My mother, who was born Eleanor Florence Rennie, died this year at age 93. She did extensive research on the Rennies years ago before the internet was in existence.  She was able to obtain many documents from Scotland pertaining to her grandfather's line (John McKichen) and I have her research papers, etc.  It has been a long time since I worked on that line, so I will have to refresh myself with it and see what I have to offer you in the way of photos, etc.  Not much has been put online.

I do know that John McKichan died in 1885 at the age of  47 leaving a widow, Irene, with two young sons to raise.  She remained in Selma and had a boarding house for many years which is how she supported her family.  My grandfather, John Coe Rennie, the youngest son,  was only 3 when his father died.    John Coe Rennie later started a  business, the Selma Steam Laundry, which is still in operation here although our family has not been associated with it in many years.

John McKichan Rennie was a bookkeeper as was his brother Archie.  I believe that after my great- grandfather's death, the family simply lost track of Archie and never followed up on trying to find him.  I do believe that the John Rennie you found in the census living in Pine Flat, Dallas County in 1860 was indeed John McKichen.  As for Archie and the Glasgow Coal Works, Shelby County in Alabama was the center of the booming coal and iron industry here in the 1870's.  It is the area where industrial Alabama came into being following the American Civil War - so it makes sense that he would have found good employment there.

In the early 20th century John Coe Rennie went to Scotland to settle his interest in the estate of Jennie Rennie, whom I believe was a spinster sister of John McKichan.  I am recalling this from memory and from my mother's stories, so will have to check out the details.