Angus MacMillan’s Life Story – I [Family History]

A previous blog offered a summary of Angus MacMillan’s life story. It may be divided into eleven sections of varying lengths. Here is offered the first part (NFC 1180, pp. 301–07) where MacMillan related to Calum Maclean a little about his own family history and background. The opportunity has been taken to modernise the Gaelic orthography and also to offer a translation. A summary of this section may be given as follows:

1.    Family History

Angus MacMillan explains that his paternal grandfather came from Barra and his maternal grandfather came from Heisker in North Uist. His father [Calum MacMillan, Calum Barrach] came of a family of four boys and four girls. As a young lad he came to Uist and worked as a herd-boy, employed by a MacLellan of Ormaclete. His mother, a milkmaid, who also worked for MacLellan, met his father and they married.

Eventually his father, aged around forty-one, got land in Benbecula at Cnoc Fhraochaig. They had seven children all of whom died apart from the youngest, Angus MacMillan, and the third youngest, Mary Anna. They lost an infant boy when he was only two years old who was also called Angus; Peggy was the oldest daughter, and passed away in America, and there was Mary, Donald and Lachlann; and then there was Mary Anna, Jean and Angus MacMillan. Peggy, Donald, Lachlann and Mary all emigrated to America. Angus MacMillan was born at Cnoc Fhraochaig on 3 July 1874. His maternal grandfather, Lachlann Donald MacDonald, belonged to Benbecula.

Cunntas mu dhaoine agus mu a bheatha fhèin. Sgrìobh mi seo aig uairean air leth. Thòisich mi air air am 22 latha den Og-mhios, 1948

An account of his family and his own life. I have written this a down at different times. I started it on the 22 July 1948.

Mo sheanair ’s ann à Barraigh a dh’fhalbh e agus mo sheanair air taobh mo mhàthar ’s ann a Uibhist a Tuath a dh’fhalbh e, àite ris an canadh iad Hesigeir. Mo sheanair air taobh m’ athar a-mach sa Chuan an Iar chaidh a bhàthadh is e ag iasgach air creig am Barraigh, taobh an iar Bharraigh agus fhuaradh an corp aige ann an t-Heisgeir agus sin far a bheil e air a thìodhlacadh. Am Barraigh a bha e.

Dh’fhàg mo sheanair clann òg às a dheaghaidh. Bha iad ann ceathrar ghillean agus tha mi a’ smaointinn gun do dh’fhàg e ceathrar nighean às a dheaghaidh. Bha iad gu math òg. Chaidh an teaghlach sin a sgapadh, duine an siud is an seo dhiubh, far a b’ fheàrr am faigheadh iad. Thàinig m’ athair gu ruige Uibhist. Bha e cho òg is gur h-ann na bhuachaille-laogh a bha e aig fear ris an cainte MacGhilleFhaolain na Ormaicleit. Bha e aig an fhear seo riamh gus an d’fhuair e suas is gun robh e mu dheireadh na fhoreman air an luchd-muinntire aig an duine. Bha mo mhàthair, bha i na banachaig aig MacGilleFhaolain agus sin far an d’fhuair m’ athair eòlas oirre agus phòs iad. ’S ann an Ormaicleit a phòs iad.

Bhiodh e mu shia bliadhna an Ormaicleit an deaghaidh dhaibh pòsadh. Bha aon ghille teaghlaich aca nuair a thàinig iad às Ormaicleit. Ghabh m’ athair fearann am Beinn na Faoghla. Bha am fearann sin riamh aige gus an do bhàsaich e. ’S ann an Cnoc Fhraochaig ri taobh na h-eaglaise Caitligiche a bha an taigh aige. Bhiodh e mu chòig deug air fhichead nuair a phòs e. Bhiodh e mu dha fhichead is a h-aon nuair a thàinig e a Bheinn na Faoghla. Rugadh seachdnar chloinneadh dhà ann am Beinne na Faoghla. Tha iad marbh an-diugh ach an duine is òige, mi fhìn agus an treas tè a b’ òige, Màiri Anna. [Tha Màiri Anna i fhèin marbh a-niste, 6/6/’49. Dh’eug Màiri Anna air an treas latha den Damhair (Oct[ober].) 1948. C[alum]. M[aclean].] Dh’eug gille orra nuair nach robh e ach dà bhliadhna a dh’aois. Aonghas a bh’ air a’ ghille. Bha an sin ann Peigidh, an nighean bu shine. An America a dh’eug i agus dh’fhàg i teaghlach ann. Bha Màiri an sin agus fear air a robh Dòmhnall an sin agus Lachlann. Bha e sin ann Màiri Anna agus Sìne agus mi fhìn.

Dh’eug Aonghas nuair a bha e dà bhliadhna a dh’aois. Chaidh Peigidh agus Dòmhnall agus Lachlann agus Màiri a-null a dh’ America. ’S ann a bhos a phòs Dòmhnall, bean às a’ Ghearradh Bheag am Beinne na Faoghla an Uibhist. Thàinig e à America ga pòsadh agus dh’fhalbh e leithe a-rithist. Tha i thall fhathast ach tha esan marbh. Bha teaghlach aige Dòmhnall. ’S e Lachlann a’ chiad duine a chaidh a-nall an toiseach agus bha e deich bliadhna thall agus thàinig e a-nall a dh’iarraidh an teaghlaich uile, ach cha deach e a nall còmh’ ris ach Dòmhnall agus Peigidh. Phòs Lachlann thall an deaghaidh dhà a dhol air ais, tè a mhuinntir Ghlaschu a phòs e thall. Bha Màiri pòsda agus an teaghlach aice a’ dol a-null. ’S ann an deaghaidh a-null a chaidh ise a-null. ’S ann an Alexandria an taobh a muigh de Ghlaschu a bha i pòsda aig fear, Millar. ’S ann air falbh a bha Sìne aig seirbhis suas ri dà fhichead bliadhna. ’S ann an Glaschu a bha i, aig an teaghlach. Thàinig i dhachaigh ann a sheoach agus cha robh i ach beagan bhlianaichean ann a sheo nuair a dh’eug i. Tha còrr is dà bhliadhna on a dh’eug i. ’S ann aig an taigh a bha Màiri Anna riamh, mi fhìn agus i fhèin. Bha Màiri Anna nar bainfhigheach agus bha beairt aice. Tha mi 74 air a’ mhios a bha seo, air an treas latha de July. Rugadh mi an Cnoc Fhraochaig air an 3mh là dhe July, 1874 (17/6/’48).

Mo sheanair, athair mo mhàthar, ’s ann às Beinne na Faoghla a bha e, Dòmhnallach, Lachlann Dòmhnall. Nighean do Lachlann Dòmhnallach a bha nam mhàthair. ’S ann à Beinne na Faoghla a dh’fhalbh mo mhàthair na banachaig mu dheas gu Ormaicleit. Thachair i ri m’ athair an sin, agus phòs i ann a shin. Cha robh iad ann ach bliadhna an dèidh dhaibh pòsadh. Thàinig i an uair sin a thaigh a h-athar fearann an uair sin an Cnoc Fhraochaig agus ’s ann a thog e a theaghlach agus a bhàsaich e. Dh’eug mo mhàthair roimhe, mu chòig bliadhna roimhe.

Cha robh m’ athair ro àrd idir. Bhiodh mu chòig troighean is deich oirlich ann. ’S ann na chroitear ag obair air fearann a bha e riamh. Is suarach an ùine a bha e air leabaidh mun do dh’eug e. Cha robh e mìos idir air an leabaidh. Bha e ceithir fichead is a h-ochd deug nuair a bhàsaich e. Dh’fhuirich a chuimhne, a chlaisneachd agus a fhradharc aige gun do bhàsaich e. Thàinig crith ann cunntais mhòr bhliadhnaichean mun do bhàsaich e. Dhèanadh e a chuid obrach a dh’aindeoin sin. Bha guth math aige, guth làidir. Dh’fhuirich an guth aige fad an t-siùbhail. Bhiodh e ag innseadh sgeulachdan fad an t-siubhail. Cha chuala e sgeulachd dà uair riamh nach robh aige. Bha cuimhne aige a bha eagalach. Cha robh facal sgoile aige. Cha robh e ann an sgoil riamh. Bha dithis bhràithrean aige an Cinn Tìre agus fear thall fairis an Canada, ceathar ghillean agus ceathrar nighean a bha san teaghlach.

Chan eil aonan dhiubh beò an-diugh. Dh’fhàg e Barraigh nuair a bha e dusan agus ’s esan an t-aon duine a thàinig mu thuath. Bha tè am Brùdharnais am Barraigh ris an canadh iad Mòr an Tàilleir agus ’s e piuthar dha m’ athair a bh’ innte.

And the translation goes something like the following:

1.    Family History

My grandfather came from Barra and my maternal grandfather came from Heisgeir in North Uist. My paternal grandfather was drowned in the Atlantic when he was rock-fishing in Barra, on the western side of Barra and his corpse was found on Heisgeir and that’s where he was buried. He belonged to Barra.

My grandfather left a young family of four boys and, I think, of four girls. All of them were quite young. The family was then scattered, one here and another there, going to where they could best get on [in life]. My father came to Uist. He was so young that he was a herds-boy looking after cattle employed by a man named MacLellan of Ormaclete. He worked for this man until he latterly became foreman overseeing the other workers. My mother was a milkmaid, also employed by MacLellan, and that’s how my father met her and they married. They were married in Ormaclete.

After they married, they spent around six years in Ormaclete. They had one boy by the time they left Ormaclete. My father got land in Benbecula and he had this land until he died. His house was situated at Cnoc Fhraochaig next to the Catholic church. He would have been aged about forty-one when he moved to Benbecula. He had seven children in Benbecula but they all died apart from the youngest, myself and the third youngest, Mary Anna. They lost an infant boy when he was only two years old who was called Angus. Then there was Peggy, the oldest daughter, and she passed away in America but she had issue. Then there was Mary, Donald and Lachlann; and then there was Mary Anna, Jean and myself.

[As I said] Angus died when he was only two years of age. Peggy, Donald, Lachlann and Mary emigrated to America. Over here, Donald married a woman from a’ Ghearradh Bheag in Benbecula in Uist. He came over from America to marry her and left with her again and she is still over there but he has now passed away. Donald had issue. Lachlan was the first to emigrate and spent ten years over there but then came back in order to get the whole family to move over but only Donald and Peggy went. After he went back, Lachlann married a woman from Glasgow. By then Mary had married and she took her family over as she followed Lachlann over. She was married to a man named Millar from Alexandria, just outside Glasgow. Jean spent her time away from home in service. She was in Glasgow with the family. She came home but she was only here a few years when she passed away. More than two years have passed since she died. Mary Anne always stayed at home along with myself. Mary Anne was a weaveress and she had a loom. I reached 74 years of age last month on the the 3^rd of July. I was born on the 3^rd day of July, 1874.

My maternal grandfather, a MacDonald, belonged to Benbecula, Lachlann Donald. My mother left Benbecula to work as a dairymaid at Ormaclete and my father met and married her there. They only stayed there one year after their marriage. She then returned to her father’s house and land at Cnoc Fhraochaig and he brought up the family and died there. My mother died before him, five years before.

My father was not very tall and he would have been about five feet ten inches in height. He had always worked the land as a crofter. He spent only a little time in bed before he died. He had only ever spent a month in bed. He was eighty-eight years of age when he died. His memory was clear as well as his hearing and sight right up until the time he died but he did have a shake many years before his eventual death. Despite this he could still do his work. He had a good, strong voice. The quality of his voice was always there. He always used to tell stories. He only needed to hear a story twice before he had it memorised for he possessed a very powerful recall. He received no education whatsoever as he had never been to school. He had two brothers in Kintyre and another one over in Canada. There were four boys and four girls in the family.

None of them are living now. He left Barra when he was twelve years of age and he was the only one who came north. There was one in Bruarnish in Barra called Mòr an Tàilleir and she was my father’s sister.

Reference:

NFC 1180, pp. 301–548

Image:

Angus MacMillan, Benbecula, 1930s.