Where is/was Crya, Ontertown, Orkney, Stromness? COMPLETED. Thanks Ruskie

[Ruskie]

I take it you have tried searching  i*ester and i*b*ter etc etc?

[tedscout]

Ruskie the map loaded thank you.

The cottage called Stank still exists I found it on a realestate website.

I should be able to find it from here.

I am still looking for the kids births. Someone on ancestry has John (the father) as having parents named Thomas and Jane GRAY. But this tree also has him still in Scotland in 1861 even though they also have him arriving in Australia in 1852. 

Think I might have to figure out how the Scottish naming system works and if they used it to name the kids.

[Ruskie]

I can see a farmhouse still stands where Creya is/was on the old map - you can fiddle with the overlay to find it and compare with a modern map. There appear to be fewer buildings there now than there used to be. Resolution is not good and there is no streetview either.

That tree you found sounds a bit suspicious if they some of their facts wrong. The Scottish naming system can be useful but I wouldn't rely on it. Do John and Jessie's Australian death certificates name their parents?

If I were you I would start a new thread asking for help locating the children's births. 

[Ruskie]

I take it you have seen this?:
http://www.orkneyfhs.co.uk/sfndocs/15/15.pdf
(page 12, mentions your family and Creya Farm)

[Ruskie]

Scroll down the list here and Crya is mentioned:
http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital_volumes/osnamebooks/?dv_id=0&p_type=PARISH&p_name=Stromness

[tedscout]

3 red post: Yes I found the cottage too. I got as close as I could on Streetview but it is very blurry. I wonder if some kind person who lives in Stromness would take a photo of it for me.

I have a photo of the house they first lived in when they got here. My girlfriend knows nothing about this side of her family. So I am now quite excited about being able to tell her.

I presume they didn't own the place but were tennent farmers.

Thank you for the 2 extra links I will go and have a quiet read 

And thank you again for all your help I would have been quite lost without you.

[tedscout]

Yes I think I will ask for help with the children's births and mum and dad too.

Think I will also have to invest some money and buy a death cert or 2.

Luckily they died in Victoria so it is instant (no waiting for the postman  )

[Ruskie]

I've just had another look at google maps streetview. The house is a fair way from the road so not clear, but it doesn't look very old to me. There appears to be a roofless house or barn beside it.
Have you had a look across the road at the view they would have seen - it's gorgeous.

Yes, presumably tenant farmers. There is probably a way to find out who owned the land, but that would probably need a thread of it's own.

Pleased to be of some help. I haven't had a good map search to get my teeth into for ages. THose NLS maps are fabulous - I love searching through them. I hope your friend will be excited by what you have found for her.

There is still the mystery of their address on the 1841 census -'Innertown'. The children's births may help you there.

Yes you definitely need those Vic d/cs. You can get wrong information on d/cs of course - I have several wrong mother's (for some reason) on Australian d/cs - just something to keep in mind if things don't add up.

If you start another thread looking for the children's births/baptisms let me know - I'll be interested to follow it. 

[tedscout]

Thanks Ruskie.

I downloaded John's Death cert - his parents are "unknown" - oh well it was worth a try. His son is the informant.

Will start a new thread about the birth's of the children, I can't find them on Scotlands people. I am beginning to wonder if Jessie had another name.

Thanks again, that map resource is fabulous.