Marriage of a McKenzie to a Morison

[Archie's Mum]

I believe I have found Mary McPherson burial. Her daughter Margaret Mary Forbes is buried in Longreach Cemetery, Queensland but there is also a Margaret Mary McPherson buried in 1903 in the same cemetery. Death record shows her as Margaret Mary McPherson but unfortunately there are no parents on the registration. I think as her daughter died so young maybe Mum wanted to carry the name Margaret as well. She is born 1827 died 1903 which is fairly close to the age she should be.
Mary McPherson and Thomas Forge purchased adjoining properties in Longreach in 1895.

 

[Murfomurf]

Made some headway on Mary McPherson nee Morrison, sister of Margaret Morrison (perhaps)...marriage of Margaret Mary McPherson to Thomas Laurence Forbes....mother Mary Morrison father James McPherson. So Mary McPherson can be found in Barcaldine at least until 1886.

I'm getting a bit lost!! So I assume we are still chasing a Mary Morison who was born around 1840 in Scotland, but she may have married someone else first before she married Murdo McKenzie? Or are we now chasing the Murdo McKenzie who got off the ship in Australia? SORRY!!

 

[Archie's Mum]

No. We are looking for the parents of Margaret Morison who married Murdo McKenzie. Margaret is found as a sister in law of James McPherson in Birkenhead in 1861. He has a wife Mary, Margaret’s sister. All the Mcphersons emigrated to Queensland in 1862. I was looking for the parents of Mary McPherson nee Morrison. She died in Queensland and their BDM nearly always show parents. Your Margaret and Mary McPherson would have the same parents. This time though, no parents are found on her death registration.
Margaret Mary Forbes is Mary McPhersons daughter. The niece of your Margaret Morrison/McKenzie.
Murdo and Margaret didn’t get off the ship in Australia, their ship sailed passed Tasmania without sighting the island and straight to New Zealand as mentioned in an earlier post (from the ships log).

 

[Murfomurf]

Thanks for re-orienting me! I will stick with Murdo and Margaret in New Zealand but include Margaret Mary Forbes and the McPhersons as their relatives.

 

[Archie's Mum]

Living with James and Mary McPherson in 1861 is Margaret Morrison along with their brother Andrew age 23 (1838) Margaret’s marriage to Murdo McKenzie states her father is Andrew and you are looking for her born Crieff. There is a birth of an Andrew Morrison in Crieff to Andrew Morrison and Margaret Wilson in 1838. Might be worth checking out if the father is a stone mason.

 

[Grizel]

Living with James and Mary McPherson in 1861 is Margaret Morrison along with their brother Andrew age 23 (1838) Margaret’s marriage to Murdo McKenzie states her father is Andrew and you are looking for her born Crieff. There is a birth of an Andrew Morrison in Crieff to Andrew Morrison and Margaret Wilson in 1838. Might be worth checking out if the father is a stone mason.

Do you have Margaret McKenzie's NZ death certificate? I ask because......

(Adding to AM's summaries).
If your Margaret McKenzie nee Morrison is the one who married in Birkenhead then from marriage cert she has a father Andrew Morrison, stone mason and a poss brother Andrew, witness

This fits with the Margaret Morrison in 1861 in Birkenhead (above) with brother Andrew , stonemason and sister Mary married to James McPherson

These also fit with a Morison family in Crieff in 1851.
Parents Andrew Morrison, occupation mason and Marget.
Children include James, Lilla Andrew and Marget.

Various baptism records for the children in Crieff on SP show parents Andrew Morrison/Morison and Margaret Wilson.

I don't know what the NZ death record for Margaret McKenzie states, but it would be very helpful if her parents were given as Andrew Morrison and Margaret Wilson.

Sadly there were no parents names on the Queensland death that Archie's Mum found for the possible sister Mary McPherson.

 

[Chimp]

John McKenzie b. 1907 (?!) New Zealand and no records except being recorded on his father's tombstone. If his mother was Margaret Morison it makes her about 57 years old at his birth. I think he's an "accident" from another mother. May have been registered with HER surname, not Murdo's.

From the New Zealand cemetery transcripts John was born in 1869. On findagrave the later half of the death date is missing.


Here is what the transcript says for Alexander and John:-

Name - Alexander McKenzie
Sex - Male
Age - 52 years
Birth Year (Estimated) - 1863
Father's Name - Murdo McKenzie
Mother's Name - Margaret McKenzie
Event Type - Death
Event Date - 28 September 1915
Event Place - New Zealand
1915/7418

Name - John McKenzie
Sex - Male
Age - 49 years
Birth Year (Estimated) - 1869
Father's Name - Murdo McKenzie
Mother's Name - Margaret McKenzie
Event Type - Death
Event Date - 11 November 1918
Event Place - New Zealand
1918/9669

Whomever did the findagrave entry did as I did in post#2 and went with the 1907 birth.

Citing
"New Zealand, Cemetery Transcriptions, 1840-1981." Database. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org : 10 February 2025. New Zealand Society of Genealogists, Auckland.

 

[Grizel]

From the New Zealand cemetery transcripts John was born in 1869. On findagrave the later half of the death date is missing.

View attachment 14439
Here is what the transcript says for Alexander and John:-

Name - Alexander McKenzie
Sex - Male
Age - 52 years
Birth Year (Estimated) - 1863
Father's Name - Murdo McKenzie
Mother's Name - Margaret McKenzie
Event Type - Death
Event Date - 28 September 1915
Event Place - New Zealand
1915/7418

Name - John McKenzie
Sex - Male
Age - 49 years
Birth Year (Estimated) - 1869
Father's Name - Murdo McKenzie
Mother's Name - Margaret McKenzie
Event Type - Death
Event Date - 11 November 1918
Event Place - New Zealand
1918/9669

Whomever did the findagrave entry did as I did in post#2 and went with the 1907 birth.

Citing
"New Zealand, Cemetery Transcriptions, 1840-1981." Database. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org : 10 February 2025. New Zealand Society of Genealogists, Auckland.

I think John born 1907 was actually born in 1870 as AM suggested in post 11.
If you put 1870 as a birth date into NZ BDM then the 1907 birth also comes up. It has a registration number of 19465 which puts it in 1870.

 

[Archie's Mum]

I think John born 1907 was actually born in 1870 as AM suggested in post 11.
If you put 1870 as a birth date into NZ BDM then the 1907 birth also comes up. It has a registration number of 19465 which puts it in 1870.

John worries me a little. There is no trace of the registration of a John to a Margaret and Murdo around 1870 but shows up as one in 1907. I originally thought that this John was the son of Margaret and Murdo’s son Murdo but there is no marriage of a Murdo to a Margaret. What if he, for some reason was not registered at birth but a later registration in 1907 for whatever reason. His birth certificate would show his yob.

 

[Grizel]

That seems possible AM. When you put in any name in births in NZBDM with dates , say 1865 to 1875 as a random example, at the top of the list are often names with much later dates. Possibly late registrations as you suggest.
Perhaps John had not been registered but needed to have a birth certificate to benefit after his father's death in 1907.

 

[Murfomurf]

So we're all sorted out? John was a late registration or needed a copy of his Birth record in 1907. And the family in Crieff is still OK for Margaret Morison. But I will need a very big think to work out how these people are related to me! Thanks for all the hard work!

 

[Archie's Mum]

I think John born 1907 was actually born in 1870 as AM suggested in post 11.
If you put 1870 as a birth date into NZ BDM then the 1907 birth also comes up. It has a registration number of 19465 which puts it in 1870.

The number after the year is simply…..I think that each registration area was allotted a group of numbers to be used after the year and I don’t think it has anything to do with the year. There is one there in the 1880’s and it is #490. If my memory serves me the way it used to.

 

[Grizel]

The number after the year is simply…..I think that each registration area was allotted a group of numbers to be used after the year and I don’t think it has anything to do with the year. There is one there in the 1880’s and it is #490. If my memory serves me the way it used to.

The numbering makes perfect sense thanks, now you say it.