John McMurtrie md
Janet Dick 1805 Kirkmichael
CF 43 of
David Ian McMurtrie of Sydney a descendant of CF 43 asked for a list of John McMurtries born in the era of his ancestor John McMurtrie who married in Kirkmichael in 1805 and died in 1815.
The attached list shows the John-s born 1771-1788, i.e. John-s who would have been between 16 and 34 if they married in 1805.
The list indicates death dates or marriage dates that establish that the specific John of the respective entry could not be David Ian's ancestor.
A check mark indicates "proved not to be David's ancestor".
Of those remaining, the most likely to be David's ancestor is:
John McMurtrie born 1782 Kirkmichael, son of Hugh McMurtrie of Ladyburn, Kirkmichael (CF 21) has a high probability of being John md Janet Dick (CF 43). This would make John 23 years old in 1805 when David's ancestor John married. There is some parallel geographical movement in these two branches. Hugh's son James was born and married in Kirkmichael but had children born in Maybole in the first decade of the 1800s; John's last child was born in Maybole. Also, Hugh b 1785 the son of Hugh of CF 21 lived in Barcully in 1807 - about the same time as John lived there in 1806.
John married Janet Dick of Balminnoch, Straiton Parish, which is about 4 miles due east from the Ladyburn area.
There are other possibilities discussed below, but the most likely is the CF 21 connection.
The second most likely is John born 1785 Maybole, son of Thomas & Margaret Gemmell McMurtrie (CF 7). One family historian says this Thomas had two sons named John - one in 1785 and another in 1800 - suggesting that the first John had died. But I can find no record of the birth of this second John. So, the John b 1785 Maybole of this branch could be the John who married 1805 Kirkmichael. However, CF 7 seems to have remained in Maybole until the 1820s or 1830s when several of the brothers and sisters seem to have moved to Kirkmichael.
Another possibility is the John born 1783 in Maybole, son of DavidMcMurtrie and Marion Mcrinkin. Nothing more is known about any of these three.
There is also the John son of Andrew McMurtry and Agnes Nicol in Ayr in 1776 and John son
of Dalrymple McM & Jean Legat
in Ayr in 1787 and John son of Thomas McM and Marion
Lamont in
At present there is no evidence to sort out which of these
John's is the ancestor of CF 43. All we
can say is that the most likely possibility is that John was born in 1782, son
of Hugh McMurtrie and Agnes Rowand of Ladyburn, Parish of Kirkmichael,