26697: Murdina Maclean

Murdina (1887-1977) was a daughter of Murdo Maclean and Euphemia Macaulay, 1 Brenish. She married John Macdonald from Tobson and 10 Breaclete. They moved to 1 Brenish with the first of their four children, when her brother Finlay left for Chile.  Finlay returned briefly in 1914 to marry. Murdina, her husband and family remained at 1 Brenish until Finlay and family returned from Chile in 1924. John gave up crofting and fishing to become a Church of Scotland missionary

John worked as a missionary in Morven from 1926 to 1927, in Melness, Sutherland until 1931 and in Isleornsay, Isle of Skye until 1935. Effie, John and their family then moved to Brenish, where John was a missionary from 1935 to 1947. They lived at the Mission House and also had the use of the croft at 26 Brenish.

In 1948, after John’s retirement, Murdina  and John moved to Bridge of Allan to live with their daughter, Effie, Effie’s husband Alexander Mackintytre, and Effie and Alexander’s three sons. All three generations then moved to 13 Townsend Place, Kirkcaldy, where John died in 1951. After being widowed, Murdina continued to live with Effie and Effie’s family, until Effie’s sons were older. Murdina then moved into her own flat in Kirkcaldy, later relocating to a flat in  Dundee near to the Manse where her son John and his family stayed, and also not far from her daughter Peggy and Peggy’s husband Malcolm.