Campbeltown records

[poppyjoey]

Hello,

I live in England so can only do online research, but I have managed to do fairly well with my Campbeltown ancestors, partly due to a lady in Canada who has given me information as we share the same branch of a tree. However, I am not finding much with Scotland's People or the Mormon Family Search sites for information - I'm mainly now looking for late 1600s and 1700s and early 1800s. I have found a site called My Ain Folk, but have not found anything in it for my research.

If the Campbeltown records are not on Scotland's People does it mean they are pretty much non-existant for the area? I ask because I was able to visit Oban Library last year but was told that every record they hold is on the SP site.

I wonder if anyone can suggest other websites that may be of help?

Many thanks
Julie

[Shona]

In the 18th century many Gaelic surnames in the area became anglicised. What names are you searching for?

Also Campbeltown was 'planted' with people from the lowlands, so your search may have to relocate to Ayrshire, for example.

The town of Kinlochkilkerran was renamed Campbeltown at the end of the 17th Century.

[poppyjoey]

Hi Shona,

Thanks very much for your reply and information.

I know at least one set of my Campbeltown ancestors did change their name (around 1835 I think) - from McSporran to Pursell.

I may be asking too much really but I would like to find the parents of my 5 x Gt Grandmother Amelia McCallum who married Archibald McSporran in 1765 in Killean & Kilchenzie. Archibald's parents were Donald McSporran & Mary McGeachy. They married in Drumalea in 1720.

I am also looking for Brolachan - could it have changed to Brodie? My 4 x Gt Grandmother was Barbra Brolachan who married Peter McSporran in K & K 1805. I think Barbra's parents were Duncan Brolachan and Marion McMillan. Brolachan sounds as if it may be of Irish origin to me.

I am also looking for Ramsay and Blair. I have 4 x Gt Grandfather Archibald Ramsay who was a merchant seaman in Campbeltown, born there in 1780. He married Barbra Blair and I think her parents were Donald Blair & Mary Christy.

Any advice or help is very gratefully received.

Many thanks
Julie

[Shona]

Brolachan and variants tends to be anglicised to Bradley. You're right about McSporran to Purcell/Pursell.

[Shona]

Family Search have an Amelia McCallum born/baptised 10 June 1744 in Kilfinan to John McCallum and Janet Horn.

[poppyjoey]

Shona, thanks for the Amelia McCallum birth. I'd wondered if that could be the one, but it's not obvious with her being born off the Kintyre peninsular, and the marriage taking place in K & K, but do you think it could be feasible? I perhaps need to find other offspring of John Mccallum/Janet Horn and see if the names help by comparing with Amelia's children. Not sure what else I can do to check?

I don't know where I got the idea that Brolachan was changed to Brodie from! But I have just checked the info given to me against a death entry I have and I think Brolachan is wrong! I may have been given the wrong set of parents! So please ignore the parts of my enquiry relating to Brolachan, McCallum, McGeachie........ sorry to have wasted anyone's time.

Thanks

[Shona]

Amelia is an unusual christian name. So I searched Amelia McCallum (and variants for both names). There weren't many matches. Those that may be of interest are:

1841

Layie, Killean and Kilkenzie
Archibald Mccallum, 46
Mary, 41
Ann, 23
Margaret, 21
Emelia, 17
James, !5
Mary, 12
Pane, 10
Charles, 4
All were born in Argyllshire

1851
Barrananoil, Craignish
Emilia McCallum. 73, pauper, born Not Known
Mary SInclair, 40, visitor, pauper, born Craignish
John Swan, 12, visitor, pauper, born Craignish

1851
Renfrewshire
Archibald McCallum, 47, born Kilmichael
Margaret, 33, born Craignish
Dugald, 13, born North Knapdale
Margaret, 12, born North Knapdale
Neil, 10, born North Knapdale
Amelia, 3, born North Knapdale
Achibald, 5, born Neilston,. Renfrewshire

Kilmichaal is near Lochgilphead and Craignish is about 18 miles NW of Lochgilphead.

[poppyjoey]

Shona,

I have got myself in a pickle and unfortunately wasted your time looking up Amelia McCallum ( see my previous post). I am so sorry. It's back to the drawing board for me now as my GGG Grandfather Peter Pursell - whose death record I have just come across - was, according to the death record, the son of Neil Pursell & (Janet) McNaughton , and not Peter McSporran & Barbra Brolachan.

I am still interested in Ramsay and Blair though - I'm sure I'm right there!!

Thank you for your help and the time you spent.

Julie

[Shona]

Family Search have the following children for Peter Pursell and Janet McNaughton - all born in Glassary:

Mary Purcel, 25 Feb 1791
Eupham Purcell, 16 Nov 1792
Sarah Purcel, 11 June 1795
Peter Purcell, 29 March 1798

Peter and Janet married in Glassary in 1790.

[poppyjoey]

Thank you Shona. I've added them to my tree.

Julie

[pursebearer]

I suspect that some details in this thread originate from research by the late Jane Giffen of Ontario, and as such cannot be relied on.

The supposed marriage of Donald McSporran & Mary McGeachy in 1720 is prior to the surviving Killean/Kilchenzie registers, as is the marriage of Archibald McSporran and Amelia McCallum.

Also the husband of Janet McNaughton was NEIL Purcell not Peter.

John McSparron
www.macsporran.org.uk

[minsyb]

I don't know where I got the idea that Brolachan was changed to Brodie from!

You are right about Brolachan being changed to Brodie. The family came over from Rathlan Island off the top of Ireland and changed their name to Brodie. They were all fishermen. Bradley is an English name! I can't see my ancestors doing that

[gizmo]

Some Brodies came from Rathlin and were called Boadley or Bradley at different times before settling on Brodie.
Remember that back in the day a lot of people couldnt read or write and census takers would write what they heard. Brodie, Bradley or Broadley with a heavy Antrim accent probably sound the same to an official with limited time to play with.

[Shimra]

My gggg grandmother was Mary Brolachan, born in Killean & Kilchenzie in 1765. I know from her daughter's (my ggg grandmother) death certificate that Brolachan was equivalent to Brodie.

[damonbrodie]

You are right about Brolachan being changed to Brodie. The family came over from Rathlan Island off the top of Ireland and changed their name to Brodie. They were all fishermen. Bradley is an English name! I can't see my ancestors doing that

Hi,

I'm a bit late to this party, but my family is apparently Brodie from Campbeltown and was Brollachan before that. Do you have more information on the Irish connection (I have heard the same Irish link as well) I'm looking for more information so that I can put into book form for my family tree. My ancestors from Kintyre:

William (Du) Brollachan (1680-1740), settled somewhere in Kintyre, unknown parents and wife.
His son, Neil Brollachan (1716-1770), married Barbara McMurrich
They had two sons, Duncan (? - 1768) and William (1742, 1817)

It was apparently with William where the name changed from Brollachan to Brodie for us. I believe William was in Campbeltown.