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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Ross & Cromarty => Topic started by: KimmiRowell on Sunday 18 October 20 10:45 BST (UK)
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Hi all, desperately looking for some help, regarding my 2nd Great Grandfather, who was born in approx 1868, Ross and Cromarty. He married Ada Letitia Slade and moved to South Africa about 1889. I have a DNA match to someone in Australia, who we suspect has a brother that moved to Australia around that time. Any information, guidance etc will be greatfully recieved.
Many thanks
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Did your 2nd Great Grandfather have a name? :)
When and where did he marry Ada Letitia Slade?
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:o Silly me - yes he did, Roderick
Ada Letitia Slade was born in 1863 Lea and Cleverton, Wiltshire. I am really battling to find their marriage certificate, but I have managed to find birth records for their 7 children, one whom was my G Grandfather who was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa in 1895.
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I can't find the marriage in the indexes in Scotland, England, Wales or Ireland.
Can you tell us a bit more about the family
- Why do you think Roderick and Ada were married before they travelled to South Africa?
- What were the names and dates of birth of their children?
- What is your source for Roderick's place and approximate year of birth?
- What was Roderick's occupation?
- Did they always live in Pietermaritzburg?
I can find Ada in the 1871 census in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, aged 8, with father Joseph, sawyer, aged 40; mother Fanny (née Frances Niblett), 32; and brothers George, 5 and Jesse, 3; and she is probably the 17-year-old domestic servant, born Wiltshire, who is in the household of William Holding, builder and publican, in West Bromwich in the 1881 census.
Scotland's People lists the births of 8 Roderick M(a)clennans in Ross and Cromarty from 1866 to 1870. I cross-referenced them with the list on the IGI (not the most reliable source) and they are possibly
Lochbroom, 1866 and Lochbroom, 1866: one could be the son of Roderick Maclennan and Helen Fraser and the other the son of Roderick Maclennan and Zibbla Stewart
Gairloch, 1866: son of John Maclennan and Isabella Mackenzie, died 1868 according to the IGI
Urray, 1867: son of John Maclennan and Isabella Harvey
Gairloch Northern, 1867 and Gairloch Southern, 1867: can't separate these two but one was the son of James Maclennan and Janet Cameron and the other was the son of John Maclennan and Mary Mackay. The son of James Maclennan and Janet Cameron can be eliminated because he was with his parents in the 1891 census.
Shieldaig, 1869; son of Duncan Maclennan and Ann Mackenzie, born Applecross. I think he can be eliminated because he was in Applecross in the 1891 census.
Dingwall, 1870; illegitimate son of Ann Maclennan
Do any of the parents' names listed above match any of the names of the children of Roderick Maclennan and Ada Letitia Slade?
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Probate for Ada ?
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS72-L3KR-8?cc=2573604
States husband died c1925
If this is his death cert. he may have been older :-\
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C91L-66KR?cc=2721608&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3A8Y12-96MM
ev
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Thank you so much both of you for your replies. Firstly the probate record is quite correct for Ada Letitia and I think that it Roderick's death certificate, in fact I am pretty sure.
The children are:
Reginald Murdo, William Roderick (both born 1889) On William Roderick's marriage certificate it states he was born at sea
Margaret Ad (b) 1893 (d) 1952. Never married
Donald Basil (b) 1895 (d) 1968 - married to Rhoda Margaret Mason
Amy Annie (b) 1897 (d) 1959
Alice Louise Mary (b) 1904 (d) 1970
Jessie Duncan McLennan
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If this is his death cert. he may have been older :-\
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C91L-66KR?cc=2721608&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3A8Y12-96MM
If that is him, and he was 69 when he died in 1925, that puts his date of birth as 1855/1856. So all the looking up of Roderick Maclennans born about 1868 must be disregarded.
What is the source that suggests that he was born in Ross and Cromarty?
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My only nagging doubt about the death cert, it states he work at the Post Office - but according to family he was a Policeman, which is also listed as his occupation on baptism certificates for his children. But I do agree on the birthdate. I got it from my Mum, but she could well be wrong. My DNA gives strong indications for Ross and Cromarty and the McLennans are the only Scottish members of my family. This I am 100 sure of this as other matches in my DNA are from McLennans, from Ross and Cromarty x
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My only nagging doubt about the death cert, it states he work at the Post Office - but according to family he was a Policeman, which is also listed as his occupation on baptism certificates for his children.
Perhaps he worked for the Post Office after retiring from the police?
My DNA gives strong indications for Ross and Cromarty and the McLennans are the only Scottish members of my family. This I am 100 sure of this as other matches in my DNA are from McLennans, from Ross and Cromarty
But you seem now to be saying that you don't know for certain that Roderick was actually born there - could he have been born elsewhere in Scotland to parents who were from Ross and Cromarty, or descended from people who were from there originally but had migrated a generation or two earlier?
One way to approch this would be to look at all the deaths of Roderick M(a)clennans who were born about 1855 and died in Scotland. Then look at births around 1855 to see which ones are not accounted for, and you will have a list of possible candidates that should include yours. This would be easy to do if the Scotland's People Centre were open, but a good deal harder and more expensive at the moment.
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Thank you ever so much. Will deffo give it ok. Really appreciate your advice xx
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KimmiRowell tells me that she has found the records of Roderick travelling to South Africa on the 'Grandtully Castle' in 1883, single, policeman.
As he was unmarried in 1883, (unless he was being untruthful) he was in the UK and unmarried in 1881 when the census was taken. That hugely reduces the number of possible candidates.
I’ve had a quick look at the FindMyPast transcription of the 1881 census, and there are 19 Roderick Mclennans and 4 Roderick Maclennans listed aged 21 to 31.
There is a police constable, aged 27, unmarried, born Dingwall, Ross and Cromarty, lodging in Glasgow in the household of Roderick McLeod, police constable, 28, married, born Ross and Cromarty, parish unspecified. So the obvious resource to target is the records of Glasgow City Police – see https://www.glasgowfamilyhistory.org.uk/ExploreRecords/Pages/Police-Officers.aspx
It’s tempting to think that he must be the son of Kenneth Maclennan and Elizabeth (Betsy) Ross, who were living at Burnside, Dingwall, in 1851:
Kenneth McLennan, head, married, 50, stone dyker, born Contin
Betsy McLennan, wife married, 49, born Munlochy
Roderick McLennan, son, 8, scholar, born Dingwall
Elizabeth Fraser, visitor, unmarried, 40, dressmaker, born Inverness-shire
Kenneth McLennan, son, 4, born Dingwall
But in that case, if he is yours, why did he not name any of his sons Kenneth or his daughters Elizabeth or Betsy?
There's another Roderick McLennan police officer, 29, born Fodderty, in South Leith. However he is married to Helen Wilson with two sons, Kenneth (6) and John (1). I can't find them in 1891, but I can't find a death of Helen Wilson or M(a)clennan in Scotland, so it may be that the whole family emigrated together.
I'll have a look at some of the other unmarried ones in the 1881 census.
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This is absolutely brilliant thank you !!!
I will definately look into the Police records.
I am, however not going to rule out him having a family here and leaving them behind ;D
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I have bad news - that Roderick is not yours after all because he is in the 1891 census in Glasgow with a wife and family.
There are 7 unmarried Roderick M(c)Lennans in the 1881 census whom I cannot match with ones in 1891
1. Aged 29, lodger, maltman, born R and C, lodging at 26 Govan Street, Gorbals, Glasgow
2. Aged 31, clearing house clerk, born England, boarding at 7 Annfield Row, Dundee
3. Aged 31, son of John McLennan and Catherine McDonald, born Applecross, in Applecross
4. Aged 26, son of John and Hannah McLennan, born Aultbea, living in Laid, parish of Gairloch
5. Aged 25, son of Roderick and Christina McLennan, born Rosskeen, in Kilmuir Easter
6. Aged 24, son of William McLennan and Margaret McLean, born Killearnan, in Inverness
7. Aged 23, son of Roderick McLennan and Elspet McGregor, born Fortrose, in Dunblane
There is also one in the 1891 census whom I cannot definitely match to any of the seven
Aged 35, coachman, unmarried, born Torridon. Torridon straddles the parishes of Gairloch and Applecross, so (b) may be 3. above.
Note that apart from 2. above, all of them were born in Ross and Cromarty.
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The Clan Maclennan website has an entry for Roderick and Ada with info submitted from a grandson of Jessie; Roderick Duncan Maclennan was born around 1870 in Inverness-shire and died around 1925 in SA. It also says he met Ada on the ship on the way to SA.
There is no other info for Roderick but there is a death notice/certificate for Ada with address dated 25th August 1937. There are also only four children listed for Roderick and Ada and you mentioned seven and no documents for Roderick, there are possibly errors in the information. (There is a marriage certificate for Jessie dated 1926 but you may already have this info).
Although not Inverness-shire, if the middle name is correct, there is a Roderick Duncan Mclennan born in Avoch, Ross-shire in 1876 (scotlandspeople: MCLENNAN, RODERICK DUNCAN, Male, 1876, 059/A 27, Avoch) but he seems too young to possibly be married and had a child by 1889.
There are a few other Roderick Duncan's born around that time but none have the surname Maclennan.
I hope this helps :)
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Thank you so much for this information, its really great. Out of interest how did you find the information on the website ?
Thanks
Kathy
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The clan Maclennan genealogy website? It is a subscription website for £14 per year.
https://www.clanmaclennan-worldwide.com/genealogy/