MacDuff / McDuff – Little Dunkeld

[ASA1]

Hello,
I am trying to research my family tree on my mother’s side but have hit a bit of a brick wall. I am researching the MacDuffs who were tenants of Tomnagairn and Tomnagrew farms in Little Dunkeld parish.

An old family tree compiled by another family member indicates that my GGGGG Grandfather Donald MacDuff moved to the area as a child, in approximately 1710, and some evidence I have shows he was born elsewhere c.1700 – but I don’t know where (possibly the lowlands).

Donald had 2 children, Donald (born 1734) and William – dob unknown, although he apparently married an Ann Ferguson on 29/01/1792, in the parish of Dull. William and Ann had 2 children, Mary (b.1805) and Donald (again dob unknown, poss 1806, apparently born at Tomnagairn). Donald married a Margaret Robertson on 22/12/1841.

Donald and Margaret had 8 children, all of whom I can trace – I just can’t seem to find the evidence (i.e BMD records on Scotlands People, even searching variations such as Duff and Duffe) linking them back to my GGGGG Grandfather.

I have looked in ‘Memorial Inscriptions in Little Dunkeld Churchyard’, the first MacDuff buried there is one of Donald and Margaret’s children, John (entry no.474). Does anyone know of any other local graveyards they may be buried in or if he was born in a different parish would he have been buried there?

Any advice or assistance on where to go from here would be gratefully appreciated!
Andrew

[Cambron]

You will find Donald McDuffs in the Logierait OPRs on Scotlands People eg one born in 1679 and two getting married thereafter.
The boundaries between Little Dunkeld and Logierait weren't fixed at this time and local people in what we now call Little Dunkeld often used Logierait as their local church.
(The Little Dunkeld OPRs didn't start until mid 18th century whereas Logierait started one hundred years before)
Worth a look?

[ASA1]

Thanks, will check it out.

Does Logierait church have a graveyard and if so do you know if there is a list of memorial inscriptions anywhere?

[Cambron]

Logierait MIs are published in a booklet available from Tay Valley History Society ISBN 0 9513690 7 5 or you can get the complete book for North Perthshire ISBN 0 90106176X.
In there you will find McDuffs in Blair Atholl,Dunkeld and of course Little Dunkeld.
No McDuffs in Logierait cemetery but lots of Duffs

[Cambron]

Couldn't resist following up and looking in the NAS records.
McDuffs were in Tomnagarine in Strabrane(Tomnagairn in Strathbraan?) in 1646 and were quite well off dealing with Campbell of GlenOrchy(Later Earl of Breadalbane).
In 1834 Donald in Tomnagrew was negotiating an exchange of land with Sir John Stewart of Grandtully.
The McDuffs of Logierait were further north,nearer Ballinluig and Pitnacree and they too were relatively well off but it is a fair distance from Strathbraan to Strathtay so whether they were all related is open to question..
All the best

[MerRhosyn]

Don't know if this is that relevant...but my great grandfather was James McDuff Robertson.  He was born in Tomnagrew, Little Dunkeld in 1899.  The McDuff name is seemingly random...it appears nowhere else in the family.

[ASA1]

There could be a link there - one side of my MacDuffs lived at Tomnagairn and the other at Tomnagrew. I will have to check my notes and the census records but I think they were still there at that time. I know they employed several people to work on the farm so that could be the link? I have also come across some Robertsons in my research although that was earlier (1860s) - there is a definite connection but I have not been able to work it out as yet...

[Just a Scot]

I have a Catherine MACDUFF in my family tree she was born around 1789 Little Dunkeld Perthshire, She married David Sinclair
Her father was Donald Duff of Tomnagrew.
I don't know if thats any link to you.

[ASA1]

Yes they appear in my family tree too. Donald Duff/ MacDuff / McDuff’ is the one born in 1734 that I refer to in my original post, and his brother William was my GGGG Grandfather. Their father Donald (my GGGGG Grandfather) is the one I’m having difficulty tracing.

Catherine had a brother Donald and I have some more information about the descendants on that side if you want it. I don’t have any info on Catherine and David’s descendants.