Islay weavers

[abrach1]

My great great grandfather Hugh Sinclair (c1844 - 1872) was from Islay and his father Colin Sinclair was a handloom weaver. However, Colin Sinclair was born In Glassary  about 1794 and seems to have gone to live on Islay.
abrach1

[Skoosh]

Sonof,  Macnacaerds looks like Mac na Ceard, son of the tinker ;-)

Skoosh.

[RowenaCurtin]

HI Alex and Jacqueline,
I am decended from Johnstons and Campbells on Islay and while I haven't been to Islay, I have been researching it on and off for 20 years and hooked up with some older researchers around 2000 who wrote fairly extensive messages on the Islay rootsweb pages. There was definitely a Toni Sinclair researching in that group.
In the 1840 census I have family living at Keils:
1841 Census
Mary Johnston and children were found living at Islay during the 1841 Scottish Census. Angus has not been found.

Parish   No      Place   Name   Surname   Age   Occupation   Born
Kilmeny   227   6   Keills   Mary   Johnson   35   Ind.   ARY
Kilmeny   227   6   Keills   Mary   Johnson   12      ARY
Kilmeny   227   6   Keills   Janet   Johnson   7      ARY
Kilmeny   227   6   Keills   Angus   Johnson   3      ARY
Kilmeny   227   6   Keills   Alexander   Johnson   2      ARY
Kilmeny   131   20   Ballygrant   John   Johnston   14      ARY

Not sure what they were doing there and most of them ended up in Glasgow by the 1850s.

I don't know if that helps.
Best wishes,
Rowena
 

[sonofthom]

Thanks Rowena. I have still not managed to trace any siblings of my great x2 grandfather apart from his brother Archibald Sinclair who seems to have been born in Islay. I followed your lead to Rootsweb but it is currently offline but I will keep a watch on this for when it becomes accessible again.

[Northerngirl]

Hi Rowena.

It is October 2nd 2018 now.

Thanks for your reply - which I have just found now.

I've had my DNA tested in April and have it on Ancestry and the common DNA test kit user site Gedmatch.  As a coincidence it was one of my Kirkland cousins that gifted me the kit and it was she also that showed me Gedmatch. She has had her DNA tested also. My kit number is A221634 if you or others linked to Islay are interested.  Another possible cousin - one of the Kirkland who emigrated to Canada from Islay is having his DNA tested so there will be another kit to analyse.

The cousin who gifted me the kit, R. and I have a direct common ancestor and through that obviously back to Islay.  We both would be connected to the Sinclair/Campbell line.


I did go back up to Islay again to try to find the elusive place for where my ancestors were for the 1841 census - the Hand Loom Weavers but even a seventeen mile trek around the area gave no definite site. It looks as if John Kirkland who was head of the household died but I am not sure if that was Islay or Bute where the family seemed to have moved to for the 1851 census.  I haven't found a death for John yet. 

You are correct about Toni Sinclair it was she who suggested the Mc Na Cearnard connection - I think. 


Great minds must think alike as I also did a lot of extensive reading on the Campbell of Shawfield and have come to the same conclusion; that Campbell possibly imported people from the main land to begin his linen industry and my ancestor came before 1776.  Another possibility is that my Kirkland came from the Skipness area.

Jacqueline

[raonull4]

hi try this link  for islay records
http://sites.rootsweb.com/~sctislay/~tlarson/bdm/