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Hi Monica,

Yes you have our McDonald line correct in that 1841 Census at Langal. However Allan's wife Flora was not present at the house for that Census year. Next page shows our Angus and Marjory and family. Nearly all are present at Langal for the 1851 Census.

I looked at your McDonald line at Dalnabreck and Langal also.

Quite a variation in ages for three family members between 1841 and 1851 Census'.
1841 Census Ranald's age is 45,   1851 Census Ranold's age is 67 ?
1841 Census Wife Ann's age is 50,  1851 Census Ann's age is 67 ?
1841 Census Daug. Jessie's age is 20, 1851 Census Jannet's age is 39 ? 

We experience this exact same problem when trying to obtain correct ages of our Rellies from those early years also.

Re Shift for your McDonald line from Dalnabreck to Langal subsequent to 1851. - Funny how things work out.

Many of our McDonalds vacated Langal soon after the 1851 Census.
1) Angus & Marjory (Mizzie, Marcella) and their family of 8 children departed Langal for Australia in June-July 1852. Arrived Melbourne on ship Marco Polo 18 September 1852. -Their 2 youngest children, Ranald and Jannet (Jessie), died from measles with 50 other children, at sea during the trip to Australia.
2) Our best research efforts show Allan (Angus' father) died on 5 August 1855.
3) And his mother Flora died on 10 October 1856.
4) Alexander, (Angus' brother), with wife Peggy and their family remained at Langal till his death in 1874.

Apparently your line of McDonald's occupied these houses at Langal after the departure of our McDonald line.

All pretty confusing for any researchers following their particular lines of McDonalds in this area over successive Census decades from 1841 to 1881.

Unfortunately not much is known about our original McDonalds though.
IE: Allan (1771-1855) and Flora (1781-1856) or their ancestors or siblings.

If anyone in the RootsChat fraternity has any further information on them we would dearly love to hear about it.

Regards, Tiger48

To MonicaL from Tiger48 in Australia,

>> I was really chuffed though to find the stone for my 3xg aunt Sarah MacDonald and her husband John from Langall <<

Hello Monica, this is the first time I have corresponded on RootsChat although my sister and I have followed some of your RootsChat posts on McDonalds from Moidart for some time.
When I read your above posts [ On St Finian's Isle from 2010 ?]  I realised you are researching the SAME McDonald family members as we are from Australia.
 
Our McDonalds also came from Langal and Jean Cameron gave Liz much valuable information on our line in 2018-19. Our Angus and Marjory McDonald arrived in Australia in Sept 1852 on the Marco Polo. Angus is son of Allan McDonald (1771-1855) and Flora McDonald (1781-1856). We believe we have a complete understanding of all of Angus and Marjory's family and all their descendants in Australia. here they lived at Spring Hill near Kyneton in Victoria. Their 5 daughters married into the D'Arcy, McPherson (x2), Burton and Brady families and Our GG Grandfather Roderick married Mary Ann McInnes at Glenlyon, Victoria in 1876.

Angus and Marjory boarded the Marco Polo with 8 children, but only 6 of their children survived the sea journey. 3 further children died in Scotland long before their departure for Australia.

Their Children:
All 11 children were given the surname McDonald.
Ann (1829-1885), Flora (1831-1910), Mary Ann (1833-1884), Sarah (1836-1918), Catherine (Kate) (1838-1920), Roderick (1840-1915)-[Our GG Grandfather], Ranald (1842-1852)-[Died at Sea], Jannet (Jessie) (1848-1852)-[Died at Sea]. Three more children died in Scotland: Anne (1830-1830), Alexander (1845-?) and James (1850-?).

Furthermore, We have discovered via 1841 & 1851 Census records and Scotland's People searches that Alexander McDonald (McVarish) (1798-1874), from Langal, was the older brother of Angus. And that Alex'r married Peggy McMaster with their children being: Marcella (Chirsty) McDonald (1839-?), Allan McDonald (McVarish) (1840-1876), Angus McDonald (McVarish) (1843-?), John McDonald (McVarish) (1845-?), Alexander McDonald (McVarish) (1848-?) and Flora McDonald (1852-?). It is an enigma why the boys were Christened McVarish while the girls remained McDonald ?     

We speculate that because all of these family members living close together at Langal there must have been more direct relatives such as possible grandparents, uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters, cousins etc, among the other McDonald, McVarish, McIsaac, McEachen family members living at or around Langal, Dalilea, Dalnabreck, Mingarry, etc. 

We do not have much understanding of Angus and Marjory's parents or their ancestors or siblings  who remained in Scotland or possibly migrated to other parts of the World such as Canada, USA etc. - We believe Marjory's original surname was McDonald and that she came from Eilean Shona.

We wonder if you (or others on RootsChat) have any further knowledge about Allan and Flora McDonald from Langal and their ancestors, siblings, descendants, etc that you could share with us?

Thanking you in advance.

Best regards, "Tiger48" - New to RootsChat.