CF 4 is the family of James McMurtrie a tailor in Dailly who married Mary McHutcheon of Dalmellington in 1768.
There is no record of James' birth in Dailly suggesting he came from elsewhere. We believe he is the James b 1743 son of John of Barr Parish. This James had a twin brother Hugh and an older brother Robert b 1740. We suspect that Hugh is the Hugh who had a son Andrew in Ladyburn, Kirkmichael in 1771 and that Robert is the Robert who settled in Old Dailly by 1767.
See more details in "McMurtries of Barr" and "McMurtries of Dailly".
His children seem all to have left Dailly and their migrations may be a clue to the loose ends of the family.
Adam McMurtrie b 1781
There is a remote possibility that Adam McMurtrie b 1781 of CF 004 might be the father of Adam McM of CF 52 who married in 1831/1837 in Largs (at the northernmost tip of Ayrshire) and later lived in Dunoon and Kilmun, Argyllshire, right across the sea from Largs.
There is no birth record for an Adam Mc in 1806 anywhere; so this appears to be an unrecorded birth unless our transcription of an Allan McMurtrie b 1805 in Maybole (son of Thomas and Margaret Gemmell McM) is a mistranscription of Adam. This birth record needs to be re-inspected.
There is no marriage record for Adam b 1781.
CF 52 includes an Adam McMurtrie born about 1806 in Maybole according to the census who was the son of one Adam McM a mason and Mary McHutcheson according to the younger Adam's 1869 death record. Since the mason would have been the right age to be the Adam b 1781 Dailly, son of James and Mary McHutcheon, there has been speculation that perhaps the informant, William McM, son of Adam d 1869, reported his grandfather's name correctly, but got the great-grandmother's name in place of the grandmother. This is a bit far-fetched, but three of the children of James and Mary moved north from Dailly to die in Dalrymple and one daughter Lilia seems to have moved to Dumbarton and there married a William Ewing in 1806. So finding Adam b 1806 in Largs, Ayrshire in 1831/37, a few miles west of Dumbarton may reflect a connection.
Lilias McMurtrie
As mentioned, Lilias md William Ewing in 1806 in Dunbartonshire. Lilias' son William Ewing was the informant on the death certificate of Lilias' brother John McM 1780-1864.
James McMurtrie
James McMurtrie b 1779 is likely the James McM (CF 39) who marries Jane Johnstone 1800 in Maybole. See discussion in "McMurtries of Dailly" and CF 39.
1864: John/ Dalrymple 6 - died June 8th, aged 84, tailor, son of John McM, tailor and Mary McHutcheson, of senile decay. Informant: William Emity, nephew.
1806 May 24 Dumbarton McMutrie,Lilias married William Ewing
In any event, we can not prove this one way or another and simply point it out as one of those strange possibilities.
Narrrative History of CF004 (not written yet)
Documents of CF004 (not written yet)