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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Inverness => Topic started by: Cod on Tuesday 22 January 13 23:58 GMT (UK)
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I'm looking for Alexander McPhee and his wife Mary McDougall who left Barra some time in the mid 1800's for Cape Breton. They settled in Big Pond. I'm looking for births, marriages and deaths. They may also have had with them a daughter Mary and possibly a son Michael.
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Hi
I am a Londoner who lives on the Isle of Lewis and there is a wonderful centre on the Isle of Harris that collects all the parish information, immigration details, croft histories etc. A man called Bill Lawson is the genealogist who co-ordinates all the details. It maybe worth contacting him or looking for the crofting histories of Barra - I found details of all my partners family through these books in Harris and where all the family settled around the world. The web address is below.
http://www.seallam.com/intro.htm
Debs
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The 1841 census for Barra has Alexr McPhie 30, fisherman, & wife Mary 25 (adults ages were rounded down in the 1841 census to the nearest 5), plus children John 4, Alick 2, & Peggy 2 months.
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Thank you Debs and Elwyn for your information in answer to my query about McPhees of Barra. Really appreciate it!!!
Cod
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I'm looking for Alexander McPhee and his wife Mary McDougall who left Barra some time in the mid 1800's for Cape Breton. They settled in Big Pond. I'm looking for births, marriages and deaths. They may also have had with them a daughter Mary and possibly a son Michael.
Hi Cod,
I have had a rummage around what I have on Barra folks but couldn't find a marriage for your Alex McPhee & Mary MacDougall.
Can you tell me if they were Protestant or Catholic as I have a fair bit for Craigston (Cath) but very little for Church of Scot (Pro).
Reason being, I did find Catholic baptisms for a couple, Alex MacPhee & Mary but her surname was Campbell. All in 6 births 1836 - 1851. Names: John, Peggy, Catherine, Archibald, Mary & Donald. There may have been other's which were not recorded/missed on the transcriptions/not legible etc. which can't be discounted i.e. a possible Alex & Michael.
As it happens, calculating roughly when that union would have occurred, (probably Craigston), that page is missing!
The ages of John & Peggy fit the ages of the family Elwyn found in 1841.
Those children were born in Bruernish, Barra & that 1841 census was Bruernish too! There was also a Neil MacPhie, aged 2yrs on the census.
I couldn't find another Alex MacPhee with a wife Mary in 1841 on Barra.
I found a birth for an Alex MacPhee in 1808 to Archibald Macphie & Margaret MacNeil & there was a Mary MacNeil in the household 1841.
There are a few factors which point to a possible 2nd marriage regarding Mary MacDougall and worth checking I think?
If it turns out to be the case I can give you the baptism dates.
Regards,
Anne Marie.
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Hi Cod,
I got your PM. Now that you have given me ages to work with, it is so much better.
1841 - Pabbay Island, Barra
John MacPhie 35 Crofter
Mearon " 30 (Merron/Marion) but she was married as Mary
Mary " 10
Eliza " 8
Alexander " 6
Hector " 3
Flora " 18 F. S. (Too old to be their dau but good chance she's related)
I don't have 1851 for Barra
Births to follow.
Regards,
Anne Marie.
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This is the same family as listed above in 1841. It looks as if Mary was Mary Nicholson born Barra.
The names are different to what you originally posted ??? This particular John McPhee and Mary did immigrated to Canada. Are these the correct people. ?
ED 4 - Page: 1 - Line: 11 - Roll CSSCT1851_25 - Year - 1851.
Glen Inverness.
John Mcphee 45 Barra. Fisherman.
Mary Mcphee 40 Barra. Fisherman's Wife,
Marion Mcphee 17 Barra. General Servant.
Elisabeth Mcphee 14 Barra. General servant.
Alexander Mcphee 12 Barra. Errand Boy.
Hector Mcphee 10 Barra. Errand Boy.
Ann Mcphee 9 Barra. Errand Daughter.
George Mcphee 7 Barra. Errand Son.
Ann Mcphee 5 Barra. Errand Daughter.
Roderick Mcphee 2 Barra. Errand Son.
Sandra
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Children b to John MacPhee & Mary Nicolson (pgs for when the would hav wed are missing)
Name Born Place Bapt (Craigston)
John 1830 Lochdoune 19 Jul 1830
Marion 1833 Bahierva 30 Mar 1833
Elizabeth 1835 Bahierva 12 Jan 1835
Alexander 18 Feb 1837 (Blank) 02 Mar 1837
Ann 05 Feb 1841 Pabbay 06 Feb 1841 (not on 1841 at home so if we can find her abode then, it should be a clue to other relatives)
George 25 May 1843 Pabbay 25 May 1843
Ann 19 Jun 1844 Pabbay 29 Jul 1844
Didn't find the remaining kids on Sandra's 1851 but a lot missing, not logged, torn pages etc.
Regards,
Anne Marie.
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In 1841 it looks as if Anne MacPhee is 2 crofts up from John & Mary at another MacPhie household.
Hector MacPhie 30 Sailor
Catherine " 30 (maiden name MacNeil, taken from kids baptism records))
John " 13
Peggy " 11
Rory " 8
Mary " 6
Anne MacNeil 18 F.S.
Anne MacPhie 1m
Nearest fit (on all of Barra) apart from this Anne - 1m was 3 yrs old so pretty confident that's her but not too sure on the relationship.
John & Hector have both named their eldest son's John so may be brothers and father's name John?
I also found this entry which will be of interest to you (your MacPhee's)http://boards.ancestry.co.uk/localities.britisles.scotland.westernisles/56/mb.ashx
Regards,
Anne Marie.
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Hi Cod,
Just checked the 1851 census for Hector & Catherine MacPhee & that Anne is their daughter. Census for 1841 was taken in Jun rather than Mar - May. I knew they had a daughter Ann but assumed she was born after census night as her birth is 15 May 1841 - Sorry!
The ageing on census is a joke at times. Hector has aged 15yrs 1841 - 1851.
Coincidently, Hector moved to Glen too. I still believe they are related.
Hector & Catherine didn't emigrate but she's a widow in 1861.
Although I couldn't find a birth for a Michael MacPhee nor on census but there's a couple of Michael MacDougal(d)'s on 1841.
I also found only 3 George’s – 1 a Nicolson & out of all the Elizabeth’s - 2 Nicolson & 1 MacDougal in 1841 & 1851. John MacPhee & Mary Nicolson named 2 of their kids the same names so it looks like this is a possible match for relations?
1851 – Borve
Peter Nicolson 63
Mary 60
Elisabeth 26
Mary 16
John 13
George 10
Margaret 7
Elisabeth McInnes (Niece)
Check this out and .!
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JVS8-5FL
So Alexander & Mary were still alive in 1895.
From what I can gather, Nova Scotia didn’t have census records in 1861 – maybe I’m reading it wrong though?
Regards,
Anne Marie
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Hi
I have a Eion (John) Macphee and Ja net Jessie MacKinnon immigrating to Cape Breton around 1833. Also a cousin or maybe brother Donald. They settled in Big Pond NS. Children included a Alex, Hector and Mary. Alex would be my great great grandfather.
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Hi Wendy,
Can you please provide approx. birth yrs for all?
Do you have their emigration records & do you know if it was Barra they came from or one of the surrounding islands?
Anne
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Hi Ann
This is what I have on Mac/McPhees from Barra. It came from my 1st cousin.
I was able to get in touch with a man, McNeil and corresponded with his wife Rhoda. They have connections with Cape Breton, visitors tracing their ancestry to Barra. According to him Alexander’s parents were Eion or John MacPhee and Janet. I think her maiden name was MacKinnon. Apparently, the church records there were not kept up and so a lot of information is missing. My husband, daughter and I visited Barra in 2013. We met the McNeils and they were very helpful. They drove us to a place called Allasdale and explained that our 3rd great grandmother was born there. He suggested we walk over the farm which we did and found the remains of a settlement. Since then I have been looking on scotlandspeople.govt.uk. I’ve found Eion and Janet in Craigston Barra. I can’t find their records, only those of children they had baptised. I think they had two children before emigrating to Big Pond Cape Breton NS.
Hi Wendy, found something! Eion/Jonathan MacPhee is 60 in the 1871 Census, Janet/Jessie MacKinnon was born in Allasdale, Barra 19/9/1806. In this census their children are Michael 26, Allan 25, Mary 29, Neil 38, Alexander 35. According to my contacts in Barra, Eion/Jessie’s children Hector, was born 23/7/1829 in Bruerish, Barra and Ann 19/10/1830 was born in Allasdale. The others were born in NS. Neil in 1833, Alastair/Alexander in 1836, Mary in 1842, Allan 1845. Michael is not mentioned but he must have been born in 1844.
Alastair MacKinnon and Mary MacIntyre are Janet/Jessie’s parents. Mary MacKinnon was her sister and married Donald MacPhee (24/1/1826). These are first cousins to our family. They lived in the front lands of Big Pond and our family lived in the back lands of Big Pond.
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Anne
I also found this.
Eion MacPhee and Jessie sailed for Canada sometime between 1830-1833. Mary and Donald MacPhee sailed for Canada between 1837-1842.