John McLeod 1820c Isle of Skie, Scotland

[BronwenS]

Kia ora

I am looking for this John McLeod (needle in haystack stuff).  I am really wanting to find his parents and when he came to Aotearoa.  Says he spent 30 years here and that would mean he came around 1850. 

Elizabeth King was Maori and her father John Wheeler King, was the first white person to be born in Aotearoa in Northland at a missionary outpost and he also saw the founding document of this country Te Tiriti o Waitangi signed and as a fluent speaker of Maori travelled around to get signatures of Maori chiefs.

John McLeod (1837c/1820 Isle of Skie, Scotland, son of Donald McLeod 1804c who married Janet???) married Elizabeth King (Betsy/Peti 1833) 11 September 1854 (he aged 34? and her aged 18 in the house of Emanuel King, it was witnessed by her uncle Noa Paaka, and Tamati Tikou.  John McLeod was the only one of the four who could sign their name) and they had twelve children: Elizabeth McLeod 15 December 1856-30 September 1925 (m.Gavin Amos), John McLeod 1858, #Alexander McLeod 1860, Catherine (Kate) McLeod October 1861-17 October 1932 Southland Buried Wallacetown Cemetery, Southland  (m.James William Nunn d.1938 c.Melva Nunn), Susan McLeod 1 July 1862 Dunedin, Ernest McLeod 1864-1935 (m.Ellen Douglas), Isabella McLeod 1864-30 September 1947 (1st m.Bishop 2nd m.Gough, no children), Donald McLeod 12 October 1865 Invercargill (m.Margaret Bridget Lawton) d.23 September 1961, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. William McLeod 1867 no children, Edward McLeod 1869 Otago no children, Flora McLeod 1871 Otago no children.
Elizabeth McLeod (King) died 8 October 1873 Invercargill? She is thought to be buried at Myross Bush, Southland.
John McLeod Shepherd aged 60, 30 years in New Zealand, died 17 September 1880 Dunedin Hospital, Dunedin, buried 21 September 1880 Northern Cemetery Dunedin (Block 56 Plot 26).

Any help much appreciated
Bronwen
Aotearoa

[Forfarian]

I rather fear that this particular needle may be destined to remain in the haystack

There are 7 surviving records of the baptisms of John M(a)cLeods with father Donald and mother Jan(n)et. None of these is in the Isle of Skye, or even in Inverness-shire, and none between 1812 and 1829. See screenshot.

You might be able to find him in the 1841 census. Go to https://www.freecen.org.uk/ (or the older version that I very much prefer https://freecen1.freecen.org.uk/cgi/search.pl) and search 1841 for M*cleod, John, born 1820 plus or minus 5 years, census county Inverness-shire. The parishes that are in Skye are Bracadale, Duirinish, Kilmuir, Portree, Sleat, Snizort, and Strath. Look at all the results in the hope that you will find a John in a household with father Donald and mother Janet.

Bear in mind that adults' ages were supposed to be rounded down to the nearest 5 years in 1841. Also that John may have left home, that one or both of his parents may have died, in which case there's less chance of finding him.

Another quite long and tedious way to narrow the search for his parents would be to go to www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, search the church records for all baptisms of M*cleods with parents Don* and J*an*t* between 1800 and 1840, make a note of the surnames of all the mothers, and then go to the statutory deaths records and search for the deaths of John M*cleod born 1820 plus or minus 5 years with each of those mothers' surnames, and you will be able to eliminate any who stayed in Scotland. Though I suspect that would still leave you with too many possibilites, because it won't eliminate any Donald-and-Janet parents who didn't actually have a son named John.

[Neale1961]

There is a baptism in Strath in 1823 for a John McLeod
Son of Dond. McLeod and Jennet McInnes

I am not sure that he is your man however.

Or maybe he IS
Maybe a younger brother name Lachlan b. 1829, emigrated to Australia in 1853. ? .
ADDED - no, I don’t think that is the same Lachlan. He has the wrong occupation, and is married with kids.

[Forfarian]

Mea culpa. I searched for J*an*t so didn't find that one. Should have searched for j*n*t*.

[Neale1961]

1841 census for that family born in Strath
https://www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/5a14cc13f4040b9d6ecfd89f/lauchlin-mcleod-1841-inverness-shire-inverness-1829-?locale=en

[Neale1961]

1851 census. same family, but John is not with them now.
https://www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/5a14d112f4040b9d6ed5de7f/grace-mcleod-1851-inverness-shire-inverness-1840-?locale=en

Donald, Janet and daughter Margaret are in 1861 census in Inverness, in Shoe Lane.

[Forfarian]

Looking good, Neale1961.

I tried but got the dreaded 'come back later, we're too busy' message on FreeCEN.

[Neale1961]

It must be me using it too much! 

[Neale1961]

If we are looking at the right John McLeod, a ship’s carpenter, he may have arrived in New Zealand as part of the crew on a ship. You may not find him on immigration records in that case.

What was the occupation of your John when he married?