One Rhode Island Family

Finding Jessie Ruth MacLeod

Through the blog, I recently met a fifth cousin, which wouldn’t be so unusual except that he is related to me through my great-great-grandmother Jessie Ruth (MacLeod) Murdock, that I had never found a family for. She is related to me in the following way: my grandmother Edna Darling — her mother Eva Louise Murdock – her mother Jessie Ruth MacLeod.

Jessie Ruth MacLeod Murdock and husband, Louis

Jessie Ruth MacLeod was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia, around 1863. My grandmother told me that many years ago, but since starting genealogy, I’ve never been able to expand on that knowledge. One day in December, I was contacted by a distant cousin, Alex R. MacLeod IV, who told me about a local history/genealogy book, from Pictou, that mentioned Jessie, her husband, and her daughters, and was written by Jessie’s nephew. There was no mistaking Jessie’s entry.

Emails from Alex, and my subsequent purchase of the book, clarified a great deal for me. And, of course, raised more questions. The one thing I am quite sure of is that Jessie was the daughter of William MacLeod. It may take years to discover exactly who her mother was.

Jessie’s family

William MacLeod was born in Tea-Gate, Kiltarlity, Inverness-shire, Scotland in 1823. He was the son of Alex and Annie (Frasier) MacLeod. Alex and Annie brought their children from Scotland to Middle River, and later, to Lorne, Pictou, Nova Scotia around 1832. Another son of Alex and Annie, Archibald, is the one that my cousin is descended from.

Cousin Alex had a old picture of Alex and Annie’s grave, at St. Columba Cemetery in Lorne:

Grave marker for Alex and Annie MacLeod, St. Columba Cemetery in Lorne, Pictou, Nova Scotia, from the collection of Alex MacLeod, used with permission.

• ALEX MCLEOD
• DIED
• April 23, 1876
• Aged 78 years
• Also his wife
• ANNIE
• DIED
• March 15, 1866
• Aged 65 Yrs

Among his treasured family photographs Alex has some pictures from Lorne. This is the St. Columba Church, Lorne, Pictou, Nova Scotia:

St. Columba Church, Lorne, from the collection of Alex MacLeod, used with permission.

My ggg-grandfather William MacLeod’s brother, Archibald, is pictured here:

Archibald and Elizabeth MacLeod, probably in Lorne, from the collection of Alex MacLeod, used with permission.

Back in Scotland

Alex MacLeod, my gggg-grandfather who brought his family from Scotland to Nova Scotia in 1832, was born in Tea-Gate, Inverness-shore, Scotland. His parents were William MacLeod and Margaret MacKay.
Tea Gate (Parish of Kiltarlity) is located in Inverness-shire, Scotland, in the spot shown below:

Location of Kilmorack, Parish of Kiltarlity, Scotland, courtesy of Google maps

On a trip to Scotland, my cousin Alex had the opportunity to visit the graves of our common ancestors. A gifted photographer, his photos capture the beauty of the rugged Scottish landscape:

Old Kilmorack Cemetery – Kilmorack, Scotland. Photo by Alex MacLeod. Used with permission.

Old Kilmorack Cemetery with “a view of the hills of the Parish of Kiltarlity – probably Beauly – but looking up towards Teagate.” Photo by Alex MacLeod. Used with permission.

Our ggggg-grandparents, William MacLeod and Margaret MacKay, are buried in Old Kilmorack Cemetery.

William MacLeod & Margaret MacKay – Old Kilmorack Cemetery, Kilmorack, Scotland. Photo by Alex MacLeod. Used with permission.

• In
• Memory of
• WILLIAM McLEOD Farmer
• Brackachy
• who departed this life
• on the 24th of August 18[4?]7.
• in the 85th year of his age
• and of his Spouse
• MARGARET MACKAY
• who died the 26th day of July 1839
• in the 61st year of her age
• This Stone is placed here by their
• affectionate Sons ARCHIBALD
• and WILLIAM McLEOD
• 1842

I would note that the Archibald and William MacLeod that my cousin and I descend from are from the next generation; nephews of the sons that provided this marker.

Alex was also able to take some photographs of nearby Beauly, where our ggggg-grandmother Margaret MacKay was born.

The River Beauly – Beauly, Scotland. Photo by Alex MacLeod. Used with permission.

There are some interesting links between Annie Fraser and some nearby gentry; Alex and I hope to learn more about that someday.

View of Beauly from the war memorial – Beauly, Scotland. Photo by Alex MacLeod. Used with permission.

Alex has always had a copy of the book “The Pioneers and Churches” written by my 1st cousin 3x removed, Rev. D.K. Ross (Hopewell, Nova Scotia, 1954[?]); and over the years Alex has been able to get some expert help locally in Nova Scotia. Those are the sources for the information, above. Thanks to Alex’s kindness in reaching out to share this information I will now be able to further explore Jessie’s roots.

The post you are reading is located at: http://onerhodeislandfamily.com/2013/02/28/old-kilmorack-cemetery/