Hello All,
I know this is quite an old thread. I have recently located an ancestor of mine in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. He was James Douglas who married Janet Sim, in 1745. They moved from Loudoun, Ayrshire - where her father Francis Sim came from - to Kilmarnock, shortly after their first daughter was born in 1747. Looking at the records, from the wedding in 1745 all the way through to 1764, James Douglas is listed as a "Gardener".
At this time another branch of Douglases had moved from Jedburgh to Kilmarnock also. They descended from James Douglas (Gardener) born c.1669 and went into clockmaking. John Douglas, born c.1759 had a portrait painted which can readily be found online. They latterly moved down South to England, to continue their successful enterprise.
What I'm curious about is how my James Douglas connects to the other gardeners in the family. I had considered he might be the same James Douglas - born in 1727 - who was supposedly son of James Douglas (born c.1669). This presents an issue though, in that he marries at 18 to a woman of 24! Not very common in those days? But I don't know. His father was sure old when he was born, and that isn't too ordinary either.
Either that, or perhaps he descends as a son or grandson from the other gardeners - Andrew Douglas or John Douglas? Can anyone illuminate the most likely solution here? Naming patterns don't seem to reveal much in this case. I have my James with children: David, James, Margaret (x3), Francis (x2) and Janet. There was a tenth child who I haven't found yet. Francis is accounted for in the Sim family, as is Janet. So presuming the names David, Margaret or James may come up?
Thanks,
Anthony