Here’s the info I received in the 90’s from my aunt Rachel (grand daughter of William McKenzie and Catherine Kyle)
“My grandfather was born an illegitimate child, his grandmother (Ann McCallum Wright) from what I understand locked his mother (Mary Wright) up in a room when she found out she was pregnant. Mary died in childbirth and his father, who was a sailor, then sailed for Canada. My grandfather was given his fathers name.
My grandfather was raised by his grandmother, Annie McCallum Wright who had six children besides Mary: William, James, Thomas, Annie, Rachel, and Agnes. These were my grandfathers aunts and uncles with whom he was raised”
“My grandfather came to the US twice (in 1910 by himself) was because of his health; the doctor recommended it as a change of climate (it was a lung disorder - no doubt from coal dust). He stayed there seven months and then returned. It was thirteen years before he returned in 1923 - the same year my grandmother (Catherine Kyle) and their seven children came - but not all at the same time. All seven of my grandparents’ children were born in Motherwell, Scotland. From the oldest down - Annie, Helen, Mary, William, Rachel, Agnes, and Catherine.”
Here’s where it gets tricky, and a little convoluted, but it relates to the posts above…
“My aunt Mary met (in America) and fell in love with a man (Adrian VanLoo) from Holland. He was a quite a bit older than aunt Mary and was married to my grandfather’s aunt Rachel (Who was raised with my grandfather, as his sister). Rachel and Adrian were divorced and my aunt Mary and he married. They had five boys: Jack, William, Roxy, Adrian Junior, and Wiley. Adrian Junior died of rheumatic fever when he was 10 years old. Laater they had another son James. Adrian passed away many years ago and aunt Mary passed away, I believe in the early 1990s.”
William was known by all of his grandchildren as “Granda” and I believe he lived with his daughter Helen (my great grandmother) until his death in 1965.
There’s more about William and Catherine’s descendants, but I’ll stop here unless there’s interest.