I am trying to find out the parents of Alexander and George Riach and any siblings and to which branch of the Riach family they belong . It is said that their father tenanted the farm of Cairnty and his mother was a famous itinerant preacher. (So famous that I cannot find her!).From what I can find out Cairnty is in Boharm formerly part of Dundurcas parish. In 1829 Alex Riach was appointed assistant schoolmaster at Keith when James Smith became parish schoolmaster at the Tolbooth School. Prior to this both Alex Riach and his brother George are said to have taught in a private school in Aberdeen. Alex was not popular at Keith and left for Banff Academy from where he went abroad to be the minister in a church in the British colony of Berbice which became part of British Guiana. According to the Fasti Ecclesiae Scotanicae he was appointed to St Clements, Berbice in 13 March 1849 and died 19 April 1855 at New Amsterdam, Berbice. His wife Mary had died a few weeks earlier on 16 March 1855. I think I have found both brothers on the Roll of Alumni in Arts of the University and King’s College, Aberdeen. George appears in the section 1818-1822 as having been a first year student, and then in 1819-1823 as a second, third and fourth year student. Alex appears 1819-1823 doing these four years. My next trace of Alex is in the 1841 census where he is at Maggyknockater, Boharm a teacher age 55 born outside census county. Maggyknockater is in the bit of Banffshire Boharm . The Cairnty part of Boharm was formerly part of Dundurcas parish in Moray so if he was born Cairnty or thereabouts it would be out of the census county of Banffshire. It doesn’t help that the Boharm (including the Banffshire portions) are found on the census films for Moray. I cannot find any trace in Scotland of brother George. There is a George Riach appears on the 1852 Canadian census age 60 but I have no further details except that he was a member of the Kirk of Scotland. One of the challenges in tracing the Riachs is that the name appears in a variety of spellings. Reich, Reach, Reiach and Reaich being some of the more popular variations. However if any of the above information rings any bells with folk who have connections with Riachs from Rothes, Boharm, Keith etc. I would be grateful. regards George -- George Brander Torre de la Horadada España