Neil McKinnon was born in 1827 on the Isle of Tiree, Argyll, Scotland (17 July 1827 on Find a Grave), and died on 15 May 1905 in Bruce County, Ontario. His gravestone at Lovat Cemetery reads "Native of Tiree, Argyleshire Scotland", and the Ontario death register gives his age as 78. Find a Grave lists his parents as Archibald McKinnon (c. 1796–1866, also a native of Tiree, buried beside him) and Annie McLean, and the Bruce Township "Migrants" compilation (Anne Judd) names an Archibald as the father of Neil and Hugh MacKinnon. He settled in Bruce Township, Ontario, and married Janet McLaren (b. 1830, Scotland); family records say they farmed Lot 11, Concession 1. They had at least seven children: Annie (1858–1942), Christena (1860–1918), Archibald "Archie" (1866–1953), Catherine A. (1866–1896), John (1868–1935), Mary A. (1869–1870) and Donald "Dan" (1872–1951). His son John was born in Bruce Township in 1868. John married Isabelle Scott, and their daughter Catherine later married Lloyd Hartle. Earlier versions of this archive called him Neil Chambers McKinnon and gave his parents as Donald McKinnon and Christina McFarlane. That came from a FamilySearch profile that merges him with a different man of the same name, Rev. Neil Chambers McKinnon of Mosa, Middlesex County, who was that couple's son.
Timeline
1827
Born17 Jul 1827 — Tiree, Argyll, Scotland (Find a Grave; gravestone 'Native of Tiree'; the Ontario death register says 'Lerie, Scotland')
1850
EmigratedAbout 1850 per a FamilySearch profile that merges two men, so it is unreliable; a 'Greenock, Bruce County' entry for 1851 may be his
1905
Died15 May 1905 — Bruce County, Ontario; buried Lovat Cemetery, Section 2, Plot 5 (Find a Grave 171214072)
Claims in the record
Neil McKinnon — the gravestone and Find a Grave say 'Neal McKinnon'. 'Chambers' came from the merged FamilySearch profile (the minister's name); a grandson was Chambers MacKinnon, b. 1905
17 Jul 1827 — Tiree, Argyll, Scotland (Find a Grave; gravestone 'Native of Tiree'; the Ontario death register says 'Lerie, Scotland')
Archibald McKinnon (c. 1796–1866, 'Native of Tiree', buried beside him) — Find a Grave and the Bruce Township 'Migrants' compilation
Annie McLean — listed as Archibald's wife on Find a Grave; her role is unresolved (see her entry)
Annie (b. 1827) and Catherine (McKinnon) McLean per Find a Grave; the 'Migrants' compilation also names a Hugh MacKinnon alongside Neil
About 1850 per a FamilySearch profile that merges two men, so it is unreliable; a 'Greenock, Bruce County' entry for 1851 may be his
Janet McLaren (b. 1830, Scotland — Perthshire not confirmed; d. 28 Jul 1913)
Lot 11 Con 1, Bruce Township, Ontario
Annie (1858–1942), Christena (1860–1918), Archibald 'Archie' (1866–1953), Catherine A. (1866–1896), John (1868–1935), Mary A. (1869–1870), Donald 'Dan' (1872–1951). No Hugh is recorded.
15 May 1905 — Bruce County, Ontario; buried Lovat Cemetery, Section 2, Plot 5 (Find a Grave 171214072)
FamilySearch's tree profile 'Neil Chambers McKinnon' (KH4J-2GB) merges two different men: Rev. Neil McKinnon of Mosa, Middlesex County (son of Donald McKinnon and Christina McFarlane; married Anne Cameron McGregor in 1875) and Neil McKinnon of Bruce Township, farmer, husband of Janet McLaren. Both appear in the 1881 census, in different counties, so they cannot be one man. The Tiree baptism naming Donald and Catharene McFarlane (1827) and the 1861 Ontario marriage of Flora McKinnon belong to the minister's family. No record naming this Neil's parents has been found; the Archibald link rests on Find a Grave, the Bruce 'Migrants' compilation and the shared burial plot.
Find a Grave memorial 171214072 (Neal McKinnon), gravestone transcription, Lovat Cemetery
Probable
Bruce Township "Migrants" compilation (Anne Judd) — names an Archibald as father of Neil and Hugh MacKinnon
Research next
A record naming his parents: his Ontario marriage to Janet McLaren (about 1857), a sibling's Ontario death record, or the Bruce Township censuses of 1861 and 1871. His own Tiree baptism (1827) is not yet identified; several Niel McKinnons were christened on Tiree in 1826–1828, and the one naming Donald and Catharene McFarlane is the minister's family. The Lot 11, Concession 1 detail has not been found in any published source I could reach.