Needing an expert on the MacRaes of Kintail

Question

I am still searching for any information about my 3xgreat grandmother, Mrs John Roy Mackay (he's MacKay-3473). In his memoir her son wrote that his mother was a Macrae of Kintail connected to Sir Roderick Murchison through the Episcopal Minister of Kintail by the name of Murchison by her mother. I have read in detail The History of Clan Macrae (1899), but can find nothing about this marriage.

I want to add her to WikiTree but don't even have confirmation of her name. I have looked through the profiles on here but nothing stands out. People have suggested that her name is Catherine, Janet or Margaret. Her first three daughters were Margaret (born about 1777), Isabella and Catherine. She had between 10 and 12 daughters and two sons before the family emigrated to Nova Scotia in 1805. Nothing in the way of records found yet.

Any sources gratefully received.

Answer 1

Hi Margaret

I can see if I can help. I have a copy of the Alexander MacRae's "The History of the Clan MacRae", but I have the second edition that was published in 1910. It has additional information that might be helpful. Give me a few days, and I'll see what I can find.

It will be tough because, as I'm sure you know, the author Reverend Alexander McRae often omitted the names and dates of daughters in the genealogy he printed. It's a bit annoying, to say the least.  

My grandmother's family is from the Kintail, Ross-shire  region of Scotland. My grandmother's great grandparents, Farquhar and Christina McRae came from Kintail. Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to link them to the published genealogy.

Comments

Thanks so much for your willingness to help. I do have some DNA matches to members of this family, so I am trying to use them to see if I can get a match to one of the males mentioned in the book seeing females are conspicuous by their absence. No rush as I have moved from my father's difficult family to my mother's which has plenty of sources.