David Balharry - Scotland to Chile

[Lass]

Hi everyone.

I have recently made contact with a 'cousin' in Chile and have now got a serious genealogy itch that I need to scratch!  I've been working on the family tree with information already researched by many cousins around the world, and I haven't yet verified it all, but this I'm keen to look at this ancestor in particular for the moment.

David Balharry was likely born in Forfarshire/Angus in around 1835.  I have been completely unable to trace birth records that fit with the information I have (even with the variations in name spelling that I have found so far).  Of course, I might be going blind with looking at records so may have missed something, I wouldn't be surprised!!  To complicate the matter, my Chilean cousins assert that his mothers maiden name was Jeffers (or similar) and I now begin to wonder if he was perhaps registered at birth as illegitimate as Jeffers but later used his father's name - I just know he will have done it specifically to confuse me!!

He emigrated to Chile in 1850 (date unverified but asserted as reliable by Chilean ancestors) with his sister, whose name is as yet unknown.  Our understanding from his grandson, who is still living, is that he went to Chile specifically to work on the internal railway line.  He was 'very young' when he arrived in Chile.  I have the IGI record of the birth of a son after David's marriage to a Chilean woman, and my Chilean cousins have a wealth of information following the lineage from there.

However, since I can't find a relevant birth certificate, I'm banging my head off a brick wall trying to figure out where he fits into my tree.  I thought perhaps that I might try to work it backwards from his journey to Chile, and that's where I'm lost. 

Can anyone shed any light on what might have been the route he'd have taken to Chile and how I might find relevant records?  I've tried a few sites with no joy.  I'm new to this and am lucky enough to have been handed a wealth of information by extended family members, but now I'm hooked!

Hoping someone can help before I go crazy!

Lass x

[JAP]

Hello Lass,

Welcome to RootsChat.

Unfortunately, it may be that there is no record of David's birth/baptism to be found  .   Statutory Registration did not begin in Scotland until 1855.  Before that, the only records would be baptismal records in church registers.

However, many many people were not baptized at all.

And, even if David was baptized, there are many reasons why a record of the event might not be able to be found.  Most of the existing indexed pre-1855 Scottish baptismal records are those from the OPRs (Old Parish Registers) of the established presbyterian Church of Scotland.  But there were also many, many other presbyterian churches and there were also (though fewer) churches of other denominations; so he might have been baptized in a church the registers of which have not been indexed.  Another possibility is that he was baptized in a church the registers of which have not survived.

(A good thread to look at is "Where to start with Scottish Research" by Boongie Pam which is stickied at the top of the Scotland General board at:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,24468.0.html )

So perhaps the only source then would be the 1841 census.
The closest I can find on FreeCEN at:
http://freecen.rootsweb.com/
is the following:
Step Row, Dundee, Angus
Jean JAFFERY 30
Adam BALHARY (sic) 7
Both born Angus.

You might wish to look at the image on ScotlandsPeople though I rather doubt that Adam is a transcription error (the given name is also transcribed as Adam on the Ancestry site).

And remember - the 1841 census rounded down ages of persons over 15 to the nearest 5.  Also it does not give marital status or relationships.  Another thing to remember is that, in Scotland and especially in 1841, married women are often recorded under their maiden names.

I haven't found either Adam or Jean in the 1851 census.

Good luck,

JAP
PS: I take it you've discounted David BALHARRY, b 8 Apr, bap 19 Apr 1840, Auchterhouse Angus, parents David BALHARRY & Janet PAUL?

[Lass]

Hi JAP  - thanks for the welcome and the advice!

I have the 1841 census details of Adam with Jean Jaffrey and yes, the transcripton is indeed correct.  It still interests me though, since I've yet to match these up with the relevant ancestors, but I suspect the similarity with Jaffrey/Jeffers is pure coincidence...... I have got IGI records showing the birth of David's first child in Chile so that reinforces that the christian name is indeed correct.

I have to confess that when I started researching the family tree, I was a tad haphazard in my approach, running off on tangents when something new cropped up!  I am now a bit more organised and reviewing all the info I can find to see if I've perhaps missed a record of David along the way, but I accept what you're saying in that I may never trace his birth records at all.  Thanks for the directions to the 'where to start' thread - again, I just jumped in before taking the time to trawl 

I didn't know about the rounding down of ages on the 1841 census, blooming heck that will explain a lot!! - thanks!

Finally, yes, I have discounted David b.1840 as I have details of his marriage in Scotland so he's not my man.

Thanks again JAP, keeping my fingers crossed!

Lass x

[JAP]

Hello again Lass,

If the 1841 census is the only place he might be found, then I guess that runs into various problems especially possible transcription errors of that surname.  And, of course, he might not even have been in Scotland in 1841 ...

It would be interesting to know where the Chilean rels got the maiden name from ...

Best of luck,

JAP

[Lass]

Hi JAP, thanks for staying with me on this!

In Chile the mother's maiden name is pulled forward when the children are born (making genealogy a lot easier I reckon!).

The full name of the ancestor I'm hunting, as far as my Chilean cousins are concerned, is:

David Balharry Jeffers

The mother's maiden name is always put at the end of the name, with the immediately preceding name being the father's surname.  Whilst she wasn't 100% sure on the spelling of the name (yes, been there, done that!), she's confident that it was his mothers name.

Now interestingly, since it's been quiet at work today, I've been doing a bit more hunting and I've come up with the following:

David Balharrie (spelling as per OPR Birth) born 18/10/1829 in Auchterhouse

My only concern with this (and I haven't yet checked census to trace him) is that his father was James and my Chilean cousins are positive his father's name was also David.  So, could be a red herring although he did have that all-important sister, a couple of years younger than him.  Still have much to check on that.

I also found an OPR record for the marriage of David Balharey and Margaret Jaffrey 29/04/1833.  I back tracked to this when I rechecked my certificate stash and found a death certificate for Benjamin Franklin Balharry, son of David Balharry and Margaret Jaffrey, 31/05/1870. 

Unfortunately, although I can find older records with the same spelling of Balharey (which I'm assuming is a variation) I can't find any other record of children they may have had other than this (although very possibly Anne Balharey IGI record of marriage to David Turnbull 1858).

I'm reticent to take this couple as the father of the David I am looking for, purely based on the spelling of the name and the fact that this spelling has been carried forward from at least 1724.  However, these Balhareys are from a slightly different area of Scotland than my Balharrys, so I guess there's a possibility that the local dialects have impacted on the spelling.....

I can't wait to get home now and trawl my records!

Lass x

[JAP]

It seems to be quite a large brickwall!

Perhaps more information on the sister might help?

And perhaps it might be worth posting a query in the Common Room and/or Scotland Angus boards - cross-referenced to each other and also to this thread.  There are some real research terriers on RootsChat who can't resist a puzzle/brickwall (give it a catchy subject line!) 

Best of luck,

JAP

[AMBLY]

Weehee!!
Been pomdering this one all day - and now JAP has elicited more clues....  

Lass,  Benjamin Franklin BALHAREY may just be your big clue....it's a very odd name for a Scottish child....smacks of being born overseas, or having a strong connection to overseas.....

I was also wondering - as you say David's sister was younger than him, and if he was indeed born abt 1834 and was in Chile by abt 1850 when aged very young (abt 15?) - even in those days it's very young for a lad to be travelling alone with a sister even younger than himself, unless perhaps there was a) family in the destination country to whom they were going or b) they travelled with at least 1 parent or older family member?? Just my thoughts on that....

Now, the death registration has this Benjamin as age 21 when he died 1871 in Angus.
Can you please tell us:
the address where his death occured or where his usual residence was?
who was the informant?
what was his father's occupation?

Look at this:
1861:  25 Prior Road, Forfar, Angus
Head: John BEAUMONT 31, Teacher of Languages?, b Gerrans, Ayrshire
Wife: Jessie BEAUMONT 28, b Maylole, Ayrshire
Son: William l BEAUMONT 7, b Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Son: John F BEAUMONT 6, b Forfar
Son: Robert BEAUMONT 6, b Forfar
Son: Frederick A BEAUMONT 4, b Forfar
Dau: Jessie BEAUMONT 3, b Forfar
Dau: Margaret BEAUMONT under 6 mths, b Forfar
Boarder: Jackina? BLAIR 17 (female) Scholar, b Kirkmichael, Ayrshire
Boarder: Benjamin F BATHANEY 12, Scholar, b Chile
Servant: Jane THOMPSON 17, Domestic Servant, b Forfar
Servant: Jessie EDWARDS, 16, Nursery Maid, b Kirriemuir, Forfarshire

You would need to consult the original image on SP to see if this Benjamin is a BALHAREY (var) - and considering the number of mis-transcripts of the BALHARRY/IE names of the transcribed source, it's very possible!

Cheers
AMBLY

[AMBLY]

Just checked SP search: they index Benjamin in the 1861 Census as BATHARRY   

[JAP]

AMBLY, Brilliant work!!  Congratulations.

I'd searched for Benjamin Franklin in various ways on the IGI - but didn't think of the 1861 census.

Can't wait for the next instalment.

JAP