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Hi,

I think Alexander's brother John could be my ancestor based on Y chromosome matches. 

Anyways, on John's baptism in 1672, the witnesses are Alexander Maitland and Abraham Makmilllan.

In Newton around the same time that John is having children there is also a William Laing having children with a Helen/Margaret Roger.  It's likely that William and John are brothers.

Jessie

Hi,

I note that Flattybasher gave you a reference to Brown's map of the farms in the Culachan area.  The attached reference will take you to Easter, and Wester Culachan (https://maps.nls.uk/view/188056037), at the SW corner of the map.  This plan not only names farms but provides the names of the owners/tenant farmers?, the area of each holding, and comment on the type of land in each field.

Istrice

THIS IS AWESOME!  D. Fraser must be the Donald Fraser on the baptism in 1799.  I am so very grateful for everyone that helped here!  Thank you very very much!

Jessie

Hello,

This is a birth record for my 5x great uncle.  It is the only baptism that has information on it as to residence for both the family and the witnesses.  The place on the record that is listed as the residence of the parents is "Culakine".  This would be near Kiltarlity.  I have found Dalnamine/Delnamine. 

The baptism can be found here:
09/06/1779 MCKENZIE, JOHN (Old Parish Registers Births 101/ 10 208 Kiltarlity) Page 208 of 334

Someone that knows quite a bit about place names and impact of spelling said that it was likely a place near Fanellan called Culachan. 

Two other baptisms from Kirkhill for the same couple place a son Hugh in 1775 and daughter Margaret in 1777 located at "Groam".  I'm assuming it could be the cottages for the farm or possibly some kind of tenancy to the farm Groam near by. 

John McKenzie on the record was a Master Mariner (as per daughter Annabella's death record).  He was also a tenant farmer in some years according to another death record for daughter Ann who died in Applecross.

I'm about ready to rip my hair out, so if anyone has any clue that can help or to confirm Culachan as that place, and even possibly an exact location on a map, I'd be very grateful. 

I noticed you have the surname MacNeil (with 1 'L') & if they were in Nova Scotia there's a good chance they could/would possibly be descended from the MacNeil's of Island of Barra (Inverness-shire, Scotland)?

Annie

My great grandmother was Annie Mae MacNeil.  As far as I know all my lines are from Barra, and one could have more connections to Argyll with the MacNeils that have double "L"s.  What ancestors are not from Barra and isles connected to it, they are from South Uist. 

Further DNA testing has shown with matches to second cousins that I in fact do not have Curries at all.    There were two Mary MacKinnons that were actually 2nd cousins through MacIntyres of South Uist LOL.  It was thought that either one of them was mine and it turned out that the one from the family that had most of their children pass away was actually mine based on the DNA matches. 

Think we still have a match from the MacKinnons?

Jessie

Hello Cmbh1,

By using DNA I am able to segregate lines of descendants.  Because it's rather close to about the year 1800 when the split in the DNA (a married couple that are common ancestors of all the DNA testers that descend from separate siblings), I am able to find common segments of DNA.  The length of the segment would indicate the likely distance of the relationship along with the total amount of DNA shared on all shared segments. 

For example, children share 50% of their DNA with parents, 25% with grandparents, 12.5% with great grandparents, etc. 

Among the descendants in the family lines, there have been rumours of a double marriage for Duncan Fraser, and going back a bit further, for the mother of Mary Kempt who married Duncan Fraser. 

There is one descendant of Ann Fraser, daughter to Duncan Fraser and Mary Kempt (daughter of William Kempt and Mary Fraser).
There are about 5 descendants of Katherine Kempt, daughter of William Kempt and Mary Fraser.
There are 30+ descendants of Murdoch Weaver McKenzie and Arabella/Annabella McKenzie (daughter of Captain John McKenzie and Mary Fraser).
There are about 5 descendants of Gregor Kempt, son of William Kempt and Mary Fraser.

The common ancestor of all descendants is a Mary Fraser.  At this point we do not know her parents names, but there are connections to MacRae/McRaes via DNA for her and her descendants. 

Mary Fraser married a William Kempt.  The "T" on the end of Kempt seems to have been added about this same time.  I have an article on William's father who married many times and fathered over 20 children. 

Mary Fraser and William Kempt had a few children of which, descendants of Mary Fraser's first marriage and second marriage are matching in extremely large segments. 

Duncan Fraser married a daughter of Mary Fraser and William Kempt and had a few children in the 1790's.  Records for Gairloch do not exist unless they were in records kept by the well to do families.  There are patches of unkempt records all over Western Scotland that simply do not have records at all for that time period.  The Hebrides are a perfect example.

I have been working on the DNA of this group of descendants of these families for about 3.5 years now and have done paper trail genealogy for 24 years and am in the process of becoming certified.  I have more in the way of DNA showing the relationship and paper trails for what is available in Gairloch, Cape Breton, Australia, and New Zealand during the time frame.  If helpful, I have a book from Cape Breton written in 1933 that shows the author then knew of the family connection of the Kempts to the Frasers. 

Actually, as far as I know, we have never been in contact with a descendant of Duncan Fraser and Isabel McKenzie.  It would be interesting if you or anyone in your family that descends from them have been DNA tested.  I'm certain there will be matches between any of you and any of us on these other lines.  I'd be interested in discussing this further too if you would be interested. 

If you read this older post as well, it has more information on it.  I'm in contact with the author too who is a genealogist.  It may give more information you can check on Scotland's People.  (https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/fraser/2700/)

Please feel free to message me and I can give you my email.  I'm more than willing to share everything I have on this small project I'm working on.  It's all to try and tell who Mary Fraser's Frasers are and exactly where our McKenzie line breaks off from the major line.  We have the mutation SNP on the Y chromosome which is considered an identifying marker for Gairloch McKenzie line. 

Let me know if that makes sense or if you have any other questions.