
Historylinks
Ref: 2006_355_07 No: 2724 Contributor: Historylinks Year: 1886
New Embo Lifeboat September 1886Three page hand-written account of the new lifeboat launching ceremony 29 September 1886
Picture added on 24 April 2008
This picture is in the following groups
Hidden Gems
Hidden Gems
Later Frasers, Rosses, Cummings and Grants married into these Embo families and they mostly came from Gaelic speaking fishing villages in Sutherland, Ross and Invernesshire.
My paternal grandfather James Mackay (Roy) was the youngest brother of the Alexander Mackay (Roy) (Born 1844) and the John Mackay (Roy)(born 1841) mentioned. My paternal grandmother Isabella Mackay was the daughter of the Kenneth Mackay (Main) (born 1830) mentioned. He was always known as Kenny Main and she as "Bella aigh Kenny Main". The Alexander (Mackay) Main (born 1851) mentioned was the eldest son of Kenny Main (Mackay).
Even as late as the 1950s there was competition between these different Mackay family groups and all of the Mackays knew which group they belonged to. There was also a bit of sniping between the groups with some groups claiming that members of other groups were known to be lazy, work shy etc while their own group were hard working, thrifty etc. However things were a bit complicated for someone like me who was the offspring of two of the competing family groups!