MacDonald alias MacNeils in Boleskine OPRs what does this mean?

[pfwgrant]

Hi Gordon: checked my records and I have the Donald Macdonald (or Macdonell) as married to Betty "Macdougall" (see 1793 christening entry for their son John.

The Macdonald or Macdonell alias McNeils seem to have been a family of two generations of butchers in Fort Augustus, no doubt supplying the soldiers in the Fort.  They are mentioned as early as 1761, perhaps the chr entry for Donald above: 1761 Febry 8th This day John McNiel alias McDonell Butcher in Fort Augustus had a child baptised named Donald".  In that entry you can see the hereditary patronymic in use: the family of Macdonells was known as the "McNeils".  Presumably an earlier Macdonell ancestor was a Neil Macdonell known for a brave deed - or an evil one...!

My connection to this family is as follows:

Margaret Macdonell alias McNeill (probably a daughter of the above John) m 1789 at Fort Augustus to William Mackenzie from Dores. Moved to Lewiston in Glenurquhart and d 1846.
/
Catherine Mackenzie b 1795 Bunoich near Fort Augustus, m 1826 at Glenurquhart to Peter Grant. d 1861 Forres.
/
William Mackenzie Grant b 1827 Marnoch, Banffshire, d 1903 Elgin. Sony Bathia Ross of Strathrusdale, Rosskeen:
/
William Grant b 1847 Evanton, Kiltearn, Ross-shire, who emigrated to Dunedin New Zealand in 1879 - my great grandfather

Kind regards,
Peter Grant

[cabrach]

Gordon Sandison has the right take on aliases.  They appeared most particularly among RC families but may also have been adopted among families perhaps with Jacobite sympathies who were trying to avoid repression after the '45. 
The link given is actually to a copy of an article published by Stuart Mitchell in two parts in the Journal of the Aberdeen & North-East Family History Society, vols 66 and 67 (1988).
Aliases are generally not the same as patronymics and their use tended to die out late in the 18th century.  You should definitely check the Catholic birth records on ScotlandsPeople if aliases are turning up - you may find CPR and OPR entries for the same person.  They get into the OPR where the local clerk was keen to gather up every local soul irrespective of fundamental beliefs.  If you are anywhere within reach of Edinburgh check also to see if the Catholic archives have any Status Animarum records for relevant parishes (a kind of rollcall or census carried out by the priest).

Regards

Ian

[GordonSandison]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for the tips. I'd had a look at the Catholic registers on ScotlandsPeople but hadn't heard of the Status Animarum records and will check that out next time I'm back in Edinburgh.

Cheers
Gordon
ps I notice your user name is Cabrach, my paternal granmothers family (Kellas) were from Cabrach and were crofters at Torniechelt for several generations.

[cabrach]

Gordon, my 3G grandfather, Charles McDonald (1807-1879) lived at Largue and was a gamekeeper there for 50 years.  His son John (1835-1889) wandered around as a shepherd for a long time but eventually settled back in the Cabrach around the late 1870s as a gamekeeper (I think he may have taken over from his father).  John married the widow Isabella Gordon in 1896.  Isabella (1832-1924) was of course Isabel Kellas born at Tornichelt, daughter of Hugh Kellas and Isobel Grant.  Unfortunately, John fell off his horse and was killed in 1889.  Isabella was I believe known as Auld Bell and ended her days at the cottage next to Aldivalloch that was known as Auld Bell's.
So, there is more of a link than you may have imagined.

Ian

[TropiConsul]

I am interested in your discussion of aliases.  The case I am dealing with involves an alias that is not a patronym.  McNab means "son of the abbot" which makes it an occupational surname.  McInab is extremely rare!  I have found no evidence of Nab or Inab being used as a forename.  How would you interpret the following:

Inverness-shire or Cromdale And Inverallan, Moray-- April 12, 1708- "Alexander McDonald alias McInab parochiner [parishiner] and Katharine Stuart in Inveraven [Banff] attested of her being free of scandal, declared their purpose of marriage and consigning their pledges to observe order were married May 18, 1708."

Why is he "alias McInab"? 

Scotland’s people has only five marriage records that contain the surname McInab, and four birth records that contain McInab.  One is for Katharin McInab whose parents are given as ALEXR. MCINAB and KATHARIN STEUART.  She was born 12 May 1709, christened 16 May 1709, at CROMDALE AND INVERALLAN in Moray.

[GordonSandison]

Hi Tropiconsul,

I'm not sure, I never came to a conclusive answer on the MacDonald alias MacNeil.

I would not have thought that the fact that McInab meant son of the abbot would stop t being used in a similar way - perhaps Alexander was son of Donald who was son of an Abbot. I'm just guessing though!

Gordon

[Skoosh]

Tropiconsul, that part of the country was quite fond of alias's, many of those who used to have Gaelic names in the Grant rentals,  later took the name of Grant.  Black's surnames has John Makinab as sevitor to Grant of Freuchie in 1647. The ordinary folk only needed a surname for legal purposes, which was not very often. The names thy were known by in the district, where there were hundreds of Grants, probably accounts for the use of an alias.     Skoosh.

[TropiConsul]

When I see a reference to Strathspey does that indicate Cromdale or is it the whole length of the river Spey?  I have found two families that are possible connections to Lewis McDonald  of New York. 

Ludovic MacDonald was a younger son of Allan Roy MacDonald, 7th Laird of Morar.  Burke's Landed Gentry (2001) does not include the dates but it shows "ksp in America".  I believe dsp means died without issue.  What does ksp mean?  Of course Morar was in the west coast.  The MacDonalds of Morar appear to have been Catholic and Jacobite.

The other possibility is the Alexander McDonald of Cromdale who may have had a connection to the Grants among whom we find several named Ludovick.

I am looking for the ancestors of Lewis McDonald born 1709 in Inverness-shire. In 1730 he emigrated to New York and became a wealthy farmer in Bedford township, Westchester county. His grave marker is inscribed: "Sacred to the memory of COL LEWIS MCDONALD ESQ and Sarah [Rumsey] his wife being a native of North Britain borne at Strathspey 1709 and departed this life 24 July 1777." He was a fervent Anglican. Throughout the first half of the eighteenth century, the Church struggled along with support of an English institution called the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. In 1744 Lewis McDonald petitioned the Society for assistance in building a church and obtaining a minister.
In his will he left over 5,000 pounds to his children and grandchildren. Lewis must have belonged to a propertied family in Inverness in order to purchase the farm in New York.  In 1755 "William & Sarah Woolsey, executor and executrix of the will of John Woolsey, late of Bedford, Westchester Co., NY, deceased, Sold to Lewis McDonald of Bedford for 400 pounds, in the 28 year of George II - A certain tract … of land … within … Bedford."  Sarah Rumsey was born to a prominent family in Fairfield, Connecticut in 1701.  Any ideas?
http://www.sprague-database.org/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I301783&tree=SpragueProject

[cabrach]

I'm sure you've discovered this but there is no sign of your McDonald in ScotlandsPeople.  Strathspey is a generic term and is not the name of a parish, but your man does not show up anywhere in Scotland (mark you there are many parishes where the OPR records had not even started in 1709).  He is not even in the Roman Catholic records.

A subtle point, but his origins would not have been Anglican.  He might have been from a family that belonged to the Scottish Episcopal Church, the principal church between the reign of the Roman Catholics and the ultimate rise of the presbyterian Church of Scotland.  The Episcopal Church in Scotland is quite separate from the Church of England, has various separate practices, and has the honour of having been the source that legitimised the founding of the Episcopal Church in the USA.  These are all now part of the worldwide Anglican congregation, but are not 'Anglican'.  Anyway, if he was Episcopalian that is another reason why he might not be in the Old Parish Registers since the registers were set up by the established church.

On aliases. No one has a definitive answer to them, but they appear most commonly at a time when for religious or political reasons (or both) it could be wise to be vague about your name.  In any case surnames were something that still were not of much consequence unless you were a landowner.  Most of them in the highlands were simply adopted as a sign of fealty to get the protection of the clan chief (though that was already on the way out at the start of the 18th century and collapsed after the 45).  Your McNab may not have any bloodline connection to any son of any abbott (though we would hope for better from the McNab of McNab).