Page 98 - Fortier Family History

Nicol Finlayson’s “Wives” & Children cont. One last word on Kenneth. I found a “Kenneth Finlayson” in the Scotland Census for 1861 born in 1834 in Ross/Cromarty. Could this be our Kenneth? I already explained the incorrect year of birth and birthplace that were listed for him and Roderick in the 1841 Scotland Census when he was living with his aunt (Nicol’s sister Anne MacKenzie and her husband Hector). We know that Ross/Cromarty is where Anne and Hector were living and we know that it appears in the 1841 census that they knowingly listed both boys as born in Scotland, which they obviously knew was not true. Was this a simple error or were they hiding the boy’s Indian blood perhaps? Remember that their mother, Elizabeth Kennedy, was half Cree herself through her mother Agatha “Bear” Kennedy, nee Isbister. In the 1861 census Kenneth’s occupation is listed as “A B Seaman.” I assume this was short for “Able Seaman”. I also discovered online a ship passenger list from Scotland to New York in 1862 none other than a Kenneth Finlayson, born 1834 (remember the one year correction to 1833) from Ross Shire, North Britain (Scotland). Was this our Kenneth, now a Seaman, returning to Canada via New York and Montreal (the same route that Nicol’s nephew Roderick Finlayson traveled in route to Victoria, BC), who shortly afterwards drowned somewhere in or near Lake Superior? Perhaps we’ll never know for certain what happened to Kenneth. One thing is certain, he is not buried in the parish cemetery at Nairn, Scotland with his father and siblings and it is unlikely that he ever married or had children before he disappeared from the records. There is also much confusion regarding the paternity of Nicol* and his brother Duncan Finlayson. The official biographies for both men sometimes state that their father was a John Finlayson, of Fodderty, Ross-Shire, Scotland, who later also immigrated to Canada, settling in Montreal. This is incorrect. That “John” was actually Nicol and Duncan’s nephew, son of their brother Alexander Finlayson. Here’s more proof. Nicol’s mother was Anne MacKenzie, b. ca. 1775 and d. Feb 20, 1806. Her maiden name has been spelled both McKenzie and MacKenzie in the records. Her headstone in Nairn, Scotland reads “McKenzie” (Right). More importantly, it clearly has the name of her husband inscribed as Kenneth, not John. Kenneth Finlayson was a “Tacksman” in Achmore, Scotland, in the western Highlands. A “Tacksman” was a “supporting man” or a landholder of intermediate legal and social status. Although a “Tacksman” generally paid a yearly rent for the land let to him (his "tack"), his tenure might last for several generations. He would often be related to his landlord, the free-holder, and might, for example, represent a cadet branch of the family of the clan chief. The “Tacksman” in turn would let out his land to sub-tenants, but he might keep some in hand himself. Anne died in 1806 and Kenneth moved to Munlochy, Scotland where he died in 1825. I am still searching for his headstone if it exists. *There is more information on Nicol’s career with the Hudson’s Bay Company in the “Finlayson Hudson’s Bay Company” section. Nicol Finlayson - Retired HBC Chief Factor Ann McKenzie Finlayson headstone (Nicol's mother), Nairn, Scotland Nicol Finlasyon & Roderick's headstone, Nairn, Scotland