MacPhersons

MacPhersons in Sleat for hundreds of years. They are sometimes referred to as the small MacPherson clan from Skye. They are not linked to the much larger MacPherson clan in mainland Scotland.

Mary MacPherson (about 1835-1911) was my great great grandmother. She was born in Sasaig, Sleat. In the 1840's her father, John MacPherson, became the tenant of the farm of Sandavore on the Island of Eigg. John and his wife, Anne Gillies, moved with their seven children to Sandavore farm house. From being a crofter in Sleat to becoming Factor of Eigg running a farm was a big step up in fortunes.  

 On the 17th of July 1858 the 23 year old Mary married Alexander Nicolson who was 13 years her senior. Alexander was already established as a teacher at Tormore in Sleat. The marriage was in Eigg. The couple started of life together on Skye and Alexander soon moved to teach at the school at Camuscross in Sleat. Together they had seven children who were born at Camuscross. Mary and Alexander spent over a decade at the school on the island of Canna (picture above)

John was born in Tockavaig on the west side of the Sleat peninsula in approximately 1788. His parents were Donald MacPherson and Margaret Macdonald. In the 1840's as described above John Moved from Sleat to become the factor and farmer of Sandavore on the island of Eigg. For a man in his 50's this was quite a rise in fortunes.

John died in January 1876 on Eigg at the age of 88 

I know that John had two sisters:-

1. Catherine MacPherson who was born in Tarskavaig in 1793. She married John Macdonald and lived in Tarskavaig all her life. They had four children ; Catherine, Angus, Donald and Archie. 
2. Mary MacPherson born in 1795 and who married Archibald MacGilivray on Christmas day 1821. They lived in the township of Aird in Sleat and had eight children. Mary died in 1884 aged 89.

I am certain that I only have a record of a small part of John MacPherson's wider family. I have seen a lot of DNA cousin connections to the decendents of a man called Angus ban Macdonald who emmigrated to Antigonish in Nova Scotia. Angus was born in approx 1785 and died in 1845. I have pondered if he is a brother or first cousin of my John MacPherson.