A further entry from the 1851 Diary of John Munro Mackenzie, enumerating his difficulties in getting the emigrants away. They sailed first for Troon, and thence for Quebec. It seems the Marquis of Stafford that took them to Canada was a steamer, unless the reference here refers to another boat that transfered them to Troon first […]
Read more →At the end of April 1851, following his tour of the island to assess the number of tenants who were to be helped to emigrate to Canada, the Chamberlain John Munro Mackenzie travelled to Glasgow, in the company of Sir James Matheson and his wife who were proceeding to London, to make the arrangements. Mackenzie had considerable difficulty finding […]
Read more →Four Uigeachs in Sydney, Australia, circa 1916. From left, Malcolm Morrison 8 Mangersta (Zinc), Norman Smith ex 2 Ungeshader (Tarmod Choinnich), Donald Smith 2 Ungeshader (Coisich) and Donald Macdonald 22 Valtos (Dòmhnall Daoighear). Three were seamen on HMS Orama that patrolled in the south seas, on shore leave whilst in for bunkers and stores. The […]
Read more →Donald Matheson, an Saighdear Chaluim Bhain, was a son of Malcolm Matheson (Calum Bàn) of Valtos and Crowlista. (Calum Bàn has some interesting ancestors who can be found by following the lines back via Hebridean Connections.) Donald was born in the 1740s and joined the army, serving at the siege of Louisbourg in 1758, and […]
Read more →Following his tour of the island in the spring of 1851 to assess arrears owed by tenants and determined which of them were “to be emigrated”, the Chamberlain of the Lews, John Munro Mackenzie, drew up the following memorandum (from the Acair publication of his 1851 Diary.) Two emigrant ships, the Marquis of Stafford and […]
Read more →Màiri, born 1841, was a daughter of Murdo Maciver and Mary nee Morrison, of Pabbay, 11 Kneep and later 25 Valtos. She emigrated to the United States and while there suffered greatly with homesickness and composed the song Och nan och, tha mi fo mhulad. According to tradition she lost her sight with the associated […]
Read more →[singlepic=1045,280,left]William J. Maclean was born at Scaliscro in 1837, son of Angus Maclean, mason, and Ann Macrae, daughter of the farmer Alexander Macrae. The family had moved to Gisla by 1861. William emigrated to Canada (his brother Duncan, who remained at Gisla, remembered travelling to Liverpool to see him off) and became factor for the […]
Read more →From the Diary of John Munro Mackenzie, Chamberlain, in 1851: Friday 14 Feby. Met the people of Crowlista, Aird Uig, Carishader, Geshader, Enaclete, Ungeshader and having explained the conditions on which they were to be emigrated, their condition state of arrears etc the following results were arrived at — Crowlista, 6 families, £34.8.4 in arrears, […]
Read more →Malcolm Smith (Calum Gobha) born circa 1775 is believed to be from Kneep, son of John Smith, and he had a smithy in Enaclete. He was the first croft tenant on 3 Enaclete but moved to No. 9, and eventually emigrated in old age to Winslow, Quebec, Canada in 1855 with his family. Calum was an Old Soldier, having enlisted […]
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