Thomas Logan Williamson has found us at last.

Thanks to similar research being done by another branch of newly-discovered descendants of Thomas Logan Williamson and Elizabeth McKenzie, we have discovered the origins of Thomas. 

My family is descended from Thomas and Elizabeth's daughter Elizabeth (married Robert Leathart), and our new-found cousins, Vida and Lois, are descended from - or are married to descendants of - Thomas and Elizabeth's  daughter Julia, who married Finlay McLean*.  Their family research had also led them to the brick wall of Thomas's origins.

I had deduced that he would probably be Scottish - and maybe even have some Scottish connections with the McKenzies through location or similar interest - based on two pieces of evidence: 

1. On 15th May, 1847, an article in "The New Zealander"   included Thos Williamson as a subscriber (5 pound donation) towards the establishment of a Presbyterian church in Auckland. Our Thomas was already placed in Auckland at this time, so I had strong suspicions that this was him. 

2. It was about the time of the marriage of Thomas to Elizabeth McKenzie, who was definitely from Scotland and could be expected to be Presbyterian or "Free Church of Scotland".  If Thomas  himself wasn't a church-goer it could have been a gesture to his prospective in-laws of his worthiness for their daughter (although, there is no indication that Elizabeth's parents donated to the cause - or could afford to . . . ) Also, would Elizabeth - and her parents - be more inclined towards a Scots suitor? 

Anyway, the most grateful thanks goes to the Julia-McLean-born-Williamson family-member Lois, who searched out the ownership papers of Thomas's ship "Favourite" at the New Zealand Archives. 

So . . . drum roll . . . . . 

Thomas Logan Williamson was born in Thurso, Caithness, in 1817, in the very north of Scotland. Definitely a Highlander! He's much younger than I had thought, which means  he was only 49 years old when he was lost at sea in 1866. Through that one piece of information, we have been able to track his ancestry back several generations - all spent in Thurso, it would appear. 


Follow this link to the Thurso Heritage Society to find out more about Thurso past and present. It's an interactive site with lots of photos and information. You will certainly get an idea of where our Williamson connection came from. 

Thurso Harbour - 19th Century - no doubt after the time of our Thomas, but includes steamers, schooners and fishing boats. Enough to give us an idea. From: thursointeractive

See what Thurso looked like in the 1870s - after the time of our Thomas, but near enough to get an idea. 

* See book called The McLeans of Birdgrove - A Family Portrait, based on research by Lois MacLean.

The Murder of John Mackenzie, 1821

Who was John MacKenzie, farmer of Drum of Clunes,  and is he related to us? 

I found an interesting paragraph in an online extract of a book called Whisky, Wars, Riots and Murder: Crime in the 19th Century Highlands and Islands by Malcolm Archibald  while searching for information about our McKenzie ancestors in Cawdor. I have no proof that it is our John MacKenzie who is mentioned, but there is some reasonably credible evidence that he could be the uncle of our James Mann McKenzie. If he isn't a close relative, he - and the circumstances of his death - would certainly have been known to our ancestors who were living in the area at the time. 

If he is 'our' John McKenzie, this is how he fits in: (See previous post for same information.)

Duncan Mackenzie, labourer, married Anne Macarthur (born in Ardclach, Nairnshire) on 10 August 1768 at Cawdor Parish Church, Cawdor, Nairnshire. They had 5 known children - all born at Andrain (a small farmstead very near to Drum of Clunas and Mains of Clunas farmsteads): Duncan, Peter, Jean, James, and John, born 3 February, 1787.   Our family line is descended from oldest son, Duncan - who is the father of James Mann McKenzie, who brought his family to New Zealand in 1842. 

I have found no further details of John McKenzie/MacKenzie  but have strong suspicions that he could be the same person mentioned in the article below. At the time of his death, he would have been 34 years old -  old enough to have a son capable of accompanying him walking a reasonable distance. The article says he was a farmer at Drum of Clunas, which is the neighbouring farmstead of Andrain, where he was born.  James Mann McKenzie  and his wife Ann (born McLean)  were living at Drum of Clunas by 1828, when their first child, daughter Elizabeth McKenzie was born.  There were also other members of the extended Mackenzie family living in other neighbouring farmsteads.  If John was obviously very involved in the illicit distilling and/or smuggling of whisky, it can be reasonably assumed that other members of the extended family would also have been involved. Somewhere, I found (but cannot locate at the moment) a reference to our James McKenzie in Greenock in 1841 (the census?) with his occupation listed as a spirits merchant - which would seem to fit the extended family's possible connection with whisky (even though he was a carpenter as his 'day job'). 

But first, some background context: 

In 1707, the unpopular English system of customs duties and excise was introduced to Scotland.  Poverty, and a high tax on the essential ingredient of malt, helped spur the proliferation of illegal distilleries - without a licence - and the transport and  distribution of their product. Smuggling (tobacco, wine, spirits - but mostly whisky) boomed as a consequence and was barely regarded as a crime locally, with corrupt officials just as likely to be involved in, partaking of, or benefitting from, the illicit activities to some degree. 

Landseer's painting "The Highland Whisky Still" about 1820 - the time of the murder of John MacKenzie. The painting portrays the illicit Highland distilleries, often hidden away in caves in difficult-to-access areas. Note the entire family involvement.

Government officials tried to suppress the illegal trade, and excise men - or gaugers- were constantly on the lookout for, or following information on, the illegal trade. Excise men received bonuses for the amount of seizures they made; however, it was in their best interests of long-term job security to avoid the complete removal of the whisky trade. It was a dangerous job in an area that was rugged, remote, poorly roaded and sparsely populated, and they were constantly under threat of being attacked. 

Whisky production and smuggling was  usually an entire family or community enterprise, and the women were certainly capable of actively supporting and protecting the industry. It was known that the wives of smugglers sometimes exchanged whisky or farm produce with the wives of excisemen for information on future operations, and some excise men could be bribed.  By early 1800s, illegal whisky distilling was accepted as the only means of paying rent for a farm and was a way of life for many Highland families and communities.  There as a unique code of loyalty in the Highlands - once a man had drunk whisky with smugglers, he would never betray them. 

The illegal production and distribution of whisky had virtually died out by the mid-1800s. The excise men had become more efficient, the cost of licences to distill whisky legally were lowered, and pressure was put on landowners to evict tenants illegally distilling whisky. 

(Note: Peat reek is whisky distilled over a peat fire.) 

Extract from Whisky, Wars, Riots and Murder: Crime in the 19th Century Highlands and Islands by Malcolm Archibald 

Depending on the route taken, Nairn to Drum of Clunas/Clunes is a 2 - 3 hour walk. Drum of Clunes/Clunas is southwest of Clunas, very near the lake (Clunas Reservoir) which was not their in the time of our ancestors (opened in 1972). 

Here's a link to a short film  called "Peat Reek"   about the illicit whisky enterprise and set in the early 1800s in the Highlands of Scotland. It gives a very real portrayal of the place whisky distilling had in the survival of Highlands communities.  It's a delightful movie (26 minutes long) and well worth a visit. 

George Cruickshank - The Highland Whisky Still 

McKenzies, McIntoshes, McLeans, Macarthurs, Manns and Milnes

So many M's in  our McKenzie family tree!

I've been fortunate to find online, through the research and information posted by others, the details of many of our forebears. This has been gathered over time, so I may not have saved the links to all sites I used, and I may not be able to credit everyone whose information I have used or checked against my own details.  Several sites have obviously re-used the same information, and in many cases, I have no verification of its accuracy.  Regardless, it's all interesting stuff, and most of my information here just adds context to the names, dates and places others have already discovered. As always, if you are able to add any verification or further information to anything here, it will be greatly appreciated. 

 I am detouring back in time from our 1842 New Zealand McKenzie founding family of James Mann McKenzie and Anne McKenzie (born McLean) to their ancestors' times. Check out the chart below for some clarification. Our New Zealand founding ancestors, James and Anne  are in yellow. As you can see, there is the most information on James's mother's side of the family. (Click on the image below to enlarge it.)
                     
Note the two Macarthur connections on James's side of the family: his father's mother and his mother's grandmother were both Macarthurs. I wonder if they were related. Anne Macarthur was James McKenzie's grandmother on his father's side and Elspeth (aka Elspat) Macarthur was Elizabeth McKenzie's (born Mann)great-grandmother on his mother's side. 

There seems to be a very strong Ardclach parish connection on several branches of the family. See below - arrow points to Ardclach - and I've included some historic information I've discovered about this area so we can get an idea of what life was like for our rellies. Other place names include Cawdor (see previous blogs), Andrain, Clunas and Drum of Clunas - all within about a three hour walk of each other and all within the parishes of Ardchlach and Cawdor.  
The "Old Military Road"  passes through or near many of the places our ancestors lived, and must have had an impact on their lives in some way - especially as bridges were built as part of the road-building process.  General George Wade was responsible for the road and bridge building to help move troops north to quell the Jacobite uprisings. Interestingly, the areas (further south) where Hadrian's Wall has the most gaps pretty well matches the area where the military road builders had  the easiest job locating rocks . . . 

I wonder if our rellies  lived in the actual village/town of Cawdor, or were they in the outlying farm communities and Cawdor has been referenced as the nearest main centre or area, or the church where baptisms took place? Further research may clarify. 

Arrow shows location of Ardclach in Scotland. 

In 1737, Donald Mckenzie  married Jannet Milne in Cawdor. Jannet was born about 1717, so she was about 20 at the time of her marriage.  Their marriage was in the time of King George II and 9 years before the Battle of Culloden  (16 April, 1846). Culloden is about a four hour walk from Cawdor, so it can be assumed that Donald and Jannet would certainly have been aware of what was happening - if not directly affected by the movements of troops through the district. 

Donald and Jannet McKenzie were James McKenzie's great-grand parents. 

In 1768,  August 10,  Donald and Jannet McKenzie's son Duncan McKenzie (henceforth known as Duncan the first - Duncan I), labourer, married Anne Macarthur  at Cawdor Parish Church.   Anne was born at Ardclach, Nairnshire. Duncan I was born about 1742 - incidentally, about the same year that the last-known wolf in Scotland was shot. . . 

Duncan I  and Anne McKenzie (born Macarthur) are James McKenzie's grandparents. 
Duncan and Anne had 5 known children between 1769 and 1787. Known details (from the baptismal records of their children) suggest that Duncan I, Anne and family lived in Andrain, Cawdor, for at least 20 years. Their known children were:  Duncan II, baptised April 1769; Peter, baptised 1773;  Jean, baptised 1775; James, baptised 1780; and John, baptised 1787.  

Andrain was a one-storey thatched dwelling house with outhouses attached. It is also recorded as "a commodious farmsteading  and dwelling house and also a number of cot houses, the property of the Earl of Cawdor." Records from 1869 - well after Duncan and Anne's time - indicate that the buildings were in a middling state of repair. Andrain had formerly been a separate farm, but by 1869, it was included in  that of Clunas.  Clunas, also known as Mains of Clunas, was  - in 1869 - (after our ancestors' time) a large, slate-roofed farm house, two storeys high, with numerous thatched offices attached. It was still in good repair  and was formerly the seat of one of the Cawdor family. The Earl of Cawdor was the proprietor. By the time of the next survey (1871-1876), Mains of Clunas is recorded as being a farmstead comprising two unroofed buildings, one of which is a long building, two roofed buildings and an enclosure, but these were gone by 1878. The 1871-76 map showed a lime kiln, but in a 1990s survery, there was no sign of any lime kiln left. It was assumed that the lime kiln was associated with the Andrain farmsteading.  Our McKenzies were definitely at the Andrain homesteading  from 1769 until the late 1780s and possibly even longer, so they could well have been associated with working at the lime kiln. Although there is no record of McKenzies living at Mains of Clunas, James and Anne (born McLean) McKenzie were definitely at the very nearby Drum of Clunas farmstead of which nothing remains today.  Drum/druim means ridge, and Mains  means the main farm (but not the manor) and is derived from the French demesne. 

Duncan McKenzie II married Elizabeth Mann at Cawdor 17 February 1801 and had 3  known surviving children: 

- Duncan McKenzie III, born 27 November 1801 at Achindown, Cawdor 

- James Mann McKenzie, born 14 December 1803 at Cawdor, baptised 7 January 1804 at Cawdor. 

- Hugh Rose McKenzie, born 10 November 1808 at Andrain

The bridge at Achindown
Des Colhoun via Wikimedia Commons

Duncan II and Elizabeth McKenzie (born Mann) are the parents of James McKenzie. 

See the map below for an idea of the locations of some of the places mentioned above or in future. 

The road to Mains of Clunas by Des Colhoun 

Parish church at Ardclach 

Ardclarch Church from a different angle. 

The church was remodelled after the time of our ancestors, and the building has not been used as a church since 1958. It is classified as being in poor condition with a moderate risk level.  

Ardclach

Ardclach Church on Google Earth   Check out its street view. 

Dulcey  Bridge over the Findhorn River on the Old Military Road. 

Information from the Statistical Accounts of Scotland 1791-99  and from "A Survey of the Province of Moray" in 1798.

Ardclarch means stony high ground. It was a parish south east of the town of Nairn and divided by the Findhorn River - impassable except at the Dulsie bridge. There were about three boats which ferried people across the river, but this was a highly dangerous manoeuvre and numerous people lost their lives. The area was hilly and mountainous, covered with heath and woods.

The area produced grain, and there were poor yields in 1882-83, but "none perished from want". Other crops were black and white oats, Scotch bear, rye and potatoes.  The soil was stoney and shallow and crops were exposed to frost. It was thought that lime could improve the quality of the soil, but the tenants were generally too poor to afford it. Farming methods had remained unchanged for centuries, and farmers used small Scotch ploughs  drawn by horses and "black cattle".  The tenants were dependant on black cattle and and a little land was considered improvable for corn. Having no leases, the tenants "feel no permanent nor steady interest in the soil."  Rents had been increased in several parts of the parish. 

Other industries were plaid making - supposed to be the best in the country - and a coarse tartan. Growing flax had been unsuccessfully attempted. 

There were five licensed distilleries, supplied with barley and malt from the low country. It seems that the abundance of distilleries had no significant negative impact on the morals of the locals; in fact, it seems that they actually helped keep "smuggling" in check and the people had become more noticeably sober than usual.   The nearest inn was at Dulcey (Dulsie) Bridge (and, one wonders, did its proximity to the river contribute to the number of drownings?) 

The wages of domestic menservants was 5-6 pounds a year, and for women servants, 1pound 16 shillings - 2 pounds a year. Day labourers received 8 pence a day plus victuals, which was a recent rise from 6 pence a day. 

The air was healthy and many lived past 70 years; some lived past 80 and 100 was not unknown.  The population was about 1186, and many had emigrated from the parish to the American colonies shortly before the American War of independence.) there were no uninhabited houses. 

Saint Anthony's Fire (erysipelas) was a disease peculiar to the area, with small pox frequently proving fatal. Inoculation was expensive and it was thought that the people would be more willing to accept it if it were paid for them. 

The church was believed to have been built in 1626 and rebuilt in the mid-1700s. All the parishioners  (1186 souls) were members of the national Church. 
With 35 on the poor roll - and more who could be considered - there was no funding for them except weekly collections which totalled 3-4 pounds annually. 

The "Society for Christian Knowledge" supported one school  of about 40 students and a parochial school also had about 40 scholars - both schools seemed to be open only in winter, or that was when  attendance was at its greatest. The Society also contributed towards a spinning school under the patronage of Miss Brodie of Lethan. 

Most Highland families lived in small townships,  in a collective or joint tenancy farm - with maybe up to one hundred people or more who were often family or related. Buildings were often substantial and were made of clay and wattle, or thickly-cut turf - with or without rough sones - and wth roofs thatched with heath, broom, bracken, straw or rushes. 

In April 1842, the Rev. Hugh MacBean, minister of the Parish of Ardclach, wrote this  about his parish:  

“The state of the parish as it at present exists, as compared with what it was, very much within the remembrance of persons living, is striking in the extreme. Till a period comparatively recent, the peasantry and small farmers, forming the body of the population of the district, were in a most miserable condition. They lived in hovels, the entrance to which was used promiscuously by themselves and their cattle, one end of the dwelling being possessed by the latter, and the other by themselves. The dung of the animals was cleaned out at long intervals, - the work being performed by means of a hand-barrow, such as is used by masons, and requiring two able-bodied men to accomplish it. The midden or dunghill was invariably in a large hollow, made for the purpose, at the very door. The dung was carried to the fields not in “coup-carts”, but in “kellachs” of basket or wicker work.

The horses were left unshod; and scarcely any use made of iron in their implements of husbandry, except for coulter and sock, and harrowtines, which last were not unfrequently made of wood, and for the iron sockets which pointed their dung-forks. To draw their ploughs they used four oxen or cows, and two horses; or sometimes, six or eight black cattle, without horses. In the long winter evenings, their only light was moss fir, split into small slips, -lamps being unknown, and a tallow candle so rare, as to be known only as “a - 240 - white candle”, in contradistinction to the “fir candle”, which they ordinarily used.

This state of things no longer exists. The people, though many of them in poor circumstances, are, generally speaking, moderately comfortable, and many of them thriving, and rapidly acquiring both increase of knowledge, and the means of independence. They are becoming intelligent in their mode of farming, rearing better crops, doing more justice to the land, and very many of them inhabiting substantial and comfortable dwellings.

The causes which have contributed to this amelioration are various. The country has been opened up of late by the formation of roads; encouragement has been given to the tenantry, and even to the cottars; they have been taught, and have experienced, the benefits of liming their land, and maintaining a proper rotation of cropping, and the evils of the wretched system which they formerly pursued; farming societies are establish in the neighbouring town and villages, at whose competitions they are encouraged to attend; and premiums are given, partly by societies and partly by the landlords, to the tenants and farm-servants, for good ploughing, and to cottagers for the neatest and cleanest cottages.

With all this, a great deal remains to be done; but, improvement having been once commenced, and the people being fairly alive to several of the main causes of their improved conditions, the prospect for the future is sufficiently encouraging.”

Here's a link to a very interesting book  about Ardclach called "The Natural History of a Highland Parish"    by Robert Thomson and published in 1900.  It gives the history of the area, many legends and other historical stories, details of locations, and much natural history of the area. 

This is a link to the Ordnance Survey of Ardclach in 1870 - after the time of our emigrating ancestors, but still interesting information.  

Where to find out more: 

- Auckland Library has The Parishes of Nairnshire pre-1855 burial records from old parish registers. 


Research on historic sites 
Information about sit of Andrain Bridge 2005
Information on Mains of Clunas 2005 
Information on lime kiln at Mains of Clunas 
Scotland's Places