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  • Anyone up for a mystery?

    A Real Head Scratcher …

    My well-researched & documented family tree includes my 3x great-grandparents, Duncan Campbell (1797-1841) & Catherine Campbell (1814-1843). I have multiple written records handed down to me as well as documents obtained from on-line research. These include:
    • Catherine was a Campbell before her marriage to Duncan according to family sources, including a letter from her son.
    • Duncan’s mother was a McKellar, a common family in the area.
    • The birth & death dates of both, including reference to their immigration from Argyll, Scotland to Keene, Otonabee, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada shortly after their marriage.
    • A copy, dated, June 15, 1831, of the Banns of Marriage between Duncan Campbell & Catherine Campbell stating they were proclaimed on the 23rd day of May 1831 at Dalavich & were married on the 24th day of May 1831 at Dalavich by John McKellar (?), Minister.
    • Two letters of reference dated June 15th & 18th, 1831. One is certifying Duncan Campbell to have lived the better part of his life in the Parish of Dalavich, & that he & his wife conducted themselves with propriety, signed by William Fraser, Minister of the United Parishes of Kilchrenan & Dalavich, and two other elders. The other stating the bearer Duncan Campbell & his wife Catherine of this place (Kil?????, Argyllshire, Scotland) to be a young couple of excellent character.
    • Various birth, death, & marriage certs of their offspring indicating Duncan & Catherine to be their parents/my ancestors.
    • Letters & other docs, including from their son Archi Campbell, confirming their dates of birth, death & marriage.


    I was never able to find an official marriage cert for these two. Nor have I found death certs for either, although I have a Find-A-Grave record for Duncan providing a DoD that is in agreement with the info I have from the family records.

    Now for the mysterious part: I have recently discovered a parish record on ScotlandsPeople recording the marriage on 24 May 1831 of Duncan McKellar & Cathrine Campbell at Dalavich by W. McKellar. There were no other marriages on the Register of Marriages Dalavich in May of that year.

    I’ve been struggling to find an explanation. The only one I’ve been able to come up with is that Duncan adopted Catherine’s surname after their marriage. Although this sounds highly unlikely, I think I have heard of it before. I have no other ideas or explanations. I’m wondering if any of you have any suggestions.

    All of these docs are on Ancestry should anyone wish to review them. No, no DNA in this instance.

  • #2
    it might be that the records have only just been transcribed/filmed?

    not sure why Duncan would have taken his wife's name not unless he was disowned by the Mckellars for marrying Catherine?
    Julie
    They're coming to take me away haha hee hee..........

    .......I find dead people

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    • #3
      I'm confused. Prior to 1855, there were only parish records in scotland. You have a copy of the marriage from scotlandspeople, on the correct date. There won't be parents' names. What is the mystery? Also, it was quite common in scotland for two people of the same surname to marry. You might even find they were cousins of some sort. As for their deaths, i think you would be looking at burial records in canada, which might give a date of death.

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      • #4
        Kylejustin

        But the marriage record isn't Campbell to Campbell, it's McKellar to Campbell!

        Personally I think it may just be a mistake. Are you looking at the actual record, or just a transcription?

        OC

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        • #5
          OH's Gt Grandfather took his wife's surname after marriage to hide the fact that he was a bigamist. He married her using a variation of his actual surname but soon afterwards began to use her surname. This doesn't appear to be the case this time though as there are documents attesting to the couple's good character.

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          • #6
            The OPR record is definitely Duncan McKELLAR to Cathrine CAMPBELL but annoyingly the minister who took the service was also a McKELLAR.

            Capture.JPG

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            • #7
              I have looked at Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae vol.4 but cannot find any Mr. McKellar being minister of Kilchrenan and Davalich. I wonder if he was minister elsewhere, related to the groom and travelled especially to take the marriage ceremony?

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              • #8
                Originally posted by GallowayLass View Post
                I have looked at Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae vol.4 but cannot find any Mr. McKellar being minister of Kilchrenan and Davalich. I wonder if he was minister elsewhere, related to the groom and travelled especially to take the marriage ceremony?
                Would there be a way to find out GL?

                have the McKellar's been tracked to see if indeed the minister was a family member? [not that it matters, just curious!] [or if indeed he was a minister?]
                Julie
                They're coming to take me away haha hee hee..........

                .......I find dead people

                Comment


                • #9
                  Would have to check the indexes to all the volumes of the fasti. There were two John MacKellar and one John M'Kellar in vol. 4, only one of whom was alive in 1831 but he was on the island of Jura. There were no others of that surname and we are looking for one with a forename beginning with W.
                  Last edited by GallowayLass; 31-10-17, 09:49.

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