Stuck on JOHNSTON part 2. Other names Ledingham, Smith, Booth, Sangster, Gray.

[janicejo]

This is linked to my previous Stuck on JOHNSTON of Fyvie thread, The big part of that has been solved, and now I have new mystery: the Ledinghams.  My great grandfather Peter Johnston, was born June 29, 1854 in Bourtie. In 1861, he is on the census living with his widowed, pauper grandmother Elspet Sangster Booth and some of her daughters and young grandchildren. In 1871, Peter is a 15 year old farm worker in Alford. In 1878, he marries Ann Smith (my g grandmother), daughter of John Smith and Mary Ledingham of Premnay. They marry at Auchleven, Premnay. Ann has a 3year old daughter Mary Ann, born outside marriage. On the marriage record, Peter lists James Johnston and Hellen Booth as his parents.
            So now I want to connect Peter with the right James Johnston. Prime Candidate is James Johnston, born 1835 Rayne, living with his family on their large farm in Balyquash, Fyvie. Hellen is living in Saphock, Fyvie (in the 1851 census). This James' dad, William Johnston, dies in 1870 and leaves a will. In it, he give his estate to his 2 sons Adam and James, also some money to James Ledingham of Braeside Rothmaisie farm of Rayne. 
         According to Family Search, this James Ledingham was born 1 May 1822 to John Ledingham and Jane Davidson in Rayne. According to some family trees on Ancestry, John Ledingham was born to John Ledingham and Helen Warrak, This same John-Helen couple are also the parents of Alexander Ledingham, Mary Ledingham's father. But I am not sure if the trees are right, and this is going back into the 1700's, before the census. If anyone has some reliable info on this branch of the Ledinghams, please let me know.  If James and Mary were indeed cousins, that would tend to infer paternity on James Johnston. Thanks! Janice

[flst]

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=644034.0
Link to previous post,

[janicejo]

More clues: One of Peter Johnston's boys is named Alexander Ledingham Johnston.  This might be Mary's father. There is an Alexander in Auchleven with a daughter named Mary. He also had a son named James who became a minister. James had 3 sons who earned College degrees, and one became the director of the Lister Institute.

[janicejo]

I need some expert opinions!! In the 1841 census, my 3g grandparents Robert Booth and Elspet Sangster are living at Saphock, Fyvie, and they have a small farm.  I looked up Saphock in the 1696 roll, and a John Booth, smith, is living there with his 16 yr old son James.  No other Booths in all of Fyvie in 1696. So how much significance should I give to this?  The family search record is spotty for the area in the 1600s, and the people of Saphock went to church in Daviot!!  I did find Robert Booths baptism record for 1784 Daviot, his father is Peter Booth, (confirmed by SP), theres a Patrick Booth born 1742 to another Patrick Booth, and that's how far FS goes.  So experts, do you think I am related to this John Booth? What should my next course of action be? Thanks Janice

[janicejo]

Me again, on my quest to find out about my great-grandfather, Peter Johnston. According to notes left by great-aunties, he was born June 29, 1854. But he was not baptized until Feb 11, 1855!! He was born to Helen Booth and James Johnston, who were unmarried.   So his birth was not registered. And Scotland's people doesnt have baptismal records after 1854. Is there somewhere else I can get them?
    And, another RootsChat success story!! I had posted under England:General to see if any other family members of the people lost in the sinking of the Empress of Ireland (in 1914) were here.  I got contacted by the grand-niece of my grand-aunt's husband!! The couple had perished in the sinking. For 100 years, we had counted the husband (Joe Cresswell) as part of our family, to remember his life as well as our blood relatives'.  Turn's out, Joe's family did the same for our grand-aunt!!

[Forfarian]

What should my next course of action be?

Your next course of action should be to see if the Kirk Session records of Bourtie have anything to say about the birth of Peter Johnston.

These are not online, so you will either need to go somewhere that they are available, or get someone to go on your behalf. The originals are probably in Aberdeen Archives, but they have been digitised so you can look at them anywhere that has access to the digitised version. This includes Register House in Edinburgh, Aberdeen Archives and the Mitchell Library, and no doubt others I don't know about.

There may be nothing at all, or there could be details including James' residence at the time.

Baptisms from 1855 have not been collected centrally. Some have been lost and some are still with the individual churches. You could try writing to the minister or the session clerk. Bourtie is now joined to Meldrum -
see http://www.meldrum-bourtiechurch.org.uk/