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Hi MichaelJCompagnoni,

Thanks very much for your reply and your insights into the Macphersons of the era.

Alexander Mackenzie didn't permenantly live at Gairloch.  I believe it was Conon Bridge.

There is a marriage parish record for "a" John MacPherson and Janet Mackenzie.   

Her name is under JANET MACKINZI at Inverness on 29 Nov 1793.  This couple had at least two daughters.  Ann and then Ann Reid...

I agree this could be "her" (either an illegitimate daughter of Sir Alexander or the mother of Hector and Alexander, whether or not those are the same person), but how could we securely tie some couple married in Inverness with such generic names and no information on parents to some similarly-named couple in Gairloch later on?

My believe is there is at least two John Macpherson and Janet Mackenzies living around that region at that time.

John and Janet parents of Hector and Alexander died
07 Jun 1864 and 29 Aug 1869

I suspect there are indeed multiple couples with those names living around Gairloch. Regarding these death dates:

• John Macpherson who died 7 Jun 1864 at South Erradale is aged 87, has profession "crofter", and was "married to Jane Macpherson". His parents were John Macpherson, crofter, and Isabella Mackenzie, both deceased. Informant is grandson Colin Mackenzie.
  
• Janet Macpherson who died 29 Aug 1869 at South Erradale is aged 92 or 72 (its looks like a "92" to me but ScotlandsPeople has digitized it as 72) and was the widow of John Macpherson, crofter. Her parents were John Mackenzie, crofter, and Annabella Fraser, both deceased.  Informant is grandson John Mackenzie.

I can certainly buy that these two people were married. And I have found are a couple of later entries that, on the basis of names and professions, look like their children:

• Ann Macpherson, died 1882 aged 79 at Inverasdale, widow of Roderick Mackenzie, crofter and Murdo Macdonald, crofter.  Parents were John Macpherson, crofter, and Janet Mackenzie, both deceased. Informant is son Alexander Mackenzie.
  
• Isabella Macpherson, died 1884 aged 73 at South Erradale, widow of Farquhar Mackenzie, crofter.  Parents were John Macpherson, crofter, and Janet Mackenzie, both deceased. Informant is daughter Jessie McKenzie.
  

If this John and Janet were the parents of Hector and Alexander, I think we could consider the rumoured connection to Sir Alexander to be discredited or at least much less likely, especially as Janet's father was given as  "John Mackenzie, crofter" and the years don't work (if Janet was 92 when she died in 1869, she was born around 1777, too young to be Sir Alexander's daughter).

I'm not convinced however that this John and Janet were the parents of Hector and Alexander. Compare the description of John's profession in the death records for Hector and Alexander to what I've listed above:

• Alexander McPherson, blacksmith, died 28 Jun 1882, Strath Village, aged 67. Parents given as John McPherson, Sheep Manager, and Jessie McKenzie, both deceased.
  
• Hector Macpherson, general merchant, died 16 Dec 1885, Strath Village, aged 77. Parents given as John Macpherson, "Farm Manager, Sheildag", and Jessie Mackenzie, both deceased.
  

I know very little about early 19th-century Highland agriculture, but "farm manager"/"sheep manager" really sounds like something distinct from "crofter", so I'm inclined to believe the John and Janet who are the parents of Ann and Isabella are a different couple than the John and Janet who were the parents of Hector and Alexander.  I have found one other Macpherson who seems to me like a possible sibling of Hector and Alexander:

• Kenneth Macpherson, shoemaker (journeyman), died 3 Aug 1879, Strath, aged 74, widower of Hannah Macintyre. Parents given as John Macpherson, Farmer, and Jessie Mackenzie, both deceased.
  

If the parents of Hector and Alexander were indeed different from those of Ann and Isabella, I can find no trace of their death statutory death records for Gairloch, but it would not be strange for people born in the 1760s/1770s to die before 1855.

Can you find any further evidence about any of these people shedding further light on their possible relationships?

Looking for any information on John Hamilton, born approx. 1800 in Ardclinis, County Antrim.  He married Rose McCarney (also of Ardclinis) in Ardclinis before 1830.  They were RC.

John and Rose had eight children between 1830 and 1844; given names were Robert, Mary, Jane, John, Charles, Alexander, Annie, and Rose.

In 1847 the family emigrated to Frontenac County, Upper Canada.  In Canada, John was a farmer.  John died in 1871 and Rose in 1884.

Any help much appreciated!