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Messages - dishep

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1
Fermanagh / Re: Mavity's pre 1770
« on: Saturday 27 April 19 17:03 BST (UK)  »
It's been a long while since I posted and it appears earlier posts are MIA. My search is for origins of William McVittie of Fermanagh born circa 1843 to James Maviety and Sarah Quinn.  Maguiresbridge is the location most often associated.  I know there were relatives left in Ireland around 1907 but they could be McVitties or Gunns.

I know William lived in Cavan after his marriage in 1866 to Sarah Gunn.  Some of the children were born there or Fermanagh. The family eventually went to Greenock, Renfrew, Scotland (1891 census)

2
Argyllshire / Re: McMartin/Martin, Leitch Families Glassary/N. Knapdale
« on: Saturday 10 June 17 17:42 BST (UK)  »
While I have very little to add to your Martin/Leitch families of Glassary, I will throw this tidbit out there:  Margaret Leitch married Alexander McTavish circa 1790 in Glassary (earliest child, Hugh McTavish born 1790).  Their son, Lachlan MacTavish, was a member of the Kilmichael Glassary Church of Scotland.  https://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&GSln=mctavish&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GScntry=50&GSob=n&CRid=2576305&df=all&pt=Kilmichael%20Glassary%20Parish%20Churchyard&

I was able to find her approximate year of birth from the 1841 census when she is living with her son Hugh McTavish.  I believe she is buried in the Kilmory old graveyard but have yet to confirm the location (Kilmory estate or ?).  Margaret MacTavish, 77, 1847 which roughly corresponds with the 1841 census dob of 1771.  Since she died pre civil death registration, my trail has a roadblock.

Point of all this is John Leitch would be her contemporary ... brother?  cousin?

As to the Grahams, there was a John Graham of Dougalston who married a Margaret Campbell heiress of Archibald Campbell of Shirvan in 1747 and he legally changed his name to Graham Campbell.  This Graham Campbell family was living at Castleton, Argyll.

The Kilmichael Glassary records have gaps.  Some may be due to lack of funds as there was a fee for baptismals (Lachlan was on a statutory labour list for the year of one of his children's births).  Some may be due to lack of clergy as there are gaps between ministers.  Some may be due to loss of registers.  Kilmichael, Kilmartin, Ford churches have now been merged.  http://argyllpresbytery.org.uk/parishes/

An Archibald (age 75) and wife? Margaret (age 65) Leitch family in the 1841 census at Balimore that was captured with my extended MacTavish family search. 



3
Argyllshire / Re: Crawford from Sherdrim
« on: Wednesday 31 May 17 04:33 BST (UK)  »
Big Ron ..."Alexander McTavish, my great grandfather who married Christina McNicoll, was probably born in Glassary (most of the censuses say this, although one says Castleron), as was his father Duncan McTavish.  Alexander later lived in Glasgow, where he was a seaman, the master of one of the Clyde Trustee's sludge boats."

Castleron is actually Castleton that can be found in the lower right corner of this map just below Ballimore.  It's east of Lochgilphead on the north shore of Loch Gilp; the point where it joins Loch Fyne.
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=186500&Y=686530&A=Y&Z=120

My MacTavishs' also came from this area of Glassary parish.  Alexander McTavish (possibly of Ballibeg Aird) married Margaret Leitch circa 1790 (no marriage doc found).  Their son, Lachlan, was living at Castleton Lodge at the time of his death in 1873 at the age of 71.  I believe his widow Mary MacTavish (nee Campbell) and some of his children lived at Castleton after his death per census 1881.  Lachlan does not appear to have a brother by the name Duncan although it does occur fairly regularly in the family tree.  He did have a brother named Alexander b. 1806 but I have not traced that line out.

While Alexander Sr is listed as a crofter on Lachlan's death cert, Lachlan and his brother Hugh were fisherman.  William Crawford, son of Alexander Crawford and Margaret McTavish and Son-in-Law to Lachlan, was also a fisherman.  Alexander Crawford was listed as a fisherman on his wife's death certificate.



4
Canada / Re: Marian Rendall
« on: Friday 03 March 17 03:41 GMT (UK)  »
Read through your earlier posts again ..." census" for fur trade posts were kept in individual post journals and only contained a listing of the names of the employees and are exclusive to the HBC archives.  If there were wives and children they were often mentioned in generic terms ie. wife and 4 children. 

Births may/may not be mentioned in the post journal but usually in terms of generics ie "Grant's girl delivered child today".  Births would have been recorded if the child was baptized and would be in the records of the church they were affiliated with.  In the early history of Rupert's Land, particularly in the Hudson Bay area, Anglican and Wesleyan Methodist missionaries were the religious groups allowed in (as they had to come in on HBC ships).   Ontario Archives has this finding aid: http://ao.minisisinc.com/LISTS/F%20978.pdf
Moose Factory has the oldest records - Anglican from 1780 & Methodist from 1840 ; York Factory Anglican records start 1846.
There was a Mission school in Moose Factory which was started in the late 1840s/early 1850s IIRC.  Some HBC employees (called servants) sent their children there and paid for boarding; others sent children to Canada or the UK if they had the financial means.

The first official census for this area would be from 1870 after the transfer of lands from the HBC to Canada.  Too late to be of assistance to you...

Genealogy in this geographic area is not for the faint of heart ... a lot of reading in multiple post documents that may turn up very little information.  Your best bet would be accessing HBC records from Kew.   I wish you the best of luck on the search!

5
Canada / Re: Marian Rendall
« on: Thursday 02 March 17 21:07 GMT (UK)  »
Article from Canadian Georgraphic on the Metis of Orkney.  Metis is the term originally used to identify children of French and Indigenous Canadians.  The term was extended to include children of HBC employees and their Indigenous spouses.  http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/METISGEN/2008-03/1206495274

If you want to research HBC documents further for information of the Rendall, Mactavish connection, a copy of the HBC archives appears to be on microfilm at Kew.  Since John Rendall was a post master at York and Severn (per his bio https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/biographical/r/rendall_john1820-1866.pdf), you should be able to view post journals and other documents written by his own hand through the HBC collection at Kew.   It is possible he mentions his wife Betsy and daughter Marian.  Be prepared for a lot of reading.

As to whether Marian went to the Orkneys with her children, you likely would have to search the Bills of Health under Ship miscellaneous records.  These were completed so ship would not be quarantined in London on arrival. https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/resource/ship_rec/types.html

The HBC Archives Winnipeg list the materials related to York Factory https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/resource/post_rec/post17.html
Not sure if the same referencing scheme is used at Kew but the post journals that may contain info about him or written by him are referenced as B.239/a/136-156

Bio and photo of William Mactavish http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mactavish_william_9E.html  He married a Mary Sarah McDermot, Metis daughter of Andrew McDermot of Red River.
There is mention of his "illegitimate" children in his will.  Somerset House (London), PPR/334, will of William Mactavish (copy at HBC Arch.).

6
Canada / Re: Marian Rendall
« on: Sunday 26 February 17 16:22 GMT (UK)  »
Another good book that gives you an idea of these country marriages by Jennifer Brown:
https://books.google.ca/books/about/Strangers_in_Blood.html?id=AiY5BtaCKvoC&redir_esc=y

The native women and their "mixed blood" children were not always treated well.  Some men proved to be very loving husbands/fathers who remained in HBC lands and made provisions for his family in a will.  These men were fairly rare; others felt these country marriages did not count and "legally" married women from the UK or Canada and ignored the existance of their "country" families.

7
Canada / Re: Marian Rendall
« on: Sunday 26 February 17 15:51 GMT (UK)  »
Finding information on Marian/Margaret will likely only be linked to her marriages and children unless her father had her baptized ... Wesleyan Methodist records from York Factory (Diocese of Keewatin).  It will take a lot of reading of post records to find casual references to her.  If her husbands were post masters, they may make reference to their family in the post journals.  If husbands served in other capacities, there may be no references at all.  At one point in the history of the company, these "country marriages" were not acknowledged as they were not "allowed."  This book focuses on those woman involved in those country marriages (only reference to John Rendall not Betsy) and provides a good understanding of the reality:
https://books.google.ca/books/about/Many_Tender_Ties.html?id=JBAp4KhDrdUC
https://www.amazon.ca/Many-Tender-Ties-Fur-Trade-1670-1870/dp/189623951X

Here's a tidbit found in the Letters from Letitia (McTavish) Hargrave found by another researcher:
https://www.geni.com/people/Betsy/6000000023895658610

Letitia Hargrave's letters (one of the published sources):
http://www.furtradestories.ca/details.cfm?content_id=169&cat_id=2&sub_cat_id=3

The McTavish children sent home to the Orkneys likely went home with their father or were sent to the father's kin.  This would be a rare occurance unless their father was in a higher position in the company that could get permission to send the children on the ships and also have the money to do so.  There was a small group of children that were sent to the Orkneys from other fathers...perhaps they were sent to lodge with one of those families that had "mixed-blood" children.  McTavish sending his children to the UK is a fairly rare event as some husbands just walked away or gave the wife to another man in country ...

8
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Rachel Gray (sometimes Grey) born circa 1832
« on: Tuesday 02 June 15 01:50 BST (UK)  »
I went poking around ...
Rachel Gray is listed as a housekeeper when she was living with Thomas Owens in 1881.  What if she was widowed, ended up in the workhouse and was placed as a housekeeper with Thomas.

Rachel's Margaret may have had a middle name James (Swansea birth reg.) Mother's maiden name? or father's mother's maiden name?

Did find the following:
Rachel James
England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes
Name:   Rachel James
Event Type:   Baptism
Christening Date:   27 Jun 1832
Christening Place:   Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire
Father's Name:   Josia James
Mother's Name:   Mary James

Is this your Rachel?  How complete are the Non-conformist records?

Edit:  Appears to be Methodist church records you need to locate...

9
Family History Beginners Board / Re: divorce records
« on: Friday 29 May 15 05:15 BST (UK)  »
Are you checking for records under Janet's maiden name of Connell or under the name Gray?  May have reverted to maiden name after the divorce...

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