Sunday, October 31, 2010

Tree #1Generation 2 Child 1 - Margaret MacCuaig


The children of John McCuaig and Ann or Nancy McDougalll

Child #1 – Margaret (also known as Peggy or Maggie)  MacCuaig Chr 1 Aug 1805

Source: Church of Scotland, County of Argyll, Parish of Kildalton (#541),  Baptisms 1723-1819, Volume 1, Frame 127, FHL film 1041079.  (Note: mother’s name not given in this record)
1805 / Aug 1 / #43 / Margaret D. to John MacCuaig in Giol

It appears she married Alexander Campbell about 1828, This date is estimated and is based on the christening date of her eldest known child Dougald in 1829

Margaret died in 10 Jun 1884 at Killian, Oa, Argyll, Scotland 
"Campbell, Margaret / age 78 years / no medical attendant / married Alexander Campbell, farmer / Father: John MacCuaig, farmer, deceased / Mother Ann MacCuaig ms McDougall, deceased / Informant Duncan Campbell.son, present"
Source: Scottish Civil Registration - Deaths, 1884, County of Argyll, Parish of Oa (#541), Page 5, Entry #14.Extracted and Transcribed for me by a researcher in Scotland  (James A. Thompson).  This was done before Scotland’s People was available

Husband: Alexander Campbell born 20 Nov 1803 Tradigle, Campbeltown, Argyll, Scotland. Christened 23 Nov 1803.   parents Dugald Campbell and Catharine Sillers or Sellers   
         
"Alexander - lawful son to Dugald Campbell and Catharine Sillers Cottars in Tradigle born 20th baptized 22nd November 1903 named Alexander."
Source: Church of Scotland, Parish of Campbeltown (#507),Volume 4, Baptisms 1798 - 1810, Frame 1229,Page 240, FHL Film 1041005

                                                       
Alexander Died 4 Jun 1885, Kileyan, Oa, Argyll, Scotland   

"Alexander Campbell, farmer, widower of Margaret MacCuaig / died 1885 June Fourth 3 h AM at Killian, Oa / male / age 82 years / father Dugald Campbell, farmer, deceased / mother Catherine Campbell ms Sellers, deceased / cause Old Age, not certified / informant Duncan Campbell, son / present / registered 1885 Jun 8th at Port Ellen."

Source: Scottish Civil Registration - Deaths, 1885, County of Argyll, Parish of Kildalton & Oa (#541), Page 8 Entry 24  Transcription taken from microfilm copy of original provided by Scotlands People
.
This family has been found on several census reports. In 1841, 1851, 1861 they were living in Giol in Oa,  In 1871 and 1881 they are found in Lower Killeyan, Oa.  this seems to agree with their death records which state they died in Killian (Killeyan), Oa.

1841 census (Scotland, Argyll, Oa, ED2, Page 9, Giol) Margaret seem to be missing – at least she is not recorded with the family.  I have not found her.  Missing also is their eldest son Dougald.  I have assumed that he was deceased as they had a second son Dugald in 1839 and I have not found any other records for the first Dougald.  This is not always a sound genealogical practice however it seems to be supported by the fact that I can’t find any other record of him.  Other children listed are  Duncan age 10, Hugh age 7, Ann age 4, Dugald age 1.  It appears that Alexander’s sister Marion age 15, female servant is helping with the family.

1851 census (Scotland, Argyll, Oa, ED2, Page 15, Giol) Margaret (Peggy) is with the family and there are three additional children born since the last census John age 10, Alexander age 6, and Catharine age 2

1861 census (Scotland, Argyll, Oa, ED2, Page 8, Giol)  only children Dugald and Catharine are with them and a three year old  granddaughter Ann.  Note: the granddaughter  Ann Campbell is listed as a daughter but I believe that this is incorrect.  Margaret would be in her mid fifties when this child was born making it somewhat unlikely.  Moreover – Ann, daughter of their son Duncan Campbell, is not listed with her family.

1871 census (Scotland, Argyll Oa ED2 Page 1, Lower Killeyan) Alexander and Margaret have a Margaret Campbell, niece Probably age 10 (but perhaps 16) a scholar living with them.  It is this census that gives us the clue that Alexander was born in Campbeltown.  many of the other  census records state he was born in Oa.

On the 1881 census Alexander and Margaret are living together with no other family. He age 78 years.and she age 76 years.  Alexander is listed as a farmer of 150 acres 20 arable and employing 1 man and 1 boy 

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Tree #1 – John McCuaig & Nancy McDougall


I suppose I have given you enough background information and it is time to get on with it.   I believe I will start with my own family.


GENERATION ONE
John McCuaig (born about 1779 – died probably before 1841) married about 1804 to Ann McDougall (born about 1783 – died probably before 1841).  Appear to be of Giol, Kildalton, Argyll, Scotland (on the Island of Islay)


1. John MACCUAIG OR MCLEOD
           sp: Ann or Nancy MACDOUGALL
2. Margaret MACCUAIG OR MCLEOD +
          sp: Alexander CAMPBELL
2. Donald MCCUAIG OR MCLEOD
         sp: Catherine KEITH
2. Duncan MACCUAIG
2. Angus MCLEOD OR MCCUAIG +
        sp: Sarah MCGILL
2. Peter MCLEOD
2. MACCUAIG
2. Nancy or Ann or Agnes MACCUAIG OR MCLEOD+
       sp: Neil JOHNSTONE
2. Hugh MCCUAIG OR MCLEOD


My Great, Great, Great, Great, Grandfather was John McCuaig.  His wife was Ann or Nancy McDougall.


One of the things you quickly learn when doing Scottish research is that some names are interchangeable  -  like Ann or Nancy. It is common to find them in one record as Ann and in another as Nancy.  Another name used interchangeably with these two names is Agnes.


Where did we find their names?  We found them as we found the christening records of their children. At least two of their children – possibly three remained in Scotland.  We have found their death registrations which give the names of their parents, confirming the christening information.


We can approximate the year of their births and marriage.


The eldest child that we have found is Margaret, also known as Peggy.  She was christened 1 Aug 1805.


Using the Standard Genealogical Guidelines of Approximation we can estimate thatJohn and Ann were probably married in 1804.  There were marriage records in the Parish of Kildalton at this time but remember I told you that the records were far from complete.  We have not found a marriage record for them.


Again using the Standard Genealogical Guidelines of Approximation we can estimate their ages.  Normally one can estimate the groom as being 25 years of age and the bride as 21 years of age.  Now – everyone knows this is often not correct - however when estimating a standard has to be chosen. Often they are older or younger but a standard was chosen which  helps everyone if we all use the same standard.  If you remember to put the word about or estimated in front of the year then everyone else understands that it was calculated using this standard.


In this particular case – If John was 25 in 1804 then we can estimate his birth year to be about 1779.  If Ann was 21 in 1804 then we can estimate her birth year to be about 1783. 


Both dates falling right in the middle of the gap in the Parish of Kildalton records.  If they were older, as is common in Scottish marriages, it is likely that their births would still fall into the time period of the gap in the parish records.  If John was born as early as 1762 when the gap began he would have been about the age of 42 when married.  Not unheard of at all.  A Scottish man had to be able to support his family when he married. There was not the same social net that we have now.   Remember I also told you that many of the records before the gap in the records could be very sparse?  Even if he was born that earlier there does not seem to be any record of his baptism.


IF Ann was born as early as 1862 when the gap in the records began she would have been about 43 years of age when she began having children.  We believe she had eight children so that early date seems highly unlikely.   If she was about 21 years of age when she married she would have been born about 1783.  Which in turn means that she would have been about 43 years of age when she had her last child in 1826.  This makes much more sense.  She may have even been a couple of years younger. but following the Genealogical Standard of Approximation  we can safely estimate that she was born about 1783.


I have not been able to  identify them on the 1841 census so it seems likely that they were deceased by that time.  John would have been at least 62 year of age - most probably older.  Ann would have been about 58 years of age.  Not old by our current standard but old enough that there are definitely fewer of  that age on the census records at that time period.


Next - Generation Two - their children and who they married

PORTNAHAVEN


Portnahven is another of the newer parishes on Islay.  It lies in the more west part of Kilchoman parish.  According to Welcome to Islay North Churches site http://www.islay-north-churches.org/history.htm  The parish was created in  the south of the Rhinns of Islay in 1824. 

                                         Portnahaven map

It’s church building was erected in 1828 however the church registers don’t commence until 1832.  In 1849 the parish became fully constituted as the Quoad Sacra Parish of  Portnahaven  It was linked with KiIchoman in 1964 and further linked with Kilmeny in 2006

Portnahaven is home to the world’s first operational wave power machine which became operational in 2000 called ”The Limpet”. See the Wikipedia page for Portnahaven

It is also the site of the Cultoon Stone Circle  http://www.armin-grewe.com/islay/islay-cultoon.htm.  You can learn about it and view additional pictures at the site just mentioned.  This image was borrowed from that site.

                                          Stone Circle

Portnahaven has been assigned the parish number of #547.  The parish register can be found on FHL film # 1041080  Item 6

Item 6
Births and Christenings 1832–1854                                                                                           Marriages 1832-1835, 1846 –1854

There are also computer generated microfiche of the Parish of Portnahaven registers

Births and Christenings 1832-1855 – FHL fiche #6*901115  (1 fiche)                                          Marriages 1833-1854 FHL fiche # 6902205 (1 fiche)

If  there are missing years or if the baptism or marriage you are seeking seems to be missing  it might be a good idea to check the Parish of Kilchoman registers

OA

Oa is one of the newer parishes on the island.   It actually began as a quoad sacra parish created out of the Parish of Kildalton. 

                                Oa map

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia we learn that:
A quoad sacra parish is a type of parish in Scotland which is used for ecclesiastical purposes only. Quoad sacra translates from Latin as 'concerning sacred matters'. This type of parish can be distinguished from the 'parish proper' a parish combining both civil and eccesiastical functions. [1][2]
Ordinary civil parishes were designated as parishes quoad omnia (English: concerning all matters being parishes quoad civilia et sacra (English: concerning civil matters and sacred matters. Typically, a number of quoad sacra parishes could exist within a single civil parish, each often maintain its own parish church.
The site Scotlands Places states that it was a civil parish from 1845 to 1975. 

However The Gazetteer of Scotland tell us that it was incorporated in 1849.

The Gazetteer also speaks of  a lofty promontory in the south – south east portion of the parish which is known as the Mull of Oa. At the top of this promontory are the ruins of an ancient castle or fortress. 

Parish records began in 1833.  In my own family tree we have found one family were the christening record of the first two children are found in the Parish of Kildalton records and the rest of the children’s christening records are found in the Parish of Oa records.  The family didn’t move – just the parish where the records were kept. 

An interesting landmark found in the parish of Oa is the American Monument. The following description and photos can be found at thttp://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/United_Kingdom/Scotland/Strathclyde/Islay-310807/Things_To_Do-Islay-BR-1.html
Two ships carrying American troops to the battlefields of the First World War went down off the shores of Islay in the months of 1918.

Feb 5th saw the SS Tuscania torpedoed four miles off the Mull of Oa peninsula. Luckily, the weather was decent enough and most of the 2397 men aboard survived, but some 266 died, many due to accidents when the inexperienced crew dumped a couple of lifeboats.
On Oct 6th, another ship collided with the Otranto which was carrying some 665 American troops (the Otranto had been fitted out to carry 18000 troops!) in 40 foot high seas and force 11 winds. The death toll that day was 431 men, the worst convoy disaster of the First World War.

In remembrance of the American lives lost, the American Red Cross erected a monument in the shape and size of a lighthouse. The monument can be seen from a large part of the island standing alone atop the cliffs at the end of the Oa peninsula. The familiar poem inscribed at the bottom of the inscription is found at many American military cemeteries, "The Bivouac of the Dead".
                                             american momument oa
                                             The American Monument on
                                             the Mull of Oa  by mtncorg,

Islay Weblog  http://blog.islayinfo.com/index.php?topic=Islayhistory  dated September 3, 2010 has this interesting article about the first shipwreck The Tuscania on Feb 15, 1918
A while back Alice Bailey contacted me through the Isle of Islay Facebook page. The uncle of Alice was one of the 2,000 American soldiers on board the Tuscania. On February 5, 1918, the American troopship, en route to Britain, was torpedoed by a German submarine in the North Channel and sank seven miles off the Mull of Oa. More than 200 men drowned and her uncle was one of the victims. Years later Alice visited Islay and had a chance to visit the Islay museum where she found a hand written copy of a poem by Katherine Lee Bates. Being an American history teacher it immediately caught her attention and she found out that the poem was about the Tuscania tragedy.

When she read the poem again, she realized once more how closely it parallels the actual events published in the faded, yellowed booklet sent to her great-grandmother from the Glasgow Islay Association ninety years ago. The fishermen DID retrieve the bodies, the Scottish women DID lovingly prepare them for burial. And more heartfelt than ever, the women of Islay DID work through the night stitching by hand an American flag to be used in the funeral procession.                                            
You can see a picture of the funeral possession and read more including the poem referred to at the above mentioned site.   
   
Oa has been assigned the parish number of #546.  Parish records can be found on FHL film # 1041080 Item 5


Item 5 Births and Marriages 1833 – 1854


There is also computer generated index for the Parish Oa
Births and Christenings 1833 – 1854 FHL #6901116 (1 fiche)                                                     Marriages 1833 – 1855 FHL # 6901117 (12 fiche)

Friday, October 29, 2010

KILCHOMAN


KILCHOMAN PARISH is another very ancient parish on the Isle of Islay and covers the west portion of the island.  It was named after the Celtic saint Coman (or Chomanus) c. 688 who established a church in the north east of the parish. A Celtic standing cross and a ruined church remain on this ancient site.  In 1899 a new church was built between Port Charlotte and Bruichladdich villages.  Kilchoman was linked with Portnahaven parish in 1962, and further linked with Kilmeny in 2006. 
                                                        Kilchoman map
According to New Statistical Account of Scotland FHL book 941 B4sa, series 2 vol. 7)
 This parish  obtained its name for the burying place of Chomanus  who is supposed to have come from the monastery of Iona to establish the Gospel in Islay….. The registers have been kept only since 1822.  
Kilchoman is known for its many beautiful and intricately carved crosses and memorial stones.  It is also the home of many standing stones.  There are three sites that show us many examples of both these kinds of stones.


To learn more about the carved stones of Kilchoman along with detailed descriptions, photographs and drawings go to: http://owww.islayinfo.com/carved_stones_parish_kilchoman.html      Below is an example of the intricate carving, The illustration of the carving (below) was borrowed from that page 
                                                                                                                                                                  Kilchoman Cross
We learn about Standing Stones on the following site with both notes, descriptions and pictures http://www.islayinfo.com/islay_standing_stones.html
Standing Stones in Scotland are dated by archaeologists to the Early Bronze Age (about 2000BC), partly because they are sometimes set up in association with kerb cairns which have been dated to this period. Some standing stones may be from an earlier period, which is the Neolithic period. Standing stones can vary from 1.5 metres to 4 metres tall, and often have two long flat faces, or sides. It is the flat faces which usually indicate the directions to look towards the horizon in order to point out a special point of interest.
Standing stones are usually of local rock, and can vary from squat blocks to tall thin slabs. It is said that these standing stones were used as astronomical markers, battle memorials or route markers. Standing stones are sometimes grouped in a line of two or more, and are then referred to as 'alignments'. Standing stones can be found on Islay as well on several places, and maybe the standing stone at Port Ellen is the largest of them all.


Another interesting site with pictures and tales about the Islay Stones is: http://blog.islayinfo.com/article.php/islay-standing-stones-and-fairy-tale


Kilchoman has been assigned the parish number #540.  The parish records do not begin until 1821 and can be found on FHL film #1041079 Item 4


Item 4 – Baptisms and Marriages 1821 – 1854


There are also computer generated index of Baptisms and Marriages on microfiche for the Parish of Kilchoman as follows:
Baptisms1821 – 1854 #6900481 (1 fiche)                                                                                   Marriages 1821-1854 #69482 (1 fiche)

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

KILMENY


Kilmeny Lies in the north east part of the Island of Islay, above Kilarrow and to the east of Kilchoman.  It is a very ancient parish. 

According to the Scotland's Places site  http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk   the parish of Kilmeny was annexed into Kilarrow before 1550.


                                                                                                                                              
The present church was built in 1828.  According to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland site http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk   its medieval predecessor is located about 400 meters away within the old graveyard. The newer church and manse wwere built to serve the north portion of the joint parish of Kilarrow and Kilmeny. In 1849 this portion of the parish became the quoad sacra parish of Kilmeny. Kilmeny parish was linked with Kilchoman and Portnahaven in 2006.

There are many historical and archaeological sites in the parish, notably at Finlaggan, the historic base of the Lords of the Isles. The Wikipedia page titled Finallagean gives us this information :
Finlaggan (Scottish Gaelic: Port an Eilein) is a historic site on the Eilean Mòr in Loch Finlaggan. Loch, island, and castle lie around two km to the northwest of Ballygrant on Islay.
Finlaggan was the seat of the Lords of the Isles and of Clan Donald. The site has been the subject of recent archaeological investigations…..
Two of the three islands that lie in the expansive scenery surrounding Loch Finlaggan, Eilean Mor (large island) and Eilean na Comhairle (council isle), were the ancient administration centre of the Lordship of the Isles during mostly the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries.
Still today, the islands contain remains of the buildings from where the Lords ruled the Hebrides and part of the west coast of Scotland, immensely contributing to the arts, culture and politics of Scotland.
The stone walls of a medieval chapel dedicated to St. Findlugan on Eilean Mor have been stabilised
I seem to recall seeing Kilmeny also being referred to as Kilmenzie or something very similar in some very old records or references.  

The parish records for Kilmeny do not seem to reflect its ancient existence.  They do not begin until 1802, long after both Kildalton and Kilarrow records began.  The number assigned to the Parish of Kilmeny is #543.  You can find these records on FHL film # 1041080  Items 1 and 2 


Item 1 – Baptisms Volume 1 1802 -1819
Item 2 – Baptisms Volume 2 1820 -1854 and 1869


You will note that there are no marriage records.  I do not know if they did once exist but are no longer available or if it is possible that marriages were recorded in other parish records such as Kilarrow or Kilchoman. A knowledgeable researcher would always check the parishes next door if the records they are seeking do not seem to be in the parish being searched.  This would hold true for Kilmeny records both before and after the commencement of its parish register.

There are no separate index mircrofiche for the Parish of Kilmeny records as there are in some of the other parishes

Monday, October 25, 2010

KILARROW (OR BOWMORE)


The Parish of KIlarrow lies in the middle of  the eastern portion of the island of Islay above Kildalton and below Kilchoman.  It is often known as Bowmore after the main town located in the parish. 

                                                                      
Bowmore is a town within the Parish of KIlarrow and lies near the head of Loch Indaal, A  village has existed in this location for many centuries, though originally called Laggan. The name Bowmore was first recorded in 1614 when the village received its charter.

An unique landmark in the town of Bowmore is the Round Church which was built in 1767. It has an unusual round design. Local legend states that the church was built round so that there would be no corners for the devil to hide in. A central 19 inch wide pillar supports the main structure of the building which is thought to be constructed from a single length of hemlock oak.  The church was built for Daniel Campbell to serve the population of the Parish of Kilarrow, most of whom he moved to Bowmore once the village had been completed the following year (1768).   

                                        image from Wikipedia
                                    Round church

Baptism records commence in 1763,  Only three entries appear prior to May 1770, and there are none from March 1778 to March 1780. Six irregular entries occur 1775–1782 after June 1783 and 18 similar entries, two families, appear 1768–1791 on two pages at November 1786. Volume One ends in 1819.  Volume Two  covers the years 1820 through 1854.

Marriage records begin in 1771.  Only one entry occurs June 1781 to February 1783. The fact of marriage is rarely added to the entries of proclamations prior to November 1789, omitted in 1803–1804 and sometimes after 1816.  Marriages from 1771 through 1819 are in Volume One.  Volume Two covers marriages from 1820 through 1854. 

Deaths: Records -  The Kilarrow parish register contains mort cloth dues for the very short period of 1817 –1831. If memory serves me right they do not seem to be very complete. The Scotlands People site  www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk   tells us that often the only record that a death has taken place will be implied in the payment of a fee to the parish for the hire of the mort cloth or pall which was draped over the coffin or the body itself for the funeral. 

Some people did not use the parish owned mort cloth for burial. Prosperous and important families may have had their own family mort cloth, Some trades paid into charitable funds with their own mort cloth. In parishes where mort cloth dues are the only evidence of burial, such cases might have gone unrecorded. Sometimes there was no charge for use of the parish mort cloth, particularly if the family were poor.  Surviving registers may record the date of death or the date of burial or date of payment for hire of the mort cloth, but often there is no indication given as to which it is.

The Parish of Kilarrow has been assigned the parish number of  #536.  Its records can be found on FHL film #1041078. Items 1-3.  

Item one - Volume One (Baptisms 1763-1819 / Marriages 1771-1819 / Mort cloth Dues 1817-1819),         

Item 2 - Volume Two (Baptisms 1820-1854 / Mort cloth Dues to 1831)  

Item 3 - Marriages 1820 – 1854. 

As discussed in the post about Kildalton Parish there are also computer generated microfiche index records available for Kilarrow.  

Births and christenings 1763 – 1854 FHL microfiche #6900475 (3 fiche) 

Marriages 1771 – 1854 FHL microfiche #6901108 (1 fiche)

Read the Kildalton Parish posting for additional information about parish registers

Sunday, October 24, 2010

PARISH REGISTERS – STARTING WITH KILDALTON


The Island of Islay has three to six parishes depending on which time period you are looking at. We should remember that the parish registers we are speaking of belong to the Church of Scotland.  There were other churches on Islay but their records are more difficult to find.  Most of them being held by the church rather than government archives.  There was of course the “Free”  church or non-conformist churches along with Baptists, Catholics and most likely others.

Each parish in Scotland has been assigned a number which was determined by arranging the parishes in a county in alphabetical order in their respective county and then numbered consecutively through all of Scotland.  We must sometimes know this number to find the proper records (for example often census films will tell us what parishes they cover by using the parish number).

The parishes on Islay are as follows. KIlarrow (or Bowmore) #536 / Kilchoman #540 / Kildalton #541 / Kilmeny #543 / Oa #546 / Portnahaven #547

It would be wise to remember that these parish records are not 100% complete. There are many reasons why.  Some people were members of churches other than the Church of Scotland.  There were times when registering a birth etc cost money ( Remember - these are Scots we are talking about ! ). You will find many birth entries where the child’s name is missing.  Don’t think this means the child died and was not named.  It may mean only that the clerk or minister couldn’t recall the name and didn’t record it.  I have also found many families with a large number of children and there will be one in the middle who doesn’t seem to have a baptism recorded.  Why?  Were they upset with the minister or the church?  Were they busy with the demands of living and just never got around to it?  Did the minister forget to record it at the end of a very busy day or week?  We may never know for sure but sometimes there are other records to tell us of their existence.  Civil records or census records if we are in the right time period. Tombstone inscriptions can help.  Rent Rolls etc  etc.

KILDALTON PARISH

This parish is located on what I would call the south east corner or quadrant of the island.  According to the Wikipedia page ISLAY
                                                          
                                                                 
The Kildalton parish is medieval in origin – early documentary records suggesting from c 1425, but the church building is older than this, possibly dating from the late 12th or early 13th century”.

I believe the name of this parish is a combination of two old Gaelic words.  “Kil” is often found as part of Scottish name places  and I think it means alter or a place of worship or even chapel. The second part of the name of the parish is from an ancient church dedicated to Saint John the Divine, Daltain coming from a Gaelic word Dalt, meaning the little foster-child or foster-brother – a poetical name for the beloved disciple John. 

An unique landmark which stands near the  roofless remains of the ancient church is the Kildalton Cross (or High Cross of Kildalton) and is one of the finest early Christian crosses in Scotland. It is believed to dated from the second half of the 8th century. It is often considered to be the finest surviving Celtic Cross in Scotland and Western Europe. A simpler cross of late medieval date stands nearby  For a full description, history and pictures check out this site http://www.islayinfo.com/islay_kildalton_cross.html    

                                       kildalton Cross2
Image from Wikipedia Page Images for Kildalton Cross where many other pictures of the Cross are displayed. 

The very earliest Kildalton Parish records are in very poor condition with parts of pages missing and sometimes the microfilm copy it is very difficult to read. One should try to become familiar with the old style of forming letters and words.  There are many aids, books, pamphlets and websites which can be a help to you. Check out your local FamilySearch Center (used to be called Family History Center) to see what they have on hand.

I do not know how complete the records are in the early Baptismal records,but generally the first section covers the years 1723 to 1762. There is then a gap in the records but the registers commence again in 1789. The year 1812 has some out of order entries. The records seem to be in good condition from this time until the close of that register book in 1819.  

Even so, some of the first years of this second “section” tend to be pretty lean and sparse.  In 1820 the church was instructed to open new books and thus we have Volume 2 which runs from 1820 through 1854. In the years 1836 through 1842 the baptismal entries appear to have been doubled – that is there are two formats and thus two entries for each baptismal entry in that time period.

Marriage registers mirror the Baptismal records.  They commence in 1723 and again the early years are in poor shape and difficult to read.  They continue until 1766 at which time there is a gap in these records also. They commence again in the year 1789.   Volume Two begins in 1820.  The year 1826 and at least half of 1827 seem to be missing. There are only 4 entries for the year 1830 (3 in January and 1 in December).  There is only one entry for all of the year of 1832.  Again the entries from 1836-1842 seem to have double entries.  The entries continue until 1854.

The gap in the Baptismal and Marriage records of Kildalton Parish causes a unique problem.  It seems to be just long enough to make it difficult to connect those on one side of the gap with those on the other side of the gap.  For example.  If you have a baptism of a child in the late 1700’s or early 1800’s it is difficult to find a record of the parents marriage or even the parents own baptisms.  Who are the parents of the parents?  If you have a marriage – when were they born? Who are the parents of this couple?  It is almost impossible to tell.  There are some records which help at times but not enough to make research through this time period easy at all.

Deaths and burials, as I understand it,  were not a sacramental ceremony in the Church of Scotland and there are few death or burial records.  There are none that I am aware of in the Parish of KIldalton registers.  (You might try Memorial Inscriptions as a death register substitute)

The big change in 1855 was the commencement of Civil Registration.  All Births, Marriages and Deaths were to be registered with the government.  I suppose the church did not stop recording baptisms and marriages at that time – they just aren’t filmed and easily available to us.

The Church of Scotland Parish Registers have been microfilmed twice – use the second filming.  It is better quality and has frame numbers to help us find our places.  Parish of KIldalton is on FHL film #1041079.Items 4 (Volume 1) and 5 (Volume 2 ) 

The Family History Library (FHL) also has sets of microfilms that can be helpful.  There was an index created of all the Church of Scotland records call the OPR  (Old Parochial Registers).  These are a typed index of baptism and marriage records.  They are arranged by county and within each county there are four sets of records Baptism by given name and surname / Marriages by given name and surname.  There is also for many (but not all) a computer generated set for each parish with just the names found in that particular parish register (not the whole county).  For Kidalton the numbers are: 

Births and christenings 6900643 (2 fiche)

Marriages 5901109 (1 fiche). 

Remember this is an index and as such is subject to transcription and interpretation errors.  Always go to the original and check it out.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

THE LEGEND AND HOW IT AFFECTS RESEARCH


There is an old legend which I shall attempt to tell very briefly in my own words.  I was originally sent an audio tape  from a McQuaig researcher in Georgia, United States who,  I believe, is now deceased.  The audio tape held the recording of an elderly Scottish gentleman telling this story.  I am not sure if  I can  find it in print so I shall record it here as best as my memory allows.  The story goes something like this:
 
Couple in hear
There was once a young Scottish lad of the Clan McLeod who fell in love with a beautiful Scottish lass. Sadly the McLeods and her  family were feuding with each other at the time and of course their marriage would never be allowed.  So they ran away together, changed their name and were married.. Many, many  years later they were forgiven and allowed to come home.  McCuaig through time has become an anglicized version of the name they used while in exile. 

Thus the McCuaig family believes themselves to be McCuaigs but also just as firmly and rightly to be McLeods.   

I realize this is just a legend but such stories often have a grain of truth and as researchers we need to be aware of the possibility of such name transformations and be on the look out for variations of the McLeod name also.  

I have found instances on Islay where both names are used in different instances by the same person.  It is more than common to find that when a McCuaig leaves the island  they use the name McLeod.  So often when they went to mainland  to find work you will find their records there under the name McLeod.

This name change is also common when they emigrated to Canada,  Australia or New Zealand and I am sure other places in the world. Not all McCuaigs changed their name to McLeod, but enough did that a researcher should be aware of the possibility. 

Here is one families example -
  • Catherine McCuaig was christened 24 Apr 1828 in the parish of Kildalton. Daughter to Dugald McCuaig and Catherine McEwen (McEwing).           
      "1828 Apr 24 Cath'r   Dug'd McCuaig & Cath'r McEwing   Giol"                                
  • On the 1841 census the family is found in the Parish of Kildalton using the surname McCuaig
  • On the 1851 census Dugald McCuaig appears to be deceased as his wife is a widow and is using the surname McCuaig.
  • In 1855 the daughter Catherine marries Neil Darroch and uses the surname McCuaig in her marriage registration. 
  • In 1856 Catherine and Neil have a child, Mary, born in Port Ellen, Kildalton. Catherine’s maiden surname is recorded as McCuaig
  • In 1857 a son Angus joins the family and his mother's surname is recorded as McCuaig.
  • However in 1859 another daughter (named Catherine) joins this small family and the mother's maiden surname is reported as McLeod
  • Archibald was born in 1860.  On his birth registration his mother's maiden surname is recorded as McCuaig.
  • In 1862 Gilbert joins the family and his mother's surname is recorded as McCuaig.
The family appears to move to Wellington County, Ontario, Canada between September 1862 when Gilbert is born and April of 1863 when Grandma passes away. 
  • In April of 1863 Grandmother Catherine McEwin (McEwing) married name McCuaig dies and is buried at Bethel Pioneer Cemetery in the Township of Arthur, Wellington County, Ontario Canada. Her tombstone reads
"In memory of Catherine McEwen / wife of Dugald McLeod / Died 12 Apr 1863 / Aged 72 yrs. a native of the Island of Islay"

Maggie and John join the family about 1864 and 1867 respectively. They were born before civil registration began in Ontario.  I have not yet found a birth record for them but I have found them on census records with their family. 
  • Christina is born in July 1869.  Her  mother's surname  on the birth registration is recorded as McLeod. as it is for Dugald's birth  in June of 1871
  • When the eldest daughter Mary marries in 1881 her mother’s maiden surname is recorded as McLeod.
  • Son Angus marries in 1892 and his mother’s maiden name is recorded as McLeod
I can provide sources for any of the above if desired
In my own family, when I began researching  my McLeod ancestors I hit brick walls and frustrations.  My  GGGGrandfather’s tombstone in Ontario stated the he was a native of Islay, Scotland.  My sister had found Ontario land records and a Quit claim dated 1900 with signatures of descendants of my GGGGrandfather’s  sisters along with their locations in Scotland.

So I went to work trying to figure out how they all fit together.   I went through fifty years of birth, marriage and death indexes and paid for certificates from Scotland. Bit by bit I followed them back until I got to the time period when registrations were filmed. Then I ordered film after film following the families and putting them together. Finally the time came when I was sure I would bridge the gap to my McLeod ancestors. 

I had the film where I thought that I would find the names of the parents of the family I had been building and would finally be able to connect to the McLeods.  I remember how I had ranted and complained to my research buddies “If they wanted me to find them so badly why didn’t they just write their name down somewhere”.  I put the film in the reader and I remember thinking – this is it – the next thing I will see is the mother’s name.  But whoops  - the name on the film was Margaret McCuaig not Margaret McLeod.  Where had I gone wrong?

I went back over and rechecked all my work.  I  reevaluated my decisions. I couldn’t find my mistake.  I was at a standstill.  About a month later I was looking at a birth registration film.  The birth registration I wanted and the one above it were both for McCuaig births.  Suddenly I noticed a note in the margin. It read “McLeod and McCuaig are the same name.  The family signs both ways”. 

Could that possibly be?  McLeod and McCuaig didn’t sound anything alike,   Further insight form my sister and a tiny bit more investigation showed that if we substituted the name McCuaig for McLeod we could find our family in Scotland.  In fact – the Island of Islay is quite literally covered with McCuaigs. 
                                          
                                                           image
The name I could not find anywhere was everywhere.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

WHERE THEY CAME FROM


In contemplating creating this blog I have wondered where exactly to start 

Do I commence with the discovery that McCuaig’s and McLeod’s were the same family?
Do I begin by sharing my own McLeod / McCuaig ancestry? 
Do I start with the ancient legends that explains how McLeod’s became McCuaig’s? 
Do I share details of the ancestral Scottish home of the McCuaig’s? 
Do I address the missing parish registers that make McCuaig research more difficult? 
Do I introduce myself and explain why I feel that I am qualified to share not only mine but other McCuaig researchers findings? 

     I will probably deal with most of these topics (and more) but I am not sure in exactly what order.

Together we shall see what shall unfold !

          If you are a descendant of a McCuaig you find yourself  among a very select group.  It appears that McCuaig’s originally hail almost exclusively from the Isle of Islay which is found  in  the Southern Hebrides of Scotland and is often referred to as the Queen of the Hebrides.


Islay location
Image from Wikipedia page ISLAY
    The Isle of Jura, Colonsay, the Kintyre peninsula and Northern Ireland are Islay's neighbours. Islay is pronounced Eye - laaaa. There is evidence that the island appears to have been inhabited from the most ancient of times  

     On the site http://www.islayinfo.com/it is stated that St Columba's biographer, wrote Islay's name as "Ilea", and described Islay as an inhabited island.  The name was later transformed to Islay through anglicized spelling. In Gaelic the island's name is spelt ÌÌle and pronounced EE-leh by native Gaelic speakers.    

        According to Wikipedia Islay recorded history begins with a document relating to St Columba who probably passed through Islay on his way  to establish the monastery on the Isle of Iona in the 6th century.

     From the 14th to the 16th centuries, Islay, along with the rest of the Hebrides Archipelago and much of the west coast of Scotland, was controlled by Clan Donald, whose chief became known as the Lord of the Isles.

     The MacDonald Lords commanded a strong semi-independent maritime kingdom during the Middle Ages, and considered themselves equals of the kings of Scotland, Norway, and England.  John Macdonald II forfeited his estates and titles to James IV of Scotland in 1493. 

     In 1726, the island was purchased by Daniel Campbell (d. 1753) of Shawfield. It remained in his family's ownership until 1853 when it was sold to James Morrison, the grandfather of the first Baron Margadale. 

     Starting in the 1830s, the population of the island began dropping from its peak of 15,000 as a result of the Highland Clearances. Today's population is about 3,000. Most emigrants from Islay made new homes in Ontario, Canada, the Carolinas in the United States and Australia.  (Read the whole article on Wikipedia at  hhtp://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Islay  ). Note: if the page doesn’t create just type Islay in the search field and it will appear shortly


So you can see that we have spread all over the world