Alexander Muirson & Margaret Urquhart

[Eleanor Rigby]

Hi there
On the 19th November 1832, Alexander Muirson & Margaret Urquhart had a daughter  Margaret Muirson.  Alexander disappeared after that, I can not find any trace of him.

1841: Census, young Margaret (6??) is recorded as living in Avoch with her Grandmother (Margaret, 55yrs, crofter) her mother Margaret 25, and Margaret’s siblings, Anne 30yrs, William 20yrs & Christian (girl) 14 yrs.  In 1841 a lot of the adults ages were rounded up or down to the nearest 0 or 5 ending that can explain a lot of discrepancies with later census records.

1873:   Margaret Muirson (dau. of Alexander Muirson & Margaret (Urquhart) Muirson marries Donald Graham 32yrs, Farm Servant, Widower.  It states that Margret was 36, Domestic Servant and a Spinster, but birth records indicates she 41yrs.  area: Ross-shire, Alexander Muirson is recorded as a Farmer and deceased
“On the 25th of November 1873 at 12 Ness Bank, Inverness after Banns according to the rites of the Free Church of Scotland Donald Graham 37 farm servant, widower of Hillhead, Forres.  His Parents, Duncan Graham farm servant, deceased and Mary Graham m/s Sinclair. Married Margaret Muirson 36 Domestic Servant, Spinster Her Parents, Alexander Muirson Farmer deceased and Margaret Muirson m/s Urquhart. Minister David Sutherland Witnesses David Urquhart and Duncan Graham.”

1875:   Margaret Graham (nee Muirson) passes away on 12th May 1875 (43 yrs old) (age recorded as 41 yrs) Her mother Margaret Urquhart was recorded as being present on the death certificate and she was the witness and as she was illiterate, she "signed by her mark” X.  Cause of Death – unknown?   Alexander Muirson is recorded as being her father on the death certificate (but was deceased?).  Death recorded in the Parish of Kellearnan in the County of Ross and Cromarty.

I do have more information on Margaret Muirson and her family and I can supply that if needed.

I am looking for relatives of Margaret Muirson. Such as family of William Urquhart and his sister Mary (Urquhart) Bain.   

Also any information on Alexander Muirson.  1811: Alexander Muirson
Born 13 Oct 1811 in Avoch, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland 
Son of Thomas Muirson and Jean (MacKenzie) Muirson
Brother of Christian (Muirson) Stewart, Jane Isabella (Muirson) Haley, Hector Muirson, Isabella (Muirson) McPherson, Francis Alexander McKenzie Muirson, Kenneth Muirson and Catherine Muirson
Thank you
Kaye Muirson

[Neale1961]

Alex Muirson and Margaret Urquhart were not married

Kirk Session Minutes for Avoch  12 Nov 1832
“The moderator intimated . . .  that he called this meeting owing to a report that Margaret Urquhart of the parish of Ferintosh was with child in fornication. She being called . . . declares that Alexander Muirson, Farmer of Kinkell is the father of the child with which she is pregnant . . .”
 
Complete session record available to read for free on Scotlands People

1841 census for Margaret Muirson age 6 and the Urquhart family
https://www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/5a155c9bf4040b9d6e712a06/margaret-muirson-1841-ross-and-cromarty-urquhart-logie-westr-1835-?locale=en

You might like to have this moved to a different thread - as it says DO NOT POST REQUESTS HERE

[Eleanor Rigby]

Hi there

Thank you.  I did have the census records, but I was not able to transcribe the Avoch Kirk session records.  Most appreciated

Kaye Muirson

[Forfarian]

There are half a dozen or so Kinkells in Scotland, but it would be reasonable to suppose that the one referred to here is the one in the parish of Urquhart and Logie Wester in the county of Ross and Cromarty. (Not to be confused with other parishes called Urquhart and other parishes called Logie in other parts of Scotland.)

There are two baptisms in Urquhart and Logie Wester of children to Thomas Muirson and Jean Mackenzie: Kenneth in 1821 and Catherine in 1823. Thomas Muirson and Jean Mackenzie were married in Urquhart and Logie Wester in 1808, so there was time for them to have had half a dozen unrecorded children before Kenneth.

And indeed they did, baptised in other parishes:
Christian, 1810, Inverness
Alexander, 1811, Avoch (pronounce it 'awch' to rhyme with 'loch')
Jane, 1813, Avoch
Hector, 1815, Avoch
Isabella, 1817, Avoch
Francis, 1819, Avoch

Would it be worth looking at the originals of Kenneth's and Catherine's baptisms to see if their parents lived in Kinkell? If they did, might their brother be your errant Alexander?

I cannot find any of them in the census or in the deaths index, which makes me think that the whole family must have emigrated.

[Forfarian]

Aha! They did indeed emigrate.

There is a family tree on Wikitree https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Muirson-12 showing dates of death for several of them in Australia.

However I do not trust the information about Thomas Muirson and Jean Mackenzie on that web site, because it contains some significant geographical errors.

First, it says that Thomas Muirson was born in Kinross, Morayshire. There is no such place. There is a parish called Kinloss in the County of Moray. The County of Kinross is over 100 miles from Kinloss. There are four records of baptisms of Thomas Muirsons in the parish of Kinloss who would have been old enough to marry in 1808.

Second, it says that Jean Mackenzie was born at Gairlochy, County of Inverness, and that her father was Hector Mackenzie of Gairloch. Gairlochy and Gairloch are two completely different places. Gairlochy is on the Caledonian Canal a few miles north of Fort William in the parish of Kilmonivaig, County of Inverness. Gairloch is a parish in Wester Ross, County of Ross and Cromarty. Gairloch and Gairlochy are also over 100 miles apart.

The information on Wikitree is based on an unsourced family tree, and contains death dates for Jean and Thomas in 1824 and 1831 respectively, which are plausible but I have not yet been able to find the evidence in any source I would consider reliable.

There is a will of Sir Hector Mackenzie of Gairloch in 1826. It would probably be worth taking a look at that to see what, if anything, it says about Muirsons.

There are a few mentions of Thomas Muirson in the catalogue of the National Records of Scotland https://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue/search.aspx which may refer to this Thomas Muirson.

If the tree on Wikitree is correct it should be possible to get quite a long way back in the Mackenzie line, but first it is necessary to find some reliable evidence to back it up.

[Eleanor Rigby]

Hi there

Thank you for responding.  Yes, I know there are errors on Wiki Tree and as I am not the Profile Manager (Mardi Muirson is my cousin Garth's wife and this was done many years before I joined the group.  My cousin Oianah & myself are trying to tidy things up.
Thomas Muirson born September 26, 1784
Birthplace: Findhorn, Moray, Scotland, United Kingdom Kenneth's great-grandfather  married in Avoch, Scotland, died 10 July 1831, Rosshire.. I think this could be the correct one.  I believe Oianah has obtained most of the birth / baptism records tor Thomas and Jean's children.   The Kenneth that I have mentioned on my  Family Tree s/s is my Grandfather:  Kenneth Basil McKenzie-Muirson.  I am a descendent of Francis Alexander Mckenzie-Muirson, his son Thomas Muirson and his son Kenneth Basil McKenzie-Muirson

Shipping information for five of Thomas & Jean's eight children. 1. Jane, 2. Isabella, 3. Francis (age 19yrs) 4. Kenneth, 5. Catherine. Origin Location: Munlochy, Rossshire, Scotland, Vessel Name: St George, arrival date: 15 Nov 1838, Port Jackson, Sydney

I have no doubt that Thomas Muirson & Jean Christian (Mackenzie) Muirson are my 3 x Great Grandparents.    Yes I do have quite a bit of information about Thomas Muirson and his work.  Thomas did have offices in Inverness at some stage.

Sir Hector Mackenzie was married to Cochrane (Chalmers) Mackenzie to whom he had no children.  They had no children together, apparently she was a bit of a socialite and spent alot of time in London.  At some stage during that marriage he took up with his house keeper Jane Urquhart and had three children, Jean Christian, Catherine & Kenneth, which Sir Hector kindly gave them the last name of Mackenzie.   When Jane Urquhart passed away Sir Hector married Christian (Henderson) Mackenzie and they had five children, Francis Alexander, Hector (Colonel), William, Roderick & John MD.  At some stage prior to abt 1840  William & Roderick travelled to Australia. William helping Francis & Kenneth Muirson build the Kinlochewe Inn in Victoria.  Roderick ended up on the Flowerdale Estate in Victoria.  I believe went somewhere else after Australia, but Roderick died at Flowerdale Estate and had no children.

I am certainly not claiming my ancestry is anything that is should not be.

It has recently come to our attention that we may have got it wrong with Thomas's Parents James Muirson & Elizabeth (Skinner) Muirson.  as there were two Thomas Muirson's born in the same month and the same year.  The other Thomas was born to Alexander Muirson 11 and his parents were  Alexander Muirson 11 and Isabella Falconer (1760-1846) m 16 Jan 1784  – Dyke, Moray SCO
James Muirson & Alexander Muirson 11 were brothers.

Alexander Muirson III (1807-1890) -(is a son of Alexander Muirson 11) Find A Grave Memorialhttps://www.findagrave.com › memorial › alexander-m...
Married Eliza McKay 16 May 1838, NY City, NY Children: Isabel Faulkner Muirson b. 23 Nov 1840 in MO; married Theodore Franklin Wright.
Burial: Oak Hill Memorial Park San Jose, Santa

I do not say I am completely right, but as you well know researching ancestors is not as straight forward as on thinks.  Even with a family name of "Muirson"  I have to stop and think will all the Alexanders, Thomas's, Kenneth's Francis etc.

Your help is greatly appreciated, thank you, and pointing me in the right direction is extremely helpful. 
Thank you
Kaye Muirson

[peacekeeper]

I have found the 1808 marriage record in Avoch on Scotlands People for Thomas Muirson Mason and Jane Mackenzie Nat. Dr. of Sir Hector Mc. of Gairloch. Future residence said to  be Seatown.( meaning Seatown of Avoch)
All the earler records I have found lead back accurately to this record so Eleanor Rigby is correct in claiming this is her ancestor..
PEACEKEEPER.

[Forfarian]

Excellent.

Nat Dr is short for natural, i.e. illegitimate, daughter so that does look solid enough.

I have commented on the Wikitree, adding some details and challenging the assertion that it was 'your' Catherine Muirson who married Hugh Heggerty. That was a completely different Catherine Muirson/Murison/Muirison, who was 12 or 13 years younger than 'yours', and born in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, not in Urquhart and Logie Wester (or Ferintosh) in Ross and Cromarty.

'Yours' was certainly back in Scotland in 1851, staying with her sister Christian Muirson or Stewart in Inverness on the day of the census, but recorded as Morrison not Muirson. I have not found a death record in Scotland, however.

[Forfarian]

I have no doubt that Thomas Muirson & Jean Christian (Mackenzie) Muirson are my 3 x Great Grandparents.

But you said in your first post on this thread

On the 19th November 1832, Alexander Muirson & Margaret Urquhart had a daughter  Margaret Muirson.  Alexander disappeared after that, I can not find any trace of him.

and the Wikitree says that he married in Sydney in 1841.