James MURRAY & Elspat MACKAY

James MURRAY
[1786-10/12/1869]
married
Elspat MACKAY
[6/2/1795-7/2/1891]

James is the son of William Murray, cattleman, and Isabella Mackay of Kinnauld, Rogart.
Elspat is the daughter of William Mackay, crofter, and Marion Sutherland.

James and Elspat (Elspeth) married on 9 May 1819 at Dornoch. The Parish Register states that Elspat was a Mackay or Mackenzie but as her own death certificate shows her as the daughter of William Mackay this seems to be an error. At the time of their marriage they both lived at Kinnauld.

The Dornoch Militia list of 1824 shows James as a tenant at Rhemusaig, Rogart – next to Kinnauld. The Militia List tells that James was excused from service being poor with children. The 1841 census shows the family at Rhemusaig, Rogart. Like so many people in Rogart James and Elspat were not at home on census night. However, while their parents spent the night 'in the heather' their children Donald, James, Catherine and Robert were at home.

It was said that many folks objected to giving personal information to the 1841 census enumerators. This was the first census as we know them today.

On the evening of the 1851 census James and Elspat were home. James is shown as a farmer of two acres. When the census enumerator came round in 1861 James was 76 years old and Elspat was 67 years. Their children had left home but they did have their grandaughter, ANN MURRAY aged 10 years, born in Glasgow and recorded as a scholar, living with them.

James passed away on 10 December 1869. The school records of Rogart show that on 13 December attendance at school was not so good because of James Murray of Rhemusaig’s death. As James appeared to have died on the 10th perhaps this was the day of his funeral.

The 1871 census shows Elspat as head of the family. This census tells that their home had two rooms and Elspat was tenant of four acres. Living with her in 1871 was her granddaughter, Georgina Cumming, daughter of Catherine and her husband Alexander Cumming. Catherine had died in 1870 leaving the young Georgina motherless at 9 years old. Sadly, her father then died in 1873. Georgina continued to live with her grandmother and the next census in 1881 shows her still there. Elspat was now recorded as 86 years old and the tenant. As well as Georgina the house was also now home to Elspat's son James and his daughter Catherine Murray aged nine years. James's wife had recently died. Young Catherine attended school and the census shows that she was born in Dornoch. Shortly before the 1891 census was taken Elspat passed away. The census of that year shows young James as head of the family and a crofter. The house had been extended to six rooms and James had taken a new wife Jane Macdonald. His daughter Catherine was at home on census night.

James Murray and Elspat Mackay had the following children:
WILLIAM MURRAY, born 12 March 1820 Rhemusaig, Rogart [married Elizabeth Ross]
GEORGE MURRAY, born 14 June 1821 Rhemusaig, Rogart
DONALD MURRAY, born 22 September 1823 Rhemusaig, Rogart – at Rhemusaig in 1841 census
ISABELLA MURRAY, born 24 November 1825 Rhemusaig, Rogart
JAMES MURRAY, born 20 August 1828 Rhemusaig, Rogart [died 15 December 1918] [married Janet Bruce and Jane Macdonald] – James was at Rhemusaig in 1841 & 51 census – there in 1881 and 1891
CATHERINE MURRAY, born 4 May 1831 Rhemusaig, Rogart [died 21 January 1870] [married Alexander Cumming] – Catherine was at Rhemusaig in 1841 & 51 census
ROBERT MURRAY, born 12 July 1833 Rhemusaig, Rogart [died 21 February 1881 Glasgow] [married Catherine Fraser] - was at Rhemusaig in 1841 and 51 census - we know, from an old family letter found in Canada, that Robert Murray was in Glasgow on the 13th April 1871. He wrote on that day to his niece Isabel Murray in Embro, Ontario.