Probably a long shot, but...

[Nightmancyr]

Hi all, I'm new here.

In a couple of weeks I'm flying out of the Land Downunder for a month or so overseas, and at one point we'll be in Edinburgh, where my great grandfather was born, and where I'm pretty certain I still have relatives...I just don't know who they are.

I realise the chances of me finding any of them via this website may be pretty slim, but I'm going to give it a whirl anyway.

Best place to start, I suppose, is to say that my great grandfather's grandparents were John Mackay and Isabella Mowat, married 24 May 1859.

They then had William James Mackay, who married Mary Sime on 15 April 1898. It was William and Mary who came out to Australia in 1901 with my great grandfather, David Sime Mackay.

So, I think, any rellies I'd be after would be William's siblings' descendants who stayed behind.

Again..yes, I know, a long shot...BUT just in case any of you happen to be Mackays, or know Mackays, and you live in Edinburgh...I'd really love to track down and see some family while I'm there.

(Let's all applaud for the dopey Aussie, asking a bunch of Scots if any of them are Mackays or if they know any...because it's SUCH an uncommon surname. *facepalm*)

Anyway....help would be much appreciated. Thank you all!

~Grace in Perth.

[Anne H]

Hi Grace and a warm welcome to TalkingScot.

I've no connection with your Mackay's, although one of mine did marry into a McKay, but not in Edinburgh.

TS can't help with living relatives, I'm afraid, but I think you'll have to do a little more research going forward to get a better idea of where any descendents of the original family lived and where they might be now.

Enjoy your trip and have a great time while in Edinburgh.

Regards,
Anne H

[Nightmancyr]

Hello Anne - thankyou!

I know, I need to do more research. Just thought I'd give it a go anyway. It's hard to find info from Australia sometimes.

I've never been further than Asia before so I'm really excited about seeing the city my grandfather came from!

[Anne H]

Hi again Grace,

Best place to look, if you haven't already done so, would be to search on ScotlandsPeople (click the link at the top of this page). It's a pay site, but all of the official records are there from the 1500's to present day. You can even visit NRH when you're in Edinburgh.

I'm sure someone else will be along soon with some helpful hints and information for you...and hopefully some Mackay's from Edinburgh will see your post and get in touch.

Regards,
Anne H

[daj]

Hi Grace

I see from the marriage certificate of William and Mary that one of their witnesses was Donald MacKay, so likely the brother of William. So that is a possible start?

I did a check for Donalds death but nothing sensible appears with a mothers maiden name of Mowat -- although this was not always stored on the index.

The next task would be to wade through marriage certificate for a Donald MacKay around the time of Williams marriage to see if that throws up anything.

Going forward in a family tree is much more difficult.

[marypryde]

Dear Grace,

I think you'll find that although members of Talking Scot cannot help with living persons, they will point you in directions for research that you would never have thought of.

Also, I've had some terrific help from one particular family history society. Get your facts narrowed down as much as possible through Scotland's People (well worth the money in my opinion), then see if there's a "(county) Family History Society."

A board member of such a group (with the same name) actually was willing to send me a copy of her late husband's research on his family - right up to the present day! This needs to happen off-line, of course, on a personal contact basis to avoid violating any privacy laws.

Happy hunting & regards, Mary Ellen

Administrators: If I have said anything inappropriate - please zap me!

[daj]

I have also had good success with www.genesreunited.co.uk

If you can put together a small tree with some detail of your g. grandparents (with dates and places), you can then search for others trees with these people in the tree.

Ancestry.com obviously do the same thing but I have had limited success with that one personally

[marypryde]

daj - re your Jamiesons/Lanark - does Elizabeth Jamieson, b. approximately 1885, and m. John Burnside Thomson on 10/20/1905 at Calderwood Castle, fit in your tree? She's my great-grandfather's second wife. Mary Ellen

[daj]

daj - re your Jamiesons/Lanark - does Elizabeth Jamieson, b. approximately 1885, and m. John Burnside Thomson on 10/20/1905 at Calderwood Castle, fit in your tree? She's my great-grandfather's second wife. Mary Ellen

Hi Mary, Sadly nothing, yet!

[marypryde]

daj - ok. If you wind up looking for her down the road, I know where she went!
Mary Ellen