In 1901, Eliza Mackay, retired school teacher, was running a rather superior lodging house in Newcastle and Tyne. Neither her husband, nor their eldest daughter, Elizabeth, age 18, were at home; Caroline (16), Henrietta (15), William (10) and Stephen (7) were with their mother, while John Edward (13) was a boarding pupil at Donaldson's Hospital for the Deaf in Edinburgh. A descendant informs me that William Gunn Mackay and his wife separated in the early 1900s; William emigrated to Canada with their eldest daughter Elizabeth and eldest son, John Edward; while his wife Eliza settled in Newcastle with the other four children.
• 7 Apr 1861 census: age 7, son of George Mackay at Clashaidy, Tongue, SUT. 3
• 30 Mar 1871 census: age 18, student, nephew of John Mackay, schoolteacher at Stoer, SUT. 4
• 3 Apr 1881 census: age 26, schoolmaster at Schoolhouse, Lochinver, SUT. 5
• 5 Apr 1891 census: age 36, schoolteacher, head of household at Schoolhouse, Lochinver, SUT. 6
• William Gunn Mackay [2518] emigrated to Canada with his children, Elizabeth and John about 1901.
William married Eliza Grant [7548]. (Eliza Grant [7548] was born about 1857 in Glenrinnes, Banffshire and died after 2 Apr 1911.)
Sources
1
Hector Macrae 2008-01-28 to countysutherland List. Transcript of letter from William Gunn Mackay while teacher in Oldshoremore 5 Feb. 1894. "You ask my native place. I was born in the Parish of Tongue, Sutherlandshire, on 26th December 1853. I am 40 years last December. At the age of nine I went to live with my uncle, John MacKay, Schoolmaster, Stoer, Assynt. I was with him for 9 years and then went to the Normal School, Edinburgh, and when through with my course of training there I got a School at Invershin, near Lairg, and afterwards I was appointed teacher of Lochinver School in which I taught for 9 years. In 1887 I left Lochinver and came here. I had an uncle, Hector, who was at one time a teacher here and another, William, who was Parochial Schoolmaster in Latheron, Caithness. My father George Gunn MacKay, is a crofter and a roads contractor in Skerry, Tongue. I may say I have a brother, Alex, a fisherman and the owner of a large fishing boat. I am a very keen fisherman myself and I am quite in my element when I am out fishing. I was never seasick, I have a wife and six of a family, three girls and three boys - the oldest being eleven and a half years and the youngest fourteen months. That is my history in full."
Reported in Am Bratach September 2001 http://tinyurl.com/3b3b96 Am Bratach SEPTEMBER 2001 - NO. 119 Oldshore teacher helped families of lost fishermen Letters from a schoolmaster in Oldshoremore which were sent to inform and comfort families on the island of Harris who lost their menfolk in a drowning accident off Cape Wrath have come to light more than 100 years later. Three letters, written in English in a fine copperplate hand by William Gunn Mackay, a native of Skerray, are dated December 21, 1893 and February 5 and 7 the following year. They record descriptions of four dead fishermen whose bodies were recovered after their fishing boat was smashed to pieces off Sandwood Bay. The body of the fifth member of the crew of the boat was never seen again. Also contained in the letters is a moving description of the funerals of the men, which included a father and his 16-year-old son. The funerals were arranged and paid for by the people of the surrounding district and took place in Oldshoremore where plain stone slabs marking the graves can be seen to this day.
2
Tongue Free Church Baptismal Book 1843-1877 (NAS CH3/449 no.3).
3
1861 census of Scotland, Sutherland, Volume 56 Tongue, enumeration district (ED) 10, page 10, household of George Mackay (Clashaidy); George Mackay 41 married, road contractor, Tongue Isabella Mackay 37 wife, Tongue Alexr Mackay 9 son, Tongue William Mackay 7 son, Tongue Robert Mackay 5 son, Tongue Caroline Mackay 9months, daughter, Tongue
4
1871 census of Scotland, Sutherland, Volume 44/2 Stoer, enumeration district (ED) 6, page 3, schedule no. 12, household of John Mackay (Stoer); John Mackay 35 schoolmaster and registrar, Tongue Sutherland William Mackay 18 student, Tongue Williamina Matheson 35 servant, Stoer
5
1881 census of Scotland, Sutherland, Volume 44/2 Stoer, enumeration district (ED) 2, page 1, schedule no. 2, household of William Mackay (Lochinver School); William McKay 26 U schoolteacher, Tongue Sutherland Christina McKenzie 30 U servant, Stoer Sutherland
6
1891 census of Scotland, Sutherland, Volume 49/2 Kinlochbervie, enumeration district (ED) 1, page 1, schedule no. 1, household of William Mackay (Schoolhouse, Lochinver); William MacKay 36 M schoolmaster, Tongue Sutherland Eliza MacKay 34 M wife, Glenrinnes, Banff Elizabeth G MacKay 8 daughter, Assynt Sutherland Caroline M MacKay 6 daughter, Assynt Henrietta R MacKay 5 daughter, Assynt John E MacKay 3 son, Assynt William G MacKay 8months son, Assynt Sydney Corbitt 20
General Notes: