hi val
yes i have seen the interior of briar cottage , i think the ancestors way back would not have had it as easy or modern , i guess it would have been very basic.
as to the family tree , i have concentrated mainly on my direct line back. i have my g/ g grandfather's family complete , he was the one who made the moves from lochearnhead , to glenartney , to glenlednock , to portof monteith , to callander and then to meikleour , all in perthshire at that time.
all the usual names are their , donald , john , duncan , archibald , peter , catherine , mary , margaret.
not really branched outwards , from the main line much , how far do you go?
if you are related to kings , mcintyres , mclarens (i have mclarens marrying mclarens , twice , from that area , kenmore , comrie , balquidder)
we will i'm quite sure be related.
usual problem now in going further back from the post i listed with archibald mclaren and margaret king , opr's and a very small area now .
i did find that the census records of 1841, 51, 61 etc , along with the death certificates were the most useful , in gathering info.
guess what i have will be more basic than you have , but if their is any part , or related to a certain farm , area that you are looking for , fire away , i can only look. gordon