The Reid Family of Skipness This story involves the successes, and some tragedies, of a Skipness tenant-farming family on the Duke of Argyll's estates on the Kintyre Peninsula. Donald Reid married Katherine McMillan on the 17th of February, 1816. There are no cross-references to date of his or her parents but this author is presuming he was born to John Reid and Isabell Fletcher on January 8th, 1787 and she to Donald McMillan and Marion Thomson on September 18th, 1796. This is the only presumption at the writing of this tale as the rest that follows is cross-referenced. The marriage appears in the Scottish OPR. Sarah (Marion), the first child of the union, was born at Cregan Farm and christened the same day - January 4th 1817. Mary, also born at Cregan, was born and christened on November 28th, 1818. Isabella was born and christened on October 10th, 1820. Donald was born on Origaig Farm and christened the same day - March 2nd, 1823. John was born at Monibatiach Farm and christened the same day - December 25th, 1824. Archibald was born at Monibatiach Farm and christened the same day - May 4th, 1827. Katherine was born at Laganoraig Farm and christened the same day - August 23rd, 1828. Christina was born at Laganoraig Farm and christened the same day - July 4th, 1830. Margaret was born at North Colfin Farm and christened the same day - September 3rd, 1831. Dugald was born at North Colfin Farm and christened the same day - March 26th, 1836. George was born on South Colfin Farm and christened the same day - January 5th, 1839. The parents' tombstone says two babies died in infancy. One seems to be Archibald as his birth does not appear in the family Bible of Donald Jr. The years of birth of the parents are given on the tombstone. The family appears in the British Census of 1841 for Saddell and Skipness, still living at South Colfin. Seven of the children are at home - Mary, John, Cathrin, Peggy, Christian, Dugald and George. Donald (Daniel), the eldest son, is working at Culintruch Farm and living with the Reid, Hyndman and Cook families there. All of the family are gone from the parish in the 1851 census. A Marion is there but this is as yet not cross-referenced. Unfortunately, in the meantime, the parents, Donald and Katherine, die within two weeks of each other, Donald on October 10th, 1847 and Katherine on October 24th, 1847. They are buried in the chapel cemetery of Skipness. What happened to all the children then, and who raised the youngest, is, as yet, a mystery. But the venue switches to Ontario, Canada in 1850, when John emigrates to Erin Township, Wellington County. There he marries Ann McPhail on December 22nd, 1864. The couple settle down to farming and raise six children. Dugald emigrates in 1854 and settles in the village of Georgetown, Halton County, less than 30 miles from his brother. Here he becomes very successful as a hardware merchant. He marries Janet McGill, daughter of Peter McGill of Kintyre, on April 30th 1863. They raise five sons and two daughters. Margaret married Colin McFadgin in Georgetown on September 20th 1864. Interestingly, Donald, the eldest, doesn't emigrate until 1865 at the age of 42. Within three years he has settled into farming and becomes the new postmaster and hardware merchant in the community of Skipness, Amabel Township, Bruce County. Bruce and Huron Counties, which occupy the Bruce Peninsula which juts out into the Great Lake, Huron, were first surveyed and settled in the 1850's, giving late immigrants and younger sons the opportunity to settle and thrive very quickly. Finding out what Donald did over the intervening twenty years and how he was able to acquire a farm and federal job within three years of emigrating are other mysteries yet to be revealed. Donald marries later in life, at the age of fifty, to Ann Dick on July 15th, 1873. They probably met through Dugald and Janet as one of Janet's sisters married a Dick. Christina appears with Donald in the 1871 census for Amabel. There is lots more that could be written on this interesting family but I will leave off here and expand on the individual emigrant families at another time. And, of course, as genealogy is never finished, there is much to explore still. Did all the children emigrate? (I have found only five to date.) What were the catalysts for having the brothers emigrate at different times. Where are they all in 1851? Who are their ancestors? Elizabeth McDonald, great-granddaughter of Dugald, Sarnia, Ontario, November 2004. email: moshi94@hotmail.com References: 1. British Census for Saddell and Skipness -1841, 1851 2. Scottish OPR 3. Skipness chapel cemetery 4. Canadian Census for Erin Township, Amabel Township and Georgetown - 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 5. Marriages from the Register-general of Ontario 6. The family Bible of Donald Jr. 7. The diaries of Janet McGill (Reid) McGregor, daughter of Dugald, and the writer's grandmother.