> Hi there listers; Hiya Vic, you wrote; > I am tracing my Scottish forebears and have got as far as Donald Mcleay who wed Margaret Mckenzie at Ullapool, Lochbroom, 18.4.1816.One of their sons Alexander, emigrated to Australia in 1856 hence my connection. Are their any among you all who can trace this family back from 1816 ? Cheerio > Vic Underwood My own genealogy searches have suffered the last few years, as I focussed on making a living, but along the way have had contact with several of your distant cousins, I include your message above so those in the cc list can see your own data, and let you discuss later generations with them directly. My own focus is Coigach, and Margaret had Tacksman ancestors there at Achiltibuie, hence my gathering some data on the family. My webpage is at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~coigach The 1816 marriage of Donald and Margaret records in the Lochbroom OPR his residence then at Mossfield, Parish of Contin, hers at Dalcanloch. I do not have data for Donald's ancestry. Margaret's father was John MacKenzie of "Atachol" (possibly a corruption of "Glen Achall", where Margaret and Donald raised their family). John was married twice, first to a MacKenzie from Contin, second to Margaret Stronach (born 4 June 1773 as daughter of the Minister of Lochbroom, Alexander Stronach and his wife Margaret or Isobel, who was herself a daughter of the fourth Laird of Ballone.) I think Margaret's mother was the second wife, but my notes are not clear. Margaret's father John had a large number of siblings, including four brothers who became prominant in the fur trade business in North America. They were said to be cousins of the explorer Sir Alexander MacKenzie, though that relationship is not clearly documented (a possible relationship detailed below.) John had a brother Murdoch who remained at Ullapool, and was married there to Susan MacGregor from Perthshire (with a 17 generation pedigree herself!). Murdoch died before the 1841 census, but his son William succeeded as a Merchant at Ullapool, and Tacksman of Badenscallie in Coigach. See notes wth the census transcriptions at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~coigach/ullapool.htm#41-b John had a sister Alexanderina who married Alexander MacKenzie of Langwell, the family had some children christened at Ullapool then moved to Quebec. See notes at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~coigach/ullapool.htm#alexjr John also had a sister Barbara, who married William of the Gruinard MacKenzie family, they are ancestors of the late husband of Sonia MacKenzie, who is herself prominant in Clan MacKenzie New Zealand. John MacKenzie and his siblings were raised at Achnaclerach, by their parents Alexander MacKenzie and Catherine MacKenzie (a note I have suggests she was daughter of Donald of Fairburn, a son of Allan of Stornoway, and marks Catherine's brother as Kenneth, father of Sir Alexander, the explorer, third hand info though..). Alexander was born either 1737 or 1747 at Achiltibuie. After the death of his father Roderick in 1762 he along with his mother fought a protracted battle with Daniel MacKenzie from Lewis, as a 16 year old he is said to have challenged the incomer to a ploughing contest, to prove the farm was up-to-date. By 1770 Alexander had left Achiltibuie and become Tacksman at Dalpolly, and died 1789 at Garve. Alexander had at least one brother, James, b.1753, d.21 April 1799, who like his four nephews went to Canada, and died there at Trois Rivieres. Through James' son Alexander MacKenzie "Captain of the 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers and 67th Regiment" born 1798 some early family papers were preserved in Canada. Alexander's parents were Roderick of Achiltibuie, born 1716 or 1717 (some sources say 1725, unlikely I think), Tacksman of Achiltibuie from 1740 till his death in 1762, and Catherine MacKenzie, a Widow at Dalpolly 1770, '95, and '95 (Catherine was a daughter of the second Laird of Ballone). Roderick served as a Lieutenant in the Earl of Cromartie's Regiment in the 1745 Rebellion, and "at his trial he pleaded duress and was acquitted on that ground". The Earl of Cromartie in house arrest after the Rebellion wrote Roderick (and George MacKenzie, Tacksman of Achnahaird) a letter of thanks for their effort's to raise funds to support the Earl's family in exile. See http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~coigach/cromartie.htm History of the ancestors of Roderick is spelled out in several sometimes differing sources that should be available to you, such as Alexander MacKenzie's "History of the Mackenzies" (online at http://www.gutenberg.net/etext03/mcknz10.txt ) , Hector MacKenzie's "The Mackenzies of Ballone" (online at http://www.cynthiasplace.net/ukscotland/scotland/ross/ross__cromarty.htm ) , and in the chapter "MacKenzie Families of the Barony of Lochbroom" by Malcolm Bangor-Jones in the book "Peoples & Settlement in North-West Ross" In brief, Roderick was son of James of Keppoch, who was son of Alexander, first of Ardloch, (a brother of George, first Earl of Cromartie), a son of Sir John MacKenzie of Tarbat, whose father Roderick ("Rory, the Tutor of Kintail")brought Coigach into the MacKenzie family by marriage to Margaret MacLeod, co-heiress of Torquil MacLeod. Torquil battled his brothers, half-brothers, father, nephews, in partnership at various time with most of them in a fratricidal war in the late 16th century with Lewis as prize, a fight ended by Roderick, who took to heart the saying "make your in-laws out-laws". Hope the above is not to confusing, and your on-line cousins who have studied the relationships in more detail can correct my mistakes. All the best from the brink of Niagara, Donald.