You have my sympathies Fred...I lost 6 months of my life hunting down McDonalds in Argyll/Inverness-shire
I think you are on the right track for Effy's parents, proving it further at this stage is hard though. You have all the censuses for her (including the potential family entry for 1841). You have her childrens' names:
Helen c. 1852
Catherine c. 1854
Duncan 1855
Janet 1857
Ann 1859
Alexander 1861
Euphemia 1863
Charlotte Campbell 1867
James 1869
You have that key 1855 cert which confirms what you have found already. The OPR marriage simply confirms she was already living in Inverness at the time of her marriage with no father's name.
That death cert is a pain
It does happen that informants make mistakes, particularly with in-laws reporting. I can't think what other cert. would add to what you already have though.
There are potential entries for "brothers" Donald and Angus McPhee in Inverness in 1851 but cannot see anything for potential parents Alexander and Catherine in 1851, which given their ages in 1841, is not surprising.
I would also have a question mark over James McDonald's father
, potentially I would have his parents as Duncan McD and Helen Grant or Duncan McD and Janet Chisholm. I found this site for burials which includes:
McDONALD
Erected by his sons in memory of their father Duncan MacDonald later farmer Balbeg
Abriachan who died 11 July 1869 age 85 and wife Janet Chisholm who died 27 April 1869 age 77 and their son William died 26 March 1869 age 43.
McDONALD
Duncan McDonald died Inverness Aug. 28, 1886 at 89 yrs. - his wife Helen Grant died Charlestown Cottage Nov. 13, 1859 at 62 yrs. Children Jane Eliza McDonald died in infancy in 1835, Duncan McDonald died Polmaily Aug. 1842 at 14 yrs.,
James Grant McDonald died Demerara Feb. 7, 1856 at 32 yrs., John McDonald died Allanmore Jan. 15, 1857 at 24 yrs., Alexander McDonald died Charlestown Cottage May 21, 1861 at 23 yrs. Erected by son P.G. McDonald, Iron merchant, Inverness....the death of a son James to them in 1856 takes them out as potential parents to James.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ked1/Glen9d4.htmlIn respect of the couple Duncan and Janet (Chisholm), the following children show to them on IGI:
1. JOHN MCDONALD Christening: 20 NOV 1811 Inverness
2. MCDONALD (male) Christening: 07 JUL 1814 Inverness
3.
JAMES MCDONALD Christening: 01 MAR 1817 Inverness
4. HELIN MACDONALD Christening: 14 JAN 1823 Inverness
5. CATHERINE MCDONALD Christening: 17 FEB 1820 Inverness
James McDonald seems to have got younger as the years went by
but his age in the 1855 cert for the birth of Duncan (together with his 1851 census entry) points to an 1817 circa birth year.
This looks to be this Duncan and Janet in 1851:
Duncan McDonald 65, farmer of 5 acres, b. Inverness
Janet McDonald 58, b. Urquhart, Inverness
Duncan G McDonald 23, Common Labourer, b. Inverness
Bella McDonald 20, b. Inverness
Margarat McDonald 14, b. Inverness
William McIntosh 26, shepher, b. Urquhart, Inverness
Address:Abriachan
These are just my guesses Fred - can't prove anything as yet of what I am showing unfortunately.
Monica