Hello all, I'm not usually stupid, but I'm not too hot on Scottish searching, so asking for your help, please.
I'm helping a friend with his family tree and we got as far back as Thomas Gibbons born In Edinburgh or Stirling in March 1851 (3 weeks old in Scottish Census). His father William was serving with 93rd Foot (Sutherland H'ldrs). Mother Ellen (nee Emery b Dublin?) and elder brothers John b 1847 in Canada, as was James in 1848. It seems William and Ellen married whilst the 93rd were in Canada in 1844 at Second Congregational in Quebec.
That seems a little odd as the 93rd were apparently reputed to be the most devout Regiment in the British Army, even having its own communion plate, thus presumably William & Ellen would seem to be Catholics. So why a Congregational Church? Or am I confusing "congregation" with "Congregation"? .......
Back to the search
I think I have Williams father as George at Killiemuir marrying a Jean/Jane Mann in 1814. That union shows the following children:
James born about 1816; William "Peddie" (George apparently was a peddler?) born 1818; Alexander Smith b. 1820; George I born 1822 but died as infant; George II b 1824.
I think George/Jean link back to John Gibbons marrying Jean Brechin(e) in about 1773 with one child Alexander, then another marriage about 1782 to Isabel(l) Reid.
Can anyone add, amend or correct that for me?
A few questions, also, if I may...
The Sutherland Highlanders were said to be most like a clan and seem to have a very narrow recruitment, with many having one of only about a dozen surnames. Was one of them Gibbons? i can't square the Forfar area with recruits for the 93rd Foot.
The 93rd went to Canada in 1838, so a 20 year old would be prime for being recruited to bring them up to strength, but was William an "outsider"?
The family are all in Scotland in 1851 Census, but 1861 finds Ellen a widow in Plymouth with just John and Thomas. In the interval, the 93rd were in Crimea and on return were in Aldershot area prior to being shipped from Plymouth to China but diverted to help quell the Indian Mutiny. Could that be when/where William died? And why Plymouth and not back to Scotland? It was where the 93rd sailed from to the Crimea and where they returned and also for China/India but the 93rd didn't return until 1870. Did the family all go to Crimea as camp followers? I don't quite understand why the family would accompany William, unless they were all taken for a long deployment in China/India, but then how did she with young children make it back? And not only did she have the death of William but also son James along the way.
I think you can tell that I'm fascinated by trying to join the gaps between these 10 year "snapshots" of families. I hope you can add something more to this for us!