1891 Notes for Altandhu

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1891 Notes for Altandhu

This is a notefile based on the families found in my transcription of the 1891 Census for Altandhu. This and the other 19th century census transcriptions and notes are linked to my main introduction file; index.htm.

This census recorded the people who stayed the night of 5 April 1891.

Altandhu was one of the larger communitys in Coigach, with about twenty familys through the 19th century. The predominant surname was McLean, as opposed to McLeod and McKenzie in the rest of Coigach. The schoolhouse for the western end of the peninsula was in Altandhu.

As with the earlier censuses in preparing the notes I have relied on good background and help from many people, especially my cousin Donald MacLeod in New Zealand (CONTACT INFO), who has made a study of the community. The data presented on these web pages was in large part collected by them. I have created a contact file, with links to the emails and webpages of Coigach descendants at contacts.htm.

There are doubtless errors here not just in transcribing the data, but in interpreting it. Please, send me your data or corrections at [email protected], and I will add it!


Following the enumerators system the households are numbered consecutively from 38 to 56. Before the enumerated Households was a house marked down as uninhabited. I have identified the households by using a prefix of "91" to denote the 1891 census data, and a suffix based on the enumerators numbering.

The Households are on pages 8 to 11 of Enumeration District #2

Altandhu 1891

Population: 44 Males + 47 Females = 91
-38 -39 -40 -41 -42 -43 -44 -45 -46 -47
-48 -49 -50 -51 -52 -53 -54 -55 -56


Altandhu 91-38


Murdo MacKenzie        Head         Mar   73      Crofter
Anne     Do            Wife         Do       77   Crofter's Wife
Mary     Do            Daur         Unm      33   Crofter's Daur
Rachel McLean        Sisterinlaw     Do      60   Pauper
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 8. They were all marked as born at Coigach.

In the 1881 census this family was at Reiff 81-2. With them then was a Widowed daughter Catherine, with a one year old son Alexander MacGregor born in Inverness.

Anne's death is registered as 26 April, 1900, age 84 years, at Laide of Reiff, Widower Murdo the Informant. The registration notes her parents had been John MacLean and Catherine, Maiden Surname MacLean.

Murdo's parents had been Hector McKenzie and Catherine McLean from Altandhu, he and Anne married Murdo 25 June, 1850.


Altandhu 91-39


Kenneth McKenzie       Head         Mar   45      Crofter
Annie     Do.          Wife         Do       37   Crofter's Wife
Donald     Do.         Son                13      Scholar
John       Do.         Do.                11         Do.
Angus       Do.        Do                  9         Do.
Kenneth     Do.        Do.                 7          Do.
Murdo        Do.       Do                  5           Do.
Rachel       Do        Daur                   3
Flora        Do        Sister       Unm      60   Pauper
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 8. They were all marked as born at Coigach.

In the 1881 census this family was at Altandhu 81-47.

The birth of Murdo is registered as 26 August, 1885, it notes Ann was maiden surname McLean, and she married Kenneth 16 February, 1877 at Coigach.


Altandhu 91-40


Catherine McLean       Head         W.       75   Crofter
Alexander   Do         Son          Unm   35      Fisherman
Mary McLeod            Granddau     Do       16   Scholar
Bella   Do                Do                 10      Do
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 8. They were all marked as born at Coigach.

In the 1881 census this family was at Altandhu 81-45, Catherine's husband Murdo was then Head of Household.

Catherine's death is registered as 29 April, 1893 at Altandhu, aged 79 years, Widow of Murdo McLean, son Murdo the Informant. The registration notes her parents had been John McLennan, Blacksmith, and Isabella, Maiden Surname McKenzie.

Catherine's husband Murdo died 17 June, 1888 at Altandhu aged 79 years, his parents noted as having been John MacLean and Ann, maiden surname MacLean, Informant his son Alexander.

Mary and Bella are daughters of Anne MacLeod, a daughter of Catherine. Anne and her husband John are in this census at Altandhu 91-51.


Altandhu 91-41


John McLean            Head         Mar   36      Fisherman
Mary   Do              Wife         Do       21   Fisherman's Wife
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 8. John is marked as born at Coigach, Mary at Ullapool.

In the 1881 census John was unmarried with his family at Altandhu 81-36, his Widowed father, also named John, has died since then. Three of his siblings are in this census at Altandhu 91-50.


Altandhu 91-42


John MacLean           Head         Mar   48      Crofter & Shoemaker
Margaret Do.           Wife         Do       43   Crofter's Wife
Murdo J.  Do.          Son                 6      Scholar
John      Do.          Do                  1
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 8. They were all marked as born at .

In the 1881 census John MacLean was a Widower with a six year old son "Donald John" at Altandhu 81-44. With them then were other relatives including his Widowed mother Christina, his unmarried brother Alexander, and his Widowed sister Helen McLeod. Those people, including Donald John and a four year son of John and Margaret above named Alexander, are in this census at Altandhu 91-52.

John was a descendant of Margaret MacKenzie and John MacLean of Reiff, his grandmother Margaret McKenzie married a John McLean at Altandhu. A sister of his grandmother, Ann McKenzie, also married a John McLean at Altandhu, so in this census most of the MacLeans in Altandhu are related to John!

In 1918 Hugh McDonald of New Zealand while serving with the N.Z.E.F. visited Coigach and wrote home to his father listing the relatives he met while on leave in Coigach. Marg Ward (CONTACT INFO), a niece of Hugh, has transcribed the letter and it is now a file at hughslet.htm, two of the people Hugh met were "John McLean Shoemaker & Alex McLean Shoemaker from Altando", likely John above and his brother Alexander at Altandhu 91-52.

Frances Ross, Secretary of the Coigach Community Heritage Group (see cchg.htm), has recently emailed me five photos of sheep shearing in the late 1960s or early 1970s at the former MacDonald home in Reiff, provided by her mother-in-law Iba. One of the people in the photos is "Murdo Shoemaker MacLean", I think that is likely the six year old Murdo J. above. One of the photos is here; shearing.jpg


Altandhu 91-43


Alexander Stewart      Head         Unm   56      Crofter
Flora       Do         Sister       Do       52   Crofter's Sister
Mary        Do          Do          Do       54   Pauper
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 9. They were all marked as born at Coigach.

In the 1881 census these siblings were at Altandhu 81-15 along with an 18 year old nephew, Angus Campbell. Mary was then listed as "Lunatic".


Altandhu 91-44


Matthew Gray           Head         Mar   48      Schoolmaster
Mary     Do            Wife         Do       45   Schoolmaster's Wife
Mary      Do.          Daur         Unm      20   Assistant Teacher
Sarah     Do.           Do.         Do.      11   Scholar
James      Do          Son                 8         Do
Elphinstone Do          Do                 6         Do
Marion      Do         Daur                   3
Alexina     Do          Do                    1
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 9, the address is listed as "Schoolhouse". Matthew was marked as born at Kilmaurs Ayr, The two Marys in Renfrew at Paisley Abbey, the next four children at Stirling Campsie, and young Alexina at Lochbroom.

In the 1881 census the teacher was John Douglass Gunn from Bower Caithness, he was unmarried and was listed with his housekeeper Catherine Mackenzie from Assynt at Altandhu 81-48.

Matthew Gray was School Master from 1888 to 1913, his daughter Mary above marries to Alexander "Sandy Murdo" McLean, who is in this census at Altandhu 91-40, and has one son who dies young.


Altandhu 91-45


Christina McLean       Head         Mar      40   Crofter's Wife
Johan      Do          Daur         Unm      17   Crofter's Daughter
Donald     Do          Son           Do   15      Scholar
Mary       Do          Daur          Do       11    Do
Bella      Do           Do                    10     Do
Roderick   Do.         Son                 9          Do.
John       Do           Do                 7          Do
Christina  Do          Daur                    5       Do
Annie      Do           Do                     1
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 9. They were all marked as born at Coigach.

In the 1881 census this family was at Altandhu 81-43 with Christina's now missing husband Donald as Head of Household.

Roderick remained at Altandhu, and was recorded in 1960 by Dr.John MacInnes, telling seventeen tales in Gaelic about history and families in Coigach, see the Tobar an Dualchais website at http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/person/6270 He died 1970 at Inverness.


Altandhu 91-46


Murdo MacLean          Head         Mar   60      Crofter
Mary    Do             Wife         Do       62   Crofter's Wife
Alexander Do           Son          Unm   20       Do.      Son
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 9. They were all marked as born at Coigach.

In the 1881 census this family was at Altandhu 81-40 with a 13 year old daughter Annabella who has probably married since then.


Altandhu 91-47


Catherine McLean       Head         Unm      67   Pauper
Annabella    Do.       Neice                 14   Scholar
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 9. They were both marked as born at Coigach.

In the 1881 census Catherine was at Altandhu 81-39, and Annabella was at Altandhu 81-41. Annabella's mother and brother are in this census at Altandhu 91-54.

Catherine dies 24 January, 1910 at Altandhu, aged 86 years, Informant of the death was her nephew, Alexander McLean. The registration notes her parents had been Murdo McLean and Annabella, Maiden Surname McLean.


Altandhu 91-48


Kenneth McLean         Head         Mar   79      Crofter
Christina  Do          Wife          Do      74   Crofter's Wife
Duncan     Do.         Son          Unm   38      Fisherman
Isabella   Do          Daur          Do      35   General Servant
Alexander  Do          Grandson            4
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 10. They were all marked as born at Coigach.

In the 1881 census this family was at Altandhu 81-38.

The death of Kenneth, husband of Christina Stewart, is registered as 21 May, 1897 at Altandhu, aged 84 years, his parents had been John MacLean and Ann, maiden surname MacLean, Informant his son Duncan.

Probably Alexander was an illegitamate son of Isabella.


Altandhu 91-49


Kenneth McLean         Head         Mar   66      Crofter
Janet      Do          Wife          Do      61   Crofter's Wife
John       Do          Son          Unm   30      Fisherman
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 10. They were all marked as born at Lochbroom.

In the 1881 census this family was at Altandhu 81-37.

There is a memorial stone at Badenscallie burial ground referring to this family erected by a nephew, Roderick MacLean, after Kenneth's name it has "Boy" in brackets, implying he was blonde or yellowish hair, "buidh" being Gaelic for the colour "yellow". It notes Kenneth died November 1899 aged 72, and wife Janet maiden surnamed MacLeod died 9 October, 1893 aged 63 years. Also on the stone are noted two other people, likely brothers of Kenneth; Hugh MacLean died March 1900 at Achnahaird aged 72, and Donald MacLean died March 1907 aged 77.


Altandhu 91-50


Donald MacLean         Head         Unm   38      Crofter & Fisherman
Alexander Do           Brother       Do   36      Fisherman
Mary      Do           Sister        Do      36   Crofters Sister
Maggie    Do           Visitor       Do      26   Servant Domestic
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 10. They were all marked as born at Lochbroom.

In the 1881 census this family was at Altandhu 81-36.

John McLean at Altandhu 91-41 is a brother of these siblings.


Altandhu 91-51


John MacLeod           Head         Mar   43      Fisherman
Anne    Do             Wife          Do      38   Fisherman's Wife
Katie    Do            Daur         Unm      14   Scholar
Rodina    Do            Do           Do      12      Do
Murdina    Do           Do                   10      Do
Norman     Do          Son                 9         Do
Donald     Do           Do                 7         Do
Christina  Do          Daur                   3
Murdo      Do          Son                6mos
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 10. They were all marked as born at Coigach.

In the 1881 census this family was at Altandhu 81-34.

Anne is a daughter of Catherine McLean at Altandhu 91-40, Mary and Bella in that Household are her children.


Altandhu 91-52


Alexander McLean       Head         Unm   39      Crofter
Christina   Do         Mother       W.       73   Crofters Mother
Helen McLeod           Sister       W.       41   Domestic Servant
                     -- page break --
Donald J. McLean       Nephew       Unm   17      Scholar
Alexander   Do.          Do.               4
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, pages 10 and 11. They were all marked as born at Coigach.

In the 1881 census this family was at Altandhu 81-44.

The death of Christina is registered as 5 April, 1892 at Altandhu aged 74, her parents noted as having been John McLean and Ann, maiden surname Graham, Informant her son Alexander.

Donald John and young Alexander are half brothers, their father John "Shoemaker" McLean, young Alexander's mother, and two other siblings are in this census at Altandhu 91-42.

In 1918 Hugh McDonald of New Zealand while serving with the N.Z.E.F. visited Coigach and wrote home to his father listing the relatives he met while on leave in Coigach. Marg Ward (CONTACT INFO), a niece of Hugh, has transcribed the letter and it is now a file at hughslet.htm, two of the people Hugh met were "John McLean Shoemaker & Alex McLean Shoemaker from Altando", likely young Alexander above and his brother John at Altandhu 91-42.


Altandhu 91-53


Alexander McLean       Head         Mar   78      Crofter
Flora       Do         Wife          Do      60   Crofter's Wife
Annie       Do.        Daur         Unm      34   Crofter's Daughter
John        Do         Son          Mar   33      Fisherman
Christina   Do        Daur in law    Do      33   Fisherman's Wife
Donald      Do         GrandSon            2
Alickina     Do        GrandDaur              1
Alexander     Do       Son          Unm   28      Fisherman
Murdo         Do.       Do           Do   24          Do
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 11. They were all marked as born at Coigach.

In the 1881 census this family was at Altandhu 81-35.


Altandhu 91-54


Annie MacLean          Head         Mar      57   Crofter's Wife
Donald   Do.           Son                12      Scholar
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 11. They were both marked as born at Coigach.

In the 1881 census this family was at Altandhu 81-41 with Annie's now missing husband Donald as Head of Household, and three other young children.

The missing husband Donald and son John are in this census with six other Coigach men as gamekeepers at Aultbae in the Parish of Contin.

Annabella at Altandhu 91-47 is a daughter of Donald and Annie, Catherine in that Household is a sister of Donald.


Altandhu 91-55


William MacLean        Head         Mar   72      Crofter
Mary       Do          Wife         Do       68   Crofter's Wife
William MacLeod        Nephew             14      Scholar
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 11. Both Williams were marked as born at Coigach, and Mary born at Elphin in SutherlandShire.

In the 1881 census this family was at Altandhu 81-31.

Young William was in the 1881 census with his family at Achnahaird 81-1, his parents are in this census at Achnahaird 91-10.


Altandhu 91-56


Kenneth McLean         Head         Mar   46      Crofter
Margaret   Do          Wife         Do       37   Crofter's Wife
Isabella    Do         Sister       Unm      55   Crofter's Sister

                          End of Altandow
Notes on this Household:

This Household appears in Enumeration District 2, page 11. They were all marked as born at Coigach.

In the 1881 census this family was at Altandhu 81-29, Kenneth was unmarried then and his 60 year old Widowed mother Mary was also in the Household. Margaret was in the 1881 census with Widowed mother and other relatives at Achiltibuie 81-24.

The death of Margaret is registered as 4 August, 1909, her parents (both deceased) noted as having been Kenneth MacLeod and Isabella, maiden surname MacLeod, her husband Kenneth the Informant.


This file, and others dealing with history and genealogy of Coigach, links from my homepage at:

http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~coigach

Any suggestions for additions or edits please feel free to email me,

Donald MacDonald-Ross, at:

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