The McMurtries of Ayr

Revised June 2008

McMurtries appeared in the Ayr Parish registers as early as 1721 though it is not until the 1780s that we have families that we can trace to the present day. As economic conditions changed, many McMurtries migrated to commercial centers such as Ayr in the 1700s.

John McMurtrie and Margaret Doak

The earliest record in Ayr is that of the birth of Margaret McMurtrie in 1721, daughter of John McMurtrie and Margaret Doak. John had married Margaret in Dailly Parish in 1712 and had several children in Maybole between 1713 and 1719 with witnesses in Glengowland, Maybole of Gilbert and John McM. Gilbert had married Jean Crawford and had children in Glengowland between 1722 and 1734. It is not clear who the John McM witness was. In any event, it appears that John moved to Ayr between 1719 and 1721 when Margaret was born. Their children:

Jean 1713 Maybole

William 1715 Maybole

Gilbert 1717 Maybole

Agnes 1719 Maybole

Margaret 1721 Ayr

There is also a John and Margaret Doak who had children in Maybole between 1729 and 1734, but the gap of 10 years between children is puzzling IF this is the same couple as the one that had children 1713-1721. If they are the same couple, then they did not stay in Ayr.

David McMurtrie and Katherine Alexander

David married Katherine in 1746 and had 3 children: Katherine b 1747, Charles b 1749, and Janet b 1751 and Agnes 1754. But no later record of Charles has been found.

John McMurtrie and Barbara Urie

John was in Ayr by 1752, but there are no John McM born prior to that. There is a John b 1725 son of of William McMurtrie who married Mary McCrother in Straiton. But there is no supporting data for this to be more than speculation.

John’s son Thomas b 1766 might be the Thomas md 1796 to Elizabeth Neill in Ayr (CF 30).

John was a sailor and there is a Robert McM md 1754 Agnes Logan who was also a sailor. There is a family in Dailly with sons John and Robert, so it is possible that John and Robert migrated from Dailly.

David McM of Eldintoun, Dailly

Joan b 1729

John b 1731

Robert b 1732

William b 1734

John md Barbara Urie (sailor in Ayr)

John 1752

John1753

Bethia 1755

Dalrymple 1758 md 1783 to Jean Leggatt (sailor)

Dalrymple b 1784

John b 1787

Robert b1788

Charles 1760

Eleonorah 1762

William 1764

Thomas 1766 (possibly Thomas md1796 Eliz Neill (CF 30) (weaver)

Andrew and Agnes Nichol

They had sons David and John baptized in 1776.

James McM the barbar

James McMurtrie (CF50), a barbar in Ayr, married 1784 to Susanna Drinnan/Drennan and may be the same James who md 1773 Agnes Logan. (This James, assuming both marriages are to the same James McM, would have been born 1743-1753.) There are James’ born in the period 1743 to 1755. in Maybole, Girvan, Barr, Kirkoswald but no basis for believing these are the same James.

(AT SOME POINT WE NEED TO BITE THE BULLET AND RECHECK THE PARISH REGISTERS; THERE ARE CONFLICTS AND OMISSIONS.)