McCallum - McMurchy birth and marriage dates

[jaamac]

My Gt Gt Grandfather was Donald McCallum, b. approx 1806 in Killean, Argyllshire. (Died 2 March 1878 gravestone records age at death as 72.) His brother Duncan's christening record shows that their parents were Edward McCallum and Janet McMurchy and I have confirmation of this from a family letter and the gravestone for Janet as his mother. However, despite diligent searching on Scotland's people I cannot find any record of either Donald's dob or that of Edward or Janet, or their marriage or date of death. Can anyone help, please?

[CaroleW]

What year was Duncan christened?  As he was 29 when he died it narrows any search?

Do you know of any other children born to Edward & Janet as it helps to guess their approximate birthyears/marriage year

Presume Duncan & Janet are not in the same grave - just noted on the headstone?  Wonder why Edward isn’t mentioned as well?

[CaroleW]

There is a 1794 marriage in Killean between Janet McMurchie and Iver McCallum.  Seems a bit coincidental

[jaamac]

Hello, Barney,
Thanks for replies. Can you tell me where you found the reference to Iver and Janet? I have searched on Scotland's People using these spellings but get a Nil result.
On the family I have four children to Janet McMurchy and Edward McCallum, this from a letter to my late father from a great aunt, (herself also long deceased), recalling conversations in family gatherings with Donald's wife Christina, but I have only been able to trace some sparse information on Donald and Duncan, nothing on the other two who were Janet and Neil. It was the custom, I believe, in the 19th C Kintyre, for a family to bury a deceased member in the parish in which he / she was born, thus Donald was buried in Killean where he was born, although he died in Southend Parish, quite a journey away in those days (2 March 1878 at Largiebaan, Southend Parish - I have a copy of the death record showing Edward McCallum and Janet McMurchy as parents). I have been unable to trace the death or burial of the father, Edward.
Duncan's baptism was 17th Sept 1810, in Killean & Kilkenzie Parish, Argyllshire, Scotland, FHL No. 1041070. This from Ancestry, but I have not been able to verify it on Scotland's People.

[Forfarian]

Thanks for replies. Can you tell me where you found the reference to Iver and Janet? I have searched on Scotland's People using these spellings but get a Nil result.

Just search for Janet McMurchy. It's there on SP.

Duncan's baptism was 17th Sept 1810, in Killean & Kilkenzie Parish, Argyllshire, Scotland, FHL No. 1041070. This from Ancestry, but I have not been able to verify it on Scotland's People.
[/quote]It's there on SP, surname spelled McCallam.

It's always a good idea to use wildcards to pick up creative spellings. Leave out the vowels. I used m*c*m*r*c* for the marriage and m*c*l*m for the baptism.

[CaroleW]

Sorry - should have spelt it as McMurchy.  I used the wildcard option and just searched for surname Mcmurc* 

MCMURCHY  JANET
   
IVER MCCALLUM/FR342 (FR342)
   
26/06/1794
   
519/10 332
   
Killean and Kilchenzie

[jaamac]

Thanks, Barney and Forfarian. I’ve now got the copy of the marriage you found. Not sure it’s Iver, handwriting is difficult to decipher but I do struggle to interpret it as Edward. When I get back to my laptop I will copy it and see if any experts can opine.
Your help is much appreciated
Jaamac

[jaamac]

Here is the extract from the marriage record in 1794. I have only ever found one other Iver in Kintyre and that is suspect transcription. However I could be way off mark. Looks nothing like Edward.

If anyone knows where the place Ballochayavran is I might have a source who could look up the Duke of Argyll's 1792 census and check if there is info there that might help.
jaamac

[Forfarian]

It's on Kintyre, opposite Gigha. See https://maps.nls.uk/view/74400147 - though you will need to zoom in and move the map.

However it isn't on the Victorian Ordnance Survey maps, and it looks as if it may have been where Largie Farm is now. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=55.65453&lon=-5.65536&layers=5&b=1 - apart from Tayinloan and Culfuar, all the place names in the immediate area in 1824 seem to have vanished by the 1860s.

The OS Name Book, compiled in the 1860s and 1870s, says of Largie Castle A fine mansion of the castellated style erected about 7 years ago having Offices, a large garden and an ornamental demesne attached. The property and family residence of Charles McDonald Morton Esqr.

The castle was built in 1857 and demolished in 1953.