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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Inverness => Topic started by: Jehane on Saturday 24 March 12 21:45 GMT (UK)
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Searching an Ann McDonald born in Uachdar about 1826. Her parents were Norman McDonald of North Uist and her mother Jessie MacAulay of South Uist. Also researching other MacAulay's that came to Prince Edward Island especially the Tracadie McDonald's. Norman McDonald and Jessie MacAulay settled in lot 59 PEI and Dan McDonald settled in Cape Breton and I found Dan McDonald through Rootschat. Ann McDonald did not emigrate with her family and she does appear in the 1841 census.
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You have me a little bit puzzled. Was the Ann MacDonald who seems to have remained behind located somewhere other than Uachdar? I do have an Ann in Uachdar aged 14 in 1841 and so born 1826/7 but she was a daughter of Ranald MacDonald who lost his right leg at Quatre Bras on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo. I assume Norman and family must have left sometime before that? Angus
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Incidentally, Norman had a holding costing £6 per annum from the first Factor Robert Brown rent roll in 1806. In addition, he worked at the Uachdar drain. It is recorded that in 1808 his wife was a dairymaid at Nunton, the island's main house and farm, until a little earlier the home of the Clanranald chief but which by then was in the hands of Robert Brown and, from 1811, of his successor as Factor, Duncan Shaw. Norman remained in the rolls as a crofter and in the kelp lists until 1821 but then disappeared from the record. This would presumably not be when he emigrated if he had a daughter in Benbecula in 1826. In that case, he may have lost the lands and become a cottar as he would not then figure in the written records.
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Angus thanks so much for the new information. Sorry to confuse you Ann McDonald is a bit of a mystery because the rest of the family emmigrated but she stayed behind. Either she got married or stayed with relatives I assume.
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Where can one obtain copies of the rent rolls? Are they in Mr. Lawson's books?
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Hello Jehane: nothing published on the rent rolls, I am afraid and precious little detail so it is pure luck that Norman's job at the drain and wife are mentioned. They only refer to the land holder so there is normally nothing about family. They are in the Clanranald chest at the Scottish National Archives. I will have a look for Ann MacDonald. I wonder what you have to suggest she was still present in 19841? Also, do you have a date for the family leaving. If it was anywhere near 1841, I wonder if they had simply moved from Uachdar to another township. Incidentally, the MacAulay wife coming from South Uist will probably not have stopped her ancestry being from North Uist; if she was Protestant, that would have been a certainty. Angus
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I think this is the family listed in 1841 cenus of Parish of South Uist. I thought the family came in about 1833 but it sounds like Dan McDonald may have come with other extended family members to Cape Breton. Another son James is not shown here either but he could have immigrated earlier or be working his birth was in 1820. Jessie MacAulay was a Catholic before she married Norman.
Norman Macdonald 60
Tossy Macdonald 50 (should be Jessie)
Ann Macdonald 15
John Macdonald 13
Angus Macdonald 10
Cathrine Macdonald 8
What is the drain?
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Found them. They were not in Uachdar proper but in the Uachdar of Gramsdale. Uachdar is literally 'the cream' i.e. the upper part of something and here it was applied to the neighbouring part of the adjoining township/farm of Gramsdale. It is late now but I will see what I can find about Ann in the morning. angus
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thanks for all your help!
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This is where the drain comes in. Uachdar and Gramsdale lie along the north coast of Benbecula. Immediately to the south of them the land rises steeply. When it rains, as it does, the water needs to drain north across the low lying machair to the sound between Benbecula and North Uist. Rather than just waterlog all the farmed lands, if you have or can get hold of a map, you will see that it collects in a lochan that lies beside where the road from North Uist forks, one branch heading due west to Dunganichy and Balvanich and the other turning southwards up the hill towards Griminish, Lionacleit and, ultimately, South Uist. That lochan has an outlet north into the sea, the outlet forming the boundary between Gramsdale and Uachdar. As the land is so low lying, there is virtually no fall on the outlet so the fear has always been that a high tide or storm might see the flow of water reversed and the sea rush in to flood the crofts with salt water. Accordingly, these drains were always gated and had to be managed by someone who opened or closed the gate as necessary. That was the job that Norman had and he will also have been responsible for chasing up the surrounding crofters to clear the drain on occasion. His location, the Uachdar of Gramsdale puts his lands alongside the drain. Even today, the 'Old Gramsdale Inn' is immediately to the west of the drain and in Uachdar rather than Gramsdale.
Norman and family had indeed left by 1851. There is no sign in either township of Ann having remained behind. She must either have married though I think I would know of her later if she had married in Benbecula, or have died between 1841 and 1851. It does mean that she was not left by the family when 15 as she would have been approaching 25 by 1851. In fact, the family almost certainly left by about 1844 as that was when the migrant ships that, till then, had headed to Pictou/CB changed their routine and made their first landfall at Quebec. At the end of the 1840s, all the migrants found themselves and settled, in Ontario.
Two questions. Do you know that Ann stayed behind or did she simply not arrive in CB with the rest of the family? And where did they settle? Was it among the other Catholic settlers broadly in Northwest CB in places like Sydney and Mira? Hope this helps. Angus
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The drain makes perfect sense to me now thank you for your explanation. I have recently learned that there were other family members that immigrated at the same time or earlier. A John MacAulay(Jessie'sbrother) and a MacMillan family that were connected to them but that's all I found out.
Norman and family settled in lot 59, PEI and three of their sons and one Dan son settled in Cape Breton. Some of Dan's family are buried in the Gordon churchyard near Sydney, Cape Breton.
Some MacAulay's settled in Tracadie, PEI and they are from the same family.
I don't have an exact immigration date but would place it between 1833 and 1841. Old family info says the family didn't care for Cape Breton so they came to PEI. Ann doesn't show up anywhere in PEI so maybe she stayed in Cape Breton or died en route.
thanks, Jane
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As Norman and family were still in Benbecula for the 1841 Census, that limits when they could have left until after July 1841. Do you know the identity of the MacMillan family you mention by any chance. There was a John MacMillan [mac Aonghais 'ic Chaluim] and wife Catherine MacDonald that left Uachdar at the right time and, thoug I do not know if it was straightaway or later, settled at Rear Ball's Creek. Now I must have a look for John MacAulay and for dan though he would have been Donald in Benbecula as the Biblical name was unknown in the islands; a matter of pronunciation. The move fromCB to PEI was unusual as many earlier migrants had done the opposite in search of greater freedom. The only twig of my own family that ever emigrated were on the ill-fated Lulan in 1848 and settled in PEI. They were my 3x great grandmother's brother, Roderick MacLellan, married to her husband's sister, Flora MacMillan.
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I think that John MacAulay may have been married to Norman's sister. Not sure if that's correct though. I have read the story about the Lulan and there are MacLellan's on PEI still. I am aquainted with some of them.
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Searching an Ann McDonald born in Uachdar about 1826. Her parents were Norman McDonald of North Uist and her mother Jessie MacAulay of South Uist. Also researching other MacAulay's that came to Prince Edward Island especially the Tracadie McDonald's. Norman McDonald and Jessie MacAulay settled in lot 59 PEI and Dan McDonald settled in Cape Breton and I found Dan McDonald through Rootschat. Ann McDonald did not emigrate with her family and she does appear in the 1841 census.
I have found an Ann MacVicar ( Me. MacDonald) as an ancestor. She had passed by 18 September 1877 by the time her daughter married. Her daughter lived in Cladach Kirkibost. Ann married Angus MacVicar who was a crofter.
Do you think these ann's are the same?
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Searching an Ann McDonald born in Uachdar about 1826. Her parents were Norman McDonald of North Uist and her mother Jessie MacAulay of South Uist. Also researching other MacAulay's that came to Prince Edward Island especially the Tracadie McDonald's. Norman McDonald and Jessie MacAulay settled in lot 59 PEI and Dan McDonald settled in Cape Breton and I found Dan McDonald through Rootschat. Ann McDonald did not emigrate with her family and she does appear in the 1841 census.
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It's possible it's the same Ann she is listed in the 1841 census with the family but didn't immigrate. I'll have to check this out. Thank you
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It's possible it's the same Ann she is listed in the 1841 census with the family but didn't immigrate. I'll have to check this out. Thank you
Great! It's appreciated
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Hi Painted Warrior:
Checked out Annie MacVicar(nee McDonald) but I think she's to old to be the one I'm researching. If I'm correct she was born about 1806. She's probably a relation though most of the McDonald's must have been connected in South Uist. Thanks for the tip though and happy hunting!
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Hi Painted Warrior:
Checked out Annie MacVicar(nee McDonald) but I think she's to old to be the one I'm researching. If I'm correct she was born about 1806. She's probably a relation though most of the McDonald's must have been connected in South Uist. Thanks for the tip though and happy hunting!
Great Jehan thanks.
Going by rough dates; if her daughter was married in 1877, the daughters age im guessing would be 20 when getting married. That would put the daughter born circa 1857. With children being born more commonly within a year or two after marriage Ann would be roughly 22 when her daughter was born in c1857. This would give her date of birth as c 1835.
I'll find a connection somewhere.
Mike