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Either, this James or his brother Hugh has provided an incorrect name for their father

Or, maybe they are half-brothers?

Hi there,

Thanks for the replies. I spent a lot of time a few years back trying to make sure I was following the correct group of McDonald's although it's always worthwhile double and triple checking sometimes. Unfortunately, none of the people that you've mentioned are related to my family.

I had traced my family to 9 Bridgend in Kilbirnie and I always thought it was interesting that there was another McDonald family a few doors down and yes it took a little while to work out which Hugh McDonald was MY Hugh McDonald when I first started doing this (there was a lot of head scratching as some Family Trees on some sites had them around the wrong way).

Interestingly though, in later years, my family moves from Bridgend to Bank St, and then to Cochrane St and this other family also seems to follow them around (or we're following them around). To date there is no connection I can find whatsoever, although that's not to say there's not something further back which may show some connection. James and Michael are quite prominent names with McDonald's of Kilbirnie but not in my family line.

I also traced an Andrew McDonald (every generation has an Andrew as well as a Hugh in my family) from this other family to Dalry and was quite surprised as this Andrew names his sons/daughters almost identical names to my own family in that time period 1860's-1880's I think it was. I was really sure that it was too coincidental for the two families not to be related somehow and traced this Andrew's roots back to Ireland, but he had a different father and mother.

Nevertheless, the search will continue...

Thank you though for trying to help. 

Hi everyone,

I've spent a couple of years on this, even trawling graveyards etc but to no avail.

I'm looking for any information on my Great Grandfather (x3) between the years 1819-1846. Ideally finding him in the 1841 census or maybe some immigration records would be ideal but I've endlessly searched many sites and many records and came up with almost nothing regarding his existence before 1846.

The information I have is as follows...

He was born in Ireland about 1819 to a Hugh McDonald (a Teacher) and Elisabeth Elliot, there's no further information on these family members or even whether or not they travelled with him to Scotland.

16th Jan 1846 Marriage to Jane Lang
This is the first official Scottish record I have for him.

1848 (Abt) - Birth of Hugh McDonald
I can find no record of this birth but from a later census is says Kilbirnie was the birthplace.

1850 (Abt) - Elisabeth McDonald
Again no birth record but 1851 census says she was born in Kilbirnie. I can also find no further information on Elisabeth after Nov 1883 - last residence Kilbirnie.

From 1851 onwards, the growing family resides in Kilbirnie but I would like to try and fill in this blank period if possible and find out if he travelled with any other relatives. Berwick or Greenock seem like possibilities regarding his arrival in Scotland, his son Hugh spends a year or more up there around 1871 before starting a family in Kilbirnie and we've no idea what he was doing there. It is quite likely though, that it might have been to do with his occupation as he was a cabinet maker.

Children's names are Hugh (b.1848), Elisabeth (b.1850), Robert (b.1854), Agness (b.1855), Andrew, Jane
I can find no birth certificates for the first four children so years could be a year out either way.

I've always had the sneaky suspicion that he at the very least had a brother called Robert.

Hugh McDonald died on 26 Feb 1861 and his father is listed as deceased (but his mother is not) which makes me think that she may have travelled from Ireland with her son but this is all just speculation.

I don't know if anyone can help but any wee piece of info could be just what I need to continue my research.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer.

Alec

Wow!

Thanks Rosie.

That sounds right regarding Janet Eadie McDonald. Interestingly the middle names for Robert McDonald's children are unfortunately wide and varied but I can understand how similar Addie and Eadie probably sounded. This is a great help and might help me narrow things down a lot further. I really appreciate it. This will keep me going for a little bit.

Thanks again.
Alec

Can anyone please help? 

I'm trying trace where my ancestors may have disappeared to. I've managed to get quite a lot of info through Census and Birth data and even spent a lot of time on the Scottish People computers at the local library but I'm hitting my head against a brick wall now.

 Elisabeth McDonald, B-About 1850
 Robert McDonald, B-About 1852
 Agness McDonald, B-About 1855
 Andrew McDonald, B-17th Dec 1858

They are son's and daughter's of a Hugh McDonald
(Born somewhere in Ireland 1819 and dies in Kilbirnie in 1861)

and...

A Jane Lang
(Born in Kilbirnie, Ayrshire 18th June 1824 and dies in 1899)

Elisabeth McDonald
I have Elisabeth living in Kilbirnie in the 1851, 1861 and 1881 Census and then nothing
At this point she would be about 31 yo

Robert McDonald
I have Robert living in Kilbirnie in the 1861 Census
and then possibly Kirkcaldy, Fife in 1871 and then possibly Glasgow in 1881 although nothing concrete yet to prove this. There is also the possibility he may have married a Mary Ann cochrane which I'm now looking into, but again no hard evidence. He would be about 29 yo in 1881

Agness McDonald
In 1883 I have Agness marrying a James Logan in Kilbirnie on the 27th Nov but have nothing after that for either of them.

Andrew McDonald
This is the person I am mostly interested in. I have my 3rd Great Uncle in Kilbirnie in the 1861 and 1871 Census and then i believe I have him in the 1881 Census in North Berwick, East Lothian as a teacher. (Common in my family) After this and endless searches I can't find anything but my thoughts are that he may have travelled overseas... He would be 23 yo in 1881

Apparently one of my great(x4) grandfathers was a poet but I have also yet to unlock this mystery although some of my relatives who are born in the early-mid 1800's become quite well established (locally) in that field. The furthest I can get back is a Hugh McDonald in Ireland (probably born around 1800 who marries an Elisabeth Elliott. I have absolutely no information on any of them so don't know if their son Hugh travelled alone to Scotland or with family.

Any help whatsoever on any of the above would be of great benefit to me.

Thanks in advance for any advice, help or input.
Alec