Donald McIntyre, 1828 - 1912

Donald McIntyre’s birth was recorded in the Buchanan Parish Register, County of Stirling, in an entry dated 16^th February 1828. He was the son of Peter McIntyre and Mary Cairns:

Peter McIntyre and Mary Cairns Spouses at Blairvockie had a lawful Son born named Donald

All known subsequent records affirm that Donald was born in Buchanan Parish.

Donald was thirteen years of age at the time of the 1841 census and was living with his parents, five brothers and two sisters at Wood Cottage, Buchanan.

In 1851, Donald McIntyre, unmarried, 23, wood cutter, was living at Calliemore, Buchanan, in close proximity to the family of William McKinlay, 30, a labourer, born Kilmaronock, Dunbartonshire. William may well have been a brother of Donald’s future wife, Margaret McKinlay. Another immediate neighbour was Donald McDonald, sheepsherd, b. Argyle, Glenorchy, servant to Robert MacFarlane. There may be a connection to Donald’s future here too, as McFarlane was the maiden name of both his wives’ mothers. Whether or not the two were related has not yet been established.

Donald McIntyre married Margaret McKinlay on 26^th January 1855 at Catter Bog, Kilmaronock Parish, in the County of Dumbarton, after Banns, according to the rites and ceremonies of the Established Church of Scotland. He was a gamekeeper (bachelor), aged 26, resident at Ardess, in the Parish of Buchanan. The register was signed by W. MacKintosh, the Minister of Buchanan, and Charles and John McIntyre, witnesses.

Donald and Margaret’s first child, a son named Peter McIntyre, was born on 4^th May at 8^h 15^m, at Ardess, Buchanan. Donald, who acted as informant ten days later, was now twenty-seven years of age and was again designated as a gamekeeper. Margaret’s maiden name was entered as McKinlay. She was 19 and her place of birth was again given as Buchanan.

A daughter, Janet, was born to Donald and Margaret on 4^th October 1856, at Ardess, Buchanan. Donald acted as informant once more.

A second daughter, Mary, was born on 29^th November 1857, also at Ardess. Donald, again a gamekeeper, acted as informant although on this occasion his Christian name was entered as Daniel. The surname was entered as ‘Macintyre’, though Donald signed using the more familiar ‘McIntyre’ form.

Donald’s life was overtaken by a succession of tragic events during the years 1859 to 1861. On 24^th January 1859 his wife, Margaret, died after a lengthy illness at the age of 23. Brother Peter died on 6^th August 1860, aged 26. His father, Peter McIntyre, died of a disease of the liver on 15^th December 1860. There was a particularly harrowing post script to Peter’s death. His entry in the death register was immediately followed by two further entries, in respect of his granddaughters Janet and Mary, aged four and three respectively. Both died at Blairvockie, Janet on 26^th December 1860 and Mary on the 28^th. In each case, their parents were Daniel MacIntyre, forester, and Margaret MacIntyre, MS MacKinlay. The entries for the cause of death were almost identical:

Diptheria some days As Certified by D. MacFarlane Surgeon who saw deceased December...

This concluded with ‘26^th’ for Janet and ‘28^th’ for Mary.

Both were buried according to precisely the same formula as had been entered in respect of Peter: ‘Buchanan As Certified by Archibald Roberts Grave digger’

In each case, the informant was entered as ‘Donald McIntyre Father not present’. On the face of it this is an obvious mistake since elsewhere on the same document the girls’ father was identified as Daniel. The key to the difficulty appears to be that Donald is the English transcription of the Gaelic equivalent of Daniel. It is known from family lore that Donald’s father called him ‘Dan’.

The two deaths were recorded together on 31^st December 1860.

It may be pointed out that from this time on, Donald is consistently designated as a forester, a role in which he succeeded his father and in which, so I am reliably informed, Donald was himself succeeded by his son, John, who died at Drumlean, Aberfoyle, in 1965, aged 92.

At the time of the 1861 census, Donald Macintyre, widower, a ‘wood forrester’ aged 33, was the head of the household at Blairvockie, in premises having five rooms with one or more windows. Residing with him were his son Peter, aged 5; his unmarried sisters, Catherine, 34, ‘formerly dressmaker’ and Marjory, 24, a domestic servant; unmarried cousins Margaret Macintyre, 29, a domestic servant, and James Macintyre, 27, woodman, born Glasgow and Janet Mcallum, no relation, unmarried, 17, a domestic servant. With the sole exception of James, all had been born in Buchanan. It would seem therefore that following the recent tragic succession of events in Donald’s life, his family had rallied round.

Sister Marjory’s death on 22^nd August 1861, aged 25, must have cast further gloom.

On 13^th March 1863, Donald remarried, at Craigonaghty, Aberfoyle, Perthshire, After Banns according to the Forms of the Established Church of Scotland. His bride was Mary McPhail, aged 22. Donald was entered as a wood forester, widower, aged 34. The witnesses were James Blair and James Martin.

In the 1871 census, Donald McIntyre, a wood forester, married, 43, and Charles McIntyre, unmarried, a gamekeeper, 39, both born in Buchanan, were entered as visitors in the Inversnaid Hotel. Charles is a very likely match for Donald’s brother of that name.

Donald’s daughter Margaret was born on 11^th September 1878 at 2am, at Blairvockie, Buchanan Parish. Donald was the informant and was designated as a forester.

At the time of the 1881 census, when the family name received the somewhat unorthodox spelling of ‘Mackintyre’, they were resident at Blairvockie, in premises having five rooms with one or more windows. Donald was a wood forester, aged 53. His wife, Mary, was 43. Living with them were children Charles, 16; Marjory, 14; Agnes, 12; Catherine, 10; John, 8, and Margaret, 2. All but Margaret were scholars and all were born in Buchanan. Also residing with the family was Donald MacFarlane, a boarder. This other Donald was unmarried, a shepherd aged 53, and his place of birth was entered as Luss, Dunbartonshire.

In 1891, Donald McIntyre, a wood forester (employed), aged 64, was resident at Sallochy, in premises having five rooms with one or more windows. This is very probably Blairvockie, though it is not mentioned by name on this occasion. With him were his wife Mary, 53, a native of Aberfoyle; unmarried sons Charles, 26, employed as a hotel waiter, and John, 18, a woodman; and daughter Mary (apparently a clerical error for Margaret), 12, a scholar.

Donald’s sons, Charlie & John, in later life

In 1901, Donald and Mary McIntyre, with son John and daughter Margaret, were resident in ‘Blairvockie Cottage’, in contradistinction to Blairvockie Old House, or Blairvockie Farm House, the latter of which lay unoccupied. Donald’s age has been obliterated; Mary was 63; John, a wood forester, worker, like his father, was 28 and Margaret, a domestic general servant, was 22. Both were single. As previously, the house had five rooms with one or more windows.

In 1911, Donald, Mary and John were still resident at Blairvockie, which, as previously, had five rooms having one or more windows. Donald, now 83, was still, despite his great age, a wood forester, worker. Mary was 72. The couple had been married for forty-eight years and of nine children of their union, seven were still living. John, 38, remained single and was an assistant forester, worker. Also in residence was a further daughter, Agnes Baird, 41, who had also been born in Buchanan, with her husband Robert Baird, 41, for whom no occupation was entered. According to information supplied by Donald and Mary’s great-granddaughter, Marjory Brown MS MacLaren, the Bairds were back from America, a fact attested by the fact that Robert’s birthplace was given as Wyoming, USA. That it was probably an extended visit is indicated by the presence of Agnes and Robert’s infant son, Donald, who at three months, had been born in Buchanan and therefore probably knew no other home but his present residence. Agnes and Robert had been married for five years and had two children, both of whom were still living. The whereabouts of the other child has not been established.

Donald McIntyre, a wood forester, married to Mary McPhail, died on 13^th August 1912 at nine in the morning, at Blairvockie Cottage, Buchanan, the house in which the old man had been born and was his home for most of his long life. His age was entered as 85, although he was actually 84. The causes of death were certified as senile heart failure and passive pulmonary congestion. The informant was John McIntyre, his son, who had been present in the house when death occurred.

The family gravestone in Buchanan Churchyard bears the following inscription:

Erected by Donald McIntyre in memory of his wife Margaret McKinlay who died 24th Feb. 1859 aged 23 years also her two children Janet & Mary who died 26th and 28th Dec. 1860 aged 4 and 3 years Donald McIntyre died 13th August, 1912 aged 85 years and his wife Mary McPhail died 28th April 1919 aged 82 years

Buchanan Parish Church of Scotland, July 2013

John McIntyre, head forester, widower of Margaret Jackson Campbell, died on 19^th January 1865 at 11^h 45^m am, at Glenburn, Drumlean, Aberfoyle. His age was entered as 92 years. His parents were Donald McIntyre, forester, and Mary McIntyre MS McPhail, both deceased. The cause of death was certified as myocardial degeneration. The informant was Mary McLaren, the deceased’s niece.

Brothers and Sisters

Donald was the second of a family of at least nine, all of whom, on the evidence of the 1841 census, were born in Stirlingshire, at least seven of them in Buchanan Parish.

An elder sister, Catharine, appears in the Buchanan Parish Register, in an entry dated 17^th December 1826:

Peter McIntyre and Mary Cairns Spouses at Blairvockie had a lawful Daughter born named Catharine

Catherine’s age at the time of the 1841 census was 14. In 1851, she was still unmarried, living in the family home and 24. Catherine appears again in 1861, living at Blairvockie in her widowed brother Donald’s household. At this time she was 34, still unmarried and designated as ‘Formerly Dressmaker’.

Brothers John and Charles were respectively entered as eleven and nine in 1841. John was still living in the family home and 21 in 1851. Charles was then 19, also unmarried and one of two young farm servants living at Blairvockie. The third member of the household was an elderly cattleherd.

Donald’s brother, Peter, was also born in Buchanan Parish:

Peter son of Peter McIntyre and Mary Cairns Colliemore was born July 3d. 1834 and baptized.

Peter was six in 1841. According to the inscription on his father’s graveston in Buchanan Churchyard, he died on 6^th August 1860, aged 26.

A further daughter of the family, Marjory, was entered as follows:

Marjory Daughter of Peter McIntyre and Mary Cairns Spouses near Rowardinning was born May 7th 1836 and baptized.

‘Marjery’ was entered as five in 1841. Marjory makes a re-appearance in the 1861 census, in which she is a domestic servant, 24, unmarried, in the household of her brother Donald. Marjory, from the inscription on her father’s gravestone in Buchanan Churchyard, is understood to have died on the 22nd of August 1861, aged twenty-five.

Robert McIntyre, Donald’s brother, born c. 1840

Robert McIntyre with his nieces, Donald’s daughters, Margaret & Marjory

Notice also that Donald had a further brother, James McIntyre, who was the informant on the 1860 death certificate of Peter McIntyre, their father. James must have been born c. 1837, as his age was given as three in 1841 and thirteen in 1851. Robert, evidently born in 1839 or 1840, was one in 1841 and eleven in 1851. One further sister, Mary, born c. 1842, was eight at the time of the 1851 census.

Loch Lomond, July 2013