1931 Ann Mackay's Headstone, Linton, North Dakota
Ann Mackay 1835 - 1931
Birth of Ann Mackay
Ann Mackay, Donald McLaran's cousin, was born at Southend in 1835, and according to her 1874 marriage certificate, the daughter of a Peter Mackay. Unlike the birth of Jean McLeoran's first (and also illegitimate) daughter, Isabella McLeure, Ann's birth was not registered by the Kirk.
Ann's early years
Ann was recorded at ages eight and 17 in the 1841 and 1851 Southend Censuses, on both occasions living with mother Jean at Carskey Cottages. Her profession in 1851 - "outworker" - suggests she assisted in outdoor farming activities. In later years, her occupation was listed as laundress, former laundress, and domestic servant.
Ann's headstone at Linton, North Dakota, if it can be trusted, provides the definitive answer as to the date of her birth: 6 Mar 1835.
Ann Mackay, Donald McLaran's cousin, was born at Southend in 1835, and according to her 1874 marriage certificate, the daughter of a Peter Mackay. Unlike the birth of Jean McLeoran's first (and also illegitimate) daughter, Isabella McLeure, Ann's birth was not registered by the Kirk.
Ann's early years
Ann was recorded at ages eight and 17 in the 1841 and 1851 Southend Censuses, on both occasions living with mother Jean at Carskey Cottages. Her profession in 1851 - "outworker" - suggests she assisted in outdoor farming activities. In later years, her occupation was listed as laundress, former laundress, and domestic servant.
Ann's headstone at Linton, North Dakota, if it can be trusted, provides the definitive answer as to the date of her birth: 6 Mar 1835.
Who was Ann Mackay's father and what became of him?
Ann's 1874 wedding certificate and the 1841 and 1851 Censuses and provide some clues as to the identity of Ann's father.
1874 Burns - Mackay wedding certificate
The wedding certificate recorded:
1841 Census
Two men by the name of Peter Mackay lived in Southend in 1841. The men were:
1851 Census
The 1851 Southend Census revealed:
Ann's 1874 wedding certificate and the 1841 and 1851 Censuses and provide some clues as to the identity of Ann's father.
1874 Burns - Mackay wedding certificate
The wedding certificate recorded:
- Ann's father was Peter McKay;
- Peter was an agricultural labourer;
- Peter was deceased.
1841 Census
Two men by the name of Peter Mackay lived in Southend in 1841. The men were:
- Peter McKay (50) an agricultural labourer who lived at Machrimore with his legal wife, Mary (50), and their three children aged between 12 and 15 - see below.
- Peter McKay (40) a farmer who lived at Grisdale with his wife Janet and their 5 children aged between three and 10.
1851 Census
The 1851 Southend Census revealed:
- No record of Peter McKay of Machrimore or his family;
- Peter Mackay (now 50, farmer) had moved from Grisdale to Knockstaplemore with his wife Janet and their family.
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Conclusions
Conclusions about Ann's father are pure conjecture, but it is likely that:
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Southend map - Jean and Peter McKay 1836
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1841 Southend Census - Peter Mackay of Machrimore and family
- Peter McKay (50) agricultural labourer
- Mary McKay (nee O'Lynachan) (50)
- Agnes (15)
- Edward (15)
- David (12)
Ann Mackay's two daughters
3 Oct 1866 Birth certificate for Margaret Jones Mackay (Burns)
Ann's first daughter, Margaret Jones Mackay (Burns)
On the 3 Oct 1866, at the age of 31, Ann gave birth to her daughter Margaret. There is no record of Ann having any children prior to this date. Margaret's birth was illegitimate and the Kirk refused to baptise the child. By chance, the very final page of the Southend Kirk Sessions available on Scotlandspeople, contains Ann's pleas to the church elders for baptism of her child. This wonderful find led to:
Ann later married James Burns - see below - and Margaret adopted the Burns surname.
Details of Margaret's father, John Jones, remain elusive.
On the 3 Oct 1866, at the age of 31, Ann gave birth to her daughter Margaret. There is no record of Ann having any children prior to this date. Margaret's birth was illegitimate and the Kirk refused to baptise the child. By chance, the very final page of the Southend Kirk Sessions available on Scotlandspeople, contains Ann's pleas to the church elders for baptism of her child. This wonderful find led to:
- the discovery of Ann's older sister, Isabella and her story;
- the identification of Margaret's father, John Jones, and his fate;
- Ann's residence in Campbeltown (six years), then in Whitehaven with her sister Isabella (two years), and her return after the death of John Jones to mother Jean and Southend in 1866 for Margaret's birth.
Ann later married James Burns - see below - and Margaret adopted the Burns surname.
Details of Margaret's father, John Jones, remain elusive.
1867 The final page - Southend Kirk Sessions
"Ann McKay Carskey compeard (appeared before the elders) and applied for baptism to her illegitimate child now 18 months old, stating that the father whose name was John Jones, a miner deceased known to her brother-in-law Thomas Corlet (Corlett) Helsingham Whitehaven (Cumberland), and that she attended Mr Burn's church in Whitehaven. She states that she was 6 years at service in Campbeltown, 2 years at Whitehaven and that she is now about 18 months home at Carskey."
"Ann McKay Carskey compeard (appeared before the elders) and applied for baptism to her illegitimate child now 18 months old, stating that the father whose name was John Jones, a miner deceased known to her brother-in-law Thomas Corlet (Corlett) Helsingham Whitehaven (Cumberland), and that she attended Mr Burn's church in Whitehaven. She states that she was 6 years at service in Campbeltown, 2 years at Whitehaven and that she is now about 18 months home at Carskey."
Comments and conjecture arising from the 1867 Southend Kirk Sessions
Confirmation of Ann's six years "at service" in Campbeltown is elusive. "At service" suggests she was a domestic servant. There is only one Ann Mckay in the 1861 Campbeltown Census, an intriguing entry but unlikely (?) to be our Ann Mckay. The lady's age and birthplace fit, but the age of her daughter does not match her six years in Campbeltown:
John Jones purportedly died somewhere around 1866 in the Cumbria area of England. Could John Jones (64) who died at Carlisle between January and March 1866 be Margaret's father? The age gap of 34 years is striking, but perhaps Ann was following the example of Jean and avoiding a long term marriage to a partner who may have expectations of a large family.
Confirmation of Ann's six years "at service" in Campbeltown is elusive. "At service" suggests she was a domestic servant. There is only one Ann Mckay in the 1861 Campbeltown Census, an intriguing entry but unlikely (?) to be our Ann Mckay. The lady's age and birthplace fit, but the age of her daughter does not match her six years in Campbeltown:
- Ann McKay (28, head of household) widow of a seaman (Peter McMillan perhaps?) born in Southend;
- Mary McKay (9, daughter) born in Campbeltown;
- John McKay (2, son) born in Campbeltown.
John Jones purportedly died somewhere around 1866 in the Cumbria area of England. Could John Jones (64) who died at Carlisle between January and March 1866 be Margaret's father? The age gap of 34 years is striking, but perhaps Ann was following the example of Jean and avoiding a long term marriage to a partner who may have expectations of a large family.
1874 Burns - MacKay marriage certificate
On 12 Jun 1874, five years after the death of her mother Jean, Ann married James Burns (38) at Southend. On 16 Oct 1874 aged 39, she gave birth to their daughter Catherine Morison Burns.
The marriage certificate records the following information:
On 12 Jun 1874, five years after the death of her mother Jean, Ann married James Burns (38) at Southend. On 16 Oct 1874 aged 39, she gave birth to their daughter Catherine Morison Burns.
The marriage certificate records the following information:
- Ann (38) and James (38) were married at Carskey;
- Ann was a spinster, suggesting she had not married previously;
- James Burns was a journeyman mason and a widower;
- James' parents were John Burns, an exciseman (deceased) and Catherine Manson, also deceased;
- Ann's parents were Peter McKay, an agricultural labourer (deceased) and Jean McLeoran also deceased;
- Witness to the marriage was Alexander Forbes Mackay of Carskey.
Comments and conjecture arising from the 1874 wedding certificate
The information on the marriage certificate appears to be reasonably accurate. Ann may have been 39 not 38, and James' mother's maiden name was Morison, not Manson - perhaps a transcription error, as the names sound somewhat similar.
It appears the marriage took place at Carskey itself and not at the Kirk in Southend.
Alexander Forbes Mackay, the Laird of Carskey, Ann's third cousin via the McVicar lineage, witnessed the marriage.
It may be possible that James Burns was working for Forbes Mackay, even on Carskey House itself.
Burns must have arrived in Southend at least six months prior to the wedding as Ann was 5 months pregnant at the time.
The information on the marriage certificate appears to be reasonably accurate. Ann may have been 39 not 38, and James' mother's maiden name was Morison, not Manson - perhaps a transcription error, as the names sound somewhat similar.
It appears the marriage took place at Carskey itself and not at the Kirk in Southend.
Alexander Forbes Mackay, the Laird of Carskey, Ann's third cousin via the McVicar lineage, witnessed the marriage.
It may be possible that James Burns was working for Forbes Mackay, even on Carskey House itself.
Burns must have arrived in Southend at least six months prior to the wedding as Ann was 5 months pregnant at the time.
Comments and conjecture - James Burns, his origin and what became of him
James and the Burns family have proved difficult to trace via Scotlandspeople:
James and the Burns family have proved difficult to trace via Scotlandspeople:
- James' birth, previous wedding(s), any offspring, or the death of his first wife can not be readily identified with any certainty on Scotlandspeople;
- James' parents, John and Catherine, have proved equally difficult to trace on Scotlandspeople. However, a marriage on 12 Nov 1830 in Rhu may be that of John and Catherine - see below;
- James' profession (mason) would not have been in great demand in Southend - apart from at the old mansion of Carskey;
- James is not readily identifiable with any certainty on any Censuses between 1841 and 1881;
- Ann was recorded as a married woman in the 1881 Census but as a widow in 1891. This has led to the discovery of James Burns' death on 29 Dec 1884 at Helensburgh.
- Daughter Margaret Jones Mackay adopted the Burns surname, suggesting that James was highly regarded in the family unit.
15 Nov 1830 Marriage certificate for a John Burns and Catherine Morrison in Rhu
Note: their son James died at Rhu (Helensburgh) in 1884
Note: their son James died at Rhu (Helensburgh) in 1884
16 Oct 1874 Birth certificate for Catherine Morison Burns
29 Dec 1884 Death certificate for James Burns
Note: James' death was reported by a neighbour - Ann Mackay was not living with him
Ann is recorded as his wife
Note: James' death was reported by a neighbour - Ann Mackay was not living with him
Ann is recorded as his wife
James Burns' ancestors - a work in progress
John Burns' descendants - another work in progress
Note: James Burns had three brothers and one sister, Christina. Christina married Gavin Fullarton whose wealth was based on sugar plantations and slavery in the West Indies. His brother John was a baker and a gold miner. He died in New Zealand.
Note: James Burns had three brothers and one sister, Christina. Christina married Gavin Fullarton whose wealth was based on sugar plantations and slavery in the West Indies. His brother John was a baker and a gold miner. He died in New Zealand.
1881 Southend Census
The Southend Census recorded the following:
1891 Southend Census
The Southend Census recorded the following:
Ann, Catherine and Alistair were the only descendants of Malcom McLeoran and Margaret McVicar still living in Southend, but this was soon to change.
The Southend Census recorded the following:
- Margaret worked at Feorline as a domestic servant;
- Ann and Catherine were living at Carskey (assumed to be at Shore Cottage);
- Ann (married) was an agricultural out-worker;
- James Burns was not recorded as living with Ann or at Southend.
1891 Southend Census
The Southend Census recorded the following:
- Ann (58, widow) and her grandson Alistair (3), Margaret's son, lived at Carskey Cottages, Ann a former laundress;
- Catherine Burns, recorded as Kate Burns, worked as a domestic servant at Carskey.
Ann, Catherine and Alistair were the only descendants of Malcom McLeoran and Margaret McVicar still living in Southend, but this was soon to change.
19th Century map - part of Standing Rock Indian Reservation (straddling the border of North and South Dakota) and Emmons County
Note:
Note:
- Fort Yates on the west bank of the Missouri, Winona on the east bank
- Railroad from Eureka to Linton - constructed after the arrival of Ann, Catherine and Alistair in 1891
Emigration to North Dakota
In 1888, Margaret Burns emigrated alone, without her son Alistair McNiven, to North Dakota to marry William Colville (1861 - 1930). A native of Campbeltown, William had emigrated in 1886 to the area around Fort Yates on the Missouri River. It is highly probable he was a relative of William Colville, writer and solicitor, recorded as staying at Carskey in the 1881 Census.
Soon after the 1891 UK Census, Ann, Catherine and Alistair emigrated aboard the SS Furnupia to join Margaret and William Colville in Emmons County, North Dakota.
40 Years in North Dakota
On arrival in Fort Yates in 1891, grandson Alistair (4) was reunited with his mother Margaret and met her new family - husband William Colville and their daughter Christina b. 1890. Soon the family was joined by a new Colville baby, Malcolm Robert Colville, b. Nov 1891.
Catherine worked at a protestant mission south of Fort Yates until she married Frank Chesrown in 1899. Both the Colville and Chesrown families eventually prospered. They lived in and around the new town of Linton from the early years of the 20th century. Ann and Catherine are buried at the Linton cemetery while Margaret was buried in Morristown South Dakota. Ann lived with Catherine during 40 bitter North Dakota winters before passing in 1931, aged 96 years. She was survived by her 2 daughters, 10 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and several great great grandchildren.
In 1888, Margaret Burns emigrated alone, without her son Alistair McNiven, to North Dakota to marry William Colville (1861 - 1930). A native of Campbeltown, William had emigrated in 1886 to the area around Fort Yates on the Missouri River. It is highly probable he was a relative of William Colville, writer and solicitor, recorded as staying at Carskey in the 1881 Census.
Soon after the 1891 UK Census, Ann, Catherine and Alistair emigrated aboard the SS Furnupia to join Margaret and William Colville in Emmons County, North Dakota.
40 Years in North Dakota
On arrival in Fort Yates in 1891, grandson Alistair (4) was reunited with his mother Margaret and met her new family - husband William Colville and their daughter Christina b. 1890. Soon the family was joined by a new Colville baby, Malcolm Robert Colville, b. Nov 1891.
Catherine worked at a protestant mission south of Fort Yates until she married Frank Chesrown in 1899. Both the Colville and Chesrown families eventually prospered. They lived in and around the new town of Linton from the early years of the 20th century. Ann and Catherine are buried at the Linton cemetery while Margaret was buried in Morristown South Dakota. Ann lived with Catherine during 40 bitter North Dakota winters before passing in 1931, aged 96 years. She was survived by her 2 daughters, 10 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and several great great grandchildren.
Comment - why did Jean McLeoran's family emigrate almost 40 years later than Malcolm and Archibald McLeoran's families?
Maybe Jean's family lacked a strong male leader (or a leader who was in danger of losing his employment?) to decide upon family emigration? Jean and Ann both chose partners who for various reasons lacked commitment. True, Jones had an unfortunate death, but even James Burns gives the impression of being an ephemeral presence in Southend. When Margaret and William Colville married in North Dakota, Ann and Catherine finally had that strong male in the family, a target destination, and an aim to reunite Alistair with his mother - all strong motivations to depart Southend.
Maybe Jean's family lacked a strong male leader (or a leader who was in danger of losing his employment?) to decide upon family emigration? Jean and Ann both chose partners who for various reasons lacked commitment. True, Jones had an unfortunate death, but even James Burns gives the impression of being an ephemeral presence in Southend. When Margaret and William Colville married in North Dakota, Ann and Catherine finally had that strong male in the family, a target destination, and an aim to reunite Alistair with his mother - all strong motivations to depart Southend.
Comment - Ann Mackay's Legacy
It appears Ann (as with her mother Jean) felt no urgency to rush into marriage or motherhood. She was 30 years old before her first child (if we discount the Campbeltown census above) and almost 40 years of age when she finally married before Catherine was born. Though husband James Burns must have been a respected figure in the family - even Margaret adopted his surname - she was not tied to him and was not present at his death in Helensburgh in 1884.
Belonging to a family with 60 years' history of illegitimate births, Ann took the 1887 birth of Margaret's illegitimate child, Alistair, in her stride. She probably encouraged Margaret (after she had sued Alistair's father in the Campbeltown court for support) to emigrate alone to North Dakota to join William Colville. Three years later, once that marriage was solidly established, Ann (56) departed for the North Dakota frontier with Catherine (17) and Alistair (4). The journey involved an Atlantic crossing, and a long rail trip followed by an overland trek. This demonstrates Ann was a courageous, determined and highly organised woman. On arrival, Ann probably lived initially in an Indian sod hut. From an historical perspective, this was less than a year after Sitting Bull died nearby at the hands of the police. (Sitting Bull was buried initially at Fort Yates). Life for Ann would have been a good deal more dangerous and problematic than her cousin Donald McLaran's life in Dalby at that time. In fact around 1890, the homesteaders had an escape plan in the event of an Indian uprising spreading to the east bank of the Missouri - a rapid retreat to Eureka in South Dakota.
With skills in laundry and general household work, child raising and agricultural labouring, Ann was no doubt an asset for many years to her family of new homesteaders. Over the next 40 years she watched her daughters and their husbands succeed in business and in raising large families. Her descendants are her legacy: today they are spread from coast to coast but chiefly in North and South Dakota and Montana, and they have had both menial and important occupations. One grandson became a ND state senator, but generally her descendants embraced the rural life of the Mid-West. Some served with distinction in World Wars and the Korean War.
Many of Ann's descendants, especially her daughters, inherited (what appears to be) the McVicar longevity.
Ann may have been a late starter, but she and her two daughters certainly grasped their opportunities and in the testing environment of North Dakota delivered in the long term!
It appears Ann (as with her mother Jean) felt no urgency to rush into marriage or motherhood. She was 30 years old before her first child (if we discount the Campbeltown census above) and almost 40 years of age when she finally married before Catherine was born. Though husband James Burns must have been a respected figure in the family - even Margaret adopted his surname - she was not tied to him and was not present at his death in Helensburgh in 1884.
Belonging to a family with 60 years' history of illegitimate births, Ann took the 1887 birth of Margaret's illegitimate child, Alistair, in her stride. She probably encouraged Margaret (after she had sued Alistair's father in the Campbeltown court for support) to emigrate alone to North Dakota to join William Colville. Three years later, once that marriage was solidly established, Ann (56) departed for the North Dakota frontier with Catherine (17) and Alistair (4). The journey involved an Atlantic crossing, and a long rail trip followed by an overland trek. This demonstrates Ann was a courageous, determined and highly organised woman. On arrival, Ann probably lived initially in an Indian sod hut. From an historical perspective, this was less than a year after Sitting Bull died nearby at the hands of the police. (Sitting Bull was buried initially at Fort Yates). Life for Ann would have been a good deal more dangerous and problematic than her cousin Donald McLaran's life in Dalby at that time. In fact around 1890, the homesteaders had an escape plan in the event of an Indian uprising spreading to the east bank of the Missouri - a rapid retreat to Eureka in South Dakota.
With skills in laundry and general household work, child raising and agricultural labouring, Ann was no doubt an asset for many years to her family of new homesteaders. Over the next 40 years she watched her daughters and their husbands succeed in business and in raising large families. Her descendants are her legacy: today they are spread from coast to coast but chiefly in North and South Dakota and Montana, and they have had both menial and important occupations. One grandson became a ND state senator, but generally her descendants embraced the rural life of the Mid-West. Some served with distinction in World Wars and the Korean War.
Many of Ann's descendants, especially her daughters, inherited (what appears to be) the McVicar longevity.
Ann may have been a late starter, but she and her two daughters certainly grasped their opportunities and in the testing environment of North Dakota delivered in the long term!