Margaret McKinlay’s birth was recorded in the Buchanan Parish Register:

Margaret daughter of Andrew McKinlay and Jannet McFarlane spouses in Solidden was born Jan. 2d 1836 and baptized

Margaret married Donald McIntyre 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. She was a servant (spinster), aged 19, resident at Catter Bog, Kilmaronock Parish, in the County of Dumbarton. Her date of birth was given as the 2nd of January 1836, also in Buchanan. Her parents were Andrew McKinlay, a farmer, and Janet McFarlane, both of whom were apparently still living at this time.

It may be noted that on her marriage certificate, Margaret’s name appears to have been transcribed as Mary. However, on all other available evidence, this can only be taken to have been a careless clerical error, albeit a prophetic one, as Mary was the name of Donald’s second wife.

Margaret MacKinlay’s death, on 24^th February 1859 at one in the morning, at Rowardennan, Buchanan, was recorded under her maiden name. She was married, though the only direct reference to her husband, Donald McIntyre, is that he is recorded as informant, when he registered the death on 2^nd March, having been present in the house at the time of death. Margaret was twenty-three years of age and the cause of death was pulmonary consumption, from which she had been suffering for a year and a half, as certified by D. MacFarlane, surgeon, who had seen the deceased on 19^th February. The deceased was buried at Buchanan, as certified by John MacIntyre, beadle.

Brothers and Sisters

One of items pasted into Peter McIntyre’s family Bible is a black-bordered funeral notice as follows:

Sir, The favour of your Company to attend the Funeral of my Aunt Janet McKinlay on Saturday the 13th Current at (left blank) o’Clock, to Buchanan Churchyard will oblige, Funeral will leave Garrison Farm, Inversnaid, at 8 o’clock for steamer, arriving at Balmaha 10 o’clock. Sir, Yours respectfully, Walter Blair Inversnaid 11th July 1907.

The date entered on the notice can hardly be accurate since the deceased Janet McKinlay, a dairymaid (single), died on the late evening of the day on which the notice bore to have been issued, 11^th July 1907 at 10^h 30^m pm, at Garrison, Inversnaid, Buchanan Parish. Her age was entered as 64. The cause of death was certified as jaundice, cause unknown, duration unknown. The informant, on 13^th July 1907, the day of the funeral, was Walter Blair, the nephew of the deceased, of Caldarvan, Kilmaronock.

It would be pleasant to report that the mourners enjoyed perfect summer weather on their sailing to Balmaha, but sadly this does not appear to be the case:

South and south-west winds generally light or moderate ; cloudy or over-cast, some rain, moderate or rather low temperature. Above is the forecast for the West of Scotland to-day. The Meteorological Office considers it probable that the weather will fall into an unsettled condition very generally. The sun rises at 3.51, and sets at 8.53. (Glasgow Herald, Saturday, July 13, 1907)

Crucially, Janet’s parents were entered as Andrew McKinlay, a farmer (deceased), and Janet McKinlay MS McFarlane, also deceased. Janet was therefore Margaret’s sister.

Walter Blair died in 1921, aged 74. He was the son of William Blair and Catherine McKinlay. It may be taken that Catherine was a third sister of the same family.

Presumably the notice was forwarded to Peter in Australia, perhaps by his father. He and William Blair were first cousins and Janet was his maternal aunt, someone who had presumably been important to him in his early years, particularly following the tragic loss of his mother.

Forebears

Margaret’s parents were entered at the time of her marriage in 1855 as Andrew McKinlay, a farmer, and Janet McFarlane. Essentially the same information was given at the time of her death four years later, except that both surnames on this occasion were accorded the ‘Mac’ form and Andrew’s occupation was given as ‘Farmer Master’.

Andrew ‘Mckindlay’ had been born on 29^th September 1796, according to a block entry in the Kilmaronock (Dunbartonshire) Parish Register from 1812, which also recorded the births of his sisters Janet and Elisabeth on 23^rd June 1790 and 20^th June 1799 respectively.

The marriage of ‘Andrew McKinlay of this Parish and Janet McFarlane of the Parish of Buchanan’ was recorded in the Parish Register for New or East Kilpatrick, Dunbartonshire, in an entry dated 13^th January 1822. The same event was recorded in the Buchanan Parish Register, in an entry to which the note was appended ‘marriage regularly solemnized Jan^y 18^th 1822’:

January 12th 1822 Andrew McKinlay residing in the Parish of New Kilpatrick and Janet MacFarlane residing in this Parish gave in their names for proclamation on one Sabbath in order to Marriage

Janet McKinlay, married to Andrew McKinlay, a farmer, died on 13^th March 1862 at 11^h 55^m am, at Catterbog, Kilmaronock. Her age was entered as 62. The cause of death was certified as paralysis, from which she had been suffering for ‘some months’. The informant was Andrew McKinlay, widower of the deceased, who was presumably illiterate, since he signed the entry with his ‘X’ mark.

Andrew McKinlay, a farmer, widower of Janet McFarlane, died on 5^th January 1874 at ten in the morning, at Catter Bog, Kilmaronock. His age was entered as 78. The cause of death was certified as ‘natural decay’. The informant, on the 7^th, was Alex McK. Forrest, the deceased’s grand nephew, of 4, Soho Street, Glasgow.

Andrew McKinlay’s parents were given on the entry relating to his birth as ‘Alex^r Mckindlay in Aber & Elisabeth Foraster his spouse’.

They were recalled on Andrew’s 1874 death certificate as Alexander McKinlay, a farmer (deceased), and Elizabeth Foster, also deceased.

Janet McKinlay MS McFarlane’s parents were recalled as Andrew McFarlane, a farmer (deceased) and Catherine Keith, also deceased.