Surname Sunday - MacKenzie of Applecross

Oral family history says that our McKenzies of Aberdeen were descended from Mackenzie of Applecross, who reputedly sheltered Bonnie Prince Charlie prior to Culloden.

To date, I've not managed to verify this story (a good researcher always looks for evidence to back up the anecdotal information). I have another couple of generations to go, to get back to that period; and will revisit it once I've revisited and reviewed my paternal line.

The research into the Mackenzies of Applecross, says that they are descended from Alexander Mackenzie (died 1650) who was the illegitimate son of Colin Carn Mackenzie of Kintail. Colin was a favourite of Mary, Queen of Scots and also her son King James.

Alexander's mother was also a Mackenzie: Margaret, daughter of Roderick Mackenzie of Davochmaluag.

As well as founding the Mackenzies of Applecross, Alexander also founded the Mackenzies of Coul.

On a peninsula only accessible by boat (in those days), the Applecross estate was originally 70,000 acres and stayed in Mackenzie hands almost continuously until the mid-1800s when it was sold to the Duke of Leeds. Briefly, the Mackenzies lost the Applecross lands between 1715 and 1725 in retribution for their part in the 1715 uprising.

Applecross is an anglicised corruption of the Pictish word Aporcrosan (confluence of the river Crossan).

Alexander is a very popular name in our branch of the McKenzies, and crops up repeatedly. There would have been plenty of McKenzies in the Applecross area at the time, and I've not found any proof (yet) that a McKenzie sheltered Charles Stuart.

And although a significant part of the McKenzie clan supported the Stuart cause, there were other McKenzies that fought on the other side. War so often splits families . . . so I do wonder which side my McKenzies fought on.

My mother has memories of being told her great-grandfather coming from a long line of soldiers who fought in a Highland regiment, she thinks the Seaforth. This of course, is entirely possible as well.

Sites I plan to revisit when I'm ready:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Mackenzie
http://www.clan-mackenzie.org.uk/index.html
http://sites.google.com/site/culduie/applecrosschronology

I'll use this page as a parking spot for any other links I find on the subject - so feel free to add any within comments, if you find any.

Surname Sunday

Every so often, I like to post my research interests on Twitter - hoping to connect with an unknown descendant or fellow researcher. I've often found (or been found by) descendants or researchers courtesy of the internet:- Rootsweb and other genealogy message boards, Facebook - even by Googling.

You never know who is looking, or might recognise a name and pass on info.

I have researched most of my branches back to the early 1700s - but it must be noted, that I only have verified info for them all up till 1800, as I haven't as yet been able to purchase certificates for them to be 100% confident. In some cases, these certificates just don't seem to exist (Newfoundland and Ireland having similar histories in that their records offices went up in smoke and destroyed quite alot of valuable info). But mostly, its a question of economics. I'll get round to it.

In the meantime, I am trying to flesh out the histories around the people that I have verified.

For those interested:

• HARVEY – Carbonear, Newfoundland and Kent England; 
• POTTLE – Carbonear, Newfoundland;
• BOOTHER – Kent and London, England; 
• SULLIVAN – Kent, England and Cork, Ireland
• McKENZIE – Aberdeen, Scotland; 
• SWANSON – Aberdeen and Olrig, Caithness, Scotland;
• LITTLE– Kilmanock, Ayr and Edinburgh, Scotland;   
• DUNCAN – Edinburgh, and Cupar, Fife Scotland

• Seeking descendants of TURNER, BARCLAY, McKENZIE - descendants of Alexander McKENZIE  (b 1865, Aberdeen, Scotland) and Georgina SWANSON (b 1869, Caithness, Scotland) - children: George, Margaret (Cissie), Robert, David, Mabel and Elizabeth (Betty)
• Seeking info on ancestors and descendants of James Edward HARVEY (b1871 Freshwater Newfoundland) & Evelyn Julia POTTLE  (b1872 Flatrock Newfoundland)  - Canada
• John William HARVEY (b abt 1836 Clowns Cove Newfoundland), m Elizabeth SNOW; & father William HARVEY (b abt 1803 ?Ireland?) m Jane NOEL/NEWELL  
• Seek descendants of Margaret (Cissie) McKENZIE (b abt 1897 Aberdeen, Scotland) & James TURNER, children Alex, Margaret, Doreen, Eric, James 
• Seeking info Daniel SULLIVAN (b 1831 Cork?) m Julia UNKNOWN (b abt 1834 Cork?), children Ellen, Johanna, Michael, Margaret 

Anyone interested in learning more, or who thinks they may have a connection should go to my Tribal Pages site, and have a look.

You can contact me via a request to join there, or via this blog.