Which Roderick?
At 11pm on the 10
August 1867 John McKinnon took his first breaths, his cries carried on
the clear, cold air over Direcleit, Harris. John was the first-born
of Anne Kerr and her husband Alex McKinnon, who came from Scalpay
which was where the couple had lived since their wedding on 18
December 1866. The birth was registered by a cousin, Roderick Kerr of
Strond, Harris who signed the register with 'his mark', an upright
cross.
Now, there are two
possible candidates for the informant for at that time there was
Roderick Kerr, the Post Runner in Strond and also Roderick Kerr the
Fisherman in An t-Ob, which today is called Leverburgh.
I am a little confused
because a couple of years later Roderick the postie witnessed the
marriage of Roderick the fisher, but seemingly with a signature
rather than a simple cross. However, Roderick the fisher, who
certainly never learnt to write and would have had to sign the
register with a cross, wasn't a resident of Strond at the time of
John McKinnon's birth.
Which Roderick was it?
Well, the post runner was Anne's cousin and the fisherman was her
nephew, and therefore John McKinnon's cousin so, although it surprises me slightly that there's a hint here that Strond's postman couldn't write, it looks as if it could have been either of them who registered the birth of their first Scalpaich
relation!
More on the two
Roderick's here:
Plus a wee snippet
giving something of a flavour of the time:
Note on spellings: I have shown those used on the birth certificate in case others wish to look that document up online.
