It seems many people have found similar problems trying to trace any of their family from Skye. The biggest brick wall seems to be the missing parish records.
Via the Scotlands People website
http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/old-parish-registers/list-of-old-parish-registersOPR 57-119 Ross and Cromarty, Inverness
http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//research/list-of-oprs/list-of-oprs-57-119_0.pdf I found that the Portree and Sleat parish records have a limited date range
114. PORTREE
114/1 Births 1800-19, Marriages 1800-19
114/2 Births 1819-54, Marriages 1819-54
115. SLEAT
115/1 Births 1813-19, Marriages 1813-17
115/2 Births 1819-53, Marriages 1820-52
An Archive Assistant at the Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre confirms that the date ranges for the other parishes are limited.
Bracadale (1802-1854); Duirinish (1817-1854); Kilmuir (1823-1854); Snizort (1823-1854) and Strath (1820-1854).
A Family History Leader from High Life Highland has told me:
Registration was not compulsory in Scotland until 1855 and prior to this people had to pay for an entry in the register.
Other sources could be rent rolls for the area, but you would need to know the name of the croft the family held as a tenancy. The Clan Donald Centre on Skye www.clandonald.com holds records from Lord Macdonald’s estates and the archive in Portree www.highlifehighland.com/skye-and-lochalsh-archive-centre/ will also hold local records but not Births, Marriages and Deaths.Has anyone found any additional sources? They could well be a great way round the current brick wall.
