Anyone researching the McNair Family

[sancti]

I am trying to find any information about Robert McNair, s/o William McNair. Robert married Elizabeth Simpson Snodan (Sneddon). They both left the UK in September 1852 on board the "Marco Polo".
Robert was born in 1816, died in 1886. Elizabeth born 1817, died 1878.
Elizabeth d/o Robert Sneddon and Elspeth Hill. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

What was Robert's occupation?

[Skoosh]

There was a Charlie McNair, (wife Anne) landlord of The Grapes pub, in Tollcross, Glasgow in the sixties!   Skoosh.

[Feebees21]

I too am researching whoops change that to trying to best I have at the moment is John & Angus & Jessie (assume short for Jessica) McNair 
John born in Glasgow (we think) 1909 He Married Nellie Mears 1929?   We know of issue from these two (husband being one) but as for Angus and Jessie no idea but think perhaps Jessie may have been married to a chap called Norman (lots of info as you can see)
Nellie's Father was Harry Mears Nellies Mother was either Elvina or Alvira but Elvina is winning at the moment so if anyone out there can help us please do we have just started looking

[Ninatoo]

Hi Feebees and welcome to Rootschat,

In Scotland, Jessie is a common name, both on its own and short for Janet.  I looked at http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk and found nine births for John McNair between 1908 and 1910 in Lanarkshire.  It might help if you knew which area of Glasgow he was born in. I could not find a marriage for John McNair and Nellie  in Scotland, so perhaps they didn't marry there?

Who were the parents of John, Jessie and Angus?

Nina

[Agnes14]

It might be more helpful to know what you do know rather that what it might be.   Do you have your fa-in-law's death cert. ?    Nellie can be just Nellie but it can also be Helen - do you have Nellie's death reg.  I can see no trace of birth, deaths or marriages for any of the names mentioned.  John could also be the name he was known as and not the full name of what he was registered with  i.e. Andrew John McN etc.

[nanville]

hi skoosh, i was at quarrybrae primary school in 1953-1958 with a girl called anne mcnair,she lived opposite the grapes pub,would like to know how her life turned out.

[Feebees21]

To all that have sent me emails re my search for my husband's family I thank you so much as someone suggested I need more information to go on  so hopefully in the next couple of weeks I shall have my brother or sister in law furnish me with some actual dates names etc but to all I wish you a very safe and Happy Easter cheers FeeBee

[sancti]

This is the closest marriage I could find in Scotland

1944 MACNAIR ANDREW J D and MEARNS HELEN at CHIRNSIDE /BERWICK

It is too recent to be viewed online

What year was your husband born?

[Forfarian]

Jessie (assume short for Jessica)

No. That is not the case in Scotland, though I believe it may be in England.

The names Janet and Jessie are almost 100% interchangeable in Scotland, and no-one seems to know for certain why this should be. Jessica, as an name in its own right, is extremely rare.

According to Scotland's People there were no baptisms of Jessicas at all until after 1820. From 1820 to 1854 there were 3 in the Church of Scotland and 8 in the Roman Catholic records. From 1855 to 1899 there were just 10 births, though there were 12 Roman Catholic baptisms.

Jessie does occur, but rarely, before the 19th century. Before 1800 there were just 58 baptisms of Jessies, only one of whom was born before 1750, 5 between 1751 and 1779, 22 in the 1780s and 30 in the 1790s.

However there here were 62 burials of Jessies. By way of comparison, for several other names the number of burials is a very small percentage of the number of baptisms. So the use of Jessie for a girl officially baptised Janet does seem to have a long tradition.

Before 1800, however, 141,353 Janets were baptised (not including spelling variants Jannet, Jenet, Jennet, Jonet etc) so the proportion of Janets known as Jessie must be tiny.

Yet almost suddenly in the 19th century, girls baptised Janet turn up in droves as Jessie in later records, and to a lesser extent vice versa.

There are lots of pairs of interchangeable names - Jean/Jane, Donald/Daniel, Peter/Patrick, Helen/Ellen, for example - but in all other cases you can see the logic. With Janet/Jessie, there's no obvious link or derivation.

Digression - There are also some names that ought to be interchangeable, but are regarded as separate names because both turn up in the same families - Jane/Jean and Janet are both the feminine of John, yet you often find a Jean/Jane with a sister Janet/Jessie. Likewise Elspet(h) is originally a variant of Elizabeth, yet you regularly find Elspet(h)s with a sister Elizabeth. Isabella is the Spanish version of Elizabeth, yet you find families with both an Elizabeth and an Isabella.

For fuller information see www.whatsinaname.net