Catharine/Catherine (FLETCHER) DUFF

[Lindabin]

Hi,
Hoping for help after exhausting all possible avenues.  My 2nd g.grandmother was Catharine Duff, nee Fletcher, who stated on her census and immigration (to Australia) records that she was born Catharine Fletcher in 1806 in Glenorchy, Argyllshire, Scotland.  Census records for the years she was in Scotland (she migrated to Australia in 1855 with her family) indicate (through tracing her children staying with their grandparents on census nights) that she was the daughter of John Fletcher (son of John II of Inveroran) and Mary McLaren.  There is no registration in OPR for her, but many say that is not unusal for the Highlands in those years.  She had a brother, Peter, whose birth was also not registered, but all other siblings were.  Is there nowhere else to confirm her ancestry?  So grateful for any help.  Many thanks. 

[rosie17]

There are several tree's on Ancestry stating her parent's were Duncan Fletcher and Catherine McIntyre // There is one tree with the parent's you have John Fletcher born 1774 died 1848 also a picture of his grave buried Glenorchy Dalmally ..His wife Mary McLaren also buried there but no date of death in the 1841 census they have a James Duff born 1830 in the house with them so I would think this would be their grandson ...

[trish1120]

From Familysearch.Org;

CATHERINE Fletcher Christened 18 April 1802, GLENORCHY AND INISHAIL,ARGYLL
Parents Duncan FLETCHER and Catherine McINTYRE

KATHERINE Fletcher Christened 8 February 1807, NORTH KNAPDALE,ARGYLL,
Parents, John FLETCHER and Mary McLEAN

Trish

[trish1120]

I am posting just what I have found not necessarily the answer to your query Lindabin;

1841 Census
Ardchattan, Argyll
Donald DUFF, 40, Ag Lab
Catherine, 35
Mary, 9
John, 6
Duncan, 4
Magret, 3
Colen, 9mths

1851 Duncan/Catherine/Duncan and another Colen age 4 are in Ardchatton

FreeREG has Peter Fletchers 1828 Marriage  to Sakky MACNEIL, unfortunatley no Witnesses are named
Also a Grace Fletcher married a Archd CAMERON 1824, no Witnesses given

Peter/Sakky's (as Sarah) Childrens Baptisms are on FreeREG also

As you say 1851 Margaret age 13 is with Grandmother Mary born c 1771 Makarin in 1851 Census.

[Lindabin]

Much gratitude to you all.  Rosie:  My cousin Toni was originally responsible for naming Duncan and Catherine as her parents, placing her birth in 1802.  That's because it was the only reg. for Catharine Fletcher in OPR.  On her death cert. her birth year is 1806, which is what she also nominated on most census records.  Many trees simply followed that.  Now I am certain that her parents were in fact John Fletcher and Mary McLaren, because as Trish correctly reveals, both Margaret and James were Catharine's children, born in Ardchattan (as was my g.grandfather Colin, their youngest sibling) and they are recorded as staying with Mary (McLaren) Fletcher on census nights, and Margaret is even named as her granddaughter.  One of the trees on "Ancestry" confirming this is mine, and the other is my cousin Lorelle's tree.  It was Lorelle who convinced me of John and Mary, rather than Duncan and Catherine, as our Catharine's parents.  Also, Catharine always nominated Glenorchy, where all the Fletchers of this line are registered, as her birthplace.  She moved to Ardchattan when she married my 2nd g.grandfather, Donald Duff.  My maternal grandmother was Olive (Duff) Fullwood, Colin's daughter.  I would love to find official registration of her birth, but, failing that, the census records nominating Margaret Duff as granddaughter, and James Duff (both definitely Catharine's children) staying with Mary (McLaren) Fletcher (and John Fletcher earlier before his death) are perhaps more confirmation of an ancestral line than most family researchers tracking Highlanders can hope to find.   Again, many thanks to you all.  I would be grateful for any future revelations.  :-)

[rosie17]

A lot of the Births were not registered way back in they days I have had the same problem with our family .. Do you have marriage certificate as sometimes it list's the father's name ??

[Lindabin]

No, Rosie, sadly there is no marriage record for Catharine and Donald, and Dave Fletcher, who runs a Fletcher ancestry site from the US, explains that few Highland marriages were registered in those days.  They were of three (all legal, of course) types:  church (which was always registered, OPR, but the more expensive option because of fees charged and therefore the rarer), sheriff's warrant, or civil.  Both latter types were usually held in the bride's home.  And had Catharine died in Scotland, her father's name would have been recorded on the death cert.  She died in Inverell, in northern NSW (Aus. state) at the age of ninety-three, but her father's name is not recorded.  However, Donald worked as a shepherd on "Byron Station", a vast holding managed by (if she was the daughter of John Fletcher and Mary McLaren) her third cousin, who can easily be traced back to Archibald VIII Fletcher Clan Chief.  Thank you, though, for the idea, because it is a valid one.  :-)

[argyllshiregirl]

Hi all,
I can confirm what Dave Fletcher says. He actually runs his group out of Canada, a few miles from where I live. He descends from a Fletcher who came here from Glen Orchy in the late 1700s. I descend from that Fletcher's younger brother who remained in Scotland. My father, nearly 83 years of age, is believed to be the last Fletcher ever born in Glen Orchy. He and Dave work together on their research and I 'dabble'. My family took a much later ship than Dave's line, only arriving here in 1967!!

Once you get back into the 1700s, especially in the Highlands, unless you are nobility you won't find much of a paper trail to your ancestors. Before that time, most family history was orally passed down or maybe written into Bibles. Dad knows his family line back to the 8th Chief. We also descend from John of Inverroran. But we have a missing link - a male ancestor in between John's son, Archibald Fletcher and his great grandson, Angus Fletcher. Dad has done Y DNA testing and everything matches, but we are still missing my 4x great grandfather's given name. We believe it was John or Duncan.

Mary Fletcher Harris
Canada

[Lindabin]

Thanks, Mary.  I had actually written a message to you on another site when I noticed you were trying to trace my Australian Fletchers (Duffs).  John Fletcher, Catharine's father (I'm convinced by the census records), was the son of John II of Inveroran, brother of your Archibald Fletcher.  That means John of Inveroran was our common ancestor.  I'm also a member of Dave Fletcher's site, and I think he does a remarkable job.  His dedication to research is incredible.    Kind regards, Linda