Hello everyone, I'd like to introduce myself to your site. I was a member at TalkingScot for a short time and had some terrific help before it closed.
I'm looking for the marriage record of my father's grandparents, Neil McSween, and Catherine (Kate) McLeod.
My grandfather was born 27 Oct 1895, Angus Finlay McSween, in Saltcoats, North West Territories (what is now Saskatchewan) Canada. His birth registration has no one listed as father, Kate McSween as mom's maiden name,
He was not raised by family after his mother died, and since he refused to discuss his childhood until he had problems claiming his pension in the 1960's, details passed down have been sketchy.
It is possible his family came to Canada with a group leaving Stornoway 31 March 1889 as part of a scheme of the Imperial Colonization Board to settle families from Lewis and Harris on homesteads on the Canadian prairies.
The group sailed on the SS Scandinavian 1, leaving Glasgow, Scotland - 3 April 1889 arriving Halifax, N.S. - 14 April 1889.
There are lists of the settlers
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cansk/Saskatchewan/ethnic/scottish/AppendixSaltcoatsSettlers.htmlI have also talked to some descendants of the settler at # 43, Archibald Ferguson, who are also connected to the man who raised my grandfather, James Sharp.
I did find reference to a group of McSweens who came to Canada and to the right place and at the right time in a book by Bill Lawson -"Register of emigrants from the Western Isles of Scotland 1750-1900, Vol. 1: Isle of Harris". Neil, Torlach and 2 sisters. The birth dates are a little off from what I've found in census returns here. And I can't find mention of one of the sisters here in Canada, so I don't know how accurate his information is. I wrote and asked what his sources were to put this family here in Canada but haven't heard back.
We may have found the correct McSween family in the 1861, & 1871 census as living in Lingerbay, Harris and 1881 in Borsam. Bill Lawson's "Croft history , Isle of Harris, Vol 3" gives information of the croft and the family.
I have found the ships's logs in the Canadian Archives but am having trouble reading them due to the pitiful quality of the copy of all but the first page.
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/passenger/001045-119.01-e.php?&sisn_id_nbr=7829&interval=20&&PHPSESSID=jpo46gdeqjgjoklstv3qt4rje7 Catherine is supposed to have died in 1901 at age 40 (I can't find a Vital Stats death notice for her and no church records because of a fire). Neil died 1906 at age 53 and his death certificate only tells me he was "born in Scotland".
Ggfather is supposed to have left ggmother before my grandfather was born, so although his birth was registered as McSween, grandfather was christened and raised as a McLeod, as was my father and therefore me also.
I have found them in the Canadian census for 1891, confusing because it has Catherine b1864, Tollick 1857 and daughter Mary McSwain 1890 in a separate household # from Neil McSwain 1854. Locations match for the homestead records I found for Neil & Torlach.
1901 Canadian census has Kate McSween, a widow with daughter Mary and son Angus F, has 1889 listed as when she came to Canada. 1861 as her birth year. Neil and a sister are in a separate household.
1906, my grandfather is listed as Angus McLeod and listed as the adopted son of James Sharp.
1911 he is Angus F McLeod, still living with James Sharp.
Sorry for the longwinded post I've written here, but I wanted to give an idea of what I do know of them.
Now to ask my question.An uncle was told 50+ years ago by someone who knew them that my greatgrandparents were married on the ship as they were leaving Stornoway.
Where would I look for the marriage record?
I have no other leads to find information on my greatgrandmother. Saskatchewan Archives had an estate settlement document for Neil McSween signed by Annie McDonald who received his homestead and said she was his sister, that he was not married and that she kept house for him. So that doesn't tell me if he was never married or just was not married at the time of his death.
I don't know why my greatgrandmother would have christened grandfather McLeod if she had no claim to the name but I can't prove her maiden name was McLeod yet.
Thanks for any help, Patti
