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