McLean COMPLETED

[Lucy2]

And you are quite right Lu they are my ancestors, not descendants!

... it was actually Beg who provided that enlightenment.      

Hi Powerhouse

Hmm .. I've just become a whole lot more puzzled in view of the dates you've given for your grandmother Breadalbane (1868-1944) ?
I'm wondering how she might be connected to the Allan McLEAN in NZ - assuming he is the chap who dies in 1907 aged 77 years and therefore was born circa 1830.  ??
They would seem to be of different generations ?

I'm not suggesting that there isn't maybe a  McLEAN family connection,  ... just curious to know where these two, who are 38 years apart in age, might fit ?   

~  Lu   

[Lucy2]

Hi Powerhouse

Sorry  ... just ignore my last reply (# 54) for the time being ... (I realise that without having further info for Allan McLEAN, you probably are unable to answer it.)   

But back to the beginning of this thread.

" ...  information for John or Allan McLEAN.    I have a letter from him   .... dated Dec. 20th 1878.   This is a photo of who we believe to be John McLEAN. "

Question  ...  *  is this letter from John McLEAN  ??

~  Lu


 

[Powerhouse]

Over the years the letter has lost the name of the sender, I had originally thought it was John, but after getting the information about Roderick Coll, I began to think it was from Allan.
We had another letter, now lost that said he had married and had a son named Coll and perhaps a daughter named Breadalbane.
I thought the letter was to my grandmother, but perhaps not.
Some of this information is coming from my mother (97) with a good memory, who remembers conversations with my father.
Whoever wrote the letter starts off by saying, My Dear Brother and Sister. . . .some of the letter is confusing when he includes another letter from John . . . . If you like I could scan it and send it to one of you separately. Let me know.

[Lucy2]

Hi Powerhouse

Thanks for the explanation, it helps make things a little clearer.   

I know how it can be with researching Scottish families and making assumptions with name associations - many of us, believe me,  have "barked up the wrong trees".   (And just trying to spare you the expense of purchasing records for maybe the wrong family.) 

I would actually suggest that you firstly obtain the 1888 marriage record (printout), for Allan McLEAN and Amelia Elizabeth WATTS.

Why ?

*   because, this will contain information which Allan has himself, supplied ... e.g. his place of birth, the name of his father (and his occupation), the name and maiden name of his mother.   This is the most accurate source you could hope for.    [By contrast, the death cert. for Allan is less reliable, as this information will have been provided by a third party.]

*   the details Allan has provided, should enable you to determine fairly easily (hopefully), his place in your family tree.

~  Lu

[Beg Clonrode...]

I am still interested in what ever happened to Allan McLean Sr. and where he died.

Hello....one possible way of narrowing down the date of death for Allan (Senior) is to start a thread requesting the details from the Intention To Marry (ITM) notice of his widow, Amelia Elizabeth to William Ralph WILLIAMSON. Often, but not always, the date of death of a former partner is mentioned in the ITM. If it is it should be easier to locate a death certificate using death fiches, district keys and BDM Historical. The death certificate will/should mention where he is buried.

Details to give in the request are the names of the couple, including MCCREADY/WATTS/McLEAN, the date of the marriage (15 January 1908) and the location of the ceremony, the Greymouth/Buller district. In the request specify that the location is an educated guess so that if the marriage is not registered in that district the looker-upper doesn't waste any more of his/her time. (Sorry Spades :-)

An option for later in the week would be a manual search of the death fiches from 1905 (Allan mentioned in Wairoa) to 1917 (Allan mentioned as "dead" on Roderick's attestation). It might take a half-hour or so but in conjunction with the district keys and BDM Historical should help narrow things down.

And to tie up a loose end it may be worth while emailing Wairoa District council and asking them to check their cemetery database from 1905 to 1908 for an Allan McLEAN. I've dealt with them before and they're very helpful.......actually as I've dealt with them before I may as well send them an email......which I've just done. It's the weekend so I guess no reply until Mon/Tues

Regards
Beg

[Lucy2]

And the shortened name 'Albane' was used for my grandmother who was Breadalbane McLean, and that is her death that you found Beg in Scotland's People 1868-1944.  We were told that Allan McLean in New Zealnd named his daughter after her. It's because of this odd name that I'm pretty sure we are on the right track.

Hi again Powerhouse

When searching for "Breadalbane / Albane" (d/o Allan and Amelia), ... and yes, I too thought it an unsusal name .... I was very surprised that a google search brought up that christian name with a connection to McLEAN, on a number of sites.    Interesting ?

I'd also (earlier) checked out the children of Amelia's first marriage to Mr. WATTS.  (Bear with me.   )    Sadly I found later that three had died in infancy, but the last born (1884) - indexed as "Olive Indres WATTS" - went on to marry a Thomas George NICOL in 1902.    [Olive's second name is shown on all later records as "Twelves" - "Indres" seemingly an error on the birth index ?].

To cut a long story short though, Olive named her first-born (in 1903) "Albane Isabel NICOL" (very likely you would think, after her step-sister Breadalbane/Albane ) ?
[Death 1930 - Isabel Albane NICOL - aged 26 yrs.]

~  Lu

[Beg Clonrode...]

Was looking to see if there was a death for an Allan McLean prior to the 1908 wedding
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0c3d/

theres this one 1907 for old settler, bought out from Nuhaka, he is aged 77,
this is the one that I thought was the father of the Allan we wanted..but who knows maybe he married old

Hello...Checked this because I was at the supermarket. It's near the library.

The 1907 Deaths fiche has the death of Allan McLEAN recorded in Wairoa in the Jul-Sep quarter of 1907. The folio number is 1861. I'm guessing it's the BDM Historical record 1907/5423 McLEAN, Allan - 77Y - date of death 11 Aug 1907

The newspaper clipping Althea linked to mentions Te Arai. Roderick Coll McLEAN's army service record states his place of birth as Tearai, Gisborne. (pg.22)

Regards
Beg

[Powerhouse]

I've sent away for the marriage certificate print out of Amelia and Allan. I understand it will be mailed to me so that will take awhile.  I'll keep you posted!

[Beg Clonrode...]

I am also interested in Allan Hector and any children he had, Breadalbane (Albane) and any children she had, and Roderick Coll's children.

Braedalbane Emma b 11 Feb 1891

Just following on from this. it's all guesswork so caveat emptor, cave cane etc...

The 1928 electoral roll for Gisborne has both Albane McLEAN, spinster of 55 Herbert Road, Gisborne and Albane HARRIS, married of 62 Grey Street, Gisborne. Albane McLEAN disappears from the next electoral roll (1931).

Albane HARRIS is on the 1931, 1938 and 1943 electoral rolls but none after that. There are no Harris' at the same address as her on any of the electoral rolls.

It's a bit of a leap but I think Albane McLEAN and Albane HARRIS are one and the same, partly because of the rarity of the name "Albane" but mostly because of a common year of birth.

BDM Historical reference 1945/26254 records Albane HARRIS as having died on 14 Oct 1945 aged 54. This gives her a birth year of 1891, the same as Albane McLEAN.

There is no record of this death on the NZSG burial locator CD. However the CD does list an Alvine HARRIS who died in 1945 aged 50 and is buried at Taruheru Cemetery, Gisborne.

The Gisborne Cemetery website has the following:

Surname: HARRIS
Forenames: Alvine
Age: 50
Last known address: Unknown
Date of Burial:   17/10/1945
Cemetery: Taruheru
Block: 20
Plot #: 86
Warrant Number:   5637
Inscription: No Headstone

The age is wrong, as is the first name, but the burial date seems right.I guess the next step is contacting the sexton at Taruheru Cemetery to see if there are any further details.

Ultimately, purchasing the 1945 death certificate of Albane HARRIS will be the only way to verify if this is Allan and Amelia's daughter, or if it's just another $20 red herring.

Interestingly, BDM Historical has no record of a marriage for an Albane (or variants) to a HARRIS any time from 1920 onwards. Nor the NZSG Marriages CD. Would make things a bit easier if there were a marriage to research as well.

Regards
Beg