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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Caithness => Topic started by: janir on Tuesday 07 July 15 00:20 BST (UK)
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I would be grateful for any information as I think I could be a relative of Alexander but I have not been able to track back through which branch of the MACKAY family I am related by. The only information I know which is vague. My grandfather EDWARD ALEXANDER MACKAY was born around 1902/3 in BURNLEY Lancashire. His father was JOHN MACKAY born in LATHERONWHEEL around 1868. m CLARA HOVELL RACHER- 8/3/1887- LUTON. His father was also JOHN MACKAY born THURSO,1838? , m MARGARET GUNN? 5/12/1856.I think this JOHN MACKAY died in BURNLEY 1909 and MARGARET died in BURNLEY1920. THANK YOU. Janir. :) :)
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try the 'lancs opc' for some info
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Hi Janir
When you say you think you might connect to Alexander Murdoch MacKay as a relative, how do you think he connects to John MacKay and Margaret Gunn? Alexander born October 13, 1849, Rhynie, Aberdeenshire. Your John and Margaret you have as married in 1856 from what you mentioned.
Lots of refs and links to A M MacKay, such as https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Mackay,_Alexander_Murdoch_%28DNB00%29 which gives his father as also being an Alexander MacKay, LL.D., free church minister of Rhynie, Aberdeenshire.
Monica :)
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Janir, thanks for your PM :)
Just adding some more notes here to try to help.
Is this your family still in Scotland for 1871 (transcribed as Mcray):
John Mcray 33 Coachman Domestic b. Balgiell, sutherlandshire
Margaret Mcray 31 b. Dorrery, Caithness
Elizabeth Mcray 10 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYPJ-WF8
Jessie Mcray 8 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYPJ-C48
Jamesina Williamson Mcray 5 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XY58-RB8
John Mcray 4 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYY4-89K
Alexanderina Mcray 2 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYPJ-3DZ
Address: Latheron Wheel Mains, Caithness
Other possible children:
Hector 1863 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYY4-F29 (maybe died young or another family?)
Margaret 1871 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYPJ-S59
Donaldina 1874 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYY4-F29 (different county, maybe another family too?)
There is a family tree showing on Family Search here
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:1:M7Y1-MGR
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:SRSL-C99
Monica
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Janir, the names of Mackay and Gunn are pretty common in that part of the world ::) Trying to retrace what you have and been able to verify with documents. Pretty easy to go off line when the surnames are common.
Have you or any other researchers viewed the original image of John William McKay's 1866 birth on Scotlands People? Scottish birth certs post early 1860s included the date and place of parents' marriage.
There are two marriages showing for a John MacKay and a Margaret Gunn:
1856 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTRD-PBQ
1860 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTLN-LJH
Getting the correct cert is vital for John and wife Margaret when trying to search the next generation up. Post 1855, Scottish marriage certs include full details, including mother's full name, for the parents of the bride and groom.
I can only see a reference from others' research to the marriage being in 1856 and John Snr born in 1837. Note that from the 1871 census, John gives his birth place as being not in Caithness but in the next county of Sutherland. However, you need more that one census to double check and confirming his parents' names from his marriage or death registrations.
Janir, just trying to establish what you and others have actually confirmed as fact before looking a little closer at the family of Alexander Murdoch MacKay. We already have above that he was born in 1849 and his father as also being an Alexander MacKay, LL.D., free church minister of Rhynie, Aberdeenshire.
Monica
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I think this is the family's 1861 census entry, with baby Elizabeth:
John Mckay 24 ploughman b. Farr, Sutherland
Margaret Mckay 20 b. Thurso, Caithness
Elizabeth Mckay 1 Month b. Thurso, Caithness
Address: Scrabster Farm Sqr, Thurso
At least one possible entry for 1837 in Farr, Sutherland to consider:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQQT-54Y
Monica
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Just looking at possible names of grandparents from children's names. Possibly Margaret Gunn's mother as Elizabeth/Betty, maybe maiden name Dunbar?
There is this 1851 entry:
Alexander Gunn 48 shepherd b. Kildonan, Sutherland
Betty Gunn 45 b.Thurso, Caithness
Margaret Gunn 10 b.Thurso, Caithness
Angus Gunn 7 b. Reay, Caithness https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XBM2-ZWY
Barbara Gunn 5 b. Reay, Caithness
Janet Gunn 2 b. Reay, Caithness
Peter Gunn 2 Months b.Thurso, Caithness
Elizabeth Dumbar 60, wife's aunt b. Halkirk Caithness
Address: Scrabster, Thurso
If this couple do turn out to be Margaret's parents, photo of their gravestone included here www.oddquine.co.uk/gravestones/crosskirk/gunn.jpg from Crosskirk Cemetery, Caithness. Also includes brother Angus and family.
FreeCen now have 100% transcriptions of the Caithness censuses up to 1881 and building up now on the 1891 census. See www.freecen.org.uk/cgi/search.pl
Monica
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......Moving on for a little bit, trying to get some background on Alexander Murdoch MacKay. A brief background for him here www.wholesomewords.org/missions/biomackay8.html
This looks to be him with family in 1851:
Alexander Mckay 35 Free Church Minister At Rhynie b. Thurso Caithness
Margaret Mckay 25 b. Banff, Banffshire
Jessie W Mckay 3 b. Banff, Banffshire
Alexander Mckay 1 b. Rhynie, Aberdeenshire https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XB4J-R3X
Margaret Mckay 2 Months b. Rhynie, Aberdeenshire
...and two domestic servants
Address: Muir Of Rhynie, Aberdeenshire
Other children for this couple show here:
https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3Amckay~%20%2Bbirth_year%3A1845-1865~%20%2Bfather_givenname%3Aalexander~%20%2Bmother_givenname%3Amargaret~%20%2Bmother_surname%3Alillie~
Monica
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Not sure which book you mentioned you had in the family, but this is a lovely online book written by Alexander M's sister, Jessie Whyte MacKay www.wdl.org/en/item/9945/view/1/28/ The first two/three chapters deal with Alexander M's early family years. Little on the father though, but a lot more on his mother.
More background here, with some details on Alexander M's father, Alexander's origins http://mackayofrhynie.webs.com/in-rhynie
His father was born in 1815 in Thurso on the northern edge of the Scottish mainland, the youngest of eight children of a farmer. In 1844 he became the first Free Church minister of Rhynie. In 1867 he resigned his pastorate in Rhynie and became a successful educational writer of a number of books on ‘geography and kindred subjects’. He died in 1895, his five sons having predeceased him.
Monica
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Janir, apologies, this is turning into a little booklet of posts ::) I have enjoyed searching on Alexander Murdoch MacKay today, on and off. Had not heard of him before, have found his story new and interesting :)
Given the names of the children for Alexander Snr and wife Margaret Lillie, I think from what we have for Alexander Snr, that his parents were likely a Murdoch MacKay and a C/Katherine Campbell. This can be confirmed by looking at his death registration on Scotlands People.
Some of their children here, including Alexander's birth detail from 1815 in Thurso:
https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3Amckay~%20%2Bbirth_year%3A1845-1865~%20%2Bfather_givenname%3Aalexander~%20%2Bmother_givenname%3Amargaret~%20%2Bmother_surname%3Alillie~
Some info here on the family:
.....Murdoch become a weaver to trade and lived in Thurso where he "married" a Catherine Campbell also; he later married one Christine Finlayson, a hemp spinner in Thurso, and a native of Latheronwheel on 9.2.1821.
Murdoch and Catherine had a family of eight between 1799 and 1815 inclusive: there was no family to the second wife.
Their youngest, AIexander MacKay, born in Thurso on 24.11.1815 became the father of "MacKay of Uganda", the engineer, missionary and explorer of Uganda.....
www.caithness.org/caithnessfieldclub/bulletins/1984/april/familyhistories.htm
So, how do we connect your John MacKay b. 1837 in Sutherland, husband of Margaret Gunn, to this line ??? His parents very likely a John MacKay and a Janet Fraser. No info on who they were. Could his father John be connected to this family line of Murdoch and wife Catherine?
From the list on LDS, missing one of the eight children given for Murdoch and Catherine. Only seven show ::) ;D
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its interesting the Uganda connection has now come into this post...... because I know a little something here....... Mackay was one of the names I read in the lead - up conferences for the George Shergold Smith expedition into Africa for which the latter [ a relative of mine] was murdered.....
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Thank you for all the posts I have received for this very common scottish surname. They have been most helpful to me with my ongoing research. Janir :) :) :)