Sutherland Interests

[Sue Mackay]

Well, all the old Sutherland postings seem to have disappeared, so I will start the ball rolling again. I am interested in ROSS and MATHER in Durness, and also in trying to track down the family of Alexander McKAY, later to join the 93rd Regiment and then to become a Glasgow policeman. He married Annie Fraser ROSS, daughter of Lachlan ROSS of Eriboll and Hannah MATHER, illegitimate daughter of Thomas MATHER of Northumberland and Durness.

Pictures of the graves of the above (and other Sutherland graves) can be found at www.
countysutherland.co.uk

[Sheila V]

It seems that the Sutherland forum was inactive for a fairly long while, so the new webmaster deleted it. I asked to have it re-instated, and it was - but all the old posts have been lost.

[ChristineR]

I do not think that there was really very much on the old posts - mostly it was the initial roll call when we changed from the list. With only a few new posts added over time.

I have added my lines of interest, thanks for getting it back!

ChristineR :)

[ChristineR]

and also in trying to track down the family of Alexander McKAY

Do you have the Australian information for Alexander's kids? Now those old posts would be handy!

ChristineR :)

[Sue Mackay]

Do you have the Australian information for Alexander's kids? Now those old posts would be handy!ChristineR :)

Don't think any of 'my' Alexander's kids ended up in Australia. His son ended up in Cardiff (hence where I now live) and his daughter emigrated to Canada. His daughter by his first marriage stayed in Glasgow and married a McLEOD.

One of the legitimate children of Thomas MATHER did go to Australia and I have quite a bot of information on him, but we descend from Hannah MATHER, his illegitimate daughter!

[ChristineR]

What a shame - thought I might have made a discovery!
a James died aged 31, in 1861; and a Robert McGillivray in 1887, aged 47.
parents of both Alexander McKAY and Ann ROSS. Both in Victoria.

cheers
ChristineR :)

[KateW]

Hi Sue,

I see you are looking for details of Ross and Mather in Durness. I have this summer (with a cousin in law) discovered a lot about my husband's Scottish ancestors and many of them came from Durness. We have 4 X Gt grandmother Ann Ross b.1787 (daughter of 5 X GG Donald Ross and Mary Mackay) who married Donald Whyte in 1808 in Durness. We have not found anything out about her father Donald Ross other than he was a crofter and married Mary Mackay in 1778 in Durness. Mary was daughter of William Mackay and born about 1762 at Clashneash, Tongue.

Ann Ross had siblings William b.1784; Angus b.1790; Donald b.1793 and Isobel b.1796. We know she was christened in Durness 10.8.1787 and died in Durness on 13.1.1880.

Do any of these sound as if they may be connected to your Ross family? I'm not sure how many of them there would have been in the area around Durness.

KateW

[Sue Mackay]

Hi Kate

My Lachlan ROSS was originally born in Kincardine, Ross ca 1791 and married Anne FRASER in Creich, Sutherland on 11 December 1819. Their first two children, Alexander ROSS and Donald ROSS, were baptised in Creich on 25 Feb 1820 and 9 Sep 1821 respectively. At some point in the next year or so they moved to Durness, where they had William, Isabella, Robert and George Tulloch. Isabella died as a child aged 4 and Anne FRASER died in 1837, leaving Lachlan a widower with five children, but I have absolutely no idea what happened to any of those children!!

Lachlan worked for the CLARKE family on their sheep farm at Eriboll and on 1 Feb 1840 in Durness he married Hannah MATHER, the illegitimate daughter of Thomas MATHER, a Northumberland shepherd at Balnakeil. I have a great deal of information about Lachlan's second family. We descend from the daughter, Annie Fraser ROSS, and two of the sons emigrated to Texas and founded Rossville, just outside San Antonio.

So, doesn't look like a connection as Lachlan was 'imported' to Durness in the early 1820s and although I haven't found his baptism his death certificate says that his parents were Alexander ROSS and Ann McGREGOR.

[KateW]

Hi Sue,
Yes, I see, our Ross family were there quite a bit earlier! There do seem to be a large number of Ross, Mackay and Whytes around Durness - all quite confusing :confused: I am trying to work out how they are all connected to sort them out for my family tree!!

KateW