Author Topic: David Cunningham married Margaret Thomson  (Read 12633 times)

Offline cunninghamj

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David Cunningham married Margaret Thomson
« on: Monday 01 April 13 17:39 BST (UK) »
I am struggling to find facts on David Cunningham who married Margaret Thomson in Whitburn 1826.Her banns were called in Whitburn and his were called in Shotts. However, I cannot find a birth, death or census record for David. His wife died in Gateside, Whitburn 18 Jan 1874 and appears in all census returns before that. They had 4 children: Jean (b1826):David (b 1828): Margaret(b1830) and Catherine(b1833). Catherine married Henry Aitken of Torphichen in 1855 and her register entry shows her father as a shoemaker. That is the only other reference to him that I can find. Any pointers would be most welome.

Offline CaroleW

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Re: David Cunningham married Margaret Thomson
« Reply #1 on: Monday 01 April 13 18:09 BST (UK) »
Hi and welcome to Rootschat

He may have died before the 1841 census was taken?  Is Catherine shown as a widow on the 1851
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Offline cunninghamj

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Re: David Cunningham married Margaret Thomson
« Reply #2 on: Monday 01 April 13 18:28 BST (UK) »
Yes, he may have died before 1841. On that census Margaret is not given a status but in 1851 she is "Head".
I can't find any record of David's death. Another fact is that daughter Catherine's marriage entry says David is a shoemaker but does not say if he is deceased.

Offline CaroleW

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Re: David Cunningham married Margaret Thomson
« Reply #3 on: Monday 01 April 13 19:06 BST (UK) »
The showing of deceased on marriage certs is very hit and miss.  A lot depended on how the question was asked by the registrar

Q - What is your fathers name  A - David. 

OR

Q - What is your fathers name and is he still living   
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Offline cunninghamj

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Re: David Cunningham married Margaret Thomson
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 02 April 13 15:05 BST (UK) »
Hi,
My family was very traditional when giving names, eg:
My father was John (1910 - 1989). He had an older brother, David.
My grandfather was John (1862 - 1948) He also had an older brother, David.
My g. grandfather was David (1828 - 1894)
My gg. grandfather was David (? - ?), married 1826, and thats as far back as have managed to go.
I am wondering if I should visit Edinburgh and trawl through hard copies of whatever records might be appropriate.
Since my gg grandfather would be born around 1800, or even earlier if he married late, there might not be a record.

Offline MonicaL

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Re: David Cunningham married Margaret Thomson
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 02 April 13 15:45 BST (UK) »
Hi cunninghamj

It can be hard trying to find that info pre 1855 can't it  :-\

Your David, son of David and Margaret T, did he marry an Agnes Logie? Was he buried at Whitburn Cemetery?

What were the names of Margaret Thomson's parents from her death certificate?

Monica  :)
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Offline JMStrachan

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Re: David Cunningham married Margaret Thomson
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 02 April 13 16:41 BST (UK) »
It does look as if David died before 1841, and given children born 1826, 1828, 1830 and 1833 he probably died around 1833 or not very long after.

ScotlandsPeople has the Old Parish Registers, post-1855 BMD certificates and census images online. You buy credits and then access whichever records you need. Scottish OPRs can be very hit and miss depending on which parish, and tend not to give much detail anyway, but are still worth researching. But death/burial records were not at all well kept: ScotlandsPeople has a list of which parishes have extant burial registers.

If the family followed the traditional Scottish naming pattern, and your David called his eldest son David, it's likely your David's father was also called David. And if he called his second daughter Catherine, then his mother could have been Catherine. However, not everyone followed the pattern exactly so it isn't sufficient evidence of parentage. Unfortunately, you don't know where he was born - he was in Shotts at the time of his marriage but could well have been born elsewhere.
AYRSHIRE - Strachan, McCrae, Haddow, Haggerty, Neilson, Alexander
ABERDEENSHIRE (Cruden and Longside) - Fraser, Hay, Logan, Hutcheon or Hutchison, Sangster
YORKSHIRE (Worsbrough) - Green, Oxley, Firth, Cox, Rock
YORKSHIRE (Royston and Carlton) - Senior, Simpson, Roydhouse, Hattersley

Offline cunninghamj

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Re: David Cunningham married Margaret Thomson
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 02 April 13 22:47 BST (UK) »
Many thanks for your replies.
Monica, to clarify, it is the David who married Margaret Thomson I am looking for. Margaret was born in Whitburn in 1797 and her parents were James Thomson and Jane Martin.

JMS , thank you for your notes. Whilst I have been using Scotlands People a lot, and any other site I can find. I have made plans to visit the records offices in Edinburgh next time I am north, and wade through hard copies. I also plan to contact Lanarkshire Family History Society in addition to the West Lothian History base in Linlithgow. In the meantime I will start filling in detail. It is Murphy's Law that the more I search, the more I find out about my wife's mother's family, another Cunningham and we are all from Whitburn, Harthill and Eastfield!!
Once again, many thanks.     

Offline Rockford

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Re: David Cunningham married Margaret Thomson
« Reply #8 on: Tuesday 09 April 13 13:09 BST (UK) »
Your David, son of David and Margaret T, did he marry an Agnes Logie? Was he buried at Whitburn Cemetery?

Hi everyone,

I've been away from the family history for a while, but I'm sure that Agnes Logie is one of 'mine'.  I'm away from my own computer, but will have a look to see what I have on David to see if I have any notes on his parents, who may be the people you are looking for.  It might be unlikely though as they are not my direct line.

Best wishes

Rockford
BURNSIDE [Londonderry, Lothians and Pennsylvania]
THORBURN [Lanarkshire], VAIR [Melrose]
SWEENEY [Donegal/Lanarkshire]
GILCHRIST [Lanarkshire, Peebles, Lothians], SMITH [Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire, Lothians]
GREGORY [Bucks, Wales], BENNETT [Somerset, Wales]
LETHERBY/HOWLETT/PHIPPS [Somerset]
HUNTER [New Monkland, Fife], GWYNNE [New Monkland, Stirling, Midlothian]
LOGIE/DUNLOP/THOMSON/YOUNG [West Lothian]