George was my 3rd Great Grandfather :) I have been to Westry and visited the old homestead of Langskail where a Harcus still lives with her English husband. Tundra Gregg Harcus

> I understand the HALCROW name came from a Norse Kingdom that was > split between > 2 sons - thus the name of HAL(f) CROW(n). The surname then > drifted down to > the Shetlands then the Mainland I'm afraid this sounds like a typical "folkloric etymology" for the surname. The idea I've come across is also one I'm not particularly enamoured with but it suggests that the name derives from a typical nickname used for the pre-Norse inhabitants of the islands. It suggests that "Halcrow" or its earlier form "Haucrow" comes from the nickname "Crow-dwelling"; "crow" being a nickname for the indigenous people of the islands. Although the nickname theory may be correct, the "cro" element sounds too like the Old Norse "kró" meaning a small enclosure. The first element "hau" or "hal" could be a number of things - "mound", "high", "neck". However, the one fly in this ointment is the fact that there are no (at least none I can think of) Halcro placenames in Orkney that could have been the "birthplace" of the surname. -- Sigurd Towrie - Blackhall - Kirbister - Stromness - Orkney E-Mail: sigurd@orkneyjar.com Orkneyjar - The Heritage of Orkney: http://www.orkneyjar.com

Hello all, My GGG grandparents William HEDDLE & Euphemia LEASK were married in 1809 in Stromness. Their daughter Anne Wylie HEDDLE b.1828 m. Thomas RUSSELL in 1855 in Stromness. I would be interested to hear from anyone researching the same lines. Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas & a Happy & Healthy New Year. From Barbara in Kent UK Researching HEDDLE, LEASK - Stromness, Orkney RUSSELL - Lanarks pre 1855, Hawick then London 1860s onwards. ALLEN -St Pancras & Holborn pre1890, Thanet, Kent post 1890. BEARE - any. CATLIN/CATTLAN - any DRISCOLL - London BLAKELEY, CAMPANY, DIXON, FEAKINS, MAY, RALPH, SANDWELL, WALKER - All Thanet, Kent

Jim Corse - I thank you for your references to HALCROs and HALCROWs in the Orkney phone book !!! I can actually bring up several of them on the internet via ' People Finder '. Not sure I will call them, but I do have the inclination to just write them a note with Christmas wishes from Oklahoma, as we are surely related somehow - if not in the last 200 years, then WAY farther back <G>. I understand the HALCROW name came from a Norse Kingdom that was split between 2 sons - thus the name of HAL(f) CROW(n). The surname then drifted down to the Shetlands then the Mainland. The phone book entries would tend to support this theory, as Shetland listed almost ten times the amount of HALCROW entries as did Kirkwall. Does anyone with Norse background (or better in History than I was) in the Orkneys know of this story ? - Meg Greenwood / Oklahoma, USA

Monte - about the FINLAYs - I now have the microfilmed Parish Registers for 1709 - 1855. The Orphir ones are what I ordered, but several other parishes are present. Not sure if the info is any different from what is present on the Cursiter site. Please tell me what the date of the marriage was and the parish. In Jan. I can check for what is on these. - Meg / Oklahoma, USA

Hi, yes! This is my line, but I'm at work right now and don't have the info with me. How exciting! I'm going to forward this email to my home email address, and I'll check tonight for the info I've got. Rena Leith > A cousin passed away before explaining to anyone what all her genealogy notes meant. Her daughter and I have been able to decipher many of them, and I'm trying to follow up on some of them. One note mentions the TEA CLIPPER, 'MARY NELSON" with the date 18 Nov 1872. At first I suspected this might be one the ships that WILLIAM LEITH (b. Sept. 15,1822) worked on. However he died in 1869 (if my records are correct) Does anyone have more on this ship? > > He sailed back to Orkney in 1853 and married MARGARET ANN CLOUSON. William is the son of J.D. LEITH. That is all we know about their ancestry right now. Is anyone is looking into Leiths or Cloustons?. > > Kate > yarbro@wctc.net >

Would someone who has access to the Kirkwall Parish Census for 1881 be willing to look up a Horne Family for me. I have Census records but have not had any luck with this look-up. Any help would be greatly appreciated. The Horne could be with or without an "e" and is likely to be John Horne, but could be Adam. Thanks very much in advance for any help. Grant Simpson Whitehorse, Yukon

I have a great deal of Orkney Spence information.

Dear Joanna, Your post regarding SMITH at Elsness farm on Sanday caught my eye. My gr-greatgrandparents, Robert MUIR and Jannet FOTHERINGHAME were living at Elsness in 1841, but had removed to Savilgreen farm by 1851. I am particularly interested in your SMITHs because they lived in close proximity to my MUIRs and also because a Harriet SMITH was the mother of another of my gr-greatgrandmothers, Mary SKEA. I visited Sanday in 1996 and walked over to Elsness farm as well as to Savilgreen. If you or any other listmember happens to have information or some connection to the above, I would be happy to hear from you or them. I do have some information from the various censuses, the OPRs and other references regarding placenames if you're interested. If I don't answer right away, it is because I'll be away 20 Dec-3 Jan. All best wishes for the holidays, Doug Nicol, Harvey's Lake PA

Hi Listmembers I finally had a chance to check the 1851 and 1861 census for my SMITH family in Sanday. Thomas Smith married Mary Morin Waugh and had 5 children and at least 4 survived. Mary died 1856 and Thomas remarried as seen in the 1861 census. I know the oldest daughter Catherine eventually moved to Norther Ireland and married but I am not sure what happened to the rest of the family. Here are the census details: ------------------- 1851 CENSUS PARISH OF LADY (Orkneys) {# of house;Name of St.,Road or Place;Name(at Mar30th,1851);Relation to Head;Condition;Age of Male/Female;Rank;Where Born} #2; Elseness(no.1); Thomas Smith; Head; Mar; M 44; Farmer of 230 Acres(employing 9 laborers);Ireland Mary do; wife; Mar; F 25; Farmer's wife; Dumfries, kirkmahoe Catherine "; Dau; - ; F 2; John " ; Son; - ; M 1; Thomas '; Son; - ; M ?; Elizabeth Hay; Serv ; U Barbara Tar??; " ; U ; Sean Garnoch; " ; U ; Eliza Alvair? ; " ; U James Linklater; " ; U; George Muir; " ; U John Moody ; " ; U 1861 CENSUS PARISH OF LADY (Orkneys)page 8 {# of house;Name of St.,Road or Place;Name(at Mar30th,1851);Relation to Head;Condition;Age of Male/Female;Rank;Where Born} # 38; Elsness; Thomas Smith; Head; Mar; M 58; farmer of 247 acres employing 10 lab and 1 boy;Ireland,Donegal Margaret Smith; Wife; Mar; F-34; farmer's wife; Ireland,Donegal; John " ; Son; - ; M 11; Scholar; Orkney lady; Thomas " ; Son; - ; M 10; Scholar; Orkney Lady; William " ; Son; - ; M 6 ; - ; Orkney Lady; Mary Ann " ; Daug; - ; F 3; - ; Orkney Lady; Margaret '; Daug; - ; F 1; - ; Orkney Lady; Janet S?later; Servant; Un; F 27; Domestic Servant; Orkney Cross; Betty Tuillock; Servant; Un; F 22; Dairy Maid; Orkney Cross; Sarah Swauney; Servant; Un; F 23; Dairy Maid; Orkney North Ronaldsay; Jean Sheco; Servant; Un; F16; Nurse; Orkney Cross; William McG?;Servant; Un; M 11; Cow Herd; Orkney Lady; --------------------------- Is anyone else researching this family or know anything about them? Joanna Waugh Hamilton, Ontario Canada

The crew agreements should be at the Maritime History Archive, Memorial University, St John's, Newfoundland. Cheers David, Perth, Western Australia ----- Original Message ----- From: Yarbro Family <yarbro@wctc.net> To: <ORKNEY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 1999 10:33 PM Subject: [ORKNEY] Tea Clipper > A cousin passed away before explaining to anyone what all her genealogy notes meant. Her daughter and I have been able to decipher many of them, and I'm trying to follow up on some of them. One note mentions the TEA CLIPPER, 'MARY NELSON" with the date 18 Nov 1872. At first I suspected this might be one the ships that WILLIAM LEITH (b. Sept. 15,1822) worked on. However he died in 1869 (if my records are correct) Does anyone have more on this ship? > > He sailed back to Orkney in 1853 and married MARGARET ANN CLOUSON. William is the son of J.D. LEITH. That is all we know about their ancestry right now. Is anyone is looking into Leiths or Cloustons?. > > Kate > yarbro@wctc.net > >

A cousin passed away before explaining to anyone what all her genealogy notes meant. Her daughter and I have been able to decipher many of them, and I'm trying to follow up on some of them. One note mentions the TEA CLIPPER, 'MARY NELSON" with the date 18 Nov 1872. At first I suspected this might be one the ships that WILLIAM LEITH (b. Sept. 15,1822) worked on. However he died in 1869 (if my records are correct) Does anyone have more on this ship? He sailed back to Orkney in 1853 and married MARGARET ANN CLOUSON. William is the son of J.D. LEITH. That is all we know about their ancestry right now. Is anyone is looking into Leiths or Cloustons?. Kate yarbro@wctc.net

I am also researching Harcus on Westray. The person that I am looking for is Jesse Harcus b.12/8/1827 Westray. Her parents were William and Janet nee Skae. I think I have found Jesse living at 51 Lanshaill in the 1851 Census, as a general servent. The head of the house was George Harcus (67 years) and his wife Jean (67 years). As far as I can tell Jesse is the same person that married George Guthrie and moved to Kirkwall, where she became a dressmaker. Dose any of this fit into your line? Jason Jowitt Adelaide

I am researching the above. Kirkness from Deerness and Budge from same and South Ronaldsay. Not doing well with Kirkness. Don't see too many posting for that surname. Heather in Manitoba

At 11:52 PM 12/14/99 -0400, you wrote: >Researching the families of David Drever & Ann Rendall from >Payhouse, Westray, David b circa 1811. >also Andrew Harcus & Margaret Reid Dogtoo, Westray, Andrew b circa >1822. Dave, We have some Reids in our tree - a bit further back Henry Reid (About 1725) & Margaret Reid (About 1725) | John Reid (5 Aug 1744) & Margaret Thomson (29 Mar 1742) | John Rendall (Abt. 1720) & Marion Reid (Abt. 1720) | | Mary Reid (25 Dec 1767 ) & Thomas RENDALL (14 Jun 1767) | | | Peter Rendall (8 Jun 1784 - About 1872) & Margaret Couper (11 Mar 1792 ) | | | | Jeremiah RENDALL (20 Nov 1829 ) & Mary STEVENSON (16 Feb 1832 ) | | ? Reid (31 Oct 1775) | | Janet Reid (17 Mar 1773) | | Margaret Reid (15 Jul 1770) | Ursula Reid (24 Aug 1746) | Thos. Reid (3 Oct 1748) | Thomas Reid (29 Sep 1750) | Robert Reid (3 Nov 1754) | Marion Reid (21 May 1758) Anne

Hi Orkney listers, Thanks for all your replies letting me know the list was alive and well. It was a good idea to get people to repost as one never knows when someone else may just be looking for the same name. I guess at this time of the year everyone is busy so I'd like to wish you all a very happy Christmas, and good luck, good health and happiness for the New Year and the New Millennium. Thanks also to Anne, the listowner, for the wonderful job that you do. It is very much appreciated. Cheers, Jan, Canberra

Monte - I don't have the 1821 for Firth and Stennes, I am not sure it survived. Will have to check out the Ontario Genealogical Society site where I purchased these fiche. I DO have the 1851 census for Firth and Stennes though - but my FHC is closed for the Holidays. It will re-open Jan 3, 2000. Do you think they lived there in 1851 ? Where did they live for the 1851 census? I have Orphir, Stromness, Kirkwall, and several others for 1851. Only have Orphir, Deerness, Stromness and South Rohaldshay and Burray for 1821. Just found out that Kirkwall exists, I just haven't bought it yet. - Meg

Researching the families of David Drever & Ann Rendall from Payhouse, Westray, David b circa 1811. also Andrew Harcus & Margaret Reid Dogtoo, Westray, Andrew b circa 1822. Is any one else researching these families ??? My research can be found on my web page at the URL in my sig. below. Dave Eddington david.eddington@ns.sympatico.ca http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/david.eddington

to Meg, I don't know if you have this information re Halcro but try http://www.cursiter.com/Halcro.txt Monte

re post from Meg Greenwood.. nice to hear back from you. I have another source of information, listing finlay/finley/findlay http://www.cursiter.com/Finlay.txt This is listed as: findlay: Births & baptisms, Caithness, Orney & Shetland International Genealogical INdex (R) - 1994 Edition - Version 3.06 This gives my gggrandfather Christopher and I assume his father, Christopher Finlay born Mar 1810 Firth and Stenness, Orkney Gives his father as David Finlay. >From your information, My ggg grandma is most likely one of the three Margaret Sinclairs.. This helps alot. thanks muchly please take peek at my web page http://www.island.net/~hme and go to Family Tree and check out the information that I have found on Christopher. >From what you have I suppose that I would have to look at a census from Firth and Stenness.. Monte