Issac Sr. and his wife Catherine Smith

Issac Sr. and his wife Catherine Smith MacLellan

Issac Sr. and Catherine had nine children: Duncan (born 1851), Lucy (1852), John S (1854), Flora (1855), Dougal (1857), Issac Jr. (1859), Catherine "Kit" (1861), Daniel (1863), and Angus Dominion (1867).

Issac Sr. had died by the time this picture was taken. Angus, my great grandfather, is pictured in the back row all the way to the right. All but one of the children lived into the 20th century.

Three of Duncan and Flora's children married Smiths', who were fellow immigrants and friends from the North Knapdale parish in Scotland. Issac Sr. married Catherine Smith in 1849. Catherine had emigrated in 1830 from North Knapsdale Scotland with her parents and three of Catherine's siblings.

Issac Sr. was an innkeeper in the village of Melbourne for 15 years. Then a friend with whom he had co-signed a note for the inn defaulted, leaving Issac Sr. holding the bag. As a result, Issac lost the family farm in Middlemiss as well as the inn and his home in Melbourne. Issac and Catherine then moved to Catherine's father's farm in Euphemia Township, part of Lambdon County. They lived in Euphemia when Issac Sr. died of a fever in 1872, only a few months after his father-in-law died.

After her husband died, it was Catherine Smith MacLellan who travelled to North Dakota and brought the children back to Minneapolis MN, where she lived at the time. From then on Minneapolis would be the family's home base.

The picture to the right shows Issac Sr.'s nine remaining children (Daniel died 14 years before this picture was taken) and their grandmother Catherine. The Issac in the back row, second from the left is Issac Jr. My great grandfather Angus is in the back row, all the way to the right.

Of all of Issac Sr.'s children besides Angus, Aunt Catherine ("Kit") was known to the Lee MacLellan Family. Duncan (front row right) moved further than any of his siblings. He moved to California, where he made a lot of money, which is probably the reason he's the best dressed (notice the hankerchief fluffed out nicely in his jacket pocket).

The location where the picture was taken is a little mysterious. Duncan had already moved to California, so this must have been some sort of reunion where he joined the rest of his family. Knowing that Catherine was living in Minneaplis, MN at the time, it's likely that was where this picture was taken.