Donald of Clashneach & Mary Mackay

[Jeanette13]

I imagine they all knew each other and knew how they were related. James Clarke (1705-74) had married Margaret Mackay  (1726-1895) of Clasneach some time around 1750 and they had ten children by 1772.
The families seem to have educated each other's children. A diary reference in July 1828 says "Miss Isabella McKay, my cousin, who was going as governess to Mr Anderson’s Family at Rispond." and later he says [17.6.1831]
"My sister Margaret had just come home on a visit from T Houstons Esq of Creich where she has been as Governess to the young Misses Houston for some time."  and on 3.6.1833  "A Miss Mackay from Thurso came here on her way to Scourie as governess to my cousins"
The diary is full of such tantalising hints - and comments like this "For the first time, I today saw a Steam Carriage, in Princes Street" dated 28 March 1834 when he was at university in Edinburgh.  I had no idea they had spread that far so early!

[meanno]

Like Jeanette, I would be very interested to learn whether there is any connection between these Mansons and yours.


Alan

In the Wikitree entry for Alexander Manson M.D. of Thurso that you manage his date of birth is given as 9 Oct 1774. Are you certain of that? I ask because there is a birth of an Alexander on 11 Dec 1766 to an Alexr. and an Eliza Water. The Marion I mentioned, sister of Barbara, was almost certainly born to an Alexr. and an Elspet Water on 17 Feb 1763 (she died in 1838 at age 75).
The intestate settlement document I referred to in my earlier post also mentions another sister Anne, but I can't find any suitable records for the births of Barbara and Anne, though there is a birth of an Anne in 1781 to an Alexander but with a different mother, Janet Dunnet. Prior to finding this document I had Barbara possibly born to a James in 1770 but it seems that assumption must have been wrong. The document refers to Barbara as the spouse of Angus Mackay, miller Badlehavish, so there is no question of identity there.
The only reason to suppose there might be a connection between Barbara and Alexander M.D. is that she is buried in the same small burial ground as his family (and perhaps him?). The possibility is worth exploring, however, even if not proved, for what else it might reveal about the Thurso Mansons in Durness.

[AlanWatson]

In fact I am not at all sure of the date of his birth or of his parents.

Jeannette will very probably be able to add more, but what I know for sure is:

a) that his wife and daughter (not him as far as I know) were buried together in Arnaboll in a grave which described them as 'Jane Sinclair, widow of Alexander MANSON M D Thurso, who died at Eriboll August 18th 1851 aged 76 years' and 'Jane Manson her daughter who died at Edinburgh July 2nd 1872 aged 63 years.'

b) that Alexander Manson and Jeanie Sinclair married in Thurso on 23 April 1799, when Jane (Jeanie) was about 20.

c) that they had (at least) four children in Thurso, Marion Macbeth in May 1800, Alexander in February 1801, Jane in April 1803 and Helen Sinclair in December 1805; these children and their mother/other relatives appear together in various censuses.

d) that Jane Sinclair was a widow when she died in 1851 and appeared without her husband in the 1841 and 1851 censuses, presumably because he had already died.

e) that an Alexander Manson was born in Thurso on 9 October 1774 to parents Alexander Manson and Margaret MacDonald; this couple also had children Christine in 1764, David in 1767, George in 1770 and Alexander in 1773.

And that's it. If my dob is right, Alexander would have been 24 when he married, which would be young for a doctor these days, but which seems reasonable for then. Certainly there is no obstacle that I know of to him having been rather older.

I would love to find a record of Alexander in practice or in his training. Obviously, finding his death/grave would be good too, but so far I haven't seen any of this.

As I say, Jeanette probably has more.


Alan

[Jeanette13]

Sorry. I wish I did know more. All my grandfather EMC had written down was that "Alexander Falconer Clarke of Rosemount, Tain, In Commission of the Peace & Deputy Lieutenant co. Sutherland, b 1802 at Durness, d 1877, married Marion, daughter of Alexandre Manson M.D. of Thurso, co Caithness."
He listed their children as - Alexander Manson, George of Eribol, Johan b1834 d 1858, Janet, Jemima b1838 d unm, David Ross. Eric Mackay (which I believe was one of his very few mistakes and should have been Eric Donald.)
Alexander's gtgrandson Reay D G Clarke died two years ago and I am not in touch with any of his family so I can't ask them questions. However, he did write a book you may find of interest - "Two hundred years of farming in Sutherland- the story of my family" It was printed in 2014 by the Islands Book Trust. There is a chapter on Alexander which gives the full names and dates of his eight children.

[meanno]

I would love to find a record of Alexander in practice or in his training.

Alan

This image is a screenshot of the Thurso Burgh tax schedule in 1798/99. It looks to me like there is a Dr. Manson amongst those names, which could tie in with Alexander Manson practicing in Thurso. Not definitive, but a pretty strong piece of evidence.

If the image doesn't attach then here is the link:

https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital-volumes/historical-tax-rolls/consolidated-schedules-assessed-taxes-1798-1799/consolidated-schedules-assessed-taxes-volume-07/13

[Jeanette13]

I read it clearly as 'Dr Manson'. What was the population in the area in those days? How many doctors are there likely to have been?

[meanno]

To be precise - 3!

[meanno]

And here's the confirmation that there were three doctors in Thurso, all 'active young men' which certainly doesn't preclude Alexander Manson from being one of them. A shame it doesn't name them.

[wilros]

This is my first attempt at attaching an image to a comment in rootschat.  If it worked, attached is the digital image from ScotlandsPeople that corresponds to the following transcription by Hew Morrison in the Parish Register of Durness.

1794 - Angus Sutherland from Sutherland, tenent in Durin, and his wife Mary Calder, alias Doun, nin Hustiandhuine, William, 12 Jan.

I am asking if I am reading this registry entry correctly - the baptism in Durness Parish of William Sutherland, son of Mary Calder, grandson of Hugh Calder, great-grandson of Rob Donn Calder.