Introduction / Families / Harcus / William Harcus (Hercus) and Janet Groat / John Harcus and Jane Scollay

Jean Smith Harcus and John Sinclair

Jean (Jane) Smith Harcus was a daughter of John Harcus and Jane Scollay.

She married John Sinclair from Cloudy in Westray on 1st August 1862. John was a tailor at this time and the son of John Sinclair and Elizabeth Scott. His father also did some tailoring.

The lived at Kirkbrae where their six children were born:

• Jean (Jane) Sinclair, born 19th September 1862 who married John Kent

• John Sinclair, born 17th February 1865 who married Jane Isbister

• Robert Sinclair, born 21st March 1867 who married Barbara Leslie

• James Sinclair, born 25th September 1871 who married Mary Robertson Stout (b. 28th August 1876) in 1903. Mary was the daughter of John Lindsay Stout and Stewart Seatter of East Tieng. (See Stout Genealogy) James died in Westray on 27th March 1952 and Mary in Kirkwall in 1964.

• Mary Sinclair, born 12th May 1877 who married James Seatter Stout. James was a brother of Mary Stout.

• Thomas Sinclair, born 27th August 1881

The 1871 census gives John’s occupation as general labourer and as fisherman in 1881 and 1891.

Jean died at Kirkbrae on 20th December 1900. John with his daughter Mary formed a household there in 1901 when he was described again as a general labourer. The other household at Kirkbrae at the time was that of son Robert Sinclair and his family although Robert was away at sea at the time.

John died at Cloudy on 5th December 1929 although he still stayed at Kirkbrae.