Hi Donna,

I must have forgotten to tell you about my investigations into Revd Kissack's flight of fancy about Ann Christian being the mother of the John Kissack in Maughold who married Isabel Kerruish, and who died in 1775 aged 70 [Maughold MI].

Because of his book presumably there are Kissack descendants of John Kissack and Isabel Kerruish who still believe the illegitimacy and the Ann Kermeen als Christian ancestor - the Sixth Generation in your message - which I think I have proved conclusively to be wrong. There is absolutely no proof that either parent he gave was the correct one. - This is the problem with putting a guess into print.

In the 'Seed of Isaac' Revd Kissack wrote that he had "solved the mystery" of John Kissack who died aged 70 in 1775 by making him John Kermeen, the illegitimate son of William Kermeen's wife Ann Christian. He decided that this Ann was the Ann Christian named in the William Kissack of Lezayre incest Court case - in which no child was mentioned (so the sex not known, nor whether there even was a child, nor whether it lived).

The sole basis for his "mystery" solving was that Ewan Christian of Maughold mentioned his grandson John Kissag in his will, and that he had a daughter Ann - and Revd Kissack therefore concluded this must be the same John Kissack: http://www3.telus.net/lawson/twill/1716_000.html

However Ewan Christian of Maughold had at least two daughters, the eldest being Mariad who married John Kissage [Feb.27 1693 Maughold Articles of Marriage between John Kisage on his own part, and Ewan Christian on behalf of his daughter Mariad]. John Kissagg & Maryad Christian married in Maughold on 8 Feb 1692/93. Mariod Kissag als Christian was buried in Lezayre on 1 Dec 1731.

The eldest son of Mariad Kisage als Christian and her husband John Kisage was John b.1693/4. So Mariad was almost certainly the mother of the grandson John Kissag who was mentioned in Ewan Christian of Maughold's will, and not the son of his other daughter Ann Kermeen als Christian.

Maughold register:
John son of John Kissack bapt 25 Feb 1693/94 [Therefore was Ewan Christian's eldest grandson.]
Edward son of John Kissack bapt 23 Jul 1697
William son of John Kissack bapt 18 Jan 1701/02
Ewan son of John Kissack bapt 8 Apr 1705

Revd K. even has the exec of Ewan Christian's will wrong - it wasn't "his executor seemingly his only child, a daughter, Ann Kermeen" as he wrote - the exec was his wife, and Ann was mentioned only because of money still owing from her marriage settlement. Everything he owned went to his wife apart from the sole legacy "a Heifer and ye 3 quarters of ye Heifer" [not "a sheep"] to their grandson. I cannot see why he concludes that "Here was a child, John Kissack, which smacked of illegitimacy" - when it was quite usual to name an eldest grandchild in a will.

For the John Kissack in grandfather Ewan Christian's will to have been the illegitimate son of Ann Kermeen als Christian, we would have to accept that either there were two Ewan Christians in Maughold both with a grandson called John Kissack, or that there was one Ewan Christian with two grandsons called John Kissack, and that he didn't bother identifying to which one he was referring in his will.

We would also have to accept that William Kermeen of the Corony who was the eldest son of landholding family married Ann Christian with contract when she was 7 months pregnant to another man! [Marriage contract between Ann Christian and William Kermeen of the Corony 13 Oct.1704: they married 17th Oct.] And then that Wm Kermeen baptised her son [John Kermeen bapt 6 Jan 1704/5] as his own son when he was really John Kissack, which could have affected the Kermeen Corony land inheritance [and he was not registered as illegitimate (which Maughold regs did)]. Also that the bapt was for a son of this particular William Kermeen when there were two others in Maughold having children baptised at this time.

Additionally the Wm Kissage Court case wasn't until 28 Nov.1705, 11 months after John Kermeen was bapt 6 Jan 1704/5, and named the woman involved as "Ann Christian". Ann Kermeen als Christian on that date had been married to Wm Kermeen for over a year. The Court case named no child and no date of birth - and, as previously mentioned, it is not known whether he/she lived, or even whether there was a child.

Revd Kissack also wrote that he had a "shred of corroborative evidence" because there was a Ballig connection, and the Kermeens came from Ballig - but even this was wrong! The William Kermeen he chose to be the father was not from Ballig, but from the Corony.

William Kermeen and Ann Christian did have a son John 'Kyrmeen', who married Isabel Callow and died in 1769, bapt not found, but he was a younger son. Their heir William was b.1711 [clear land records].

Allan Kissack has put the above and more on his website: http://www.kissack.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=282&Itemid=1

Sue