Family History pages

Over the years I researched the family histories of most of the old families on the island of Rousay in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. My research also covered many families in the neighbouring small islands of Egilsay, Wyre, and Eynhallow which, with Rousay, form the parish of Rousay.

I published the results of my research in a book Rousay Roots which ran to three editions. The book is now out of print but its contents now appear here on the Rousay Family History pages. A typical entry from these pages (and there are around 2,300 such entries) appears in the box below. The name of

John Sinclair Tratland 1785 -1845			F. Archibald Sinclair
			M. Bell Louttit
m. Magdalene Craigie, Hullion in 1816. Magdalene lived from 1791 to 1858.

Issue	Ann	b. 20.02.1817
	Mary	b. 22.05.1819
	Margaret	b. 02.08.1821
	Janet	b. 12.10.1823
	Sarah	b. 31.05.1826
	John	b. 19.10.1828	Went to USA
	Isabel	b. 19.10.1828	Twin of John
	James	b. 10.11.1831

John b. 1785 was at Hudson Bay from 1806 till 1813. He was at Breck for one year before going to Tratland. It is worthy of note that Newhouse has remained in the hands of the Sinclair family from about 1815 until the present time (1994), an occupancy covering five generations that began with James. In Tratland, John Sinclair and his descendants remained in occupation for six generations. Ownership passed out of the family in 1993.

the subject of the entry, John Sinclair, appears in bold at the beginning of the first line. At the right hand side, after the letter F, there is the name of John's father, Archibald Sinclair, and below that the name of his mother, Bell Louttit. If the name of a parent is not known the letters NK will appear. In the next line appears the name of the subject's spouse, if any. This entry shows that John Sinclair married Magdalene Craigie in 1816. Her home had been at Hullion (in Rousay). There then follows a list of the eight children of John and Magdalene followed by their dates of birth. The entry is completed with a few lines of notes about this family.

If you click on one of the highlighted names in the entry then that person's entry will appear at the top of your screen.

Robert C. Marwick

Acknowledgements