 Henry Saxby first visited Shetland in 1854, assisting his elder brother, Stephen Henry Saxby (1831-1886) to collect bird specimens.In 1858, Henry Saxby returned to Shetland to Unst and in 1859 he married Jessie Edmondston, youngest daughter of Laurence Edmondston.To many Shetlanders, J. M. E. Saxby, a prolific author, is the better known of the two.