JOHN McKENZIE (b. 1766) AND CHRISTIAN GORDON

This information was submitted by Catherine MacKenzie Kunkle:

Much research has been done on John and Margaret Findlay (John’s first wife) by members of the family who are LDS church members. The first noted works were written by Catherine McKenzie Anderson Dye for her great aunt Ellen McKenzie Christie (child of John and Margaret) and her step-grand aunt Isabell McKenzie (child of John and Christian Gordon).


I am a descendant from the 2nd marriage of John McKenzie to Christian Gordon. We do not have any definite information to base the parentage of Christian, as records for that time period from the Glenisla/Lintrathen area are sketchy at best. It is assumed that John and Christian married sometime in 1794/1795.

John McKenzie was christened 19 Oct 1766, Dalnamer (Dallingmar), Glenisla. According to the death record of David McKenzie (John and Christian’s first son) , registered 23 Apr 1858 in Forfar, John and Christian were shown as deceased on that record, and John’s occupation was listed as a crofter.

The definition of a crofter is a person who rents a small piece of ground from the landlord (usually no more than 10 acres) on which he could pasture a cow and grow some subsistence crops. He would be expected to pay some rent to the landlord (although some part of that rent might have been paid in the form of labour) and would have expected a certain amount of seasonal employment from the landlord.


The LDS FHL Film number 993486 - Lintrathen OPR’s - indicates the birth of the four three children of John and Christian:

1. David McKenzie, chr. 25 Jan 1795, son of John McKenzie and Christian Grodon of Longdrum.

2. Shusan McKenzie, chr. 1 Dec 1799, daughter of John McKenzie and Christian Gordon of Balnakillie

3. Isobell McKenzie, chr. 13 Aug 1804, daughter of John McKenzie and Christian Gordon of Blackdykes.

4. Elisabeth McKenzie, chr. 21 Mar 1807, daughter of John McKenzie and Christian Gordon of Blackdykes.

There is also a LDS submission in the IGI that shows a daughter Martha, born to John McKenzie and Christian Gordon, _______________. And to the surprise of Gaye Willis and myself, there is also a LDS submission showing the birth of James McKenzie, christened 08 Jun 1793 in Longdrum, Lintrathen, to John McKenzie and Christian Gordon rather than the mother being Margaret Findlay. There is no evidence, that either one of us has found, to substantiate these submissions. However, I mention them here to simply put the information “out there” for other to consider!

As for the deaths of John and Christian, I have been unable to find burial records for either of them at the present time. The 1841 census does give me some clues, however. There does not seem to be a listing for John McKenzie with the correct age, but I have been able to find Christian Gordon, age 80, listed in the 1841 census living with her daughter Betsy McKenzie, age 30, linen handloom weaver and Betsy’s daughter Betsy Lawson, age 7, at Padanaram, Kirriemuir. Therefore, it is currently being assumed that John died prior to 1841 and Christian died between 1841 and 1851.


I will be traveling to Scotland later this year and will have a search of the Glenisla and Lintrathen kirkyards, as well as any other small cemeteries that I can find in the area, looking for some evidence of the burial of John McKenzie. And, I will be looking at the Kirriemuir cemetery for the burial site of Christian Gordon McKenzie.