Fellow researcher Direcleit has compiled an extensive listing of occupations and persons at Stornoway, as revealed by the census returns of 1841 through 1901. Innkeepers did not feature, but one crossed my look-ups today, as I tried to find more information about WW1 casualties.
In 1851, we find Daniel Murray, aged 35, and married to Grace (28). He is an innkeeper on South Beach, as well as a tidewaiter. A tidewaiter is an obsolete term for a customs officer who boarded and inspected incoming ships. Whether this was actually compatible with his other occupation is something that I cannot really comment upon. Sharing his household is Hector Lees, aged 76, uncle, and pilot. Robert D Walker is a shipmaster, aged 27, from England. Marion Macleod, 21, was a house servant.
Alexanderina Tweedie, aged 49, is an innkeeper at South Beach Lane. She is living with her daughters Christina and Margaret.
In 1861 we find four references to innkeepers.
Robert Colthart, 36, from Crawfordjohn, Lanarkshire, is an innkeeper on South Beach.
George Mackenzie, 63, from Gairloch, Ross-shire, is a retired innkeeper, on South Beach. He lives with his wife Mary (45) and three young grandchildren.
Don Mciver, 57, is an innkeeper at 22 Kenneth Street, living with his wife Jane (50) and five children, aged 11 to 26 (John, Barbara and Jane, William and Mary).
Grace Murray (38) now appears at 10 Francis Street, the sister of shipping agent Daniel Macalister and his siblings. Grace is marked as a former innkeeper.
Alexanderina Tweedie (52) now is an innkeeper on Point Street, living with her sister and family.
1871
Charles Johnson, 48, is originally from England, who is an innkeeper at 13 North Beach. He has a family of 6 children, with his wife Isabella. Others present are domestic servants as well as his father.
Jean Maciver, 60, is an innkeeper at 38-39 Kenneth Street. Intriguingly, her son John (35) is a former gold digger.
Ann Mackenzie, 57, is innkeeper at 41 Bayhead Street, who has two daughters.
1881
Alexanderina Tweedie appears here as a former innkeeper, now aged 75, on James Street. She is living with her daughter Christina Mcaulay (40), who is a grocer, and her 5 children.
John Mciver, 46, is now the innkeeper at 38 Kenneth Street.
In 1891, John Mciver is marked as a retired innkeeper at 64 Kenneth Street. He lives with his siblings Jane and William; the latter is a commission agent.
As shown above, Alexanderina Tweedie appears to have been a constant presence in Stornoway, and a quick search shows she is also in the town in 1841, marked at Francis Street. The 1841 census does not specify occupations. Alexanderina, daughter of Malcolm and Christine Macleod (nee Maciver), passed away on 21 October 1887, at the age of 82. She was the widow of Alexander Tweedie.
I have just moved to Lewis and am researching the family history of a friend. I've done an extensive amount of amateur genealogy/research with my own family so I thought this would be a fun way to learn more about Hebridean/Highland history. Here's where my research intersects with your census findings about innkeepers in Stornaway. My friend's great-grandfather George Macaulay is one of the three grandchildren listed as living with George MacKenzie, retired innkeeper in Stornaway in 1861. MacKenzie's daughter married a ship captain and the couple died in 1875 when their ship, the Culzean Castle, disappeared/went down on the way to Australia. George's daughter's name was Isabella and the captain's name was Allan Macaulay. They were married in Stornoway in 1845 and although Isabella is living in Stornaway in the 1851 census with two children, I have not been able to find her in 1861. Isabella and some of the children re-appear in Glasgow in 1871 and then my friend's great-grandfather and his wife and first few kids went to America c. 1886-1887 and settled in Duluth, Minnesota (my home state.) I have not been able to find out whether Allan Macaulay was a Lewis Macaulay, and why Isabella's father (and younger step-mother, if the age is correct on the census) were in Stornaway since both Isabella and George were born in Gairloch according to census data. I assume they were innkeepers in Stornoway and/or the mainland but any suggestions you have for finding out more information about this family's Lewis connections would be appreciated. Is there a way to figure out who was innkeeper where, for example? I have not been able to find George Mackenzie in any other records yet. I did find a very nice copy of Allan Macaulay's Masters and Mates certificate from 1851. . .
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