Alexander McKenzie b 1798 North Erradale, Gairloch, Ross and Cromarty.

[kiwicatz]

This is so interesting, I wish I understood better. I've always been very proud of my Scottish ancestors and know a fair bit about my gt gt grandfather and siblings, but very little about the ones that stayed in Scotland.

I'm interested to see there is no ac or c and the surnames are mKenzie, MLenan, was this normaol for the times or just someone lazy doing the scribing?
Regards
Jan

[Agneshill]

"Mc" is the abbreviated form of the more correct "Mac", which means "son of", e.g. Angus MacDonald means Angus, son of Donald.

Throughout entries in the Old Parish Records you will find that the writers have had their own preferences.
They were probably quite safe in thinking that their efforts weren't  going to be checked!

I have a near-family member who insists that our family name of MacKenzie should be spelt as McKenzie because the Session Clerk who registered a birth on one occasion used the shortened version of McKenzie! All subsequent births etc., used MacKenzie.

Then there are the writers who spell places as "Ineleod" and give us problems way down the line!!!

[kiwicatz]

Yes I understood that from many hours of looking at Parish records, and noting that once the writing changed, Ann could become An or Anne, depending on the scribe. I just wondered if things were different with the Scots. One thing I wish was that they had more variations in christian names - it's frustrating trying to sort out who's who when a family has 3 sons, all with the same name - specially when it turns out that one is Red John and another is Big John.
Regards
Jan

[Scottish Janealogy]

Do you know if these people were actually married in Resolis? Melvaig is in Gairloch parish and I'm not seeing anything in the marriage entry to suggest they were married in another parish (I would check familysearch.org for you but seem to have an odd internet problem this morning).  Some of the other entries mention another parish (eg Alexr Maclean in Andrean in the parish of...)

You might find the National Library of Scotland online maps useful too - http://maps.nls.uk/

Resolis is quite a long way from Gairloch, almost on opposite sides of Ross & Cromarty.

[Scottish Janealogy]

Probably totally wrong but there is a place called Laide in Gairloch.  Ineleaid = in Laide??

[kiwicatz]

No, according to Family Search the marriage was in Gairloch. I have tried to find her birth in Resolis, nothing though. I always thought she was born in Gairloch, (plenty of McDonalds there) and The entries that I think are her in 1851 and 1861 say Gairloch. I will have another search of Scotlands People, and Family Search.
Thanks for helping think about this again.
Regards
Jan

[kiwicatz]

But no births McDonald for Gairloch between 1775 and 1785.

Any suggestions, please?
Jan

[melba1158]

I responded to another thread you had started but I think we are in the same family.  I have an Alexander McKenzie with brothers/sisters named Ann, Catherine, Duncan, John, Murdoch (1826-1890), Roderick (1854-1934), Donald (1836-1917).  They were from Ross but ended up in Boularderie.  Their parents were Hector and Janet (nee MacDonald).  Donald would have been my great2x grandfather.  He was married to Mary McRae.   I find a lot of generations had similar names and sometimes I get screwed up with which level I am on or which family.  At one point, there was a split and some family members spelled their name as McKenzie and some were still MacKenzie.

[kiwicatz]

Unfortunately my Alexander's parents were (supposedly) Duncan McKenzie and Jannet McDonald.
He was in Cape Breton by 1826 when he married Ann Fraser. His sister Margaret, Anna and brother Donald Duncan all went to NS, don't know whether altogether or what, but Alex, Margaret and Anna and their families went to NZ on Breadalbane in 1857
A bit variety in the christian names would be good?
Regards
Jan