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Eirene

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Hi,

As the members here seem to be well versed in the history of Inverness I wonder if any of you might be able to steer me in the right direction. I am trying to locate an article/photo from an Inverness Newspaper. I have not been able to locate any archives. The article would date to the second world war. It depicts my fathers family, who apparently were the largest serving family from Inverness at the time. My father himself being the second youngest and not of an age to serve at the time. These were the children of James and Jessie Mackay. James was a Telegraph Linesman. Jessie was a mid-wife that also worked as a cook in one of the hospitals in Inverness. They passed in the 60's.

In all they had thirteen children. Born in various place in the highlands. Kiltearn, Dingwall, Sandside farm/Reay, Lochinver/Assynt, Muir of Ord, Aultnacardoch/Kirkhill with the youngest born South Side Drive Inverness. The oldest son John Murdo Mackay enlisted in the Royal Scots Greys in 1934 moving up the ranks to Major/MBE. He passed in Edinburgh in 1998. I located his and his wife's obits online and have only came across a mention of him in a guest book for a Scottish Military site from a Mary who stated he was her Uncle. No contact info.

My father was a Sergeant in the RSG's then we moved to Coventry where he worked for Jaguar for a few years before moving the family to Canada in the early 60's. So here I am...living on Northern Vancouver Island working on the family tree with no relative contacts or photo's from that side of the family thus I would love to locate the article.

Any input would be very much appreciated.

Kind Regards,
Eirene

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Welcome Eirene. I live in Maple Ridge, just some 35 odd miles East of Vancouver, B.C. 

Unfortunately I  am unable to assist since I have more or less lost touch with  Inverness etc . over the many years I have been over here.

All my male relatives were in the 1st World War and one was killed and all the others wounded. I wish you well in your quest.

I would not live on Vancouver Island for all the money in China. Lovely spot, yes, and Victoria is about as "English" as they come but when the Tsunami  comes from the long-overdue earthquake that rattled our teeth some 7 months ago with it's 4.6 tag you know that you are a gonner staying where you are. Did you know that the Pacific Plate is pushing under the North American plate on which Vancouver Island is placed --the experts put stakes in the ground on the Island to measure the movements  and found that the island was slowly moving inland.   I live way higher up than the River Fraser bank down on the lower levels of Maple Ridge so I think we are safe from the Tsunami but I've taken out the expensive Earthquake insurance for our house all the same since the 'quake will affect us just as badly as you since we are also living  in the designated earthquake zone. Cheers

S.P.

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Hi Scarlet,

Thanks for the welcome/reply. I've gone through a few quakes here...am getting quite used to them. It's like being in one of those fun houses where the floor moves side to side. :laugh: Live on the inside of the island...in a rather sheltered bay. The water has never risen more than a couple inches during the major ones. They have been predicting the big one for years...I will more than likely be gone by the time that happens.

Now you be careful stepping outside your door....mind none of those speeding cars or buses in the city run you over.:wink:

Slàinte,

~E~

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Eirene,

you could try the Highland Archive Centre Inverness on the following link who might be able to help,

 https://www.highlifehighland.com/highland-archive-centre/ 

another place might be the Highlanders Museum on the following link, who cover the Cameron and Seaforth Highlanders which amalgamated in 1961 to form the Queens Own Highlanders.  The Camerons and Seaforth recruited mainly from the highlands and islands so there may have been some of the Mackay family in these regiments.

http://www.thehighlandersmuseum.com/

Just a coincidence I started work for British Telecom from 1975 and knew another linesman called James Mackay who was based in Inverness but he retired in the 80's.

 

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23 hours ago, Eirene said:

 the youngest born South Side Drive Inverness. 

There's not a South Side Drive in Inverness and there really couldn't be more contrast between the "near miss" options, South Drive or Southside Road! In a nutshell, was it Crown or Ferry?

I think the advice that IBM has given is pretty well spot on.

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Thanks for the reply & the info IBM...much appreciated.

Had an Uncle James Duncan Mackay...he would have been 61 in 1980. No idea on his profession but believe he lived out his life in Inverness after the war.
----------------------------

Charles - My mistake, it was South Drive...about eleven years ago I had a woman research the National Records...she provide me with that address as the birth place for my Aunt. I later tried to find the location on google street view with no joy. Found an Inverness forum and inquired there. Was informed the name of the street had changed...I made note of the new name and located the street and did a walk about. I failed to update the tree with that info...just spent the last hour trying to locate the note and the forum. [thanks for that :laugh::wink:] Forum is gone...note probably is as well. Checked the old postal directories by street name...not there either. Although Crown does sound familiar.

Thanks for the info.

Onward through the fog ->->

Regards,
~E~

Forgot to add - I did check the Crowns..street, drive, ave. -  none fit.

 

Edited by Eirene
Forgetful
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For South Drive, try this link : http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=57.4900&lon=-4.2369&layers=170&b=1 . Its an old map of South Kessock overlaid onto a Bing Map of today. you can choose others too .... may not help you much but will show you 'South Drive' which is now Rosehaugh Road.  Side by side version here : http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=17&lat=57.4895&lon=-4.2407&layers=170&right=BingHyb

 

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3 hours ago, Scotty said:

For South Drive, try this link : http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=57.4900&lon=-4.2369&layers=170&b=1 . Its an old map of South Kessock overlaid onto a Bing Map of today. you can choose others too .... may not help you much but will show you 'South Drive' which is now Rosehaugh Road.  Side by side version here : http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=17&lat=57.4895&lon=-4.2407&layers=170&right=BingHyb

 

Thanks Scotty...that's the road. Great tool. Will update that info. I have this branch going back to the early 17th. century so far and am hoping to find more recent info on the relatives from the last century. Thanks to all...much appreciated.

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Good to see you are getting responses Eirene. Best of luck in your quest.

I will send you some very sobering information, that I have gleaned over the last couple of years about the earthquake/Tsunami risk, by private message since it will be off-topic here. But remember what that huge 'quake did to San Francisco years ago. All our schools in the Vancouver area have been upgraded with anti-earthquake spring loaded buttresses and foundations and the consensus of opinion amongst the scientists is that it will be anytime soon and soonerather than later for sure because it's currently at least 26 years overdue.  Cheers.

Scarlet

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  • 3 weeks later...

A link for the Inverness Burgh Directories that may be some help when doing family research, someone sent me the link when I was doing mine although I do not have any connections in the old town.  My neighbour has a paper copy for 1968 the year she moved into her house which might have been the last produced.

http://archive.org/search.php?query=Inverness burgh directory AND mediatype%3Atexts 

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On 9/21/2017 at 2:18 PM, IBM said:

A link for the Inverness Burgh Directories that may be some help when doing family research, someone sent me the link when I was doing mine although I do not have any connections in the old town.  My neighbour has a paper copy for 1968 the year she moved into her house which might have been the last produced.

http://archive.org/search.php?query=Inverness burgh directory AND mediatype%3Atexts 

Thanks IBM. This shows that they did not live at the address I have where my aunt was born. Either a mistake on the part of the person that gave me the info or they were visiting. Perhaps they were still living in Aultnacardoch,  Kirkhill where my father was born and my Grandmother went to town...she would have been 45 when she had my aunt. The record at Scotlands People only states Inverness.

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Hi

I might have the key to your problem

My sister is the last word on tracing family trees - It has been her lifes  work and maybe obsession for over 50 years

On the face of it when you open the link you think Lancashire , what's that got to do with Lancashire. But don't let that put you off.

Explain to her what you want and she will know what you have to do.

Her name is Rita Hirst - You will see her name under the contact on the eb site she is secretary off

http://www.rossendale-fhhs.org.uk/files/contact.html

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/

Edited by Laurence
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