Margaret Dick of Greenock, as she was known to our family, shows on the census returns for Edinburgh (Golden Acre, Inverleith Row) in 1841 with her married name Mackellar and two of her daughters, Eliza and Margaret. Her age is given as 45 which means she would have been born in the mid 1790's. (Census returns are often inaccurate so some leeway has to be allowed here - the two daughters are both given as 10 years old and this is slightly inaccurate). The following are all listed as birth dates and mothers for a Margaret Dick in the 1790's with the father as Robert Dick. I have highlighted the best matches.
I think Elisabeth Munn, who may have been born circa 1772, is probably the most likely candidate because of the fact of this Margaret Dick's birth being in Glasgow, where Robert Dick, the father, is believed to come from. Moreover, we know that Margaret was the eldest daughter, and this seems to be confirmed by the records of the children; also we have marriage information for two of the other daughters which strongly suggests that this is the correct family. The others are, however, possible although some are unlikely. There is a strong family connection with Leith, albeit perhaps later. Although Ayrshire adjoins Renfrewshire, Dailly is in South Ayrshire which is quite a distance from Greenock or Glasgow, and Sorn is in East Ayrshire. Shotts is between Glasgow and Edinburgh, Dunfermline is in Fife and Rescobie is in Angus so these are probably less likely places.
Robert Dick and Elizabeth Munn were married 26/01/1793 Greenock Old or West. Here are their children:
Elizabeth Munn births: these are the only likely ones I found (I searched right back to 1740!)
Interestingly One of the (albeit many) Mary Mackellar (wife of John Mackellar) possible births was born 01/05/1747 to Patrick Mckeller and an unspecified Munn in Kilmodan. Also I have McConechy ancestors from Rothesay on my grandmother's side.
A list of likely name spelling variations by which she might have been recorded:
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