Firstly, apologies to Powerhouse; I did indeed mean that Breadalbane went to live on Bute with her Aunt Mary.
Secondly, Begclonrode asked for some sources - which I am happy to provide. There are the Scottish Statutory Records of course which include the Coll Old Parish Registers of Births and Baptisms and which are available via ScotlandsPeople. But there was also a "Church" Census carried out on Coll in 1776 and a transcription of this is available for download at
www.collgenealogy.com, together with transcriptions of the OPRs mentioned above and the Coll census returns 1841, 1851, 1861 and 1871. There are a number of other resources available on this site which you might find of interest. Another useful source - certainly for the McLeans we are talking about - is the Rev A MacLean Sinclair's history of the clan Maclean published at the end of the 19th century, "The Clan Gillean". You will find mention of the Donald McLean who married Ann McLean under the heading "The McLeans of Auchnasaul". These McLeans were descended from Allan McLean of Auchnasaul, first son of the 5th Laird of Coll by his second marriage, so the line can be traced back to the first chief of the Duart family. These I think were my main sources, but others crop up, local newspapers in later times, correspondence via message boards etc.
Turning back to Breadalbane (1800 - 1870), some find it difficult to accept that she was the 12th child in a family whose first child, an Ann, was born no later than 1769. But it is possible, assuming that her mother Ann McLean married at around 16 years of age. It is true that there was another couple of the same names at Feall producing children around the same time but the baptism of their daughter Ann in 1789 is noted in the OPR with the note that she was a posthumous child, her father pre-deceased her birth.
Breadalbane's husband John died on Coll in 1863, and Breadalbane seems to have moved to Glasgow some time after that where she lived with her sons Hector and Roderick. Son John seems also to have been in Glasgow at this time although I have not come across him in the records so far. Certainly he was in Glasgow in 1870 when he registered his mother's death, and in1876 when he purchased a burial lair for his brother Hector. Breadalbane's daughter Flora presumably joined Hector's and Roderick's household, although I understand she had previously been employed elsewhere as firstly a dairymaid and then as housekeeper to a Free Church Minister. Breadalbane died in Glasgow on Dec. 10, 1870.
Breadalbane, daughter of Flora, was born in 1868 and appears in the 1871 Census as Breadalbane McKinnon - which I assume tells us the surname of her true father.
A few years ago I had a brief exchange via GenesReunited with a lady who was a granddaughter of Donald MacKay, son of Murdoch and Flora McLean. This Donald apparently had 6 children, 4 sons and 2 daughters, by his wife, a Mary Lawrie. My correspondent said that Flora's daughter Breadalbane seemed to have been readily accepted by the MacKay family and that her mother had often holidayed on Bute with her. She remembered her aunt being annoyed at being called "Aunt Album". My correspondent also said that she knew of 3 children born to Dugald and Breadalbane and said they had emigrated to Canada, c.1956.
I have tried to be as succinct as possible and no doubt have omitted something in the passing. If there is anything you think I have missed please let me know.
Where do I fit into all of this? I am a direct descendant of Donald and Ann McLean at Totranald. Their son Donald (c.1771 - 1859) was my 4xgreat grandfather and eldest brother of Breadalbane.
