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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Topic started by: Aussie2307 on Friday 11 January 08 13:29 GMT (UK)

Title: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Aussie2307 on Friday 11 January 08 13:29 GMT (UK)
Hi all Happy New Year, I am researching the McNair Family can anyone help?
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Little Nell on Friday 11 January 08 13:32 GMT (UK)
Welcome to RootsChat.

Can you be a little more specific?  Dates, locations and some names would help  :)

Nell
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Ninatoo on Sunday 13 January 08 13:06 GMT (UK)
I have a lot of McNairs who seem to have begun in Paisley, Renfrewshire and ended up in Bridgeton, Lanarkshire.  One son went to the US with his family.

My McNairs come from Archibald McNair and Margaret Hutton.
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: liverpool lass on Sunday 13 January 08 16:40 GMT (UK)
I'm not related but saw mention of a Rev Dr MacNair of Abbey, Paisley who officiated at a marriage in October 1849. Could this be one of yours?
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Ninatoo on Sunday 13 January 08 22:17 GMT (UK)
Hi Liverpool lass,

It's possible, and now of course I am going to have to find out  ;D.

I can't find a birth for Archibald McNair, so although he was born about 1821 I know nothing of his parents or siblings yet.  I havent thoroughly searched for his death yet either.

But if a reverend turns up I will let you know!
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Aussie2307 on Monday 14 January 08 01:09 GMT (UK)
I am trying to find any information about Robert McNair, s/o William McNair. Robert married Elizabeth Simpson Snodan (Sneddon). They both left the UK in September 1852 on board the "Marco Polo".
Robert was born in 1816, died in 1886. Elizabeth born 1817, died 1878.
Elizabeth d/o Robert Sneddon and Elspeth Hill. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: andrew shanks on Friday 15 February 08 18:32 GMT (UK)
I have siblings:

John McNair born c1882 @ Caldavron, Dumbartonshire
William D McNair born c1884 Caldavron, Dumbartonshire
Catherine McNair born c1886 Caldavron, Dumbartonshire

Mother was named Margaret, born about 1856 at Falkirk, Stirlingshire.

They were all living at Bothkennar, Stirlingshire at the time of the 1891 census and I have a photograph of John in WW1 army uniform. 

If anyone has any information on this family I would be grateful to receive it.

 :)
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Agnes14 on Saturday 08 November 08 23:21 GMT (UK)
I have a James Hutton married to Elizabeth McNair probably around 1840 ish. Their daughter Mary H was born abt 1842 in Irvine and married Wm McKelvie - they lived in Wishaw.
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: gmcnair on Saturday 25 December 10 01:07 GMT (UK)
I have a lot of McNairs who seem to have begun in Paisley, Renfrewshire and ended up in Bridgeton, Lanarkshire.  One son went to the US with his family.

My McNairs come from Archibald McNair and Margaret Hutton.

Hello, my great grandfather was named Archibald McNair and he lived in Coos County, Oregon USA. He and his brother David came out to Oregon from Nova Scotia, I think.
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: sancti on Saturday 25 December 10 11:15 GMT (UK)
I am trying to find any information about Robert McNair, s/o William McNair. Robert married Elizabeth Simpson Snodan (Sneddon). They both left the UK in September 1852 on board the "Marco Polo".
Robert was born in 1816, died in 1886. Elizabeth born 1817, died 1878.
Elizabeth d/o Robert Sneddon and Elspeth Hill. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

What was Robert's occupation?
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Skoosh on Sunday 26 December 10 11:27 GMT (UK)
There was a Charlie McNair, (wife Anne) landlord of The Grapes pub, in Tollcross, Glasgow in the sixties!   Skoosh.
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Feebees21 on Wednesday 20 March 13 04:23 GMT (UK)
I too am researching whoops change that to trying to best I have at the moment is John & Angus & Jessie (assume short for Jessica) McNair 
John born in Glasgow (we think) 1909 He Married Nellie Mears 1929?   We know of issue from these two (husband being one) but as for Angus and Jessie no idea but think perhaps Jessie may have been married to a chap called Norman (lots of info as you can see)
Nellie's Father was Harry Mears Nellies Mother was either Elvina or Alvira but Elvina is winning at the moment so if anyone out there can help us please do we have just started looking :-* :-*
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Ninatoo on Wednesday 20 March 13 10:26 GMT (UK)
Hi Feebees and welcome to Rootschat,

In Scotland, Jessie is a common name, both on its own and short for Janet.  I looked at http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk and found nine births for John McNair between 1908 and 1910 in Lanarkshire.  It might help if you knew which area of Glasgow he was born in. I could not find a marriage for John McNair and Nellie  in Scotland, so perhaps they didn't marry there?

Who were the parents of John, Jessie and Angus?

Nina

Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Agnes14 on Wednesday 20 March 13 11:20 GMT (UK)
It might be more helpful to know what you do know rather that what it might be.   Do you have your fa-in-law's death cert. ?    Nellie can be just Nellie but it can also be Helen - do you have Nellie's death reg.  I can see no trace of birth, deaths or marriages for any of the names mentioned.  John could also be the name he was known as and not the full name of what he was registered with  i.e. Andrew John McN etc.
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: nanville on Saturday 23 March 13 08:01 GMT (UK)
hi skoosh, i was at quarrybrae primary school in 1953-1958 with a girl called anne mcnair,she lived opposite the grapes pub,would like to know how her life turned out.
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Feebees21 on Sunday 24 March 13 05:50 GMT (UK)
To all that have sent me emails re my search for my husband's family I thank you so much as someone suggested I need more information to go on  so hopefully in the next couple of weeks I shall have my brother or sister in law furnish me with some actual dates names etc but to all I wish you a very safe and Happy Easter cheers FeeBee
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: sancti on Sunday 24 March 13 08:04 GMT (UK)
This is the closest marriage I could find in Scotland

1944 MACNAIR ANDREW J D and MEARNS HELEN at CHIRNSIDE /BERWICK

It is too recent to be viewed online

What year was your husband born?
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Forfarian on Sunday 24 March 13 10:25 GMT (UK)
Jessie (assume short for Jessica)

No. That is not the case in Scotland, though I believe it may be in England.

The names Janet and Jessie are almost 100% interchangeable in Scotland, and no-one seems to know for certain why this should be. Jessica, as an name in its own right, is extremely rare.

According to Scotland's People there were no baptisms of Jessicas at all until after 1820. From 1820 to 1854 there were 3 in the Church of Scotland and 8 in the Roman Catholic records. From 1855 to 1899 there were just 10 births, though there were 12 Roman Catholic baptisms.

Jessie does occur, but rarely, before the 19th century. Before 1800 there were just 58 baptisms of Jessies, only one of whom was born before 1750, 5 between 1751 and 1779, 22 in the 1780s and 30 in the 1790s.

However there here were 62 burials of Jessies. By way of comparison, for several other names the number of burials is a very small percentage of the number of baptisms. So the use of Jessie for a girl officially baptised Janet does seem to have a long tradition.

Before 1800, however, 141,353 Janets were baptised (not including spelling variants Jannet, Jenet, Jennet, Jonet etc) so the proportion of Janets known as Jessie must be tiny.

Yet almost suddenly in the 19th century, girls baptised Janet turn up in droves as Jessie in later records, and to a lesser extent vice versa.

There are lots of pairs of interchangeable names - Jean/Jane, Donald/Daniel, Peter/Patrick, Helen/Ellen, for example - but in all other cases you can see the logic. With Janet/Jessie, there's no obvious link or derivation.

Digression - There are also some names that ought to be interchangeable, but are regarded as separate names because both turn up in the same families - Jane/Jean and Janet are both the feminine of John, yet you often find a Jean/Jane with a sister Janet/Jessie. Likewise Elspet(h) is originally a variant of Elizabeth, yet you regularly find Elspet(h)s with a sister Elizabeth. Isabella is the Spanish version of Elizabeth, yet you find families with both an Elizabeth and an Isabella.

For fuller information see www.whatsinaname.net
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Agnes14 on Sunday 24 March 13 11:35 GMT (UK)
One reason for changes of names from the names people were registered with is for distinction between members of families.  Mother & daughter both Jean, the daughter may have been known as Jane to distinguish between the two.  In my own family, Agnes is a common name yet a cousin, Agnes was know as Millie and only on official documents was she given her correct name.  In her case, Millie, came from a middle name of Milligan and no one has any idea why, as she was the only Agnes in her family.   There are no absolute rules and considering clerks only wrote what they heard phonetically, it's not surprising that there are so many names with different spellings.
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Andrew Morison on Thursday 29 October 15 05:36 GMT (UK)
Hello there,

I am interested if anyone has any information at all please on a Duncan McNair who is said to have married a Margaret Beith, (dates and details unknown) they had a daughter Mary McNair (born 25/7/1834 died 7/12/1925 aged 91) who married a Peter Thomson (his second wife) in Dunedin New Zealand on 20/12/1864. 

thank you

Andrew Morison
Kaiapoi
New Zealand
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Agnes14 on Thursday 29 October 15 08:06 GMT (UK)
I'm not researching them but they are in scotlandspeople.   
There are 4 children registered to Duncan McNair & Margaret Beith, in Glassary, Argyll
Duncan McN  baptised 15/03/1830
Gilbert Beith McN  "   07/04/1825 
Helen Maria McN      "   23/04/1827
John McN                "   22/06/1823

Hope this helps.
Title: Re: Anyone researching the McNair Family
Post by: Andrew Morison on Thursday 29 October 15 22:08 GMT (UK)
Thank you very much for that!  I haven't managed to find any record of the birth of Mary McNair, I'll keep looking,

Mary McNair (who married Peter Thomson) are my great great grandparents.

Thank you