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Mackay Munro was baptised on the 14th January 1812 as recorded in the parish of Farr registers, son of Alex Munro and Barbara Mackay in Armadale. It should be noted however that he actually went by the name John Munro on most documents and is found in three instances recorded by the full name of Mackay John Scobie Munro. So he seems to have used his middle name John. What also makes him very difficult to trace is that he seems to have often lied about his age because his wife was nearly 20 years younger than him. I will try to explain...
Rent records linked on the left for the village of Armadale from the 1820s to the early 1830s show a John Munro living alongside Alex Munro and later Alex Munro's widow.
National Library of Scotland Dep.313/2369 includes in a list of tenants for 1829-1830 in Armadale, an Alexander Munro, Donald Munro and John Munro.
National Library of Scotland Dep.313/2012 includes an Alexander Munro and John Munro who were both residents in Armadale on a paylist of labourers who worked on the construction of Armadale Road in 1832.
National Library of Scotland Dep.313/2500 includes an Alexander Munro and John Munro who were both residents in Armadale and who both received pay for hay sold from the meadows of the Bighouse Estate "in the month of March 1834 (crops 1832)". The Bighouse Estate was part of the larger Sutherland Estate and like Armadale it was in the part of the parish of Farr which later became the parish of Strathy.
Donald Munro (born 1802) is found on the 1851 census living at 306 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh and living with him is a "brother" named John Munro, whose occupation is given as a "journeyman wood sawyer". Both Donald's and John's places of birth are given as "Sutherlandshire, Armadale, parish of Farr". John's age is given as 40 years. Ages are often inaccurate on these records, an age of 40 would have meant that he was born in 1811 and as he was baptised in early January 1812 it is quite possible that he was born in 1811. Donald and his family moved to Australia in 1854 but Mackay/John did not go with them.
Still going by the name of John Munro he married May Paterson in 1856 in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. May Paterson was born in 1831, daughter of Hugh Paterson, a house carpenter. The marriage record gives John Munro's occupation again as a "wood sawyer". It also states that his parents were Alexander Munro, a carpenter and Barbara Mackay. However John Munro's age is incorrectly given as 35 when he was really about 44 - perhaps because his wife was so much younger.
John Munro and May Paterson are later found together on the 1861 and 1871 census records. Again John Munro's age is inconsistent but both the 1861 and 1871 census records record him as a "wood sawyer" and his place of birth as "Armadale, Sutherlandshire".
John Munro's death is recorded as on the 21st May 1875 in Kirkcaldy, county of Fife. Again his age is inconsistent but the death record again records him as a "wood sawyer" and records his parents as Alexander Munro, a deceased house carpenter and Barbara Mackay, also deceased. The witness is his daughter Marion Munro.
He is later found recorded by his true first name of Mackay on his wife May Paterson's death certificate of 1913 as "Mackay John Scobie Munro" and again on his daughter Marion's death certificate of 1932 as "Mackay John Scoby Munro". He is also recorded by his true first name as "Mackay John Scobie Munro" on the 1938 death certificate for his son Alexander. His daughter Christina Munro's 1887 marriage certificate records him as "Mckay John Munro".
So to summarize:
His wife May Munro's (nee Paterson's) death certificate of 1913 states she was the widow of Mackay John Scobie Munro.
His daughter Marion Leslie's (nee Munro's) death certificate of 1932 states her father was Mackay John Scoby Munro.
His son Alexander Munro's death certificate of 1938 states that his father was Mackay John Scobie Munro.
His daughter Christina Munro's marriage certificate of 1887 states that her father was Mckay John Munro.
His marriage certificate as John Munro to May Paterson in 1856 states his parents were Alexander Munro, a carpenter and Barbara Mackay.
His death certificate of 1875 as John Munro states his parents were Alexander Munro, a carpenter and Barbara Mackay.
The 1851, 1861 and 1871 census records as John Munro refer to his place of birth as either Armadale, Sutherland or Farr, Sutherland. Armadale is a village within the parish of Farr, county of Sutherland.
This is possibly Mackay John Scobie Munro (1812-1875) with his wife May Paterson (1831-1913) but the identity of this couple is unconfirmed. The photo which is undated was found in the box of photos from Scotland belonging to my grandad Munro who died in 2008 at his house in Malvern, England after my grandma Munro had died in 2017 and no one can confirm who these people are
The parish of Farr baptism record of 14th January 1812 matches all of these points: his true first name of Mackay, his parents names of Alex Munro and Barbara Mackay and his place of birth as Armadale, Sutherlandshire.
Mackay (John) Munro and May Paterson's children were:
1. Marion Munro (1858 - 1932 - married John Leslie).
2. Alexander Munro (1859 - 1938 - my 2nd great grandad, married Agnes Kerr in 1885, named after his paternal grandfather Alexander Munro of Armadale)
3. Christina Munro (1861 - named after her aunt Chirsty (Christina) Munro b. 1808 in Armadale. Christina Munro b. 1861 married John Borthwick).
4. Barbara Mckay Munro (1863 - named after her paternal grandmother Barbara Mackay of Armadale)
5. Elizabeth Munro (1867 - 1952 - named after her maternal aunt Elizabeth Paterson)
6. Hugh Munro (1870 - 1945 - named after his maternal grandfather Hugh Paterson. Hugh Munro married Jessie Birrell in 1904 and had one son and one daughter)
7. James Munro (1873 - 1875 - named after his uncle James Munro b.1796 in Armadale)
Alexander Munro (1859-1938) with wife Agnes Kerr (1856-1929)
Alexander Munro, born 1859 was my 2nd great grandad, pictured right with his wife Agnes Kerr. He was obviously named after his own paternal grandfather, Alexander Munro of Armadale. He married Agnes Kerr in 1885. The marriage record records him as a linen factory worker, however other records such as the 1881 census record him as a linen factory "inspector" and both the 1901 and 1911 censuses record him as a linen factory "foreman". He also appears on the 1895, 1905, 1915, 1920, 1925 and 1930 valuation rolls as a property owner with tenants in Dunfermline, Fife.
By the time of the 1901 census Alexander Munro had moved from Kirkcaldy to Dunfermline, which is still in the county of Fife. The 1901 census records the name of his house as "Armadale Villa", presumably named after the village of Armadale in Sutherland where his father had come from. His death is recorded in Aberdeen in 1938 aged 78 and he may have been visiting family at the time because both his mother and elder sister had died previously at the same address of 31 Justice Street, Aberdeen. The cause of death is given as "coal gas poisoning" and he was a widower at the time. Coal gas was used in those days for cooking, heating and lighting in the home and was notoriously dangerous. It was the cause of many deaths in the 1930's and 1940's through leakages. It was not the same as the gas that is used today in modern homes. Alexander Munro and Agnes Kerr's children were:
1. Jessie Hunter Munro (1885 - Hunter was the maiden name of her maternal grandmother).
2. May Paterson Munro (1888 - named after her paternal grandmother)
.3. John Mckay Munro (1890 - 1978 - my great grandad - named after his paternal grandfather).
4. Alexander Kerr Munro (1893 - 1969 - married and moved to Portsmouth, England. Was Corporal in the A.S.C, Military Clerk, during WW1).
My great grandad John Mckay Munro (1890 - 1978), was a Lieutenant in the 4th Battalion, Black Watch regiment during World War 1 and was wounded in action.
Munro, John M'Kay, 2nd Lieut., 4/5 Black Watch. Joined Sept. 1915. Commissioned May 1917. Served in France for a long period. Engaged in the Ypres Salient, Passchendaele Ridge and the Somme. Was wounded in the German Offensive, 30th March 1918. Son of Mr Alex. Munro, Armadale Villa, Alexandra Street.
I have been informed by a family member that after all of the above he refused to accept his medals after the war. On the 24th of July 1918 he married Janetta Graham, daughter of Thomas Graham, in the parish of St Giles, Edinburgh. They had two sons and one daughter. Before the war John Mckay Munro had worked in a bank in Cairo, Egypt but after the war due to his injury he worked as a dairyman. He is found as a tenant on the 1925 valuation roll living at Jerviswood House (also known as Jerviswood Castle) in Lanark, that was later owned by the late 20th century rally driver Colin MacRae. He is later found on the 1930 valuation roll living at Fairhaven, Hyndford Road, parish of Lanark, county of Lanark as the property owner.
Standing back row left to right: Alexander Kerr Munro (b.1893), May Paterson Munro (b.1888), Bob Dickson (May's husband), John Mckay Munro (b.1890). Sat down front row left to right: Anges Kerr (1856-1929), Jessie Hunter Munro (b.1885), Alexander Munro (1859-1938)
John Mckay Munro in Black Watch Lieutenant's uniform
John Mckay Munro family photo with wife Jannetta, their son Alexander Mckay Munro (1921 - 2008) (my grandfather) and their younger son Thomas Graham Munro (1927 - 2018) is the baby
My thanks to my Dad for salvaging these photos from my grandparents' house.
Note: It is worth noting that Autosomal DNA testing done with Ancestry.co.uk has shown that I am a predicted 5th to 8th cousin with two people who are descendants of Donald Munro (b.1802) and who are both exactly 5th cousins to me as per the written records. This confirms my descent from Alexander Munro and Barbara Mackay as my 4th great-grandparents.
The above photo was taken in Fairhaven, Lanarkshire. The man standing on the back row in the centre with the mustache is my great-grandad John Mckay Munro (b.1890-d.1978). The woman sat on the front row with the girl on her knee is his wife, my great-grandmother Janetta Graham (b.1891-d.1978). The old couple to the right of her are her parents, my 2nd great-grandparents Thomas Graham (b.1865-d.1949) and Jane Robertson (b.1870-d.1944) who is holding the flowers. Standing on the back row 4th from right is my grandad Alexander Mckay Munro (b.1921-d.2008) and he has his hand on the shoulder of his cousin Norman Graham. The boy stood on the back row furthest to the right is my grandad's brother Thomas Graham Munro (b.1927-d.2018) and my thanks to him for giving me this photo in person. The other two men stood on the back row between my grandad and great-grandad Munro are the brothers of Janetta Graham, John Norman Graham 7th from right (b.1893-d.1975) and Stanely Graham 5th from right (b.1901-d.1979). The girl sat on the front row 2nd from right was my Dad's auntie Fairy Graham who married Douglas McFarlane and moved to Australia.
The above photo was taken at my Munro grandparent's house in Malvern, Worcestershire on 25th February, 1985. It was taken on the 80th birthday of my great-grandmother Dorris Claytor (nee Skeys). She is the old woman sat in the chair and I am the toddler sat on her lap aged less than one year (Michael John George Munro b.1984). The woman kneeling down to the left is her daughter, my grandmother Margaret Munro (nee Claytor) (b.1926-d.2017). The young boy stood on the far left is my elder brother James Patrick Alexander Munro (b.1981). The young girl with black hair stood next to me and my great-grandmother is a second cousin once removed as is her younger brother being held by the his mum behind my grandmother Margaret. My grandad Alexander Mckay Munro (b.1921-d.2008) is stood at the back 3rd from right and my dad, Alistair John Munro (b.1951-2019) is stood 4th from right with the striped tie. My mum, Patricia Alana Munro (nee Crehan) (b.1955-d.2016) is the short woman stood 7th from right. Over a third of the people in this photo have since passed away and some far too young.
The above photo was taken in 2011 at my parents house in Rushwick, Worcesterhire. My dad, Alistair John Munro (1951-2019) is standing second from left in the blue shirt behind the two old women sat in the chairs. To the right of him is my maternal grandfather Patrick Terrance Crehan (1921-2016) and to the right of him in the dark blue shirt is my mum Patricia Munro (nee Crehan) (1955-2016). There are relatives here from both my mum's and dad's sides of the family. The woman sat in the chair on the left in white is the Catherine Ridley (nee Crehan) (1919-2015) who was my maternal grandfather's sister. The woman sat on the right in red is my paternal grandmother Margaret Munro (nee Claytor) (1926-2017) (daughter of George Claytor). There are nine people in this photo who are also in the 1985 photo. The occasion in 2011 was the 90th birthday of my grandad Patrick Terrance Crehan (1921-2016) and also my dad's 60th.
The above photo was also taken in 2011 at my parents house in Rushwick, Worcestershire, from left to right: Robert Mckay Munro (b.1987), Alistar John Munro (1951-2019), Patrick Terrance Crehan (1921-2016)(son of Michael Crehan), Thomas Alistair Munro (b.1993), Patricia Alana Munro (nee Crehan) (1955-2016), Michael John George Munro (b.1984) and James Patrick Alexander Munro (b.1981)
Me with my Dad
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