Niel Black (1804-1880) Argyllshire-Australia: 'Black' Ancestors/Family Tree

[Forfarian]

I have searched every single site I can think of with just about every variant name.

It is quite probable that their records, if they ever existed, have not survived.

See https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=714261.0

The long and short of it is that if it's not on Scotland's People, it's very unlikely to be on any other site, because the vast majority of the information on other sites is either indexes to or transcriptions of the original records on Scotland's People.

You have, I assume, searched for Black as Dubh or Dow?

[Albufera32]

Archibald Black and Janet McChananich (Buchanan) are my 3rd great grandparents through Jane Black their daughter who married Lachlan McNeill as mentioned earlier in this thread.

As it happens I was researching Janet this past weekend. There is a OPR for a Janet McChannich on Scotland's People "Janet daughter of Duncan McChannich of Auchdethnanbeg (or something like that)and Jane Smith baptized 19th January 1761." Duncan and Jane Smith also have a daughter Margaret baptised on 14 Dec 1762.

There is also a Mary McChannanich born to a Duncan McChannanich and his spouse Catherine Nic Muire in Auchdacheerenbeg in on 26th March 1738. Presumably a different Duncan.

A possible candidate for the father of Janet is Duncan McChananich born to Neil McChananich and Elizabeth McChallum in"Auchnalebaile"baptised on May 28th 1744.

Finally Scotland's People has a will of Donald Mc Ochananich feuar of Auchdacheranbeg who died "in the month of Apryle one thousand six hundred and ninety four years" in favour of his son Duncan McOchananich and John McOchananich (though I can't quite make out whether John is another son or some other relation)

 

[themeda99]

The ADB piece on Niel Black is wrong on several counts. NB was not the second son but the youngest of 6 sons and 3 daughters born to Archibald Black and Janet McCannanich. The youngest three were Niel, Walter and Archibald. The oldest was Duncan who was 21 when he inherited the two Black tenancies in Cowall, Kilbridemor and Kilbridebeg, when his father fell off his horse and died in 1808. There was also two sons John, one of whom died and was replace in the family line by another, and three daughters, one of whom was Jean, married Lachlan McNiel.
The family of Janet were low ranked heritors. They had been taxgathers for the Campbells in the late Medieval and were granted land-so minor nobility. The house is still in existence, I visited it in 2010.
The house in which Niel was born is still extant too, as is the farm. The current owner sent me some photos of the place.

[themeda99]

I would recommend two books for any one interested in Niel Black: Men of Yesterday by Margaret Kiddle. Published 1961. (Review from JStor : https://www.jstor.org/stable/3020331).

The other book is Maggie Black's Up Came a Squatter: Niel Black of Glenormiston, 1839-1880. Maggie is a great grand daughter of Niel Black. The book was published 2016.