RootsChat.Com
Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Inverness => Topic started by: barden158 on Saturday 02 January 10 22:50 GMT (UK)
-
Hello...I'm trying to find info on Alasdair MacDonald b.1773 in N. Uist and d.1858 at Upper Leitches Creek Nova Scotia. He married Sarah (Mor nighean Alasdair 'ic Raonuill) MacDonald d/o Alexander s/o Ronald . Sarah had a sister Raonaid nighean Alasdair 'ic Raonuill, and a brother Domhnull mac Alasdair 'ic Raonuill. Alasdair and Sarah immigrated to Cape Breton in 1827 with their familyof 15. I would like to find Alasdair's father, grandfather etc and would like to go back as far as possible. There is lots of info on the MacDonalds of S. Uist, but little on the MacDonalds of N. Uist. Can anyone assist me? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou. :) P.S. I have just come across some info..They lived in Ard nan Sruban, then went to Nunton (Cailleach) or Balivanich in Benbecula. :)
-
I gather from the wording of your message that it derives from Fr MacMillan's book on migrants to Cape Breton so don't need pointing in that direction. I am sorry that I cannot give you what you are looking for but I can provide some context that may be useful.
I am not sure where the Carinish reference originated but it is the nearest township in North Uist to Ard nan Sruban in the island of Grimsay so the two apparently separate references may well be to one and the same location. The St Michael's, Ardkenneth records of b, m, d do not start until 1829 so there is only one set of records that could throw light on the move of Alexander and family to Benbecula. That is the rent rolls kept by the Factor, Duncan Shaw. As factor, he had the tack of Nunton so individuals were not recorded there. The rolls do identify the tenants in Balivanich but Alexander does not figure. There are two possible reasons. One is that the set of records runs from 1811-1822/3 and then there is a gap until 1835 by which time Alexander had left for CB. He may only have moved to Benbecula after 1823. The second is that the move from North Uist to Benbecula suggests, in all probability, that Alexander was a cottar, an agricultural labourer, herd or similar, rather than having a lease of a croft. In that case, he would not appear in the rolls.
Incidentally, as a result of the much earlier carving out of a separate estate called Belfinlay and then its subsequent re-integration into Nunton, there was an overlap where a triangle of land could have been called either or both of Nunton and Balivanich so that might just indicate where the family was based. The Beatons emigrated from another Benbecula township, Hacklet. I hope this helps a bit.
-
I wonder if you have registered that Fr MacMillan qualified his entry on the Alexander MacDonald family that was covered on pps 186-217 of 'To the Hill of Boisdale'? On the assumption you have access to the revised edition, Appendix F on page 848 suggests that not all the family left. In the 1940s a Cape Breton descendant visited Benbecula and is said to have met members of the family.
I suspect Fr MacMillan is in error as to the detail but I am sure the information will be of interest. The island mentioned was certainly Eillean Floddaigh or Island Flodda. The present day causeway was not constructed until after the war and so access did depend on the tide; the island was and is MacDonald dominated; and at least two of those MacDonald families did emigrate to Wapella, Saskatchewan/ Moosomin in the Lady Gordon cathcart sponsored migrations of 1883 and 1884. It is the only island associated with Benbecula that fits the description.
I mention error because Fr MacMillan assumes it was the MacDonalds, Alexander and the Flodda group who were related. Effectively, that cannot be if the descent of Alexander from the MacDonalds of Sleat that Fr MacMillan mentions is right. The Flodda MacDonalds are a known family descended from a rather distinctive character, Ranald MacDonald 1st of Benbecula byhis second [of five] wives. It was the mother who claimed relationship tp you family and so the relationship is by marriage rather than blood. Incidentally, the head of the family, though not the same one, is still Donald John. Angus
-
Hello :) No i don't have access to any books etc. on the MacDonalds. Any info I have has come from caring people such as yourself or from articles on the internet. I am just trying to connect the dots and am trying to find out who was Alasdair's father and grandfather and maybe Sarah's people as well. So far i have hit a brick wall. I am very gratefull to you for your information past and present. Any future information would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou B. :)
-
In that case it may help to have the quotation from Fr MacMillan. It relates to your Aleander, complete with the references to Grimsay and Nunto.
"It seems that not all the MacDonald family described on pp 186-216 emigrated in the years 1827/6. In the Spring of 1841 or '42, L Corp Gordon H MacDonald [of Johnnie Red Angus Domhnull] while on army leave, visited Benbecula and North Uist and appears to have conacted close relatives. He later wrote to his mother and told her ..'Tuesday we went to Benbecula. Donald John MacDonald took us to his place on an island right off Benbecula. We had to wait for low tide and walk across. They were all MacDonalds. Donald John's mother, around one hundred years old, said my grandfather would be her uncle. She had no English but was very certain of what she said. She named all the family who went to Cape Breton and even showed me the place where our people lived. The house was still standing, the walls were about four feet thick, all made of stone. The old woman was crying when I left ...'"
There is one thing extra here, which is that, on this account, the family did not live in Balivanich/Nunton which in the traditions was presumably named as the main town to indicate Benbecula, but on Eilean Floddaigh. What I should have mentioned in my previous note is that these MacDonalds from Ranald 1 of Benbecula were direct descendants of the Clanranald chiefs and so not primarily from the Sleat family. As they all seem to have married North Uist wives, it will have been the mother who was closely related to your Alexander and family.
-
:) Hello again, it is my husband's mother who was a MacDonald. I have received what info i have from our cousin John, whose mother, also a MacDonald, was my mother-in-laws sister. He is the current Finlaggan Councilor, Castle Dunluce, Clan Donald. The info he has given me stated that they were kin to the MacDonalds of Sleat, but it could be wrong, i don't know. That is why i'm trying to trace either Alasdair's father or Sarah's father, since her maiden name was MacDonald as well. The last of Alasdair and Sarah's children to be born in Scotland was Angus. Apparently he was born on N. Uist in 1824 a few years before the family came to Cape Breton. Sarah was the daughter of Alexander (as well) son of Ronald. Are there any records remaining that we could trace Angus at least??
-
It makes sense that some MacDonalds in North Uist, including quite possibly yours, especially given the authoritative source of the info, should be of the Sleat persuasion. North Uist was in the hands of the Sleat chiefs from the mid-1400s for four hundred years. The walk across the Atlantic from Grimsay to Benbecula included a different culture and ownership to Catholic Clanranald territory and was relatively rare until about the time your folks seem to have made the trip. The Factor of the day, Duncan Shaw, purposely imported Protestants from North Uist to Benbecula and South Uist on the grounds that they were harder working.
Turning to identification of Alexander's parentage, the North Uist expert is Blair MacAulay. If you look at the Western Isles Board, he does from time to time give contact details. If yo have any trouble tracking him down, do let me know and I will find an address for you. He has a pretty complete database of North Uist families of the period. I will keep an eye out in the Benbecula equivalents now that we have a more specific location. Best of hunting. Angus
-
Thankyou so much for all your help and interest. If you do come across any more info i would be happy to hear from you. As for Blair, i have had some correspondance from him, but it was mostly all the info i had before. His MacDonalds are related to mine down the line. No one however seems to be able to trace them for sure back in Scotland. My MacDonalds were protestant but one of Alasdair and Sarah's great grandsons, Kenneth,turned Catholic and so this arm of the MacDonalds is now of that faith. B
-
I realise I did not answer your specific question about whether Angus at least might be traced. It could not be neater if planned. The last of the rent rolls before the 13 year gap to 1835 is that for 1822. Your information is that Angus was born in 1824. I have checked that last list, which would of course only have tenants shown and would not show a baby or young person. The Catholic births and marriages covering Benbecula pick up from 1829, whilst your family left in 1828. There are simply no records this side of the Atlantic that would provide what you want in that respect.
I do have another thought. Soldiers' records are kept at TNA [The National Archives] at Kew in South London. They should certainly contain a service record for Angus older brother and, one would think, details of his death and burial at Salisbury. It would be an enormous stroke of luck if anything was attached about his parentage but it is not impossible given the apparent nature of his death. At any rate, that is the best avenue I can think of at this stage. best wishes. Angus
-
Hi again Angus, i thought of that and spent the better partof yesterday trying to find something of son Alexander who died in England and was buried on Salsbury Plain. Again i came up empty, but maybe i'm not looking in the right place.Another son Angus stayed behind as well for awhile to finish his apprenticeship as a wheelright.I don't know if there would be any record of him as i don't know where he apprenticed.
Barb
-
Alexander MacDonald's army service should certainly be recorded in WO97 at TNA, the National Archives at Kew just south of the River Thames in London. I suspect success in tracking down someone whose name will be common but perhaps spelled any which way may require someone to visit in person. That could either be a family member such as your Clan Donald relative if he lives within reach or, failing that, a paid researcher. Before going to those lengths, however, one or two of the internet data providers such as Ancestry and perhaps Find My Past have transcribed the Military records. That might be the best place to start.
If Angus stayed beyond 1828 only long enough to complete an apprenticeship, it is doubtful he will show up anywhere. I do not think there were the sort of formal written apprenticeship contracts that existed elsewhere (I have never come across one relating to the islands), he would not have had a lease of a croft holding, it is doubtful he would have been in a position to support a wife and so would not have appeared in the marriage or baptismal records and Angus MacDonald was at the very top of the list of names repeated across every township. I have had a look at the Flodda location from which the family seems to have emigrated and there is no stray Angus to be seen there at the 1841 Census or in any of the earlier marriage and birth records starting in 1829.
Alexander is much the better prospect, I think. Best wishes, Angus
-
Hello It is not possible that I go to Kews to search as i am in Canada, although the thought of going to Scotland and Ireland especially (I'm Irish and English extraction) to trace our heritage is a pleasing one. My husband's heritage is Scottish and English.I guess i'm too much af a romantic when it comes to long ago Scotland and Ireland and England as well, with all the history and long ago Lords and Ladies.lol I've also hit a brick wall trying to trace my gg grandfather in Ireland. oh well back to Alexander..I'm not too good at manuvering some of the National Archives sites, I'll try the sites that you recommended, but i find that they usually start with ww1.
Thankyou again Barb
-
hi guys thsi is my first time doing this how can i get some info on my family tree my last name is taylor
-
hi this is my new name
-
There must be a considerable number of unrelated Taylors who presumably got their name from someone who was good with a pair of scissors and needle. Unless you know otherwise, they are as likely to be in England or anywhere else as Scotland. Try a Taylor surname board and give as much detail as possible.
-
Angus, Would i have a better chance do you think if I tried to trace Alexander's wife Sarah mor (Marion)?? Her father was Alexander also and her grandfather was Ronald MacDonald. Unfortuneatly I don't have any dates for them.Would it be wrong to assume that they were from N. Uist as well? I have sent an email to Kews in the hopes that i might find something of young Alasdair but so far I haven't heard anything.
Barb
-
Barb: did Blair say anything about Rachel when you asked him about the family? If not, I should certainly think it worthwhile to ask him the question. My feeling is that she probably was from North Uist, the qualification to that being the couple's seeming residence on the island of Flodda. That was inhabited by a set of MacDonalds who did have strong North Uist links and, as it was not the most obvious place for Rachel and her husband to settle, even temporarily, I wonder if there could have been some sort of family tie. If so, I am afraid it is not very evident as I did look through the relevant records and I did not spot a potential link. I will certainly keep an eye out for anything that would help. Meanwhile. good luck with the military angle. Angus
-
Any updates on which Island Alasdair came from? My wife and I are planning a trip to the outer Hebrides and would love to see the old homestead. ;D
Cheers,
Chuck
-
I have had another look at what was written in the first place and the references that cropped up in the subsequent discussion. As you will gather, the timings left records unlikely to help so I have not found anything fresh to guide your search. However, I am pretty sure we did identify some relevant locations. The most specific is the Island of Flodda off the northeast coast of Benbecula but connected these days by a causeway; it is certainly the site identified on page 848 in the Appendix to Fr MacMillan's book To the Hill of Boisdale. There are only and at most have only ever been six holdings on the island. Apart possibly from No.4, all were at the relevant time in the hands of one extended family, descendants of an Angus MacDonald a descendant of Ranald MacDonald I of Benbecula who died in 1636. Pretty well all the descendants who had the tenancies married wives from North Uist. A couple had descendants who, as mentioned by Fr MacMillan, emigrated to Cape Breton in the 1840s and to Saskatchewan in 1883/4. The most likely to be closely related to you [though this is may speculation] seems to have been the family of James MacDonald at 6 Eilean Floddaigh. The lands that went with that holding seem to have been absorbed into 4 Flodda at some point but there is a small house on the shoreline, accessed by a drive along the beach, that probably represents the site of the original dwelling. Do have a chat to the locals as it is amazing how much of ancient history is preserved in tradition.
On the assumption that the tradition is correct that Alexander settled for some time at Nunton [Baile nan Cailleach, the town of the nuns so not Caiileach alone], he will not have had a lease/tenancy. At the time Nunton was the home farm for the estate and from 1797 was the residence of the Factor or Estate Manager until the 1840s, when it was let out as a commercial farm, this persisting until after WW1. Accordingly, Alexander and family will have lived in the little cottar settlement on the moor to the east of the main house. It is no longer there except as traces of dwellings. His daily work will have seen him in and around Nunton Steadings, which is across the road from Nunton House itself. The house and surroundings are little changed from the early 1800s.
The Island of Grimsay [beware because there is another off the east coast of Benbecula] lies in the Sound between Benbecula and North Uist. Again it is not exactly extensive and you can drive round it in a quarter of an hour or so but, in this case, there is no indication of where the connection may have been. Carinish is then the first settlement on North Uist itself and indeed the references to this location may have been an approximation for Grimsay.
-
You have been a great help and I will indeed visit the Island of Flodda and speak with the locals. Thank you so much for taking the time to post.
By the way, I think the only reference to Carinish was A.J. MacMillan speculating (pg 186 of book one, or pg 204 of the revised 2001 edition) that Aonghas Tauirnear left from Carinish on the ship Commerce in 1828 after completing his apprenticeship.
Cheers,
Charles J. MacDonald III
-
Glad to be of help. I don't know if you have any connection with the Beatons who came to Leitche's [why not Leitch's or Leithches' ?] Creek in the 1830s but, if so, they left from a hilltop three or four miles down the road from the Flodda turn in Hacklet, behind the Isle of Benbecula House Hotel. Angus
-
Glad to be of help. I don't know if you have any connection with the Beatons who came to Leitche's [why not Leitch's or Leithches' ?] Creek in the 1830s but, if so, they left from a hilltop three or four miles down the road from the Flodda turn in Hacklet, behind the Isle of Benbecula House Hotel. Angus
I love this information! Again, Thank you very much. Some of the Beatons are related through marriages along the lines.
-
I'm just back from a visit to Scotland. My wife and I stayed at Kyles Floddah for a few days and had the pleasure of a visit with Donald John MacDonald of Croft 3 on Eilean Fhloddaigh. We did walk the Island and took photos of some of the other Crofts there. I walked around Croft 6 and thought that might be where my connections lived. Donald John MacDonald said that Crofts 1 and 3 were always MacDonald families, while Croft 6 was a family of Curries. Donald John did remember a visit from Angus MacDonald. He also remembered a story of his great uncle "Donald John MacDonald" showing a young "Gordon H. MacDonald" around in 1942.
As fun and rewarding as our trip was, I still don't really know how we are connected to the Fhloddaigh MacDonalds, although I am related to the Gordon MacDonald from the 1942 visit.
Anybody have any updates?
Lot's of photos of our trip at my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/Yearroundfishing?ref=tn_tnmn
Cheers,
Chuck
-
Direct link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151196021925767.507512.614530766&type=1&l=fe0add4cbb
-
Great photos of your trip to Island Flodda. Have you thought of joining Benbecula History Society on Facebook. "Community information group for Benbecula and Uist in the Outer Hebrides. Historical data from Clanranald, Gordon Cathcart, emigration, genealogy records and RAF and military presence. A local archive collected by volunteers over a 25 year period." https://www.facebook.com/pages/Benbecula-History-Society/189975034489335