Durness Parish Register - Part 2

[Forfarian]

Struggling a bit, but 'nic' is the feminine of 'mac' and means 'daughter of'.

Why the genealogy should sometimes give the male line and sometimes a female line I have no idea.

[wilros]

Struggling a bit, but 'nic' is the feminine of 'mac' and means 'daughter of'.

Forfarian, you are right, if it were normative Scots Gaelic 'nic' would be daughter of. But the transcriptions in question seem to be Hew Morrison's heavy editing of Rev. Thomson's unique on-the-fly-and-meandering transliterations of Scots Gaelic, hence I discard normative spelling rules to make a best guess.

For context my 4x GGF Hugh Ross (1731-1799 + buried at Balnakeil) brought infants to Rev. Thomson for baptism in '66, '68, '71, '75, '78, and '81, and the result was a similar set of meandering and creative variations that collectively kind of approximate his patronymic.

Fiveraliver, I read the groom you describe as "son of John son of John son of George son of William" and I'm not certain how to read the bride. However, I'm concerned that the four baptisms you mention are not all the same parents, i.e., the married couple Hugh-Mackay+Isobel-Skerray-Mackay. For example, Angi Lamb did not explicitly merge together the four Hugh+Isobel baptism entries in your post as a single couple in her "Index of Sutherland Durness Baptisms and Births 1764-1874." Let me know if you don't have Angi's document - it's posted in several places, such as in the Sutherland County Family History group on Facebook. Or you can PM me your email and I'll send it to you.

[djct59]

Fiveraliver: Like Wilros I am not 100% convinced, but on balance I think that the Hugh and Isobel MacKay in Shinnins and the Hugh and Isobel in Faolinn are the same people. While I haven't been able to locate Shinnins on any local map (I think it was on the bank of Loch Eriboll but am happy to be corrected). the house at Faolinn can be seen on the 1874 O.S. map.

There is no other marriage listed with the same two names, and if my guess is correct they have only moved a short distance.

As has been pointed out, Reverend Thomson's recording of patronymics was never a model of consistency. Hugh is either "son of John son of Donald" or "son of John son of John son of Donald"- on balance I would favour the latter, which fits the 1776 and 1792 entries. 

[fiveraliver]

Thanks to all have replied, I appreciate the input.  I have just now joined the Sutherland Family History Facebook group; thank you for the hint about the Angi Lamb transcription, which I have not seen before.

Hugh and Isobel were married in 1775 in Shinnans.  I believe these were their children:

1776 (baptism of John) – location: Island Choarie (island in Loch Eriboll) (Died before 1792, based on later child named John.)

1781 (baptism of Ann) – location: Iveran of Eriboll (Married Donald Mackay, weaver at Phaolin. Sons William and Hugh. Immigrated to to New London, PEI in 1806, later removed to Guernsey Cove, PEI about 1821.)

1784 (baptism of Barbara) – location: Balamhulich (Married John Corbett and remained in Durness. Several of her children immigrated to New London, PEI)

1787 (baptism of Hector) – location: Phaolin (southern end of Loch Eriboll) (Hector immigrated to New London, PEI in 1815 and removed to Guernsey Cove, PEI about 1821. Married in Durness Margaret Campbell.)

1792 (baptism of John) – location: Phaolin (John immigrated to New London, PEI in 1815 and removed to Guernsey Cove, PEI about 1821. Married Janet Anderson in PEI. This family and that of his brother Hector are listed side by side in the 1881 Census.)

I am reasonably certain that Ann, Hector and 2nd John are siblings since they all lived on adjacent farms in Guernsey Cove, PEI and I have an abundance of DNA matches among the descendants of  Hector and 2nd John.  I am less certain about 1st John and Barbara, but they seem to fit. 

I am not sure about the locations of Shinnans and Balamhulich, but the others are all proximate to Loch Eriboll. 

- Ian

[djct59]

Balmhulich is the high ground next to Durine in the centre of the modern village. as you drive in from the south and turn towards Balnakeil it's the houses on the left, so a good ten miles by road from the croft at Creag na Faolinn at the southern tip of Erriboll. Mind you, by foot over the Bealach it's only about six miles, although the terrain is not easy.

Still haven't located Shinnins.

[Forfarian]

Still haven't located Shinnins.

It couldn't be Shinary, could it?

[djct59]

It appears so often in Hew Morison as "Shinnins" that I am dubious...

[Forfarian]

Oh well, it's always worth a bit of speculation, even if it turns out to be wrong.

[fiveraliver]

I accidently left out one more child of the above couple.

1783 (baptism of James) – location: Eriboll (James immigrated to New London, PEI and died before 1865; he married an unknown woman and had a sons Angus b. abt. 1822 Scotland and William b. abt. 1830 PEI.