Sandy6
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Hi Everyone
This is my first visit to Rootschat after a recommendation and I am amazed at how helpful and informative everyone is, so I'm hoping someone can offer advice on 2 brickwalls I've been battling with for what feels like forever.
My G/Grandfather x 4 a JAMES BLACKIE (sometimes spelt Blaikie) married JANET ALLAN and had 10 children (phew) the first in 1798. I have the dates of these children births (all Coldingham), marriages and deaths. I also have JAMES death record (Stoneridge Mains, Eccless 1855, aged 82 years), this record also gave his parents names (JOHN BLACKIE & CECILIA MELVILLE). BUT what I don't have and cannot find is James birth or his marriage to JANET ALLAN and it's driving me crazy.
I've search OPR's, IGI (Eng & Sco), neglected records,and irregular marriages. I've searched by surname only, wife/parent names in every possible variation, every town/village in Berwick also Northumberland from the 1760's to 1800 and all to no avail.
I contacted NAS as I believed they had non-conformist records of marriages. But they tell me they cannot do searches!!! As I live at the opposite end of the country "popping in" as they suggested isn't an option.
I feel certain they would have married as they had all their children baptized -not the actions of a couple who haven't tied the knot I would have thought.
I have an OPR record for James brother (John.b1789 Eyemouth -son of John Blackie & Cecil Melvil. Also a marriage for John & Cecily Melvan 1772 B-upon-Tweed and an OPR record for James mothers birth -Cecil Melvil 1753.
Incidently I am not being slapdash with my spelling, this is how her name is spelt on the different records.
James & Janet have become the bane of my life and any suggestions (give up perhaps!!) as to what route I could now take would be most welcome. I may have to concede defeat and finally accept the fact that these records no longer exist.
Brickwall number 2 may interest Army buffs, it isn't so complex but nevertheless seems just as insurmountable.
The other half of this Blackie family are the Scott's and my paternal G/Grandfather (James Watters Scott married to Mary Jane McLaren) had a son (John) and who, according to a very elderly Aunt "was a dispatch rider and killed in WW1" -not a great deal to go on is it?!!?. John was born in Spittal in 1893. The name Watters is the maiden name of James Mother.
The problem here is a) I don't know what regiment he belonged to or whether it was a Scottish or English regiment and b) there are numerous "John Scott's" on the records I have looked at but have absolutely no idea how I go about proving he is "mine". Does anyone know about dispatch riders? was this a proffession or something he did to fill in his time.
Unfortunately this isn't a lot to go on but any "next step" suggestions would be most welcome.
Sorry this is such a long tome but I wanted to make sure all the important facts were covered.
Sandy6
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g a r
RootsChat Aristocrat
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Hi Sandy6,
Just so a few more eyes see this thread - you can make a posting in the common room with a link to this thread.
cheers,
g a r
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ev
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hi sandy6
welcome to rootschat 
brickwall no. 2
do you have john and family on the 1901 census
i checked out his birthplace spittal and there are a few places 
i see a john b scott in selkirk that could be him
ev
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Sandy6
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Hi Ev
Thanks for your response. John is on the 1901 census and still living at home -School Lane, Spittle, with his family. I don't think it was the Selkirk John B, it's too far away from Spittle.
Cheers Sandy6
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Sandy6
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Hi g a r
Thanks for you suggstion but I don't actually know what you mean-sorry to appear so thick!!
I think the more people that see my query the better so perhaps you could explain what I have to do
Cheers Sandy6
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IMBER
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Hi
You seem to be varying in how you spell Spittal? However, you might want to check out Soldiers Died in the Great War (SDGW). There's one John Scott there whose birthplace and residence was Hawick. The birthplaces given are often the nearest largish town.
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Sandy6
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Hello Imber
Thank you for your response, incidentally the correct spelling is Spittal, it's such a long time since I've been there I was just typing without really thinking or checking.
As for John Scott in Hawick, I really don't think it's him, it's too far from home, that's if he actually was buried in this Country, he may be in a cemetery in some far flung Country for all I know
Thanks anyway
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IMBER
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Hi again
I didn't quite grasp what you meant there. SDGW gives only places of birth and residence, not place of burial, although it does give the theatre of war where died. So, if Spittal is near Hawick why do you rule him out? Or is it a different Spittal? I just thought that if you got a lead from SDGW then that might narrow down the entries on the CWGC database. Then you could find out where he is buried or commemorated.
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jora
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You can check out the Berwick War Memorials here - http://www.newmp.org.uk/
If you spot a likely candidate you can cross-reference with the CWGC as IMBER suggested.
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ev
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hi all
ok i give up 
where is spittal ?
i have mary jane scott(nee mclaren) born c1864 died 1936 berwick
i've still not found them on the 1901 census
ev
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IMBER
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I was looking at the wrong Spittal! On SDGW there are three John Scotts with a birthplace given as Berwick. There's someone on Rootschat (Atom 12?) who has access to SDGW. Perhaps you could request a lookup?
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ev
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hi all
is spittal in berwick ?
is spittal in scotland ?
has anyone found the family on the 1901 census ?
don't think atom12 is going to be impressed with the groundwork on this
one 
at no point does sandy6 say where spittal is 
yours
ev
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daval57
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There are a number of Spittal's.
From the other areas sandy6 mentions I'm certain that it is Spittal in East Lothian, It would have been Haddingtonshire.
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------------------- FORREST (Glasgow, Stirlingshire, Dunbartonshire) BORTHWICK (Midlothian) ROONEY (Glasgow and Co Down, Co Antrim) ANDERSON (Moray, Caithness, Glasgow) FORTUNE (East Lothian) BARKER (Midlothian / East Lothian) SIVES / SIBBES and variations (East Lothian) ROCHEAD /ROCHEID and variations (Dunbartonshire) OR VISIT MY SITE FOR MORE NAMES http://daval57.tribalpages.com/access code: aldav5257Census information is Crown Copyright |
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Sandy6
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Hello Everyone
I seem to have confused you all by not being more precise with my info. and I would like to clarify a few points
Spittal is in the Registration district of Berwick and the sub-division of Berwick-upon-Tweed in the County of Northumberland which is England.
Mary Jane Scott (nee McLaren) is on the 1901 English census and says she is a widow, but she's not as she and her husband had another child in 1904! anyway thats another story -it's their son John's death (where & when) I'm trying to find out about.
I think my next port of call will be the SDGW as 3 Johns born in Berwick sounds hopeful .
Sandy6
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