The Ross Family of Tullich, Kilmuir Easter, Ross & Croma

patren · Post by **patren** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 4:54 pm

Just had another thought. Hugh, the father of Donella could not read or write so he would have no way of checking what the Registrar wrote,
his wife Kate also could not read or write, so there could have been a mix-up.
Pat

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:08 pm

emanday wrote:If what I found on IGI is that same family, Anabella was born in 1866 so would have been 10 when she died of scarlet fever. Donella would have been 3 at that time.

DavidWW might be able to answer this, which is only a theory...

Scarlet fever was a killer and it seems a strong possibility to me that the much younger Donella might have died at the same time. Stressful situation! Could a mistake have been made when the deaths were being registered and Donella's was actually omitted/overlooked?

(Scenario: Upset parent goes to registrar, "need to register death of weans" Registrar takes details but by the time Annabella's has been done, father is so upset he can't continue. Registrar and father don't realise that 2nd death still not in book).

Over to you David.

Anything's possible, of course, but I've had thought this unlikely.

I suspect that she's "hiding" behind a variant spelling or variation of her unusual given name. One possibility not mentioned so far that Leslie Alan Dunkling's "Scottish Christian Names - An A to Z of First Names" suggests is Donna.

Either that, or she emigrated.

David

Post by **AnneM** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 9:49 pm

Having looked at the list of Ross female deaths of that age between 1873 and 1881 in Ross and Cromarty I am sure she is not there. So where is she.

Anne

patren · Post by **patren** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 7:55 am

Thanks everybody for your help. I can't find her under any variation or wildcard either in deaths or census records.
Last year, in November, I visited the beautiful church of Kilmuir Easter and found some of my family buried there, but there was no-one about to ask for info. So I have now taken "the bull by the horns" and very cheekily e-mailed the Minister(who is probably a very busy man) and asked for help, to see if they have any records.
You never know I may be lucky.
Pat

patren · Post by **patren** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 5:13 pm

Since my queries about the whereabouts of Donella, I have discovered some relatives living in Fearn. I am in contact with Joan who remembers visiting the Wilson family at the croft in Tullich - Margaret Wilson nee Ross was Donella's sister - and that they had a very "odd" lady living with them. She was called Ella,was always in bed and Joan never heard her talk, she only grunted. Joan was born in 1936 and remembers this as a child. I immediately thought of Donella - could she have been mentally handicapped? I know that at the time of her birth (1873) families often sent their mentally-handicapped relatives to stay with relatives or strangers as they were given a pauper's allowance. If this was the case it would explain why Donella never appeared with the family on census'. Would she have appeared on any special list? I have looked at the Census for the Tain Poorhouse in 1881, and she is not there. Can anyone help? Were there lunatic asylums in the area?.Regards Patricia

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 5:52 pm

Hi Patren
I'm not 100% sure as I'm not from the area, but I do know it as I also have family from Fearn, but I don't think there is any asylum in that area. Possibly the nearest would be at Inverness.

You might find the Tain Museum web site interesting:
http://www.tainmuseum.org.uk/
and the image library there:
http://www.tainmuseum.org.uk/imagelibrary/?page=109

Best wishes
Lesley

Post by **AndrewP** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 7:59 pm

Hi Patricia,

Those in 'Lunatic Asylums' should have been enumerated and appeared in the censuses like anyone else. If you are unlucky, she could have been in one of the asylums where they chose to enumerate all of their inmates as N.K. (not known).

Try a census search on ScotlandsPeople for surname: K. and First Name: N. and you will get the result "Last search found too many matches.".

All the best,

AndrewP

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 8:09 pm

Hi Andrew
I also came across an asylum in the census (I think 1871, Inveresk, as far as I remember) where all the inmates were referred to by initials only, so that is maybe also a possibility which is not a great deal of help, though a bit better than N.K....

Best wishes
Lesley

patren · Post by **patren** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 4:51 pm

Many thanks Lesley and Andrew. I've tried Scotlands People, but foun d nothing. I think it's just going to remain a mystery.
Regards Patricia