Camerons of Kiltarlity

[cameron8700]

I have been researching my family and have managed to trace back my family from Glasgow, where I was born, to an Okain Cameron born in 1817, who married an Isobella Scott in 1842. I have Okain Cameron living at a cottage called Corrimony and living in Kiltarlity or Kilmaillie.
His father was Charles Cameron but his death certificate has no mother.O'Kains son John [my great grandfather] and the family moved to Glasgow I think during the clearances and my family have been there ever since.
I have been living in Sydney for three years or so and am finding it difficult to get past the 1827 and would appreciate if any one can suggest resources etc to check further.
Cameron Martin

[ChrisDoak]

Hi Cameron,

Greetings from sunny (aye,right...) Glasgow,and welcome to the Board.

The name of Okain Cameron has cropped up before on this Forum,but specifically with reference to a branch of the family which left for Canada in the early 1800s.(See a topic in this Genealogy section dated 21 August 2007,and entitled "Alexander O'Kane Cameron").

First of all,honourable mention to the cousin of your grandfather (I think) - Private Okain Cameron,15th Battalion,Highland Light Infantry,who died in France on the 27th August 1916.According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website,he was buried at Cambrin,aged 34,and was the son of Charles Cameron,43 Abbotsford Place,Glasgow.

Having done a wee bit of rooting around,I can see how you have become stuck with your research.In the index for the 1841 Census on the Scotlandspeople website,your Okain does not seem to be listed.He must be there somewhere,but I suspect he has been wrongly transcribed,by someone who was unable to interpret his first name.As regards his father Charles,there is always the hope that he was still alive in 1841,and living in Lochaber (or elsewhere)It could be worth your while trawling through the entries for Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig Parishes,which you can find listed on the internet,and hopefully find your Charles by a process of elimination.The easiest way to get to the relevant website,is to Google "1841 Census Fort William".The top item should be titled "ftwillcen",and this is the one you want.

Okain is most likely to have been named after his grandfather,or great-grandfather,Okain/Okean/Ocain Cameron,who rented the farms of Glenpeanbeg and Lagganfern ,at the west end of Loch Arkaig,from the early 1770s to the early 1790s.His holdings seem to have been inherited by another Okean Cameron (most likely his son) who also held the rentals of the farms from the mid 1790s.He enlisted in the 79th Regiment,Cameron Highlanders,in 1797 with the rank of Ensign,but retired from the regiment the following year.In 1799,a Summons of Removal from Glenpeanbeg and Lagganfern was issued against him by the Trustees of Donald Cameron of Lochiel,and he was evicted.Court Documents reveal that the Summons were made against Ensign Okean at his residence in Tradeston,Glasgow.

Where your Charles fits into the equation,it is difficult to say.Okean of the 1770s had many children,and was probobly married more than once.I suspect he might have been the son of Donald Cameron of Glenpean,a notable figure from the 1745 Rebellion.

Hope this has been of interest,and of use!

Regards,Chris.

Anderston,Glasgow.

[cameron8700]

Thanks for your help and advice.
I did a bit more digging thanks to you and.....have found out that my grnadmothers brother Okain, b1887 in d 1928 in Glasgow married a Elizabeth Robertson, who moved to Canada after his death with their daughter, who is still alive in Nova Scotia. She has sons, daughters and grandsons, who are all related to me!! I have contacted them via ancestry.com, so we'll see how this goes.
How did you get details of the Okain and thier lodgings?
Anyway thanks for your help again - although I am out in Sydney the internet is amazing and I have a pretty huge family tree on all sides, and it is getting bigger every day.
Take Care
Cameron

Oh and another thing - there are Camerons [christian names] everywhere in Oz. Everywhere I go I hear little boys being called. Cameron is the new Bruce seemingly!!

[ChrisDoak]

Hi Cameron,

Glad that you have managed to make some progress with the research of your family.The address for Charles,father of Okain Cameron,Highland Light Infantry,came from the website of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (www.cwgc.org).The entry for Okain also gave his widow's name as Jane Cameron,of 16 Fraser Terrace,Wanlockhead,Lanarkshire.Other addresses for the family,up to 1901,should be available for sourcing from the Censuses (as you will already know) on the www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk website.Ensign Okain,in 1799,was referred to in the Court Documents as living in Tradeston,Glasgow,but unfortunately it wasn't more specific than that.

I am pleased to hear that Cameron is a common first name in Australia,and just confirms my belief that Aussies have good taste!From memory,it was also the 6th most popular name given to boys born in Scotland last year.It is becoming an attractive first name for girls as well,though my neice is often assumed to have been named after Cameron Diaz,rather than her grandmother!

|Regards,Chris.

[cameron8700]

Chris

Thanks again.
I now know that the father [Charles] of the Okain Cameron you mention, who married Jane, is a brother of my direct relative John Cameron, both son's of O'Kain Cameron from Kiltarlity [who I think is the original O'kain.] Does that make sense to you?
I am now in touch via email with the Cameron's who moved to Nova Scotia and who are directly related via my grnadmothers brother [another Okain] and they ahve no idea about their Scottish relatives except that they had some!!
Isnt it funny that now I have moved away from Scotland that I want to find out more than I did before. My next trip home will be to visit graves and museums rather than my living relatives!!

Best wishes
Cameron