Blann-Watts Genealogy

Welcome to The McRae Family Page, which furnishes historical detail beyond the site index, exploring  twelve generations of McRaes  going back to Maurice of Clunes MacRath, born in Ireland. ca. 1280.
 

6. Mary Ann McRae (Graham)-- The mother of Kate Graham Boone, Mary Ann was born Feb. 25, 1823 in Henry, TN and died Oct. 26, 1878 in Big Sandy (Benton Co.), TN. Her parents were Alexander McRae (MacRae or McCray) and Jane McLeod. Mary Ann first married Joseph C. Melton in Benton Co. in 1839 and had three children by this first husband before he died in 1844: Amanda Jane Brumager, Matthew Melton, John Wesley Melton. After this, she married widower Robert Marshall Graham on Oct. 14, 1846 in Benton Co. TN (Tennessee, Marriage Records, 1780-2002) who had two children by his first wife, Mary Alsup: Susanna Margarette and John Burwell Graham. Mary Ann gave birth to six further children before her death at age fifty-five on Oct. 26, 1878: Mary Elizabeth "Lizzy" (1848-1935), Nancy Catherine (1853-1920) married Jack Daniel Boone, Thomas E. Newton Graham (b.1856, TN), Daniel Jackson (1850-1935), Martha Ann "Mattie" (1859-1885) and Clinton.
     Genealogical records often tell us little about the women of the family during the 1800s. Fortunately, Mary Ann’s oldest daughter, Amanda “Mandy” Melton (who married William Brumager), left extensive accounts of her childhood and her  mother, Mary Ann, which give us a unique window into the early life of this family. These Memoirs were published by Amanda’s daughter, Mrs. Lillian Brumager Stott, in 1982 in the Camden Gazette newspaper. To see excerpts from these memoirs of Mary Ann McRae Graham click on her name in green.

 

7. Alexander McRae-- The father of Mary Ann and Elizabeth McRae, each of who married Robert Graham of Benton Co, TN. Alexander was born either in 1786 or 1790 in North Carolina and died in 1877 in Big Sandy, Benton Co. TN. (According to researcher Hulan Brewer, Alexander died Oct.26, 1878.) His parents are Farquhar & Catherine MacRae of Anson, NC. According to the historian, Goodspeed, Alexander was born in North Carolina in 1786 and came to Tennessee as a young man around the beginning of the nineteenth century, "locating on the river near where Point Mason now is, and later removed to Sugar Creek (Benton Co.) where he reared his family of two children by his first wife..." Alexander's parents lived in Anson Co. NC during Alex's youth and the 1810 Anson Co. census shows an Alexander McRae, age 16-25, along with a female (presumably his wife) of the same age and no children. (As there are 9 Alexander McRaes in the neighboring counties of Anson and Richmond, NC, we cannot be sure this is our Alex McRae.) The date of Alex's first marriage is not known but if our Alex married by 1810 (at age 20-24), and is the male of this couple in the 1810 Anson Co. census, the census indicates that he and his wife were age 16-24 (born between 1786-1794). Alexander's first wife was Jane McLeod, the mother of Mary Ann (b. Feb. 23, 1823 in Henry Co.) and Elizabeth Jane (b.1825). According to the late Humphreys Co. researcher, Hulan Brewer, Jane was born Dec. 9, 1799 in Benton Co. and had two children before her death. (Benton Co was formed out of Humphreys Co in 1835.) However, Brewer's date and place of Jane's birth has not been verified by other supporting records. Given the date of her first child in 1823, she must have been born before 1807. Alex McRae and Jane McLeod's second daughter, Elizabeth Greer (Graham), stated in the 1880 census that both of her parents were born in North Carolina.
    After his move to Tennessee, Alexander first appears in the 1828 tax records of Henry Co. TN and then in the 1830 Humphreys Co. census (out of which Benton Co. was formed),and appears in the Benton Co census in 1840. (It is possible that he is indicated as a male 26-45, living with John L MacRae--who may possibly be his relative--in the 1820 Dickson Co. TN census). In the late 1840’s Alex progressively bought hundreds of acres of land and helped to develop the Sugar Creek area of Benton Co. (Note: There is another individual named Alexander McRae in Maury Co. TN during this period who should not be confused with Alex McRae of Benton Co. TN.)
    Jane, Alexander's first wife, probably died between 1826 and 1829. The first census on which Alexander McRae appears (1830, Humphreys Co. TN) shows a no wife and a 50-60 female & two small girls, 5-15--Alex is 40-44 at the time). No children are reported between 1826 and 1832. By 1833 Alexander had moved to Big Sandy and remarried and began having ten more children.   Alex's second wife was  Lavinia (Lavina) Rumbly. Goodspeed’s history says she was from West Tennessee, but the 1850 and 1860 Benton Co. census shows Lavinia to be from Georgia and born in 1810. The children of this second marriage were (ages as of 1850 census ): Eliza Jane 17, John L. 15, Martha 13, William 9, Alexander Collins (Jr.) 7, Sarah 6, Esther 5, Daniel 2. Alex’s second wife seems to have died before 1870 (She is said to be buried at McRae’s Chapel, now called Sugar Hill, land that was donated to the county in 1870 by their son, Alexander C. McRae Jr.) The 1870 census shows a 40 year old Catherine in Alex’s household as well as his grown daughter Elizabeth Greer, who will later marry her sister’s widower, Robert M. Graham. The graves of Alexander and his wives are not identified for certain. In nearby Carrol Co., TN there is a grave of Alexander McRae and a Christopher McRae, both with no dates (It is perhaps worth noting that there was a Mary McRae in [only] the 1840 Carrol Co. census), and at McRae’s Chapel, there is a grave of a Lavina McRae (1780-1877)--however these dates do not seem to completely fit Alexander’s wife named Lavinia. However, the censuses do not seem to show any other Alexander or Lavina McRaes during this period in West TN to whom this grave might belong.

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8. Farquhar McRae – The father of Alexander McRae, was born ca. 1748-1750 in Scotland and migrated to America in the 1780's, where he settled first in Richmond Co, NC, then in Anson Co. NC, where he died between 1830 (when he appears on the Anson Co. NC census) and prior to the land dispersal per his will on January 16, 1834. (I am advised that the Scottish pronunciation of his name is “Farkar.”) In 1766 he married Catherine Campbell (1765-ca.1840) who was born in Perth, Scotland. She came to America with Farquhar in the 1780s and had at 7 known children prior to Farquhar's death in 1834. She does not appear with any of her children on the 1840 census, so she may have died before it was taken. However, there is an unidentified female, age 50-59, living with Alexander MacRae (whose first wife had just died) in the 1830 Humphreys Co. TN census and it is tempting to think this is his mother, Catherine.  (Records show that the land Faquhar and Catherine lived in Anson Co. NC was sold in 1834 after his death, making it likely that Catherine left North Carolina to be with family in another state.) It is possible that Farquhar is buried in the old Anson, NC cemetery, but unverifiable as the cemetery does not have full records of all the graves there.
     Ancestry.com shows many robust DNA matches, not only to Farquhar and his siblings but to Catherine and her brother Finley Campbell (1775-1827). Reportedly there is a 1760 Scottish birth record identifying Catherine's parents as John Campbell (who was living in Richmond Co. NC in the 1790’s), and Jannet Stewart (about 1750-1777). John Campbell was born in 1745 in Fortingall, Perthshire, Scotland. He married Jannet on Jan. 17, 1766. There is also a Scottish birth record for their youngest son, Finley Campbell (Nov.14,1775) showing John and Jannet Stewart Campbell as his parents. Sometime after Jannet died in Scotland in 1777, John came toNorth Carolina. By the 1800 census, John was in Fayetteville, Anson Co. NC where he died on Dec. 13, 1804. (His Scottish parents are unknown).
    Farquhar's will shows him as having 7 children: Alexander (b.ca. 1786-90), John Campbell MacRae (ca.1795-1862), Archibald C. (ca.1798-1836), Hugh (1802-1862), Margaret (b.ca.1810), Elizabeth, and Daniel (d. before 1834). An Anson County, NC deed, dated Jan. 16, 1834, states that the property formerly lived on by Farguhard McRae, deceased, is being sold to Henry Haney by Farquhar’s consort (widow), Catherine McRae and her children, including:  John C. McRae, Archibald McRae, Alexander McRae, Hugh McRae, Margaret McRae, Elizabeth McRae, all heirs of Farguhard McRae, deceased, as well as Daniel McRae, a deceased heir. All of the above McRaes except Alexander (who was in Tennessee) and Daniel, appear as signatories for the deed. After Farquhar’s death, many of their children left North Carolina and settled in Mississippi, his oldest son Alexander having gone early on  to Tennessee and lived to a ripe old age, according to an old family letter dated May 26,1889. This correspondance, which is presently the only known hard evidence connecting Farquhar’s son, Alexander MacRae, with Alexander MacRae of Benton Co. TN, father of Mary Ann MacRae, was written to Hugh McKenzie McRae (who was then living in Texas) by his father, John Cornelius McRae, a confirmed grandson of this same Farquhar MacRae, who was then living in Anson Co. NC, at age 63. In the letter, which discusses genealogical connections in the family, John mentions that his "uncle Alex [MacRae] went to tenasee (sic) and lived to be a very old man. He died sometime since the war" while "uncle John, uncle Hugh, aunt Betsy, aunt Margaret all went to Mississippi in [1832?]." Other evidence further confirms that Farquhar’s son Alexander, was listed in Farquhar’s will, and that he was not present as a signatory in NC for the reading of the will in 1834 (presumably because he had moved to Tennessee by that time). Matching very closely, Alexander of Benton Co. TN, who is known to have been born between 1786-1790 in North Carolina, first appears in 1828 as a Benton Co. TN land owner, and dies there ca.1877-78, near age ninety, living until after the (civil) war, facts that agree completely with the above letter.
     There is no other Alexander McRae, with unidentified parents, in the Tennessee censuses who is recorded as living there from the 1830s to the 1870’s, just as Farquhar’s son, Alexander, is said to have done. Several of the same names from Farquhar’s family also appear in the family of Alexander MacRae of Benton Co.: Elizabeth, Catherine, Anne, John, Daniel and Alexander Collins. Therefore, in the absence of any other unidentified candidates in Tennessee who are listed over these many decades, it is almost certain that they are one and the same person. While it is established that Farquhar settled in Anson Co. NC, he does not appear as a head of a household in the 1790 Anson Co. census (where the only listed McRae is a Daniel McRae). However there is a Farquhar McRae listed in the 1790 census  living across the Pee Dee river in Richmond County with just a wife and no children. This may indicate that Alexander was born in 1790 after the census was taken. (Farquhar appears in Anson Co. NC from 1794-99, briefly in Chesterfield Co, SC in the 1800 census and then back to Anson Co. from 1801 until his death in 1834.) The fact that Farquhar's second born son is named John Campbell McRae matches the Scottish convention of naming the second born son after the maternal grandfather. The evidence for the connection between the Alexander McRae and the Campbells of Anson County NC  is strengthened further by records showing that Alexander's uncle, Finley Campbell (the brother of Farquhar MacRae's wife, Kate Campbell), had moved with his wife from Anson Co. NC to Humphreys Co. TN. by the time of the 1820 census. Although Finley had died by 1829, the 1830 census shows Finley's widow, Christian Campbell, in nearby Henderson Co. TN. By the 1840 census, she has joined the other MacRaes in Layfayette Co, MS, moving next door to her nephew, John Campbell MacRae.

Other McRaes in early Tennessee : Tennessee censuses show one Alexander McRae in Davidson Co. in 1820 but he disappears after that. In the next census of 1830, there is again one Alexander MacRae, this time in Benton Co. (no Alexander MacRae having been there in 1820). There is also an Alexander McRae, son of Duncan McRae (1769-1837) and Rhoda Young of Scotland, then of Fayettesville, NC, who moved to Duck River, TN and died in 1820, who cannot be either Alexander McRae of Benton Co. but might possibly be the same Alexander on the 1820 census in Davidson Co.. Another Alexander acRae is shown in the early Maury Co. TN census records of that era. This is Alexander McRae, son of Donald (d.1789) and Ann McRae (d.1781) who were born in Strathglassshire of Ross in Scotland. This Alexander was born in Scotland in 1766, married Rachel Helton, then moved to Orange Co. NC and finally to Maury Co. TN, where he married Mary Moody in 1824, and died in 1843. Among his heirs who lived on in Maury Co. TN were sons named Duncan (b.1808), Farquhar (1808-1854), and Alexander (1811-1866). There is another family of McRaes in early middle TN (whom I suspect are also related closely to Alexander of Benton Co.), living in Stewart Co. and Dickson Co. TN. from around 1808 until the 1820’s. They are a pair of brothers named Duncan McRae (b. before 1787 and married Elizabeth Vinson in Davidson Co. in 1810) of Stewart Co. and John L. MacRae (ca.1790-94-ca.1840’s-married "Dollie" Dorothea Stone and died in Franklin Alabama) of Dickson Co, who are thought to be the sons of Duncan McRae Sr. of Camden Road in Anson Co. NC. who married Mary McLeod, then Edith (Martin?). This John L. McRae, who owned land in Humphreys Co. TN at the same time as our Alexander did, is shown in the 1820 Dickson Co. Tennessee census as residing with another unidentified man near his age (2 males, one 19-26 and one 26-45) at a time when Alexander is not identified by name in the Tennessee census but is likely there in Tennessee . In this census listing, it is possible that John L. (b.1784) is the 26 year old and Alexander (b.1786-1790) is the 19-26 year old in that household--perhaps they are cousins. (We know that Alexander named one of his children John L.) It is possible that our Alexander appears in the 1810 Anson Co. NC, prior to moving to Tennessee , for, among several listed Alexander MacRaes in Anson Co, there is one who is 16-25 with only a woman of the same age group in his household (his wife presumably) who might be our Alexander and Jane. Unfortunately, there are 3 Faquhars and even more Alexander McRaes listed in Anson Co. in the censuses of the early 1800s, making positive identifications difficult. Thus, given all the evidence, there is little doubt that Alexander McRae of Benton Co. TN is the son of Farquhar McRae of Anson Co. as described above.

      We would like to thank Bruce McRae for sharing some of his research that helped establish this connection, as well as Larry Cates who has also contributed valuable information on the Tennessee and North Carolina MacRaes. We should note that there is still some debate as to whether this Farquhar is the same Farquhar, son of Alexander MacRae of Aryugun (or Ardintoul) "who came to America," mentioned on p.134 of  Rev. Alexander MacRae's 1899 History of the Clan MacRae with Genealogies. The evidence suggesting that it is the correct Farquhar is that the date of birth for the two Farquhars matches well and the family names of many of the siblings of the Farquhar mentioned in History of the Clan MacRae are identical with the names of the children of Farquhar McRae of Anson County, NC.: Alexander, Archibald, John, Anne and Margaret. Also the less common first name Hugh is noted in both families. The only name missing among the children is the name of mother Isabel (and it is possible that an infant who died could have borne that name.) Also, there is no other known candidate in the Carolinas with such exact family names matches who is thought to be this Farquhar McRae who "went to America." In Larry Cates' 2020 book on the McRaes, entitled Kith and Kin in Carolina, he offers some noteworthy evidence to the contrary (on p.382), although it is from a significantly later date and contains a number of questionable elements. In a family letter written in 1916 by Penelope Jane Jones (a great-granddaughter of Farquhar McRae of Anson County, NC., through his son, Archibald McRae) she wrote that she had heard that her great-grandfather Farquhar was part of a large family who all came over with him to America. This, of course, does not agree with known information about Farquhar McRae's siblings recorded in the History of the Clan MacRae, who are all documented as staying in Scotland. Were this letter's assertion found to be accurate, it would mean we must look for some other parents of Farquhar of Anson Co.--unfortunately there are no other likely candidates at this point, given the fragmentary data we have from the period. Jane's letter mentions a different set of siblings for Farquhar, including Roderick, Finley/Phillip, Alexander and an older sister named Mary. She says Mary stayed in Scotland, but the brothers came to America.  She states that there were further siblings but she couldn't remember them (suggesting that she did not have any accurate written list, but was relying on memory of unconfirmed information that someone had once told her--nor did her source know the names of Farquhar's parents).
    If accurate, this letter would suggest that Farquhar and his son Alexander of Benton Co, TN. belong to a different branch of the McRae clan than that of the Farquhar McRae who "went to America," cited in the History of the Clan MacRae  However, it would appear that the Roderick, Alexander and Finley MacRae Jane refers to are children of Donald and Anne (Cameron) MacRae of Fayettsville, NC, whose son Alexander moved to Maury Co. TN, as mentioned above.) The letter's accuracy is rather weak due to the modern date of the letter, the lack of any historical documents or Bibles cited concerning Farquhar's generation, and a few alleged relationships in the letter that are appear to be at least partially inaccurate. There is also not as close a matching of family names according to her list of siblings. If Donald and Ann MacRae are identified as the parents of the Roderick, Alexander and Finley MacRae mentioned in the letter, there is a conflict in that they are already documented as having had a child named Farquhar who died early and is definitely not our Farquhar McRae of Anson Co. NC. Perhaps they could have later given another son the same name and that record has been lost, or perhaps the siblings described in the letter are the children of some other MacRaes. In summary, Jane's 1916 report (which Cates agrees is problematic and provably inaccurate in several assertions) and its list of Farquhar's alleged siblings doesn't lead us to any clear alternative identification of parents for our Farquhar of Anson,. Co. NC.
    Larry Cates' book also cites a letter by Farquhar's grandson, John C. McRae, in which he reports  that Farquhar's father (unnamed) died during a 1772 ocean voyage from Scotland to America, and that he was accompanied on the ship by a 7 sons and a brother named Anguish (whom he says subsequently moved on to Jamaica). However many of these details are doubtful, particularly the theme of 7 or 9 brothers whose father dies at sea during the voyage to America which, with variations, is told of other McRae and McLeod lines. In another version of the story, contained in the Anson County Heritage Book and set in 1770, the dying father is named Ian McRae, and he is accompanied by a daughter named Margaret and 7 sons, one of whom later marries Kate Campbell in Anson Co. On p.384 of Cate's book, he quotes a  letter written by a Donald McRae (1745-1830) of Prince Edward Island to his cousin, Archibald, who is the brother of the Farquhar mentioned in the History of the Clan MacRae, the one   who "went to America." Donald wrote that he had received a letter from Archibald's brother, Farquhar, indicating that he was staying in Montreal, Canada. If this identification is correct, it would indicate that this Farquhar, the son of Alexander McRae of Aryugun who is mentioned in the History of the Clan MacRae,  was not Farquhar of Anson Co. NC, since he moved instead to Canada. As one can see, there is a lot of conflicting and uncertain evidence to weigh; hopefully, at some point, further evidence will be uncovered which will clarify these relationships.
     Clues from autosomal DNA: The McRae line tends to quite endogamous, meaning that members of the McRae clan tended to frequently intermarry with other McRaes, as well as McLeod, McKenzies, etc. The result is that one finds many DNA matches to various McRaes and McLeods relations but it is difficult to make use of the DNA matches to distinguish any clear line of ancestry. That said, if Alexander MacRae of Aryugun is ruled out as the father of Farquhar of Anson Co. NC, the most likely alternative is the line that extends from Rev.Faquhar of Inverinate (1580-1590) down through John Ian Breac McRae (1614–1696) to Donald "Daniel" (the tailor) McRae of Strathglass, Scotland (about 1742–1789; whose wife is Ann Cameron) and his brothers, Colin McRae (of Hamer's Creek and Dry Creek in Montgomery Co., NC; about 1750-after 1830) and Duncan McRae (1733-1820). My Farquhar (b.1750) could be a brother, cousin or son somewhere within this family. Or alternatively he might be a brother or son to John or Duncan through the line of  Ian Charrich McRae. I show a lot of McRae DNA matches that point in this direction but nothing clear enough to go beyond speculation.

 

9. Alexander McRae of Aryugun --Given the caviats listed above and the fragmentary nature of the records of the period, it could still be possible that the father of Farquhar McRae of Anson Co. was the Alexander MacRae cited on p.134 of the History of the Clan MacRae whose son, Farquhar, "went to America." Therefore we are listing what is known of that line.
    Alexander was born ca.1690 in the Kintail region of Scotland and died there ca.1790. He was appointed local factor of Kintail and lived at Aryugun (orArdintoul). He had one child by a first marriage to a daughter of Fraser of Guisachan, who left Alexander and subsequently died. Around 1743, he married Isabel (or Isabella). Some sources name her as Isabel McRae, daughter of Alexander MacRae of Strathglass, others identify her as Isabel MacGilchrist, daughter of Alexander MacGilchrist. The couple had seven children, as follows: Archibald (ca.1744-ca.1830), Alexander (ca.1746-ca.1820), Farquhar (born ca.1748-1750), John (ca.1749-ca.1820), Anne (ca.1751-ca.1820), Margaret (ca.1753-ca.1823) and Mary (d.1823).
 

10. Hugh MacRae -- The father of Alexander MacRae, Hugh was born in Kintail, Scotland ca.1664 and died in that area ca.1730. He married Margaret MacLeod of Swordlan, daughter of Angus MacLeod (ca.1694-ca.1746), whose ancestry goes back many generations to Harold I the Black, King of Iceland (ca.840-933 AD), son of Halfdan the Black Gudrodsson, King of Norway (d.ca.860).  Their marriage is documented in The MacLeods of Arnisdale. The couple had ten children beginning with Alexander (ca.1690-ca.1790), Roderick (ca.1692-ca.1790), Finlay (ca.1722-ca.1795), Duncan (b.ca.1723), Barbara (ca.1724-ca.1800), Jane (b.ca.1725), Donald (ca.1726-ca.1800), Mary (ca.1727-ca.1795), Farquhar (b.ca.1730), John of Strathglass (ca.1730-ca.1800).

 

11. Alexander of Inverinate MacRae -- The father of Hugh MacRae, Alexander was born ca. 1612 in Rosshire, Kintail, Scotland and died in that area in ca.1685. As Chamberlain of Kintail, he was the last custodian of the castle at Eilean Donan which was destroyed not long after the battle of Culloden, but was rebuilt many years later. He first married Margaret MacKenzie of Redcastle ca.1612 and had four children prior to her death. In 1650 he remarried Mary MacKenzie of Dochmaluag Strathpeffer, daughter of Alexander MacKenzie (fouth laird of Dochmaluag) and Margaret Munro, Mary being the mother of Hugh MacRae. (This MacKenzie family can be traced to the Royal Houses of Stuart and Plantagenet). Alexander and Mary had nine children (listed in The History of the Clan MacRae by Alexander MacRae): Alexander “Alister Og” of Achyark (b.ca.1652), Donald (ca.1654-ca.1719), Christopher (b.ca.1656), Farquhar (ca.1658-ca.1730), Murdock (b.ca.1660), Allan (b.ca.1662), Hugh (ca.1664-ca.1730), Isabel (b.ca.1666), and Margaret (b.ca.1668).
 

12. Rev. Farquhar (of Inverinate) MacRae -- The Father of Alexander MacRae,Farquhar was born in 1580-1590 in Eilean Donan Castle, Rosshire, Scotland and died in Jan. 1662 in Kintail, Rosshire, Scotland. He married Christine (of Park) McCullough on Dec, 1, 1611. Christina, daughter of Macculloch Of Park, Strathpeffer, was born about 1590 in Strathpeffer, Rosshire, Scotland. They had ten known children: Alexander (ca.1612-ca.1685), Rev. John of Dingwall (ca.1613-1673), Isabelle (b.ca.1616 or 1621), Isabelle (b.ca.1616 or 1621), Donald (ca.1615/18-ca.1681), Miles (b.ca.1616 or 1620), Murdock (ca.1617/22-ca.1700), Helen (b.ca.1624), Christopher (b.ca.1619 or 1626), Thomas (b.ca.1620 or 1628), and John "Ian Breac" (ca.1618 or 1630-before 1696). Farquhar 's parents were Christopher 'MacGonnachie' MacRae and Isabella Murchison, who was the daughter of either John "McMhurchaidh Dhaibb" Murchison (Priest of Kintail , who became Constable of Eilean Donan in 1565) or of Murdoch Murchison (also Constable of Eilean Donan and Vicar of Kintail, probably John's son). Farquhar was simultaneously the Constable of Eilean Donan Castle (1618-1651), the Chamberlain of Kintail and the Vicar of Kintail. He had a reputation as a great preacher, but because he chose to live and preach in the more remote highland areas, he did not become as well-known as he might have in the populated cities in the South. He was educated at Perth where he became proficient in Latin. From there he proceeded to Edinburgh University where he studied classics, philosophy and religion, excelling his fellow students to the point that he was chosen in 1603 to succeed his professor , James Reid, as a Regent at the University. However, Kenneth, Lord Kintail, greatly desired to have him instead as headmaster of the famous Fortrose Grammar School in the North of Scotland, a post which Farquhar accepted for 15 months while preparing for admission to Holy Orders, which would allow him to preach the Gospel, which he greatly desired to do. In 1608, he was appointed Vicar of Gairloch, an office which he held for ten years, during which he ministered to the English-speaking ironworkers of the region. During that period, Rev. Farquhar lived in Ardlair (near Letterewe) and became a close companion of the learned lawyer and scientist, Sir George Hay, who later moved south and was appointed High Chancellor of Scotland and Earl of Kinnoull.. (There is a prominent rock still pointed out in Ardlair called the "Minister's stone" where Rev. Farquhar was famous for preaching, both in English and in Gaelic.) Farquhar went on to become the Vicar of Kintail and Constable of Eilean Donan, succeeding in the post his elderly uncle (some say it was his grandfather), Rev. Murdock Murchison, who died in 1618. (The Island is named after Saint Donan, a religious hermit who lived on there in the sixth to seventh century.)

     On the Island of Lews, Rev. Farquhar succeeded in winning over a largely pagan population to Christianity and to the services of the Reverend's ruler, Kenneth, Lord of Kintail, who died in 1611. One tradition has it that so many people came to be baptized by Rev. Farquhar that he was obliged to sprinkle water on parts of the crowd at random with a heather besom, rather than baptizing each one individually. It was Lord Kenneth's son and successor, Colin, Earl of Seaford, who sanctioned Farquhar's appointments as vicar and constable, placing him at Eilean Donan Castle where the Rev. lived in "an opulent and flourishing condition, much given to hospitality and charity," often hosting great banquets for the Earl and hundreds of his men. After Earl Colin's death in 1633, Colin's brother and successor, Earl George also bestowed upon Rev. Farquhar the wadset rights to lands in Aryugan, Dornie, Inig, and Drumbuie, which he bequeathed to his son Rev. John of Dingwall MacRae, adding to the lands which were already in the family. Rev. Farquhar was also given charge of educating Earl George's son and heir, Kenneth. Later , around the early 1630's, a complaint was sent to the Bishop of Ross, Patrick Lindesay, accusing the prosperous reverend of having become too worldly and neglecting his ministerial duties. As a result, Rev. Farquhar was called upon to preach before the Bishop at the next provincial Assembly of the Diocese, which he did with great eloquence. The Bishop was so impressed with the sermon (given on "Ye are the salt of the earth," a text upon which, by coincidence, the Bishop had based his sermon the previous day) that he dismissed the charges as groundless and received the esteemed preacher into special favor. In 1651 (just after the defeat of Charles II at Dunbar) after a 33 year residence at Eilean Donan, Rev. Farquhar left the island (apparently under pressure from the late Earl George's brother, Simon MacKenzie of Lockslin) saying "he was well pleased to be rid of the Island, because it was a bad habitation for a man of his age and corpulency." When General Monk's army visited Kintail in 1654, they took away 360 of his cattle. But when Charles II was restored in 1660, Rev. Farquhar refused to ask for compensation, being so loyal to the House of Stuart that he considered the King's restoration to the throne sufficient compensation for any loss he had suffered in the Royalist cause. He died that same year in Rosshire, Kintail, Scotland and was buried with his ancestors in Kilduich in Kintail.

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13. Christopher 'MacGonnachie' MacRae -- The father of Farquhar MacRae, Christopher was born in ca.1537/52 and died ca.1615 in Kintail, Rosshire Scotland. He married Isabella Murchison (b.ca 1556), daughter of Rev. John "McMhurchaidh Dhaibb" Murchison (John, "son of Black Murdoch"), Priest of Kintail and Constable of Eilean Donan (who died in 1618). They had four known children besides Farquhar: Duncan "Donnacha MacGillechriosd" (1578-1560), John (ca.1582-ca.1650), Finley (b.ca.1584), Maurice (ca.1586-ca.1660) Christopher was the Constable of Eilean Donan Castle during the period around 1580s. He is said to have been "prudent and solid in counsel and advice, bold, forward and daring when need required, yet remarkably merciful during the bloody war 'twixt MacKenzie and Glengarry." Besides being a bold and stout warrior, Christopher was an enterprising businessman, the first in his part of the country to send cattle to sell in the markets of the South. While he profited handsomely from such trade he was prone to spend it lavishly when he traveled to Inverness or Fortrose, wining and dining all his acquaintances at the local inns before his homeward departures. He was a close friend of Sir Donald MacDonald of Sleat (also known as Donald Gorm Mor, grandson of Donald Gorm, whom his father had slain at the battle at Eilean Donan), who was married to the sister of their chief, Kenneth, Lord of Kintail.

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13. Duncan 'Donnacha MacGillechrisod'' MacRae -- The father of Christopher 'MacGonnachie' MacRae, was born in ca.1502 and died ca.1560 in Kintail, Rosshire Scotland. He was a prominet man in the affairs of Kintail and gained great renown for himself by killing Donald Gorm MacDonald of Sleat at the seige of Eilean Donan castle in 1539. This occurred after Donald Gorm devastated the lands of McLeod of Dunvegan and laid waste to the district of Kinlochewe, killing, among others, Duncan's uncle Miles, the son of Finley MacRae. A retaliatory raid was made against Donald Gorm after which he invaded Kintail and headed for the weakly garrisoned castle at Eilean Donan. Duncan happened to be in the area when the castle sounded the alarm that they were about to be attacked, and rushed there to join the two men defending the castle. They briefly held off and killed a number of attacking MacDonalds, protected by the strong fortress walls until the Constable of Eilean Donan was killed. The outnumbered Duncan, left to defend the castle now with only the watchman, and having but one arrow left, held on to it until an opportunity presented itself to shoot directly at his enemy, Donald Gorm. He managed to shoot him in the lower leg with his barbed arrow, just as the MacDonalds began to scale the walls. The attackers stopped at once and bore their chief away to a nearby reef. When the chief impatiently wrenched the barbed arrow from his extremity, it fatally ripped an artery causing him to die within a few hours. Afterwards, Duncan hoped, as a result of his brave deed, to succeed the Constable of Eilean Donan, but he was considered too rash, and was passed over in favor of John MacMhurchaidh Dubh (John, son of Black Murdoch), the priest of Kintail. Offended by this treatment, Duncan and his newly wed wife left Kintail and traveled to the country of Lord Lovat, where he was kindly received and given lands in Culigeron, in Strathglass. In 1557, he accepted an invitation to move back to his beloved Kintail, where he received the quarter of land of Inverinate and Dorisduan. At Invernate, a romantic spot on the north shore of Loch Duich, he passed the rest of his days, as did his descendents after him for two centuries. He married the widow of John Dubh Matheson, the constable of Eilean Donan who had been killed there by Donald Gorm's men in 1539. She was the daughter (name unknown) of Duncan Ban of Glenmoriston and had formerly been married to Sir Dougal MacKenzie. She and Duncan had at least two sons together, Christopher and John MacRae (ca.1539-ca.1620), as well as a daughter (of unknown name). Duncan's father was Christopher 'Gillechriosd' MacRae; his mother's name is unknown.

 

15. Christopher 'Gillechriosd' MacRae -- The father of Duncan 'MacGillechriosd' MacRae, Christopher was born ca.1485 and died after 1539 in Kintail, Scotland. He was appointed Constable of Eilean Donan Castle around 1511 and held the office with trustworthiness and success until 1538, shortly before Donald Gorm's invasion of Kintail. He married (wife's name unknown) and had four known children besides Duncan: Christopher Beg (b.ca.1500), Farquhar of Torlysich (ca.1504-ca.1550), Finley Dubh (ca.1506-ca.1550), John (ca.1508-ca.1555), and Donald (ca.1510-ca.1560). His father was Finley MacRae; his mother's name is unknown.

 

16. Finley MacRae -- The father of Christopher 'Gillechriosd' MacRae, was born in Kintail, Scotland ca.1466 and died after ca.1490. He married an unknown wife before ca.1485 and had four children: Christopher (ca.1485-after 1539), John 'Ian Mor nan Cas' (b.ca.1486), Gilpatrick (b.ca.1488), and Miles 'Maolmuire' (ca.1490-before 1539; killed at Kinlochewe). His father was Christopher MacRae; his mother's name is unknown.

 

17. Christopher MacRae--The father of MacRae, Christopher was the first of the MacRaes born in Kintail (ca.1350). He married an unknown wife sometime before ca.1350 and had one known son, named Finley or Fionnla Dubh 'MacGillechriosd' MacRae. Christopher died ca.1410. His father was Fionnla Mor Nan Gad of Clunes MacRath; his mother's name is unknown.

 

18. Fionnla Dubh 'MacGillechriosd' MacRae -- The father of Christopher MacRae, Fionnla Dubh 'MacGillechriosd' (Black Finley, son of Christopher) is the reputed founder of the Clan MacRae of Kintail, Scotland. He was born in Kintail ca.1380, married a unknown wife and had two sons: Christopher (ca.1440-after 1472) and John (ca.1442-after ca.1420), who took holy orders, married and became a priest of Kintail. Finley is known to have functioned as counselor to the young prince Alexander (Alister Ionraic), son of Murdo MacKenzie, fifth chief of Kintail (d.1416), and helped the prince free the land from the influence of Alexander's oppressive relatives, a friendship which helped bring power and influence to the House of Kintail. Finley died ca. 1427. His father was Christopher MacRae; his mother's name is unknown.

 

19. Christopher MacRae -- The father of Finley MacRae, Christopher was the first of the MacRaes born in Kintail (ca.1350). He married an unknown wife sometime before ca.1350 and had one known son, named Finley or Fionnla Dubh 'MacGillechriosd' MacRae.Christopher died ca.1410. His father was Fionnla Mor Nan Gad of Clunes MacRath; his mother's name is unknown.

20. Fionnla Mor Nan Gad of Clunes MacRath -- The father of Christopher MacRae, Finley (Fionnla) was the fourth son of Maurice of Clunes MacRath, who had emigrated to Scotland from Ireland. Finley was born, probably in Ireland ca.1318 and died in Scotland sometime after 1350. As an adult he moved from his home in Clunes to Kintail, in western Ross, Scotland where he joined his older brother John ("Ian Charrich") who had earlier been forced to move away from the rest of his family in Clunes after killing a man of Lovat descent who had insulted his aged father, Maurice. Finley married before ca. 1350 to an unknown wife and had only one known child, whom he named Christopher MacRae (ca.1350-ca.1410).

21. Maurice of Clunes MacRath -- The father of Finley (Fionnla) Mor Gad MacRath, (pronounced McCra in Gaelic) was born ca. 1280 in Ireland.and died ca.1350 in Scotland. He married an unknown wife before ca.1315 and had four known children: Duncan of Clunes (b.ca.1315), Christopher of Clunes (b.ca.1316), Finley (Fionnla Mor Nan Gad) of Clunes MacRath (ca.1318-after 1350), John 'Ian Charrach' of Clunes (Fidgety or Restless John). Sometime during the first half of the 14th century, Maurice and his family moved from Ireland to Scotland, settling on the lands of Lord Lovat of Clunes (nor far from Inverness). The tradition as told by Ella MacRae-Gilstrap is that Maurice MacRath and two others left Ireland as the result of a quarrel after too much celebration at a wedding feast, and came to Lovat country in Scotland, arriving just as a would-be assassin was about to attack Bissett, Lord of Lovat. Having just fled from trouble caused by becoming involved in an argument, the two others declined to intervene. But MacRath killed the assassin and the grateful Bissett invited MacRath to settle on his estates at Lovat, where the MacRath family remained for some time, also developing a deep friendship with the Frasers who inherited the Lordship of the lands. Maurice was chief forester for the Lovats, and it was his responsibility to assign starting positions in the forest to the hunters when great hunts were held. On one such occasion, the illegitimate son of the Earl of Lovat objected to his assigned position, and became abusive to Maurice (by then an old man). One of Maurice's sons, John (Ian) of Clunes, came to his father's defense, fought, and slew Lovat's son. After this, John fled Clunes, settling in the Kintail region, where he gained favor with the MacKenzie clan, beginning a close association of the two families that would last for centuries. Maurice stayed behind (as apparently did several of his sons) and died in Clunes. His parents are unknown.

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About the MacRaes and the MacLeods: The MacRae (McRae) ancestorswere from the Kintail district of West Central Scotland, and were originally of Pictish origin. They were the Constables of the castle Eilean Donan on Loch Duich, on behalf of the MacKenzies, to whom they were loyal supporters, and became known as MacKenzie’s "Coat-of-Mail." The name first appeared in print in 448 A.D. in The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters when 'Macraith the Wise' was mentioned as being a member of the household of St. Patrick. In Scotland, King Gregory (875-900) was known as Gregory the Macrath. The earlier form of the name, MacRath, was pronouncedMcCra in Gaelic.The MacLeod ancestors, according to popular tradition, were descended from the Norwegian King Olaf the Black, father of Leod; but there is equally strong reason to believe that at least the male line belonged to the ancient Celtic inhabitants of the country. In the time of David II they possessed Glenelg and slightly later came to possess Dunvegan castle (on Skye) through marriage to a daughter of MacRaild, the heiress of a Norwegian chief. The MacLeod chiefs also owned the Isles of Lewis and Harris, Skye and almost half of the Hebradies.

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