Author Topic: John Brown, Seaman, Ayrshire  (Read 2381 times)

Offline MonicaL

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Re: John Brown, Seaman, Ayrshire
« Reply #9 on: Tuesday 18 November 14 20:47 GMT (UK) »
The fact that you cannot find an entry for Alexander's birth or christening in the Old Parish Registers pre 1855 should not put you off trying to identify family. Only about a third of events were registered in the Old Parish Registers, before the start of official registration in 1855.

Many BMD events went unregistered for all sorts of reasons. Also, many Registers have been lost or destroyed over the years which doesn't help either  :-\

Monica

Census information Crown Copyright, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Br1gau

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Re: John Brown, Seaman, Ayrshire
« Reply #10 on: Tuesday 18 November 14 23:03 GMT (UK) »
Yes, good advice from Monica.  You can only work from the verified facts but unfortunately pre 1855 records are very sparse.  Often it's a process of elimination.  to that end, I thought I'd look at Alexander's siblings; James & Margaret, as shown in the 1841 census.

Can I ask if the A*y tree for this family is yours because there is a discrepancy with James, b ~1831 son of John Brown & Mary Shaw.  The family tree has his wife as Jane Abernethy, however, SP records show that this particular James was the son of James Brown & Margaret Hood.  He died in Glasgow 1890, Jane Abernethy Brown in 1910, also Glasgow.

Offline Kipper5

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Re: John Brown, Seaman, Ayrshire
« Reply #11 on: Wednesday 19 November 14 13:57 GMT (UK) »
Thank you so much for all your help and advice, MonicaL and Br1gau.

I have investigated the family for quite a while but often hit walls, but then every so often there's a small breakthrough, which keeps the whole process pretty addictive.

There are only some Irish records, and only (brilliant and free) census info for 1901 and 1911. I had thought that maybe John and Mary went to Ireland at the time of the 1861 census but have no way of finding this. I had also thought that John may have died there around this time but again can't find this; he's not on the Brown grave in Derry, which doesn't start til 1897. Having said that I could email the graveyard office to ask..

That is my tree and I had guessed at the surname Abernathy for Jane, as a SP marriage record in 1852 seemed to be right. Though I had thought that James' census records with birth year 1831 in Newton/St Quivox and occupation Carter were right: 1851 to 1881 with wife Jane, born in 1828 also in Newton. I'll keep looking at them. If they married after 1854 his parents will be on the marriage cert. And also on his death certificate if I can find that too, some time after 1881.

Thanks again for your help.