DAVID McKENZIE (1795-1858)

Submitted by Catherine MacKenzie Kunkel

David McKenzie was born 25 Jan 1795 at Longdrum in Lintrathen, Angus, Scotland, the son of John McKenzie and Christian Gordon.  From Film No 993486 - Lintrathen OPR located at the Family History Library, LDS, Salt Lake City, Utah, christened 25 Jan 1795, David, son of John McKenzie and Christian Gorden (sic) of Longdrum.

Road to Longdrum Farm, Lintrathen

David married Jean Robbie, also known as Jane, in 1815 in Lintrathen, Angus, Scotland. The Official Parochial Registers of Marriages for Lintrathen have been reviewed by multiple people and there is a listing showing the marriage of David McKenzie to Jean Robertson on 17 Jan 1815. It is an educated guess that Jean Robertson and Jean Robbie are one in the same person, and the name was written incorrectly. Entry errors were something very common in those days in the OPR register and names were often spelled phonetically.




Very little is known about David’s early life other than he resided at the Brae of Blackdykes, Lintrathen, Angus on 08 May 1817, which was date of the birth of this daughter Mary. All of David and Jane’s other children were born at Hillockhead, Blackdykes, Lintrathen, Angus.

View from Hillockhead Cottage. Photo taken in recent years.

The 1841 Census find David and Jean living in Padanaram, Kirriemuir, with 3 of their children Helen, 20, linen handloom weaver; William, 15, stone dyker; and John, 13.

It is interesting that most of the McKenzie men (former and future generations) are farm labourers. Often wonder why David became a stone dyker. No doubt work was plentiful, and stone was readily available.

David’s death record reads as follows:

David McKenzie, stone dyker, married (no wife's name), died 21 April 1858 at 1:30pm, Spout Street, Forfar, male, 61 years old, father John McKenzie, crofter (deceased), mother Christian McKenzie ms Gordon (deceased), cause of death acute bronchitis, 11 days, buried New Cemetery, Forfar as certified by David McKenzie, son, signed by David McKenzie, son, not present. Registered 23 Apr 1858 at Forfar, John Webster, registrar.

Stone dykers at work building a stone wall

Jean “Jane” Robbie

Jean was christened 16 Aug 1786 in Cortachy, Angus, Scotland in Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland. She was first of ten children born to James Robbie and Mary Young. Just like her husband David McKenzie, very little is known of the early life of Jean Robbie.


After David’s death in 1858, Jean went to be with her daughter Grace McKenzie Milne, a widow, who was working as a grocer and living at 102 Castle Street. By 1878, Jean had gone to live with daughter Helen McKenzie and her husband John Marnie in Southmuir, Kirriemuir. She died on 27 Jan 1878 at the age of 97 of natural decline.


Children of David McKenzie and Jean Robbie are:


Helen McKenzie, born Abt. 1816 in Cortachy, Angus, Scotland and married John Marnie on 15 Oct 1843 in Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland. John was born born 25 Aug 1816 in Tannadice, Angus, Scotland to William Marnie and Elizabeth Mitchell Marnie.


John and Helen made their home Padanaram (formerly known as Ellenorton before it changed its name to the biblical Padanaram) and in 1851 they both were working as handloom weavers of brown linen, much the same as most of their neighbors in this small community.

On the day of the census in 1861, Helen was at their home with 3 of her sons, James, David, and Alexander. That same day we found John and son William, 14, working as ag labourers at the Wheen Farm of Alexander and Ann Winter Ogilvy. By 1871, John was the toll collector at the Newton Toll near Kirriemuir and he, Helen and sons John and Alexander lived in the toll house. [I am told that the statue of Peter Pan standing in the town square is in front of the old toll booth.] By 1881 John was employed as a gardener living on Glammis Road, Kirriemuir.


On 28 Jan 1878 John toll collector, Newton Toll, purchased Lair M93 at Kirriemuir Cemetery which was used to bury Jane Robbie McKenzie, Helen’s mother, who died 31 Jan 1878.


Helen died 24 June 1889 at 2:10pm while residing at Logie in Kirriemuir at the age of 73. Cause of death was a strangulated hernia which was complicated by peritonitis. Her death record, witnessed by her husband John, indicated that his occupation was that of a master gardener. Helen was buried at Kirriemuir Cemetery, Lair M, 93-95.


John Marnie, age 79, occupation gardener, died on 9 Jun 1891, cause of death was cardiac disease (mitral) as well as an enlarged prostate. The informant on the death record was son, John M. Marnie. John was buried to next to his wife in Kirriemuir Cemetery.



The headstone at the Marnie grave site reads:

In the memory of John Marnie

who died the 9th June 1891

aged 74 years

and his beloved wife

Helen McKenzie

who died the 24th June 1889

aged 73 years

also their son James

who died the 12 July 1867

aged 16 years

William, who died 18 Dec 1906

aged 60 years

John, who died 20th March 1931

aged 82 years

also Elizabeth Duncan

wife of John

who died 1st Jan 1939

aged 84 years

Anne Young Marnie

widow of John McCrae

died 4th Dec 1966

aged 87 years

Mary McKenzie was born 08 May 1817 in Brae of Blackdykes, Lintrathen, Angus, Scotland and christened on 19 Apr 1817 at the Lintrathen church. The OPR Lintrathen parish records show her father as David McKenzie and mother Jeen Robie. There is a second record which shows her mother as Jean Robb, all one in the same person. She married David Milne 13 Dec 1846 in Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland. David was born in1813 in Lintrathen, Angus, Scotland to James Milne and Agnes Keay Milne.


We located David Milne, age 25 and employed as a sawyer, living in Padanaram, Kirriemuir and residing with his parents. The most interesting part is they are living next door to Mary’s parents Jean and David McKenzie, her aunt Betsy McKenzie and her grandmother Christian Gordon McKenzie. No doubt this is how Mary and David met.


In 1851 we found David and Mary living at Mid Campsie in the Parish of Lintrathen. With them were four children, a son whose name is illegible on the 1851 census but born Kingoldrum, a daughter Barbara age 4, born Aberlemno, and twins Thomas and Helen age 1 born Aberlemno. It is an assumption that all four of these children died before 1855, the year when it was mandatory to register the death, birth and marriages. We also know that there was a son James who died 2nd March 1844 at the age of 16 months. Other children born to Mary and David are Mary Elizabeth Milne born 18 Oct 1844 and Grace born 1847.


David Milne, grocer and spirit dealer, died at home on Spout Street, Forfar on 01 Aug 1857 at the age of 44. Cause of death was apoplexy – an old fashioned term for what is commonly referred today as a stroke. His death record was witnessed by his father James Milne who was living at Cambellton Toll House in Forfar. David was buried at Forfar Cemetery, Lair A397. Mary erected a headstone which read:

In Memory of

her husband

David Milne

who died 1st of August

1857 aged 44 years

also their son

James

who died 2nd March

1844 aged 16 months

Castle Street, Forfar (early 1900’s)

At the time of the 1861 census, Mary was living at 102 Castle Street, a widow and listing her occupation as a grocer. With her were daughters Elizabeth, 16, who was working as a milliner, and Grace, 12, in school; her widowed mother Jane Robbie McKenzie, age 79 and her neice Mary McKenzie, 4, who was the daughter of Mary’s brother, David, and Margaret Millar McKenzie living in Tealing.

Mary died 18 Sep 1866 at the age of 49. She was living at 20 Backwynd, Forfar and employed as a milliner. The witness on her death records was her cousin-in-law William Fullerton of Padanaram, Kirriemuir. William was married to her cousin, Mary McKenzie Lawson Fullerton, daughter of Betsy Ogilvy McKenzie. Mary was buried alongside her husband and son at Forfar Cemetery, Lair A397.  On 16 May 1921, that lair was transferred to Mrs. Grace Milne Petrie, daughter, living at 8 Brown Constable Street, Dundee.

Lintrathen, Angus

Jean McKenzie was born at Hillockhead, Lintrathen, Angus, Scotland and christened 21 Apr 1822 in the Lintrathen parish church. No other information is known.

 

Alexander McKenzie, born at Hillockhead, Lintrathen, Angus, Scotland and christened 21 Apr 1822 in the Lintrathen parish church.

We found Alexander living in Glenisla at the Cottoans in the 1861 census. He is listed as a ploughman, age 39 and married, however the record does not show a wife. Living with him is Alexander Carver, age 13 and a shepherd.

David McKenzie (b. 1824)--More about this David in a separate post!



Christian McKenzie was born at Hillockhead of Blackdykes, Lintrathen, Scotland and christened on 15 Aug 1825 at the Lintrathen parish church. No other information is known.



William McKenzie was born 1826.




John McKenzie, born 07 Oct 1827 at Hillockhead, Lintrathen, Angus, Scotland and christened 12 Nov 1827 at the Lintrathen parish church. No further information is known.

Parish Church of Kingoldrum