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  1. #1
    Stephen M. Kohler
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    Default McKay family of Thurso, Caithness, Scotland

    I am interested in the McKay family of Thurso, Caithness, Scotland. I am specifically seeking information on the parents and siblings of David McKay b. May 24 1793 in Thurso, Caithiness, Scotland. David immigrated to Canada and settled on the west side of the East Jordon River, Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada. David McKay married Janet McPherson, dau. of Lachlan and Elizabeth (Urquhart) McPherson, b., April 6, 1799 I East Jordan. N.S. I have much information on generations descending from this marriage that I am happy to share with other McKay researchers.

    /R

    Stephen
    Washington, DC

  2. #2
    Inez Reed
    Guest

    Default McKays - Shelburne County, NS

    Dear Sir - I am currently working with the descendants of William Curry McKay. He was born in that last quarter of the 18th century (abt 1777) in prob. in (Cape Dread?) Caithness or Sutherland County, Scotland. He died in 1872 in Shelburne. He married Catherine Morrison (b. abt. 1777 in Scotland). My "grandmother" was Margaret McKay (1806-1899).

    There are many McKay families that living in Shelburne County throughout the 19th century. I have not, unfortunately, had any joy finding my McKay family in Scotland. If you could shed any light on this fellow and his family, I would greatly appreciate it.

    Sincerely,

    Inez Reed

  3. #3
    Stephen M. Kohler
    Guest

    Default William Curry McKay

    Inez,
    Dear Inez,
    Let me begin by saying “Hi Cuz”! You are not a McKay from Shelburne without being a McKay from Thurso. It’s that simple. All the New England McKay families know this! Now if we could only teach this to the Caithness and Sutherland McKay families we’d be in the genealogy business rather than just playing at it.

    It’s the name McKay, err rather the name MacKay - There is a disparity in the loyalties felt to the English. Some McKay(s) were loyalist to the crown. Many MacKay(s) were loyal to the Rea MacKay. Who was loyal to the crown of Denmark and Sweden. Nobody with a last name like MacKay living in Caithness and Sutherland today is going to admit relations to a McKay living in Canada or the US today because of this fact. What’s sad is that most McKays in Canada and the US did not drop the first “a” in their name until after the beginning of the Twentieth Century. So, no one knows anyone’s loyalties anymore anyway!

    My great grandmother was Margaret Janet “Jane” McKay. Are we tracking?

    I’ll take a look at William Curry McKay and see where he fits in to my family and share back the information. Don't change your name back to MacKay!

    Sincerely,

    Stephen

  4. #4
    A fountain of knowledge Mike_E's Avatar
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    Jun 2006
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    Gloucestershire (now)
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    364

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Stephen M. Kohler View Post

    My great grandmother was Margaret Janet “Jane” McKay. Are we tracking?
    Hi Stephen,

    don't suppose you have any MacKay's living in Aberdeen around 1810? I know this is a long shot, and quite a way further south east, But it's a part of my tree I've not done too much work on.
    I have a Jane Duff MacKay b abt 1789 (don't know where yet) who married George Cornwall in about 1820 and was living in Aberdeen when their first child Margaret was born in 1824.
    Jane is my 3x Great GrandMother. I have her parents as Alexander MacKay and Jane Duff.
    The Cornwall's were printers, and one of their sons move to the US in the 1850's. It's this son in the US I'm descended from.

  5. #5
    Inez Reed
    Guest

    Default Margaret McKay - Hartz Point, NS

    Hi Cuz, indeed! I have two Margaret McKays in my line. The elder Margaret was born in Hartz Point in 1806 and died in Shelburne in 1899. Her father was William Curry McKay (1777-1820). Her mother was Catherine Morrison (1777-1872). She married George Swansburg (b. abt 1794) who was the son of Christian Swansburg (Schweinsburg from Hesse) who came to the Shelburne area at the close of the American Revolution.

    Their daughter, Margaret McKay Swansburg married my great-grandfather Sutton (also known as Thomas Sutton Walker). My grandfather emigrated to Massachusetts around 1900 and worked, I believe, in the McKay shipyard (or what remained of it) in Boston.

    My grandfather Walker recounted most of this information verbally and other bits I've pieced together from census records and the noodlings of other researchers.

    The jump to Scotland though...may as well be the dark side of the moon!

    Take care and let me know if this sounds "close"

    Inez

  6. #6
    Inez Reed
    Guest

    Default Addendum "Jane"

    This may be coincidence but my great grandmother Margaret McKay Walker was only known as "Jane" as was her mother.

    Inez

  7. #7
    Stephen M. Kohler
    Guest

    Default

    Hi Cuz,
    We are spitting close. My grandfather is Edward Thomas Swansburg. His father was Edward Doane (called Jones) Swansburg (He worked as a ship’s joiner for his wife’s cousin Donald McKay in the east Boston shipyards). Jones was married to Margaret Janet “Jane” McKay. Christian Swansburg (Schweinsburg from Hesse) is my fifth great-grandfather.

    More on the Schweinsbergs – They only settled in Hesse after The Thirty Years War. The came over with the Rea MacKay’s highland troops from Caithness and Sutherland and fought in the war to support their blood relatives from Sweden. The name varies much but you can bet that anyone with “Swan…” or “Swin…” in their name from Northern Scotland is related. They descend from Norse Vikings, Norman pirates, Anglo-Norman invaders that melded into the Scottish population.

    Is your Reed family descended from Colonel Andrew Reed of Boothbay, Maine and Antrim, Ireland by any chance?

    I know your Walker side very well. Aside from immigrating to East Boston and Weymouth, Massachusetts some made Maine their home.

    I was born in Melrose, Massachusetts. My mom and sister live in Reading, MA.

    Let’s explore this more.

    Cuz Stephen

  8. #8
    Stephen M. Kohler
    Guest

    Default

    Hi Mike,
    A McKay is a MacKay, is a MacKey, is a MacKoy, is a McCoy, etc., etc., etc. And they all claim to have descended from Aod (A guy in the Bible related to Moses somehow).

    Aberdeen rings a bell. So, it may not be as long a shot as you think though. Because the MacKays/McKays got around a lot. I’ll have to research this more.

    Where in the US is your ancestor’s home?

    V/R

    Stephen

  9. #9
    Inez Reed
    Guest

    Default Christian and company

    Stephen said

    "More on the Schweinsbergs – They only settled in Hesse after The Thirty Years War. The came over with the Rea MacKay’s highland troops from Caithness and Sutherland and fought in the war to support their blood relatives from Sweden. The name varies much but you can bet that anyone with “Swan…” or “Swin…” in their name from Northern Scotland is related. They descend from Norse Vikings, Norman pirates, Anglo-Norman invaders that melded into the Scottish population."

    Stephen, I don't think that's accurate. I have supporting evidence from the other part of our tribe, the Harpels, that he was with a Hessian Regiment garrisoned in Rhode, Island. His reg't was at Fort Washington and was in and out of NewYork State. His Harpel wife was the daughter of Johannes Ludwig Harpel.

    Is your Reed family descended from Colonel Andrew Reed of Boothbay, Maine and Antrim, Ireland by any chance?

    No, but close...they're an odd bunch that came up to Mount Desert about one generation before the American Revolution. The esteemed male ancestor was a "Capt. William Reed of Naskeag, Maine. I descend from his son James Reed and Patty Milliken. The related lines are Dow, Robbins, Stewart(d), and a cast of many going back to Salem, Salisbury and Amesbury, MA.

    "I know your Walker side very well. Aside from immigrating to East Boston and Weymouth, Massachusetts some made Maine their home."

    Some? Oh, heavens, there were many Walkers but sadly only one of my mother's sisters is living.

    I was born in Melrose, Massachusetts. My mom and sister live in Reading, MA.

    I was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

    Let’s explore this more.

    Defintely, Cuz Inez

  10. #10
    Inez Reed
    Guest

    Default Schweinsburger, Ross, McKays - Port Roseway

    [FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Stephen - You would think in the same confines of Shelburne, that there would have been some agreement on how these surnames are spelled. The people researching the Harpels, for example, seem to use Schweinsburger to refer to our agreed ancestor, Christian Swansburg.

    A William McKay is listed as evaluating the estate of Donald MacAlipine in 1829.

    Regarding the parents of William McKay and/or Catherine Morrison, I do believe one of them descended from a John Ross but not THE Sir John Ross.

    All of these families seem to have been in Shelburne early on in its history.

    Later,

    Inez

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