Theories on Earlier Cameron Ancestors
By no means is John Cameron the end of our family tree; by necessity he also had paternal ancestors.  Beginning with his father, Kenneth Cameron, there are many question marks in the family genealogy that need to be researched.

Kenneth is a shadowy figure in Cameron genealogy.  He appears in his sons John and Alexander’s Christening records, but after that date is noticeably absent.  A search of Kilmorack and Kirkhill Parish cemeteries did not uncover his burial place, and in the 1841 census we know that his wife Margaret M(a)cLeod was living on her own, with two grandchildren.  The question is what happened to Kenneth?

One promising lead has been found, which may help shed some light on this mystery.  During March of 1811 a Lieutenant Kenneth Cameron of the 79th Cameron Highlanders (under Lord Wellington) captured the Lieutenant-Colonel of the 39th French infantry, at the Battle of Fez d’Arouce.  He also captured their regimental colours.  This same Lt. Cameron is recorded as being killed in the Battle of Toulouse, during April of 1814.  With John being born in early 1813, for this Kenneth to be his father the regiment must have been back in Scotland for a time during early 1812.  It appears that they were, probably stationed at Fort George , near Inverness .

This would explain the lack of a local grave for Kenneth, and his early departure from family records.  Only a thorough search of the 79th Regimental archives will be able to either confirm or rule out this possibility.

In regard to Kenneth’s parentage, genealogical guess work has to come into play.  One record of Kenneth’s widow, Margaret M(a)cLeod, indicates that she was born in Urquhart Parish, so the search begins there.

Narrowing down a short list of various Kenneth Camerons in Urquhart Parish, one seems to stand out.  On February 1, 1777 Alexander Cameron and Janet McKenzie had a child baptized at Urquhart & Logie Wester, Ross & Cromarty by the name Kenneth.  Furthermore, on July 4 of that same year Donald MacLeod and Jean Urquhart had their daughter Margaret MacLeod baptized within that same parish.  Could these be John Cameron’s parents?  A strong argument could be made for this, but at this time all of this is merely speculative. 

Heading back yet another generation into the Cameron line, the aforementioned Alexander Cameron and Janet McKenzie were married within Urquhart & Logie Wester, Ross & Cromarty on April 3, 1776 .  There are records of various Alexander Camerons born approximately 20-30 years previous to this marriage record, but until this line of supposition has been confirmed, no additional research has been undertaken.

The Urquhart & Logie Wester Parish was located in the west of the Black Isle and included the village of Culbokie .  The old church of Urquhart went out of use in 1792. The burial ground lies on the shores of the Cromarty Firth west of the present A9, and the replacement church is not far away to the west.  Ferintosh is an alternative name by which the parish is known, and Camerons from that place notably settled in the Carolinas , and had large plantations.  At best, these would simply be distant cousins.