Donald Mclean Lochbroom

[jimjaqu]

Hi

I am looking for any info on Donald Mclean who seems to have been from Lochbroom according to the 1891 census, he then work at the asylum in Inverness. He was 30 years of age in 1891 he married catherine Mcleod in Inverness in 1890. His father was Kenneth Mclean and motherChristina Stewart.

Ring any bells with anyone else?

[don_niagara]

Hiya jimjaqu,

Donald was from Altandhu in Coigach, up in the north-west third of Lochbroom Parish. His age in the 1861 census was 4, and in 1871 he was 14, occupation "hird", in 1881 he was 23, a fisherman. Interesting though that he does not appear in the IGI even though it includes the index to civil registration for that period....

His mother was from Polglass, the Coigach Stewarts all said to descend from four brothers who fled with their families as refugees following the Battle of Culloden.

His paternal grandmother was one of the large tribe of Reiff MacKenzies, there are many genealogists in the descent from that family, and through their shared research and my own there are almost 1,400 descendants traced through ten generations. If you descend from Donald I'd be happy to share their tree.

Murdo MacKenzie from Reiff born 1853, a second cousin of Donald, also worked at the Inverness Asylum, as did his wife and several of their sons.

All the best,

Donald.

[jimjaqu]

Hi Donald

Thank you very much for the information. My wife Jacquie is the great grand daughter of Donald. Her grandfather was William Callum Mclean born in 1904 at Lochness buildings Haugh road Inverness. He later became a locomotive driver in Aviemore. I found the Lochbroom connection on the 1891 census, by which time he seems to have become a van man.

We would be delighted to see any further info you have on descendants.

Thanks again

Jim

[don_niagara]

Hiya Jim,

before I forget, there is a cousin of your wife also posting occasionally on this board; see the thread titled "Lochbroom, Rossshire" started by Jane "jmack".

I have your email address from another of your postings and will send you the Reiff MacKenzie descendancy chart directly, it contains some details on living people so is not a publically accessable file.

The connection between your Donald and his cousin Murdo both working at the same time at the Inverness Asylum is striking, I wonder if others of their extended family were also there? I am in occasional email contact with a grandson of Murdo, Ron MacKenzie of Kamloops,  B.C., (lousy correspondant as I am, it has been more than a year, arggg), Ron is a great guy and has visited us here in Niagara, I am sure he would love to hear from you and Jaqui!

Donald is in the 1861 census as a 4 year old at; http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~coigach/n61altan.htm#13 The notes there include hypertext links to earlier and later notings of the family, lacking the new data you have provided though!

All the best,

Donald.

[jmack]

Well Donald:

It seems that this Rootschat is proving to be useful.  If Jim and Jaqui add their information I am sure the list of Reiff Mackenzie descendants will soon be over 1500 and growing.  I imagine that Scotland wouldn't be quite so under populated if all those years ago their ancestors hadn't left.

Jaqui welcome to the family!!

Jane

[jimjaqu]

Donald/Jane

Thank you very much for the Reiff MacKenzie descendancy chart, it is really interesting and has joined up some loose ends which were becoming difficult to trace.

We certainly will add our information to the chart. It is interesting how people moved around all of those years ago. There is additional information we have which may also create some new questions.

Jane,  did some of your descendants spend some time in Wick? We live 20 miles away in Thurso.

Look forward to hearing more from you both.

Jim and Jacquie

[jmack]

Dear Jim and Jacquie;

The age old problem of one answer leading to several more questions is the bain of the family historian.

In answer to your question yes our ancestors did spend time and actually marry in Wick.  The thread titled "Lochbroom, Rossshire" should shed some light on this for you but here is a brief synopsis:

Kenneth Mackenzie was born the third son of Hector Mackenzie in Reiff, Coigach 1824.  As a young man he worked as a fisherman and left the Coigach area to fish in the seas off Caithness, possibly stationed at Wick.  In Wick he met and married a lady by the name of Margaret Murray, daughter of Alexander Murray and Janet Manson of Olrig.  Kenneth and Margaret had five children all born in Wick (Pulteney Town).

The family left Wick and moved south via Falkirk (1881) to Manchester, England (1891).  Kenneth the patriarch of the family moved back to the Coigach area in the latter years of his life where he died in 1919, Laide of Reiff.

If you want to know any more information do not hesitate in contacting me.

I am looking forward to seeing how you fit into our large extended family.

Jane

[Gadget]

Sorry to butt in on the family gathering but I'm a bit concerned that Coigach is going to get overrun  when you all arrive.

I'll get the kettle on and a bottle open

Gadget - in a cold Coigach 

PS - my close friend is a descendant of the Pollglass Stewarts and his daughter is married to the descendants of the Reiff MacKenzies

[jmack]

Gadget:

You sound like a lady after my own heart - although if we all come I think you might need more than one bottle!!  Either that or we should make it BYOB.

I hope that your friends son in law is in touch with Donald Ross and is on Donald's ever expanding Reiff Mackenzie family tree.

Jane