EV and Monica..., bonjour !
Sorry for not getting back to you yesterday, but when the family got the impression that I was taking some time off, suddenly, everyone finds me things to do.
As for Neill McArthur ! Well, as you have probably already experienced..., when you psychologically adopt someone as an ancestor, (James, Archibald and Duncan) it's difficult to discard them like an old clothe..., especially in exchange for some "foreigner." (a non-Campbeltonian) Wasn't it Tony Hancock that once said that his lineage and blood was 100% British..., with just a sprinkling of Viking ?
Anyway..., EV..., being a bit of a newbie to all this, I've as yet no access to such luxury sites !
Nonetheless, I do have access to all the censuses from 1841 to 1901..., and viewing each target-person when they are children, automatically gives me their parents. (I then back this up by using IGI, My ain folk, etc.)
Monica, in reply to the list with the two James's..., this is the family ! (James "13," married Catherine Hawthorn for the 61 census) Via the Ralston site, I found a James McArthur gravestone at the Kilkivan graveyard giving the date 1894, 69 years. (this graveyard is between the Machrihanish coastline <where they need ropes..., and where Paul McCartney decided to live> and Drumlemble <the coal mines, where the family lived and worked>) At the age of 13, son James (born 1827) was already a coalminer and became a rope maker at the age of 33.
Now..., all the censuses from 41 to 71 indicate both father and son.
41: Son James 13 years with father James 46. (mother Agnes 46)
51: Son James 23 years with father James 56. (mother Agnes 56)
61: Son James 33 years with wife Catherine Hawthorn. (and Gr Robert McFarlane McArthur aged 7 months..., as you know, Robert is mentioned on my grandmother's wedding certificate)
71: Son James "44," gave up coal mining and rope-spinning to became a butcher..., probably because his father-in-law was a butcher. (Robert also became a butcher.)
If I go back to the 41 census for father James McArthur born 1795..., I find that he is a coal miner living at Drumlemble and married of course to Agnes. (McMillan ?) Then, verifying the IGI reports, this gives James McArthur as being born on the 20th of July, 1794 with parents Archibald and Margaret Watson.
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Monica: "If the right family, your James and his sister Agnes are showing as born outside the county of Argyll." This is of course a bit of a dilemma, (if not a mistake) nonetheless, it shouldn't change the lineage of "father" James.
Ev: "It would seem that james mcarthur is still alive in 1881 drumlemble campbeltown james mcarthur 53 coalminer born lanark wife agnes 53." Wow..., Lanark ! But why would all the McArthur's on the census forms indicate Argyll with Campbeltown as the civil parish ? Also..., in 1881, he should have been "pensioned off" as a butcher ! For a newbie..., this is getting complicated !
Thanks for your help..., it's really appreciated. Iain.