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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Inverness => Topic started by: donaldsonjc on Thursday 04 May 06 18:56 BST (UK)
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I am trying to track down the wife and parents of my GG grandfather Farquhar Macdonald. He born about 1821 in Scotland.
Family records show only that his son Donald married Mary S. Campbell 26 April 1871 at Bunchrew near Inverness and they had 9 children. One was my grandmother, Mary Anne, born 5 Jan 1885 at Kirkton Muir, who came to Canada and was married here in 1909.
She reported that Donald (1846-1895) was head gamekeeper for Lovat at Beauly. She thought Farquhar could have been spelled Farquar or some variation of that.
Any help would be much appreciated.
John
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Hi John
Farquhar is older than you think, born circa 1795/6. He married Matilda Fraser who was born c.1806. He died in 1863. His parents were John McD and Mary McRae. His mother may have been from Ross & Cromarty. He's there for the 1841 census and shows birth place as R & C. (McRae is a strong R & C surname!).
Farquhar and Matilda (Martha) had lots children before the birth of your Donald:
From 1841 FreeCen:
MACDONALD Farquhar40 Agricultural Labourer Ross and Cromarty MACDONALD Martha 35 Outside Census County (1841)
MACDONALD Mary F 11 Outside Census County (1841)
MACDONALD Janet F 9 Outside Census County (1841)
MACDONALD Eliza F 7 Outside Census County (1841)
MACDONALD Ann F 4 Outside Census County (1841)
MACDONALD John M 2 Outside Census County (1841)
MACDONALD (Child) F 6w Ross and Cromarty
MCLENNAN John M 1 Ross and Cromarty
INGLIS Peter M 20 Agricultural Labourer Outside Census County (1841
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John
I've just realised I've missed out half of my post from yesterday (not sure how that's happened except for lateness of the night!)
The address for the 1841 census was Lapgargan, Contin - Ross and Cromarty
From 1851 Census in Kiltarlity, Inverness:
MCDONALD Farquhar,54, shepherd
MCDONALD Marthy, 42
MCDONALD Mary, 21
MCDONALD John, 12
MCDONALD Jean, 9
MCDONALD Christina, 6
MCDONALD Donald, 4
Now, the problem for you going back to the next generation is that the family would appear (from son Donald's marriage cert in 1871) to have been Roman Catholic. RC B/M records have not yet been indexed by Scotlands People. RC records are also not available on IGI unless they are submitted records. I can see absolutely no records (apart from one submitted record re Mary Campbell's parents, see below) for the family before 1855 and the arrival of official registration.
I have had the same problem with all of my Scottish family. I have spent 18 months chasing down Catholic MacDonalds in the Highlands!
Matilda Fraser died, as did Farquhar, in Kilmorack Inverness-shire. She died in 1876 aged 70. Her parents were Alexander F and Elizabeth MacKenzie.
Regards.
Monica
I have found one submitted record for what looks like the marriage of Mary Campbell's (wife of Donald b.1846) parents:
COLIN CAMPBELL Marriages: Spouse: CATHERINE BLACK 25 JUL 1834 Dores, Inverness, Scotland.
I think this is the family in 1841 FreeCen:
Campbell Colin 30 Game Keeper Outside Census County (1841)
Campbell Catherine 30 Outside Census County (1841)
Campbell Donald 6 Outside Census County (1841)
Cammpbell Jean 4 Outside Census County (1841)
Campbell James 1 Inverness-shire
MacKenzie Isabella 20 Female Servant Outside Census County (1841)
Address: Coshack, Kilmorack-Inverness-shire
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Thanks Monica
Have been unable to find any record of Farquhar Macdonald's birth or marriage. In the 1841 census his age is given as 40 and in 1851 as 54, i.e born 1801 or 1797. But I can't find him on LDS, Scotlands People or any other searches.
Can you please tell me how you found that his parents were John Macdonald and Mary McRae?
John
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Hi John
I got Farquhar's parents' details from his death cert. in 1863 In Kilmorack:
1863 MCDONALD FARQUHAR MCRAE M 68 KILMORACK /INVERNESS 100/00 0031
And mother Martha/Matilda's death:
1876 MCDONALD MATILDA FRASER F 70 KILMORACK /INVERNESS 100/00 0001
Donald's parents' names as confirmed by his marriage cert. in 1871:
1871 MCDONALD DONALD and CAMPBELL MARY INVERNESS /INVERNESS 098/00 0034
As I mentioned in one of the earlier posts, if the family were Roman Catholic, you will not find records of births/marriages on SP or IGI pre 1855. The OPR extracts showing on both these sources are predominantly from the established Church of Scotland (ie Presbyterian) Registers.
Regards.
Monica
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The family in 1861, spellings as indexed:
Farquhn McDon 64, shepherd, b. Parish N K (not known?), Rossshire
Matty McDonald 51, b. Hilmorack (Kilmorack?), Invernessh
Jane McDonald 16, b. Contin R & C
Donald McDonald 14 b. contin R & C
Margaret McDonald 9, b. Kiltarlity, Invernessh
Address: Loancorcrubie, Contin, R & C
Monica
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Knocking out the Roman Catholic possibility, there is at least one birth registered:
MARGARET MCDONALD Christening: 08 AUG 1851 Free Church, Kiltarlity, Inverness, Scotland Parents: Father: FARQUHAR MCDONALD Mother:MARY FRASER
Monica
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Hi John
Farquhar MacDonald was also my ancestor. Are you also related to Marie Donaldson? She used to correspond with my cousin in Australia. My grandfather Colin Edmond MacDonald was the son of Donald MacDonald and Mary Campbell and was born in 1873 in Cheshire England where the family was living at that time. It seems your Mary Ann and my Colin were brother and sister. Grandfather Colin arrived in New Zealand on his 25th birthday on 26 January 1898. He married my grandmother, Flora Isabella Calder in 1906.
Betty
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Hello Betty
Nice surprise to hear from you! Yes, Mairi Anne was my mother. I know very little about your branch of the family - my records only show that your Colin Edmond had one son named Colin who married Pat and had two children Janet and Jamie. Where do you fit in?
Monica's posts above have been very helpful in tracing ancestors, but I have hit a dead end after Farquhar's parents and in-laws.
Do you know anything about Colin Edmond's other siblings, Jessie, John, James, Dougald, Simon Fraser, Katie and Tillie? Let's trade what information we have. My e-mail is *
Thanks - John
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Hello
I have also a Farquhar MacDonald 1791-1854
I'm hoping Monica can help me please
His only sighting is in Harris from Bill Lawson on the Croft History of Harris Vol 2 living with his wife Ann 1791-1875 with their children Murdo 1821 John 1824-1907 and my ancestor Mary 1827-1892 from Tarbet Nothing else for him anywhere
🙏🏼
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Do you think this family is related to the one in the rest of the thread? Or should it be in a separate thread of its own?
In the 1871 census there are two Ann McDonalds born 1785-1805 in Harris.
One aged 76 with her son Neil, 32, all born in Harris.
One at Little Urgha, aged 74, with son Murdo, 50, unmarried.
In 1851 at Urgha are Ann Macdonald, widow, 60, and her daughter Mary, 24.
At Kyles Scalpay are Neil Macdonald, 20, with his mother Ann, 60 and three sisters.
At Geocrab are Farquhar, 45, wife Ann, 40 and six children, none of whom match yours.
In 1841, at Tarbert, are Farquhar, 40; Murdo, 20; John, 18, Catherine, 40; and Mary, 15.
At Givcrabt (which I take to be a mistranscription of Geocrab) are Farquhar, 35; Ann, 30; Christian, 10; Alexander, 8; Ann, 5; Donald, 2.
At Kyles Scalpay are Murdoch, 60; Ann, 55; and seven children including Neil, 7.
At Obb (Leverburgh) are Rod(eric)k, 30; John, 60; Malcolm, 2; Rachel, 25; Ann, 40.
So either your Ann was misrecorded as Catherine in 1841, or she was visiting at Obb, or she was away from home, or she was simply omitted from the census.
Urgha is on the north side of Loch Tarbert, about two miles from Tarbert, so it's not beyond the bounds of belief that it could be enumerated as Tarbert. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/201579 - Little Urgha is Urgha Beag, of course, beag being Gaelic for little. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/501509
So there don't seem to be many records of Farquhar MacDonald, and indeed if Bill Lawson hasn't found any, there are probably none to be found.
However Ann is recorded as a widow in 1851, suggesting that 1854 in his book may be short for 'before 1854', 1855 being the start of statutory registration of births, marriages and deaths, and that he actually died between 1841 and 1851.