Lochbroom, Rossshire

[Gadget]

There is masses about the family on the two refs to the Donald MacDonald Ross site  - including contacts in New Zealand.

Jane

if you go here:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~coigach/n41reiff.htm

and then Reiff-41-4 there is a Hector MacKenzie and wife Catherine with probable sons Murdo (20-24) and Duncan (10).

They are also further down the page in the 1851.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~coigach/n51reiff.htm

Gadget

Catherine's marriage to Hector appears to have been a second marriage. her first was to a Maclean, although she was also a Maclean by birth.

When this stormy weather clears, I'll go up and take some photos of Laide of Reiff for you. I might be able to find the old croft house ruins. The current house was built in the last 30 years or so.

[Gadget]

This might also be of interest:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~coigach/duncan.htm

This is the statement made by Duncan MacKenzie of Reiff to the Napier Commission of 1883. The Report of this Commisssion led to the Crofting Act and security of tenure for the people of the Highlands after the Clearances of the nineteenth century.

Duncan would have either been Kenneth's brother or a cousin. A family that any Highlander would be proud of.

Gadget

[Gadget]

Hi again Jane -

I hope you've recovered 

I've just received this info from the person whose website I referred you to (he saw this thread) and asked me to put it up, so I think you'll have yet more relations   :

The MacKenzies at Reiff have an interesting history,
seemingly starting with with Murdo arriving shortly
after the 1745 Rebellion. Family stories have Murdo as
a descendant of the House of Gairloch, who fled to
Coigach as a Jacobite.

Murdo was mistaken as "Nasty Murdo of the Sheath
Knives" in a 1950s audio recording recently dug up,
transcribed, and translated by Donald William Stewart
of the School of Scottish Studies. Murdo of Reiff was
a descendant of that earlier Murdo, an illustrated
book on "Nasty Murdo" has been published, interesting
that the illustater, Diyanne Ross is a descendant of
Murdo (and a cousin of mine).

I am still working on the connection between the
MacKenzie families at Reiff and at Achiltibuie in the
mid 18th century, the second family also noted as
descendants of Nasty Murdo, and involved in the grain
trade, and as postmasters at Ullapool, at the same
time the Reiff MacKenzies had a mill at Faochag, and
included runners of post.

Many of the Reiff MacKenzie descendants are also
cousins of mine, through common MacDonald and MacLeod
ancestors at Reiff, so I have more data than is on my
website regarding the descendancy. I have a file full
of data on the previous and current generations of the
Reiff MK family, 1,338 people, including details
researched by many of the descendants, not online as
it includes many living people, but I am happy to
share it with descendants.

My next task is to get him to join Rootschat 

I'll send you his contact details through the 'usual channels'.

Enjoy...

Gadget 

For anyone interested in the history and families of the Coigach area of Wester Ross, this website is a must:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~coigach/index.htm

[don_niagara]

Short message, third attempt, argggg

If this gets through I'll try to add more to the discussion...

Donald.

[don_niagara]

Accckkk....

Sorry, did not realize the attached photo would not be automatically reduced in size...

The house in the photo is cousin Brenda's at Reiff, she is also a cousin of Jane.

All bthe best,

Donald.

[Gadget]

Hi Donald 

Wellcome to Rootschat - I'm glad this thread has got you on board. You can even get free web space, etc. here 

The  image attachment  should be about 500 pixel or less wide - I've attached a version here

Best

Gadget

[don_niagara]

Thanks Gadget,

I had wrongly assumed the board's software would resize pics to a percentage of screen width, rather than absolute pixels... not a great photo to add to a profile as it looses clarity as it shrinks, I'll root around in my files later for sumpin more suitable!

[jmack]

Donald:

Glad to see you on the board and thanks for the picture.

Jane