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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Perthshire => Topic started by: ASA1 on Wednesday 30 July 08 20:39 BST (UK)
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Hello,
I am trying to research my family tree on my mother’s side but have hit a bit of a brick wall. I am researching the MacDuffs who were tenants of Tomnagairn and Tomnagrew farms in Little Dunkeld parish.
An old family tree compiled by another family member indicates that my GGGGG Grandfather Donald MacDuff moved to the area as a child, in approximately 1710, and some evidence I have shows he was born elsewhere c.1700 – but I don’t know where (possibly the lowlands).
Donald had 2 children, Donald (born 1734) and William – dob unknown, although he apparently married an Ann Ferguson on 29/01/1792, in the parish of Dull. William and Ann had 2 children, Mary (b.1805) and Donald (again dob unknown, poss 1806, apparently born at Tomnagairn). Donald married a Margaret Robertson on 22/12/1841.
Donald and Margaret had 8 children, all of whom I can trace – I just can’t seem to find the evidence (i.e BMD records on Scotlands People, even searching variations such as Duff and Duffe) linking them back to my GGGGG Grandfather.
I have looked in ‘Memorial Inscriptions in Little Dunkeld Churchyard’, the first MacDuff buried there is one of Donald and Margaret’s children, John (entry no.474). Does anyone know of any other local graveyards they may be buried in or if he was born in a different parish would he have been buried there?
Any advice or assistance on where to go from here would be gratefully appreciated!
Andrew
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You will find Donald McDuffs in the Logierait OPRs on Scotlands People eg one born in 1679 and two getting married thereafter.
The boundaries between Little Dunkeld and Logierait weren't fixed at this time and local people in what we now call Little Dunkeld often used Logierait as their local church.
(The Little Dunkeld OPRs didn't start until mid 18th century whereas Logierait started one hundred years before)
Worth a look?
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Thanks, will check it out.
Does Logierait church have a graveyard and if so do you know if there is a list of memorial inscriptions anywhere?
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Logierait MIs are published in a booklet available from Tay Valley History Society ISBN 0 9513690 7 5 or you can get the complete book for North Perthshire ISBN 0 90106176X.
In there you will find McDuffs in Blair Atholl,Dunkeld and of course Little Dunkeld.
No McDuffs in Logierait cemetery but lots of Duffs
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Couldn't resist following up and looking in the NAS records.
McDuffs were in Tomnagarine in Strabrane(Tomnagairn in Strathbraan?) in 1646 and were quite well off dealing with Campbell of GlenOrchy(Later Earl of Breadalbane).
In 1834 Donald in Tomnagrew was negotiating an exchange of land with Sir John Stewart of Grandtully.
The McDuffs of Logierait were further north,nearer Ballinluig and Pitnacree and they too were relatively well off but it is a fair distance from Strathbraan to Strathtay so whether they were all related is open to question..
All the best
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Don't know if this is that relevant...but my great grandfather was James McDuff Robertson. He was born in Tomnagrew, Little Dunkeld in 1899. The McDuff name is seemingly random...it appears nowhere else in the family.
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There could be a link there - one side of my MacDuffs lived at Tomnagairn and the other at Tomnagrew. I will have to check my notes and the census records but I think they were still there at that time. I know they employed several people to work on the farm so that could be the link? I have also come across some Robertsons in my research although that was earlier (1860s) - there is a definite connection but I have not been able to work it out as yet...
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I have a Catherine MACDUFF in my family tree she was born around 1789 Little Dunkeld Perthshire, She married David Sinclair
Her father was Donald Duff of Tomnagrew.
I don't know if thats any link to you.
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Yes they appear in my family tree too. Donald Duff/ MacDuff / McDuff’ is the one born in 1734 that I refer to in my original post, and his brother William was my GGGG Grandfather. Their father Donald (my GGGGG Grandfather) is the one I’m having difficulty tracing.
Catherine had a brother Donald and I have some more information about the descendants on that side if you want it. I don’t have any info on Catherine and David’s descendants.
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Don't know about Catherine having a brother Donald but i know she had a brother called John and their mother was Christian Mclaren does she pop up on your Tree ?
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Yes I've got Christian, married to Donald. As I said I've got their children as Cathrine and Donald, but I don't have John. Have you got any further details about him, BMD etc?
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Then we are on the right track, The only info i have on John Mcduff is his birth
3 MAR 1782 Little Dunkeld, Perth, Scotland, Born as John Duff to Donald Duff and Christian Mclaren.
Do you have Donald Mcduffs or Christian's death year ?
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The information I have is:
Donald was born in 1734 and died on 23 Aug 1823
Christian was born 1760 and died on 19 Nov 1825
They were married in Little Dunkeld on 04 Mar 1781
Their son Donald was born in 1791, he went on to marry a Janet Stewart and they had 8 children.
This is all from a family tree a relative composed years ago and I haven't verified any of it yet. Hope it helps.
Do you have Catherine's birth and death dates as I don't have these? I have her marriage to David Sinclair as 9 May 1813.
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Thankyou for the information it helps fill in a few blanks
Catherine was born 13 december 1789 Little Dunkeld and she died 1865 Redgorton.
Her marriage to David is correct as 9/5/1813
Unfortunately i do not have David's Birth or Death year thats where i am stuck at the moment.
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The Macduffs have been kicking around that part of Perthshire since about 1160. In 1431, James I created one Finlay Duff the Feudal Baron of Fandowie. The family had the feudal Barony removed sometime after one of the family, John Macduff alias Barroun, was hanged in 1600 for his part in the infamous Gowrie conspiracy. John is my 9xGt Grandfather.
I have a copy of a tree headed "Macduffs of Strathbraan" which starts with Donald of Tomnagairn, who is noted as having been born in 1790. I think this is the same tree as others have - it was completed in the late 1980s, and appears to be fairly accurate. I also have a copy of my 3xgt grandfather's commonplace book, the original of which is with the University Archive in St Andrews. He was Alexander Macduff of Bonhard (1792-1842). In about 1816 he visited Fandowie and met an old man aged 90, called Donald Macduff of Tomnagrew, who gave Alexander the legendary history of the family. Alexander's son, Rev Dr John Ross Macduff, reproduced the account in his autobiography. This is obviously the same Donald as the Donald who was born in 1734. There are a number of Macduff families who hail from Strathbraan, the most important of which were the Macduffs of Fandowie and the Macduffs of Ballinloan. I think that the Tomnagrew family were connected to the Ballinloan branch, but I have no firm evidence of that yet!
This site is quite useful for more recent research:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lendavies/allduffintro.htm
Len Davies has done a bit of a one-name study and has compiled all of the Macduff records in the statutory records throughout the UK.
I hope that this is of some help/interest. I have more information on the Macduffs if it would be of interest.
Robert
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In about 1816 he visited Fandowie and met an old man aged 90, called Donald Macduff of Tomnagrew, who gave Alexander the legendary history of the family. Alexander's son, Rev Dr John Ross Macduff, reproduced the account in his autobiography. This is obviously the same Donald as the Donald who was born in 1734. There are a number of Macduff families who hail from Strathbraan, the most important of which were the Macduffs of Fandowie
I hope that this is of some help/interest. I have more information on the Macduffs if it would be of interest.
Robert
Hi Robert i would be interested in any think you know about Fandowie, My gggg Grand father David mcduff Sinclair lived there with his wife Catherine mcduff in 1800s up late 1840s.
Catherine's father was the Donald Duff (mcduff) you are talking about, and the mcduff surname appears to be a common middle name in my family with another 4 of my ancestors having it.
regards
Scot