Sydney SUTHERLAND

[Yonks Ago]

I have read all SUTHERLAND posts...mine are back further and know only what is below, would like to find more on them.
I have a Sydney SUTHERLAND [ female ] married to John/James NICOL [ soldier]in 1797 @ Conongate. on Midlothian [ Edinburgh ] Extract Parish Records it notes Sydney daughter of James SUTHERLAND [ farmer ] in Caithness.
Would like to find more on Sydney's family.. distance between Caithness/ Midlothian any ideas on this?..Don't know what regiment John was in, my next quest.
John was always John until I got the copy of the EPR.
many thanks
Yonks Ago
Australia

[GR2]

If the marriage entry does not give the regiment, you should try to find the entries for the baptisms of their children. That might indicate a regiment. If you are descended from these people, you obviously know about at least one child. It is even possible for the death certificate of one of their children to mention the regiment (not so likely).

There is no problem about the distance between Caithness and the Canongate. Nicol is a common enough name in the north of Scotland and James might even be from that area himself. If he had been based at Fort George in Inverness-shire earlier, Caithness can be seen from there and there was lots of connection between the opposite coasts of the Moray Firth. Sydney may have moved south from Caithness to work as a domestic servant.

Finding the 1851 census entries for any children will show exactly where they were born and will allow you to track James's movements with the army.

 Graham