I'm afraid this is going to be a long explanation:
2 x great grandfather ALEXANDER McINTOSH (you may remember helping me to find him away from home on the 1881 at Rothes, the Water Bailiff), was born in Glencairn, at Bellno. Haven't been able to find a record of his birth under this name, but his 1855 (don't you just love that year
) marriage cert gives the date as 20th August 1821. Parents according to death cert and marraige cert John McIntosh and Christina/Christian Cameron.Have invested in Ancestry's OPRs North of Scotland CD, and found the following three births at Belno (or variations of spelling), Glencairn.
20/09/1819 Elizabeth, to John RIOCH and Christiana Cameron, at Balnae, Glencairn. RC. sponsors: Ipse & Elizabeth Davidson,Belno.
03/09/1821 ALEXANDER, to JOHN RIOCH and CHRISTIANA CAMERON, at Belno, Glencairn. RC. sponsors: Alexander Coutts, Lary and Elizabeth Davidson, Belno.
08/07/1823 Jannet, to John RIOCH and Christianna Cameron, Balno. RC. sponsors: John Davidson and Jannet McIntosh.
Alexander McIntosh had another sister, Christina, born 08/10/1838 at Cromdale and Inverallan, to John McIntosh and Christina Cameron or McIntosh. Alexr notified her death, and she died at his farm.
My first thoughts were that John Rioch had died young and that Christiana/Christian had moved over the hill into Banffshire/Morayshire and remarried to John McIntosh. Alexander may never have known his "real" father was John Rioch.
However, I have been reading further on the subject of aliases and patronymics in the Aberdeenshire and Upper Banffshire region, because of Catholic repression, and then wondered if John Rioch and John McIntosh were one and the same.
At first all I could see was that Rioch seemed always just to be an alias of Robertson.
But, I have now found in an article by Stuart Mitchell, that there were McIntoshes alias RIACHs prevalent in Banffshire, particularly Kirkmichael.
Some further background research: found a Jannet McIntosh age 75 on the 1841 census at Ardoch, Glengairn, a couple of farms away from Belno (the sponsor?).
There is also a young family of Davidsons at Belno in 1841.
No sign of John Rioch (or McIntosh) or Christiana in Aberdeenshire in 1841, which would support the theory that the family moved prior to young Christina's birth in Cromdale & Inverallan in 1838.
No sign of either in the MIs from around the Glengairn area. (Just had a thought - I have the Speyside MIs book and have not yet checked there!)
So - your opinions please on whether this really could be my Alexander and his family.
Also - excuse my ignorance, but were there separate burial grounds for Catholics and Protestants?
Thanks for bearing with all of this. I'd be very interested in your comments and any guidance on where to go next.
Regards
Ellen.
Added Later: Omitted to say that I do have death certs for both John McIntosh c.1783 - 17/11/1862 and Christina McIntosh nee Cameron c.1801 - 11/10/1867. No mention of the name Rioch anywhere. Both died at Easter Duthil, next farm to son Alexanders.
