Find Ancestors

Hello,
I am trying to find the parents of John Nicolson born 1832/1833 in Scotland.
He came out to Australia (still trying to find record of travel) and married Catherine McLennan (born in Scotland also) in Newtown, Geelong 23/5/1854.
They had 11 children.
John died 2/10/1913, aged 81 yrs, in Geelong Victoria, and is buried in the Korumburra cemetery, Gippsland.
It lists his father as Donald Nicolson and mother as Sarah McKenzie.
Hoping someone might be able to help me,
Many thanks,
Shiona.

This shows his father as 'Angus'

John

Last nameNicholson

GenderMale

Birth year1833

Baptism year1833

Baptism date01 Apr 1833

Baptism placeASSYNT,SUTHERLAND,SCOTLAND

Father's first name(s)Angus

Father's last nameNicholson

Mother's first name(s)Sarah

Mother's last nameMackenzie

PlaceAssynt

CountySutherland

CountryScotland

Record set
Scotland Births & Baptisms 1564-1950

1841 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Oldney, Assynt, Caithness, Scotland

Angus Nicholson Male 40 1801 Sutherland, Scotland
Sarah Nicholson Female 35 1806 Sutherland, Scotland
Donald Nicholson Male 9 1832 Sutherland, Scotland
John Nicholson Male 8 1833 Sutherland, Scotland
Alexr Nicholson Male 5 1836 Sutherland, Scotland
Niel Nicholson Male 2 1839 Sutherland, Scotland
Angus Nicholson Male 0 1841 Sutherland, Scotland Transcription
Catherine McLeod Female 85 1756 Sutherland, Scotland
Ann McLeod Female 80 1761 Sutherland, Scotland


1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Achnecharnin, Assynt, Store Quoad Sacra, Sutherland, Scotland

Angus Nicolson Head Married Male 54 1797 Tennant Of A Croft Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland
Sarah Nicolson Wife Married Female 50 1801 Tennant Wife Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland
Dond Nicolson Son Unmarried Male 18 1833 Employed At Home Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland
Jno Nicolson Son - Male 16 1835 Employed At Home Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland
Neil Nicolson Son - Male 14 1837 Employed At Home Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland
Angus Nicolson Son - Male 10 1841 - Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland
James Nicolson Son - Male 8 1843 - Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland

Angus

Last nameNicholson

Marriage year1831

Marriage date15 Mar 1831

Marriage placeAssynt,Sutherland,Scotland

Spouse's first name(s)Sarah

Spouse's last nameMackensie

PlaceAssynt

CountySutherland

CountryScotland

Record setScotland Marriages 1561-1910

Category
Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records

What were the names of his earlier children? They would probably have used the Scottish naming pattern, which could help to confirm if Angus was his father. Also, it could be used to find his wife's parents.

John Nicholson
Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950


birth:

20 March 1833



christening:

1 April 1833

ASSYNT, SUTHERLAND, SCOTLAND


father:

Angus Nicholson


mother:

Sarah Mackenzie



Alexr. Clarke Nicholson
Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950


birth:

23 March 1835



christening:

27 April 1835

ASSYNT, SUTHERLAND, SCOTLAND


father:

Angus Nicholson


mother:

Saray Mac Kenzie

Children appear to be:

Mary 1856, Mary 1857, Christina 1863, Jesse 1865, Euphemia 1861, Ephia 1869

Here's his death that gives the name 'Donald' for his father. I wonder if the informant mistakenly gave John's brothers name?



Name: Jno NICOLSON

Event Death

Father's name: Nicolson Donald

Mother's maiden name: Sarah (Mckenzie)

Reg. year1913

Reg. no13347

ScotlandsPeople does not show any Angus or Donald Nicolson / Nicholson born in Sutherland 1790-1810.

The only Nicolson / Nicholson shown as born anywhere in Sutherland between those dates is this one - just possibly a sister ?? (Grasping at straws.)

22/06/1805 NICHOLSON FANNY
DOND. NICHOLSON/MARY MC DOUGAL FR 36 (FR36) F
ASSYNT /SUTHERLAND 044/00 0010 0029


There's only one record for a Sarah McKenzie (or variant spelling) born in Sutherland during that period - but not in Assynt.

Thinking that this may be John's wife




1841 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Village of Maryburgh, Fodderty, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland

Kenneth McLennan Male 43 1798 Ross & Cromarty, Scotland
Christian McLennan Female 43 1798 Ross & Cromarty, Scotland
Duncan McLennan Male 16 1825 Ross & Cromarty, Scotland
Jane McLennan Female 14 1827 Ross & Cromarty, Scotland
Mary McLennan Female 13 1828 Ross & Cromarty, Scotland
Donald McLennan Male 9 1832 Ross & Cromarty, Scotland
Catherine McLennan Female 7 1834 Ross & Cromarty, Scotland
Farquhar McLennan Male 5 1836 Ross & Cromarty, Scotland
Kenneth McLennan Male 2 1839 Ross & Cromarty, Scotland
Christian McLennan Female 0 1841 Ross & Cromarty, Scotland

And her death?

Death

Event registration number 14030

Registration year 1910

Names Cath NICOLSON

Father's name Mclennon Kenneth

Mother's name Ctina Grace (Reid) <<That has to be Christin*!

Place of death Outtrim

Age 75

I am very grateful for all of your replys, thank you so much.
Yes I have found Angus Nicolson married to Sarah Mackenzie and for a while thought this must be the father of John.
What made me query it was, that all references that I was able to find were for Donald Nicolson married to Sarah Mackenzie......(as on his death extract in 1913)
Could his name have been Angus Donald Nicolson????
They had 11 children and I have their birth details and families etc..
Names of children were Mary, Mary Ann, Donald, Euphemia, Christina
Grace, Jessie, Donella (called herself Annie Johanna), Kenneth, John Alexander, Flora and Effia. (all born in Clarendon and Geelong Vic Aus)
John married Catherine McLennan 23/5/1854. Her parents were Christina Grace REID and Kenneth McLennan married in 1834 Rosshire)
I am working on finding some record of John's passage out to Australia as well and hoping that this may give me more clues.
Again, I thank each of you for taking the time out to help me, so very much appreciated.
Shiona.

If the Fanny whose birth I posted above was indeed Angus / Donald's sister, then he could well have been named Donald Angus - first name after his father, but known as Angus to differentiate in the family.

Good luck with your search!

Just following the family in Assynt. There are reports of an Angus Nicolson and his son , John from Achnacarnin, drowning in 1855 so wonder if it may be this family??



1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription

Achnacarnin, Stoer, Sutherland, Scotland




Sarah Nicolson Head Widow Female 70 1791 Tenant Clashnessie, Sutherland, Scotland
?Transcription

Donald Nicolson Son Unmarried Male 24 1837 Labourer Sutherland, Scotland
?Transcription

Sandy Nicolson Son Unmarried Male 22 1839 Cart Wright Sutherland, Scotland
?Transcription

Neil Nicolson Son Unmarried Male 19 1842 Labourer Sutherland, Scotland
?Transcription

Angus Nicolson Son Unmarried Male 17 1844 Labourer Sutherland, Scotland
?Transcription

James Nicolson Son Unmarried Male 14 1847 Scholar Sutherland, Scotland






William Macleod, weaver; Widow Mary Macleod, his mother-in-law ; Alexander and William Macrae, the two sons of Donald Macrae ; Angus Nicolson, and his son John—all six from Achnacarnin—left on the morning of the 30th in smalt boat belonging to the first ...”

18 May 1855 - Elgin Courier - Elgin, Moray, Scotland


It does say that John Nicolson had left a wife and 5 children so unless that was a typo, mixing father with son, this cannot be the family involved in that tragedy.

Scotlandspeople does have a death records for some of the names in the boat. Angus and John are among them, deaths registered in Assynt. If these are the ones who drowned, the records will give lots of info, including parents and spouses names.

Yes Potty, 1855 was the magic year for certificates as they were deciding what information needed to be put on certificates and so a lot of extras were included before being deemed as unnecessary.


https://canmore.org.uk/site/69808/achnacarnin#details


Achnacarnin. Main desertion after 1914-18 war.

Visited by OS (GHP), 14 May 1962.

A township comprising twenty-eight roofed and seven unroofed buildings, which has partially been divided into plots, is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Sutherland 1878, sheet lviii).


As Achnacarnin was such a small township, perhaps the Angus who drowned was the father of both John, who drowned, and Angus, married to Sarah.

Pure speculation, I know
:-D


EDIT Possibly John who drowned.



1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription

Clashnessie, Assynt, Store Quoad Sacra, Sutherland, Scotland

?
Jno Nicolson Head Married Male 49 1802 Tennant Of A Croft Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland
Sarrah Nicolson Daughter Unmarried Female 21 1830 Employed At Home Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland
Dond Nicolson Son Unmarried Male 20 1831 Employed At Home Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland
Christina Nicolson Daughter Unmarried Female 16 1835 Employed At Home Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland
Johana Nicolson Daughter - Female 13 1838 Employed At Home Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland
Barbara Nicolson - Unmarried Female 76 1775 - Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland



1841 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription

Clashnessy, Assynt, Caithness, Scotland


John Nicholson Male 35 1806 Sutherland, Scotland
Sarah Nicholson Female 10 1831 Sutherland, Scotland
Donald Nicholson Male 8 1833 Sutherland, Scotland
Chirsty Nicholson Female 6 1835 Sutherland, Scotland
Johanna Nicholson Female 4 1837 Sutherland, Scotland
>>>Barbara McKenzie Female 60 1781 Sutherland, Scotland

is Barbara related to Sarah??

or perhaps this one is more likely. As you can see, the names are all very common in that small area.




1841 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription

Achnacarnan, Assynt, Caithness, Scotland



John Nicholson Male 40 1801 Sutherland, Scotland
Elizabeth Nicholson Female 40 1801 Sutherland, Scotland
Alexander Nicholson Male 15 1826 Sutherland, Scotland
Grace Nicholson Female 14 1827 Sutherland, Scotland
Donald Nicholson Male 11 1830 Sutherland, Scotland
Ann Nicholson Female 9 1832 Sutherland, Scotland
Isobella Nicholson Female 4 1837 Sutherland, Scotland
Duncan Nicholson Male 0 1841 Sutherland, Scotland