RootsChat.Com

Problem resolved.

In the claim form from Sgt. James Bruce wife in 1919 for return to Chile the following were given as references:

Mrs Gold 22 Cadzow Street Hamilton
M Millighan 113 Windmillhill Road Motherwell

James Bruce died in Iraq in 1941 when he was then the Running Superintendent Iraqi Railways.   His Estate notice under Renfrewshire was published in the "Scotsman" with the address as 22 Cadzow Street Hamilton was mentioned in the Consol returns.   The estate has to be looked into when I work out where to apply.
His attestation papers of 1914 on the same month of his arrival from Chile gave an address in South Queensferry.    His wife and child arrived a month later through Liverpool.

Any help in finding wife's surname (Annie)/date/place of marriage and that of his daughter Helen (a family name) would be appreciated.

Margaret was the executrix in a will of 1920 (James Taylor).    I would be interested in knowing if any descendants are still alive.
1911 census in Bradford have the children as:
Margaret Hogg McGregor  (d 1983)
John James McGregor (d 1989) m Ellen Paley 1924
Emily Maria McGregor (d 1988) m Hubert Knight 1921

Her brother was in 1920 living in Quebec. ( St Anne de Beaupre (parish))

I have John McBeath (Mason)  b 1849 m Margaret Sherriff  in Edinburgh 1878 with his death at the above address in Callander in 1886. 
His wife Margaret (Grocer Shopkeeper) died  in 1916 but according to the 1911 census she had been married only 3yrs with 3 children but only 1 surviving at that time,  daughter Mary, married John Law (d 1942) in 1912 and it is any descendants from from this union that interests me as her death in 1948 was advised by a cousin.

The missing child from John and Margaret would interesting but not essential to the query.

The only mention of Helen's parents are on her marriage registration in 1870 both deceased - Robert Laidlaw and Helen nee  Laidlaw.

I have found a matching Helen in the 1851 census living with an aunt Mary and  uncle David (School teacher) with the sister and brothers parents being John Laidlaw and  Helen Anderson.  Both siblings were buried in Roberton.    Question is were these the parents of Robert or Helen?

Another uncle Thomas has also been found and his name along with Mary and Helen are are used with Laidlaw in her descendants.

Any help would be appreciated.     Thoughts are that her parents died during the 1847 or 1849 cholera epidemic.

One note for every one with a Hawick connection a revised March 2011 version of the Hawick Word book is at http://www.astro.ubc.ca/people/scott/book.pdf


Looking in the 1841 census for her possible parents I was intrigued by a Helen Laidlaw, teacher at Sclenty Hall (School?) and finding her will , she died in 1846 in Ween Cottage,  she gave various legacies etc to William Oliver her nephew, son of her late sister Agnes and to Thomas, John, William and Margaret Thomson children of her late sister Mary.     There was a William Oliver living with an Agnes (widow) (1841 census) and because of  the interesting occupation this line was followed which with various extracts from Douglas Scott's on-line book there is a picture building of various family connections but still no proof of what member of 1845 Helen's parentage is connected to this family grouping.

Scienty School   "The schoolmistress was Nelly Laidlaw, referred to as ‘Mrs. Laidlaw’"

The marriage (Wilton 1806) of the John Laidlaw and Helen Anderson has her listed as Nelly Andison (Anderson)

The death of William Oliver shows  his parents as  Adam Oliver and Agnes Anderson also having been married to Agnes Henderson and Catherine Ballantyne with an Agnes Anderson (Niece 19) living with him as a housekeeper in the 1861 census.

"William ‘Blinnd Wull’ (1818–71) noted local fiddler, born at Tandlaw, he lost his sight to a game cock at the age of 5, and also lost his father early. He learned the violin from Johnnie Oliver, and played regularly at weddings and social functions. Tales were also told of his prowess as an angler and poacher and as a maker of nets. On one occasion he was caught poaching, but gave his captors the slip, escaping to Edinburgh, where he worked for a while. He also ran a dance class at the Fleece Inn ballroom, and is regarded as the last of Hawick’s blind celebrities."

The will of Helen Laidlaw also mentions, James,  the son of William Oliver, but he is proving like everyone at this time a little difficult to tie down but with a James (see image ) also a visitor in the 1851 census. 

Question 2:    Is Helen Laidlaw nee Anderson/Andison the teacher at Scienty in the 1841 census bearing in mind that David her son was also a teacher?


Having now found the digital version of " Rulewater and its people" the answer to the above question is made clear to me and the various possible connections to Mrs Laidlaw of Sclenty have just been blown away.