Hello Debbie,
Many thanks for you reply to my post, nice to hear from you again
I do indeed have the marriage cert. for Elizabeth Mcpherson and Robert Phillips in 1856, which gives the parents of Elizabeth as, father Alexander Mcpherson, and mother Catherine Robertson.
Please excuse my ignorance, but I dont fully understand what you mean by checking the banns, and how I would do this.
If you have their marriage in 1856 Fort William, it looks like the banns were called in both parishes. Something to check out.
The surname of Elizabeth's son born abt. 1849 in the 1861 census is indeed Phillips, and possibly took this name after the marriage in Fort William in 1856. I know Elizabeth left the Isle of Skye sometime after the birth of her son 1849 and marriage 1856.
It also interesting to note, that Alexander is not found in later census finds for the family, but a Robert with excactly the same birth year, which leads me to believe he adopted his step fathers full name.
However, Elizabeth has not been found to date in the 1851 census, and was hoping, finding her in 1851 would not only reveal where she was living, (and positivly identify her/family), but the surname of her son Alexander, possibly of a previous marriage/Bann, Which might enable enable a marriage entry if records permitt?
I also wonder about her parents a lot, and try to imagine if they stayed on Skye, or left to be near thier daughter in Fort William, as they were not listed as deceased on Elizabeth's Marriage entry, which I think was the norm for Scottish records, as you know.
As you know there was a lot of civil unrest at this time, with ordinary people forced into debts, unforgivably mis-treated, and 'The Clearances'.
According to information from the Clan Mcdonald archives, The farm where Elizabeths parents were found in 1841 in Ostaig, actually absorbed the nieghbouring farm Kilbeg, and that they were not crofting tennants, but tennants to a larger independant farming tennant, and the Kilbeg farm had a Alexander Mcpherson and Catherine Lamont listed, and they argued the family found in Ostaig could be the same family or equally our family of ancestors, (not positivly identified), just to make things more interesting! all fascinating stuff.
