Help looking for Family Descendants of Lifeboatman James McBay Johnshaven

[john_st]

I had forgotten all about Rootschat, but was at the Who Do You Think You Are event in Glasgow yesterday and at one of the talks it was mentioned.  I did manage to find my login.

My McBay connection is on my mother side, Isabella Young McBay was my great grandmother, she married John Simpson in 1881.  Like quite a few others in these posts I to have loads of McBay information, am lucky that I work in Edinburgh and visit Register House frequently.

Oh and Mike I am shamed to say I have an unread message from you - from 2008!!!

Promise to do better now.

John

[DallasM]

Hi,
I need help tracing my ancestors and after reading these posts I think I have relatives in common with some of you.
I am trying to trace James Morrice and have came to a bit of a stop. With a bit of lateral thinking I thought I may be able to trace him via the McBays.
He married Jean Ballow (b1726 d1795) in 1750. They had lots of children but one was a daughter Elizabeth who married John Ritchie b1751.
John and Elizabeth had a daughter named Elizabeth b1779 who married John Mearns b1776.
This union produced a daughter Isobel b1809 d1887 who married Edward McBay b1804 d1848
I have Edward as being lost at sea and note there was also a son, another Edward, who died the same year as his father. Isobel must have been pregnant when her husband drowned as there is a son born in 1848 named Edward.
At least that is what I have so far.
I am a descendant of a son of James and Jean Morrice , James b1757 married Bel Machar b1762.
They all came from Johnshaven and as far as I can tell James was a white fisherman.
I can't get to Benholm to look in the parish records as I am in Australia, altho I would dearly love to.
Can anyone help me find James and his family?
kind regards
Dallas

[john_st]

Dallas,
Had a look at my records and I have Isabel(la) Mearns's mother as a Chrisitina Ritchie who was married John Mearns, which is slightly different from what you have

I assume that I got Isabella's parents from her death in 1887.

I will check that the next time I am at Register House in Edinburgh.


John

[DallasM]

Hi John,
Thank you for that info.
It's been a while since I did all this so I can't remember where I got my info from.
I had a cousin looking at another branch of the family tree which has renewed my interest.
I have tried to attach what I have found so I hope it shows up.
It looks like it may be the same family but I have the wrong sister.
I look forward to seeing what you find.
cheers
Dallas

[SHEILA LEE]

It has been very interesting to read the contributions to this post. I have some McBay's in my family and wonder what connections there might be with the McBays mentioned. My Great Grandmother was born Margaret Jane McBay in 1882 at Catterline. Her father was James Hamilton McBay, married to Fanny Stephen, and her Grandfather was Alexander McBay, married to Marianne or Mary Anne Pike. James Hamilton was born in Freswick, Caithness and Alexander was a Coastguard. The Coastguard at Catterline in 1841 was James McBay, but I don't know what connection he has to my family although location and occupation make this likely.

Hi Heather, I am currently building my ancestry tree and the above people are  related to me. Your great gran Margaret Jane McBay is sister to my gran Mary Ann McBay. It would be nice to link up and share ancestry information. Your thoughts welcome, regards Sheila

[HeatherConnie]

Hello Sheila, It is lovely to hear from you. I have only been looking into my family for some months, but have already found some interesting history. I'd be delighted to share what I've found. As you see a few folk on this topic have done research into the McBay family and I have found it very helpful although I still have to find links between known family members and others who are likely.
I have sent a personal message so that you can contact me directly.

[HeatherConnie]

Sheila, I've just realised that the private message may not work as you need to have made a few postings first.
I had some help a while back looking for Mary Ann Pike's family. Mary Ann was  my Margaret Jane and your Mary Ann's grandmother and she was born in Devon. Here is a link to the forum topic:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=693133.0

[Sally4x]

Hi - I hope that even though this post was so long ago someone might still read it. My son-in-law and I are researching his McBay line. His great grandfather was David Logie Cargill McBay born to John Mearns McBay and his second wife Mary Cargill in Johnshaven in 1922. I have read on this post that people didn't think there was a child from that marriage, but there was David, who moved to Cumbria as a young man. Any help with this line would be really appreciated.

Thanks