. His name was also Duncan.

http://www.my-broun-wyld-stewart-lang-ancestry.org.uk/duncan-mackellar-3.shtml

In the book Horsemen of the First Frontier 1788-1900 and The Serpent's Legacy written By Keith R. Binney states that Duncan MacKellar’ father was Captain Neil MacKellar. It gives the impression that there was no younger Duncan and who was thought to be the uncle in the other link, was actually the husband of Janet. (?) This book also implies that Janet Leitch must have been married before, as they refer to a maiden name of “Lamond”

http://tinyurl.com/5f5vpv

I would love to know which version is in fact true, or which facts from each are true. I would also like to know if there are any newspaper reports on her death, along with trial transcripts, as well as where she could be buried. It would be interesting to find any information at all, that might clarify once and for all, if this is the same Janet Leitch of my line.

I have included a link to another query that I had regarding the Leitch family on the Argyll section of Rootschat.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,112305.0.html

This is the Janet Leitch of my line listed with her siblings and parents.

Alexander Leitch & Mary Weir
Married: March 28, 1794 - Kilmodan
Children:
Janet Leitch - March 16, 1796 - Kilmodan
Walter Leitch - September 24, 1797 - Kilmodan
James Leitch - April 20, 1800 - Kilmodan
Mary Leitch - July 17, 1802 - Kilmodan
Anne Leitch - August 19, 1804 - Kilmodan
Margaret Leitch - December 4, 1806 - Kilmodan
Mennie Leitch - December 8, 1808 - Kilmodan
Jane Leitch - January 1, 1809 - Kilmodan
Elizabeth Leitch - May 6, 1815 – Kilmodan

[tropicalj]

http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/familyHistory/search.htm

this  is a  link  to  the  nSW  on  line BDM's

I cannot see a death  registered  for  Janet  but  I  do see a birth  for  the  couple

V18283177 45B/1828  MCKELLAR  DUNCAN E  DUNCAN  JANET     
V1828362     47/1828  MCKELLAR  DUNCAN E  DUNCAN  JANET 

The  BDM's  site lists a spelling for  both  Mc and Mac

a  couple of  this  certificate might confirm  the  mothers  name  but  I  do  not know  exactly  what  information  is on  the very  early  registrations.

regards Jenn

[JAP]

Janet's death is on the NSW BDM site.  It appears that some of the MCKELLARs are listed with a space between the MC and the KELLAR - and one has to type it exactly thus     (I found this only by looking for the death of a Janet in 1828!)

V18287769 1828 2C/ MC KELLAR, Janet, Age 27
And possibly a duplicate:
V18281279 1828 12/MC KELLAR, Jane, Age 27

JAP

[tropicalj]

Well  done  JAP

can be  quite confusing  sometimes..  the NSW  BDm site  that  is  with  the  Macs and Mc  and  now MC space  sounds  like a Rap star

regards Jenn

[JAP]

Hi Jenn,

From your find of the 1828 birth, it rather looks as though Ellar (b 1819 in Kilmodan) did not survive.

So the three sons mentioned in the extracts would be Alexander & John (both born in Kilmodan), and Duncan E (born in 1828 in NSW - he must have been just weeks/months old when his mother was murdered in Mar 1828).

JAP
PS: A quote from one of the books cited in the first website Janice M referred to seems to indicate that Ellar (born in Kilmodan) had died before the family emigrated.  It reads (emphasis added):
"In 1825 his nephew, Duncan Mackellar Junior, had travelled with his wife, Janet and two sons, on his uncle's ship to Sydney and received a grant of 640 acres which he selected ten miles south-west of Strathalan, to the west of the Shoalhaven River in the County of Murray. A third son was born in the colony soon after they arrived ..."

[sparrett]

http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_01_2.cfm?itemid=5054706

Some interesting information about their land.  they did not apparently live there until after the death of Janet, according to this source.
Sue


Better link MODIFIED

[JAP]

Looking again, I realize that the 1828 'birth' entry would actually be a baptism (i.e. from the early church records) so little Duncan E might have been a bit older.

And another extract from the first site refers to a census taken in late 1828 (presumably one of those early musters which survives) and refers to the widowed Duncan living with his three sons who are named as Alexander 7, John 5 and Duncan Elar 2.  Yes, the ages for Alexander and John are a bit out (and possibly little Duncan also) but I guess their poor father did not have his mind on the muster in a year when his wife had been murdered and his house had been burnt down.

Incidentally, the quotes on the first site (from Netta Ellis) seem to have been meticulously researched.

I wonder whether the second site has managed to confuse a number of Duncan MCKELLARs (not an uncommon name!) - on the one hand Australian-born Lieutenant Duncan MACKELLAR R.N., born in 1796 in NSW, son of Neil MACKELLAR (who had arrived in NSW in 1792) and, on the the hand, Duncan MCKELLAR from Kilmodan and Uncle Duncan MCKELLAR, Master of the 'City of Edinburgh'. 

JAP

[JAP]

Hi Sue,

I guess it's a bit ambiguous?  It says that Uncle Duncan was granted the Strathallan land in 1822 but that he didn't move onto the land until about 1829.
Then later on it says that Uncle Duncan joined Nephew Duncan at Strathallan about 1829 - which seems to imply that Nephew Duncan was already living there.

JAP
PS: Though looking again at the Braidwood area extracts, it seems that Nephew Duncan was actually down at Strathallan building a home for the family when Janet was murdered.

[Janice M]

Wow!

Thank you Jenn, JAP and Sue. 

Looking at the Heritage Branch site, it would appear that Captain Duncan and nephew were the correct ones.

I will have to order the certificates to see if they can provide more information.

I must have read the "Broun" site several times over and never noticed it said 2 children.  Thank you for pointing that out. I will check Scotland to see if I can find a death for the first Duncan Ellar.

Thanks again!

Janice