John Hepburn and Elizabeth Gordon

[lakeview]

These were my great-great grandparents.  John was born around 1822 in Mortlach, and Elizabeth was born 16Feb1821, also in Mortlach.  Her parents were John Gordon and Mary MacConnachie.  They married in Ruthven on 15May 1842  and my great-grandmother was born that same year. 

I have been unable to find census entries for this couple either in 1841 before they married, or after, nor have I been able to find records of their deaths. 

BTW, their daughter subsequently married James Finnie in 1865, but was committed to Banff Lunatic Asylum in 1888, where she died in 1931. 

[vronlady]

a poss 1841

John Hepburn
Age 21
born in Banffshire, Scotland
Parish Keith County Banffshire
Address Keith Land Street
Jane Hepburn  age 24
John Hepburn  age 21
 Parish Keith ED1 Page13 Line 1310

[Mabel Bagshawe]

This this could be Elizabeth in 1841

Address - Dufftown: Seracher Street or Fife St. Mortlach parish

Mary Gordon    60 b Banffshire. Independent
Elizabeth Gordon  19 b Banffshire
William Gordon    14  b Banffshire
Helen Grant    15 - servant

Parish Mortlach, Page 3, line 770

[lakeview]

Thanks.  It looks right, since Elizabeth did have a brother William.  Looks like her mother was a widow. I am surprised at the presence of a female servant, but she may just have been visiting when the enumerator came by.  I can't imagine they were rich enough to have hired her.   

[GR2]

Interestingly enough, a John Hepburn married an Elizabeth Gordon at Rathven 12-5-1842. He was a baker, who died in Fochabers in 1859. His wife died in Portsoy in 1900. Their children were William and Margaret.

[lakeview]

It is interesting.  I will have to look into this couple to see if there is a connection.  I don't know the names of any siblings of Elizabeth Hepburn but she did have daughters named Williamina Hepburn Finnie and Margaret Hepburn Finnie. 

[GR2]

Doing a people search on the free Libindx site (libindx.moray.gov.uk/mainmenu.asp) threw up the following:

John Hepburn, son of Alexander Hepburn and Margaret Gordon, was a baker. He died at Fochabers 2-4-1859 (born about 1811). He married Elizabeth Gordon at Rathven, Banffshire, 12-5-1842. She was the daughter of John Gordon and Isabel Paterson. She died at Wellheads, Portsoy, Banffshire, 2-3-1900(born about 1811). Libindx will have got this from the parish register and their statutory death certificates. On Elizabeth's death certificate, the informant said her husband was a farmer, but it was so long since he had died that the informant may have made a mistake.

A look at the 1851 census shows them in Fochabers:

John Hepburn, 41, baker, b. Portessie
Elizabeth Hepburn, 30, b. Portessie
William A. Hepburn, 5, b. Morayshire
Margaret H. Hepburn, 2, b. Morayshire
two servants, Barbara Gifford and Mary Gibb

The 1861 census for Maxwell Street, Fochabers:

Elizabeth Hepburn, baker employing 3 men
John Hepburn, 16, scholar
Margaret, 12, scholar
John Davidson and Alexander Grant, journeymen bakers, and John McDonald, apprentice baker
Isabella Davidson, domestic servant

[Millmoor]

Hi

There are useful transcripts of some Banffshire parish records on Freereg. There is a baptism for Elizabeth Gordon in Rathven 7 Aug 1820. Parents are John Gordon and Isabella Paterson. Abode Cairnfield. Notes say Illegitimate child Father esqur. Wit Ai. Coull and James Tom.

The baptism of Elizabeth Gordon in Mortlach has birth 16 Feb 1821 with baptism 20 Feb. Parents John Gordon and Mary McConnachie. Abode Priestwell. Notes say natural dau. Mother in Hardhaugh. Wit William Shepherd in Priestwell and Elizabeth Mitchell there.

The transcript of the marriage of John Hepburn and Elizabeth Gordon in Rathven 15 May 1842 names the parish of both bride and groom as Rathven.

William

[Millmoor]

The British Newspaper Archive has the death notice of John Hepburn in the Elgin Courier 8 April 1859. At Fochabers  on 2 Apr, John Hepburn, baker, aged 48 years.

There is also a marriage notice in the Elgin Courier 12 June 1861 At Fochabers on the 2nd inst, by the Rev Mr Weir, Roman Catholic clergyman, Mr John Davidson baker, to Elizabeth Gordon, relict of the late Mr John Hepburn, baker. (Presumably this is the same John Davidson that GR2 found in the 1861 census ).

William