McDonalds of Drumchastle, Blair Atholl

[bobbymacd]

Trying to find more information on Robert McDonald, b. 4 June 1756, baptized 11 June 1756 in Blair Atholl Parish.  Parents are John and Isobel McDonald of Easter Drumchastle.

I found a John McDonald and Isobel McLeod married 23 December 1735 in Inverness Parish - not sure if this the same couple. 

Any ideas/info to break thru this brick wall would be appreciated.

Bob MacDonald

[bairn359]

a way to make a connection could be if a maiden surname has been used for a grandchilds middle name.

here's some potentials i found..

parents?

John McDonald m. Isabel Greens      14 May 1730   Colinton, Midlothian
John McDonald m. Isoble Mcdugald   23 Dec 1731   Dull, Perth
John McDonald m. Isabel Mckeaster   12 Jan 1742   Fowlis Wester, Perth
John McDonald m. Isabel Ougstoun   4 Oct 1749      Ellon, Aberdeen
John MacDonald m. Isobell Robertson   16 Feb 1750      Comrie, Perth
John Mack Donald m. Isabel Mc Donald   31 Oct 1753   Inverness
John McDonald m. Isabel McKenzie   8 Jul 1756   Aberlour, Banff


siblings?

Alexander Mc Donald   christened   1 Sep 1751 Fortingall, Perth
John McDonald      christened   18 Aug 1753 Fortingall, Perth

[Throth]

Drumcastle is probably Fortingall parish rather than Blair Atholl parish.

There seem to be a few more births by this couple (both are McDonalds) around the same time.

Throth (www.borenich.co.uk)

[bobbymacd]

Bairn - thanks so much for chasing down this additional info.  My Robert had sons named John and Alexander so your sibling theory is interesting.

Throth - thanks also for your take.  "Easter Drumchastle" was listed as the locale of John and Isobel in the birth record of Robert, which according to the Old Parish Records on ScottishPeople.com was registered in Blair Atholl parish.  Robert also had a son named Authol/Orthiel (depending on how the US census taker spelled it) which leads me to think there may be a connection.

Question - when you say they are "both McDonalds" what are you basing that on?  Is it that the birth record listed "John and Isobel McDonald" rather than listing a maiden name for Isobel?

[Throth]

If you go to the Borenich web-site, you will see that the only Drumcastle that we have come across is in the parish of Fortingall on the Kinloch Rannoch road from Tummel (NN 6832 5871).
It's close to what is now Dunalastair Water.

There is a hyper-link on the Gazetteer Page to the 1st edition of the O.S. which is available on-line from the National Library of Scotland.

Why the birth is recorded in the Blair Atholl OPR is unclear to us, but we haven't looked at the entry.  However, if the parents are described as John and Isobel McDonald, then it is almost certain that Isobel's maiden name is also McDonald.  If it had been otherwise it would normally have been given as McLeod or whatever, or a blank left if the maiden name was unknown.

Now if you do a parentage search on the IGI using John McDonald and Isobel McDonald as parents you get 155 entries. Amongst these are:

        110. ROBERT MCDONALD - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 13 JUN 1756 Blair Atholl, Perth, Scotland
   111. ALEXANDER MC DONALD - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 01 SEP 1751 Fortingall, Perth, Scotland
   112. MC DONALD - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 21 OCT 1759 Fortingall, Perth, Scotland
   113. JOHN MC DONALD - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 18 AUG 1753 Fortingall, Perth, Scotland

We would be taking a close look at all of these entries as our next step.

Happy hunting,

Throth (www.borenich.co.uk)

[bobbymacd]

Thank you Troth!  This is very helpful.  I checked out the NLS site - specifically Herman Moll's County Maps of Scotland (1745).  The map of North Perthshire shows Drumchastle where you said it was but it appears to be in Athol parish.

Give it a look when you get a chance.  Would parish boundaries have shifted after 1745?  Moving Drumchastle into Fortingall?

Bob MacDonald

[Throth]

Glad to be of help.

Herman Moll 1745 is a county map rather than a parish map.  As a consequency you can see that he doed not show the parishes of Dull, Weems, Kirkmichael, Moulin, Fortingall etc, but only gives the name of the area as Athol.

Have you had a chance to look at the individual OPR birth entries yet?  Sometimes birth took place away from home and this fact is recorded in the OPR.  There were quite a lot of McDonald / MacDonalds living between Rannoch and Tummel (the Foss area), with some of them claiming descent from the Glencoe branch.

Throth

[StuW]

About twelve years ago my “cousin” Gerald J. Parsons, F.A.S.G, hired a researcher in Scotland to search for information regarding our common ancestor, John Wilson, Mariner, born about 1740 in Perthshire, Scotland, died Bet. 1795 – 1800 in some port in the West Indies . Gerald knew that this John Wilson had a twin left behind in Scotland and that a John Wilson and his wife Elspet McKensie had twin children John and Janet baptized in the parish of Dull in Pershire on 12 October 1740.

The researcher found in Kirk Session Minutes of the Parish of Blair Atholl under the date of 23 June 1771, that “Certificates [i.e. testamonials] were appointed [i.e., ordered] for Elsphet McKensie, widow in Uchdnanetaig, and for Janet & Isobel Wilson [sic] her daughters unmarried, and for John McLean in Trinafuir, all going to remove out of this parish.”  From this statement Gerald took in that Janet Wilson had never married as of 23 June 1771.

I recent came across some information on the internet on a private individual web site (Garth Woodward) that has a Janet Wilson birth Abt. 1740 in Kenlock, Fortingall, Pershire, Scotland.  The site indicates “Birth:data from marriage record in 1760, Fontingall, Pershire.”  The site further states that this Janet Wilson married on 24 May 1760 in Dull, Perthshire, Scotland a John McDonald born about 1736 in Lailnloing, Loggerait, Perthshire.  I tried to contact Mr. Woodward regarding his information but got no reply as yet.

I also found another personal web site that has a Janet McDonald (born Wilson) born 12 October 1740, Kenlock, Fortingall, Perthshire, Scotland, death 16 June 1771.  This Janet listed as daughter of John Wilson born 12 October 1740, died 1795 Nimba, Libera, Africa, wife Elispeth McKensie.  No sources were listed for this information and I have been unable to reach the website author.

So my question of course is –is the Janet Wilson found at these two websites the sister of my immigrant John Wilson the Mariner??  Did my Janet indeed marry a John McDonald and have children?  Would anyone here be able to give me some direction or directly help me to determine the answers to this questions?  Any guidance would be appreciated.

Stu Wilson
Liverpool NY