Barra - Niel McLean & Christian McPhie, parents of Mary McLean

[Rosinish]

I am researching the family of my great grandmother Mary McLean / MacLean from the remote Scottish island of Barra, in Inverness-Shire.
According to Mary's Birth Certificate, Niel and Christian were married in 1838 on Barra, but I can find no OPR record of this.
I do have Mary's Birth, Marriage and Death Certificate

Hi Paul,

I noticed you have now posted on the (Barra's People - A Genealogical Interest Page) on facebook as follows:

"The strange anomaly in Mary McLean’s BMD records is that her official Birth Certificate (1855) and Death Certificate (1925) give her parents as Neil McLean and Christian McPhie from Barra, as do all pre-marriage Census records. However, her 1885 Marriage Certificate shows her correct age as 30 years old, but gives her parents as Donald McLean and Catherine McNeil (deceased)?!? This is almost as if Mary was trying to disguise her actual parentage at the time of her marriage to David Meldrum? Neil McLean and Christian McLean nee McPhie went on to live to 1895 and 1885 respectively, in Barra, so it is not as if Mary had been an orphan"    

I don’t mean to sound critical as I’d like to help you but……..how can you deduce that Mary’s parent’s are not who she states on her marriage cert. 

I can’t fathom how you can say that her “birth cert.” gives different parents as the only “proof” you have of her parents is (in her own words) the persons named by herself when she married?

A death cert. is always questionable as it’s only as good as the knowledge of the informant!

I am wondering what evidence you have to think that her parents were not who she stated as Donald MacLean & Catherine MacNeil 

Anne Marie

[SJmac1]

Hi

First message and I am fleshing out my husbands family tree.

He is Neil Paul MacLean (b.1970) s/o John MacLean (b.1937) s/o Alexander MacLean (b.1891) s/o Hector MacLean (b.1859) s/o Neil MacLean (b.1807) s/o Donald MacLean.

We still stay in Brevig, Isle of Barra and have 2 children, Anna (2006) and Alexander (2009)

Wonderful to connect

Sarah

[Rosinish]

However, her 1885 Marriage Certificate shows her correct age as 30 years old, but gives her parents as Donald McLean and Catherine McNeil (deceased)?!? This is almost as if Mary was trying to disguise her actual parentage at the time of her marriage to David Meldrum? Neil McLean and Christian McLean nee McPhie went on to live to 1895 and 1885 respectively, in Barra, so it is not as if Mary had been an orphan"    

Hi Paul,

As this thread has popped up again, I had a look for a marriage which would match the info. on Mary's marriage naming her parents...

There's a marriage 16 Jan 1842 Craigston, Barra, Donald Maclean (Craigston) to Catharine Macniel (Bualnabodach)


Annie

Add - Children to Donald MacLean & Catherine MacNeil;

1842 Alexander
1844 Donald
1847 Mary
1850 Ann