Black Family

[Brittaya]

Hi everyone,

This is very long I'm sorry, but I am running out of leads so I could use all the help I can get. I've been searching for many months now for my family in Scotland. My nana was born in Ontario but raised in Aberdeen which is where her mother was born. I've been using Ancestry.ca, but they don't have any pictures of the actual records (something about Scottish copyright I guess) and I'm sure their records are not entirely complete. Anyway I have my great grandmother's marriage certificate. Her name was Maggie Milton Taylor Black (she went by Peggy) born in 1901 in Aberdeen and her parents were William Black (who went by Sandy) and Mary-Ann Milton. The trouble I have run into is that there are at least 2 sets of people with these names, if not more. And none of the ones I have found have matched up exactly with what my nana has said about Maggie's siblings.I did have one set there, but my nana said they didn't have a child named Elizabeth or Charlotine so I'm thinking it might have been the wrong family. I am thinking that the reason I can't find much is because the census records probably are not available after 1901. Or at least not on Ancestry.ca yet. I tried the free look up on the Scottish Registry website, but it came up with no exact matches and I am out of funds to purchase the records.

So Maggie Milton Taylor Black had many siblings, and my nana wasn't 100% sure of all their names, just what they went by when she was a kid. The ones I do know for sure are Ethel (who married James George Gordon Clark), William or Billy who went missing in the Merchant Marines, Alec, James (who my nana says owned a whiskey distillery somewhere in Aberdeen or nearby and sent his son Patrick to the same private school as one of the Princes of somewhere.. I'll have to check which Prince. But I can't seem to find a record of any distillery owned by a James Black.), Hazel, and there was also a little girl Violet who died at age 4. Then there are a few others where she wasn't entirely sure of the name: Tighe, Ada, Jeanie, and Ina or Inie. Those might be short for something, but she isn't sure. And there could be others. Also Mary Ann Milton (the mother) died when Maggie Milton Taylor Black was only 14. When she returned from the funeral her bags were packed and on the steps. The father (Sandy/William Black) kicked all the children out when their mother died, and remarried immediately. He was a policeman and apparently a huge jerk.

If anyone has any information about this family I would greatly appreciate it! I wish I could scrounge up the money to go to Aberdeen myself, but it's just not in the cards right now so hopefully someone over there will be able to help me out a little. Thanks so much for reading this!

Britt   

[MonicaL]

Hi Britt

Trying to help, let me see if I have got this right.

Firstly, just so you are aware, Ancestry's content for Scottish records consists mainly of the Scottish census transcriptions (not the original images) of the Scottish censuses between 1841-1901.

The other main (and free!) source of census transcriptions is produced by volunteers, www.freecen.org.uk - but this is only really strong for the earlier censuses, not the ones you initially need.

The only source of census images and original images of BMDs (you can also search later indexes there and order) is Scotlands People www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk  Although it is pay to view, costs are very reasonable (currently £7GB for 30 units - lots of guidance here on RC on how to search and get the best out of Scotlands People.

Just in summary of what you have:

Your great grandmother was born c. 1901 in Aberdeenshire, her name was Maggie Milton Taylor Black - her parents William Black and Mary Ann Milton.

Now, you mention you have a marriage cert. Was this for Peggy/Maggie? Who did she marry and where? When did Peggy head off for Canada?

Have you searched for a marriage for Maggie Milton Taylor Black? Have you searched for her birth certificate on line? If  you find her cert, it will include date and place of her parents' marriage which will help if there is confusion regarding more than one couple with those names.

The 1911 census was released last year (at last!). It is only available to view on line at Scotlands People, on the link above.

If I can give you some advice. Focus first on this key data to make sure you have the right family's details and then look to expand. Pretty hard for you to move forward without doing this.

Monica 

[MonicaL]

There is only one marriage showing for a couple with the names of William Black and Mary* Milton in all of Scotland, this was in 1889 in Aberdeenshire.

That could fit well with this 1901 census entry:

William Black 38, carter general b. old Machar, Aberdeen
Mary A Black 35 b. Auchterless, Aberdeen
Charlotine D Black 16 b. Auchterless, Aberdeen...* see below
Elizabeth Black 10 b. Burham, England
Jane Black 7 b.    Burham, England
James Black 5 b. old Machar, Aberdeen
William Black 1 b. old Machar, Aberdeen
Maggie Black 1 Month b. St Nicholas, Aberdeen....is this your Peggy?

Address: 57 Jasmine Terrace, St Nicholas, Aberdeen North

* Just double checked, and that 1889 marriage was in Auchterless, Aberdeen. Not sure if either William and Mary Ann were married previously (given the age of Charlotine) or if she was the daughter of William and parents unmarried at that time.

The 1911 census will let you expand on further siblings for Maggie.

Monica

[Brittaya]

Yes, I have my great grandmother Maggie Milton Taylor Black's marriage certificate to Frederick Sidney Houston. They were married in Ontario Canada. I also have Maggie's immigration record, but cannot seem to find her birth record. When I searched the Scotland's people website for her birth record it said no exact match so I was feeling wary of paying to see the results since I'm fairly certain that was her legal name at birth as it's on both her immigration record and her marriage certificate. I just don't want to pay only to see 500 Maggie Blacks, and not know which one is mine. She immigrated in 1926, and was married in 1927. Unfortunately her husband died only 3 years later in a tragic motorcycle accident. He was beheaded when my nana was only 3. So Maggie then took her two very young children back to Scotland to raise them, thinking that the depression hadn't hit over there.

Monica, that is the family I had in my tree, but I wasn't sure if they were the right people as my nan doesn't remember anyone named Elizabeth or Charlotine, but she is 86, and perhaps no one in the family ever talked about those relations to her. I'm not sure. Also my nan said that aunt Addy or Ada was the oldest sibling. So I am rather confused, but I am going to keep looking.

[MonicaL]

...Also Mary Ann Milton (the mother) died when Maggie Milton Taylor Black was only 14. When she returned from the funeral her bags were packed and on the steps. The father (Sandy/William Black) kicked all the children out when their mother died, and remarried immediately....

There is a death entry showing on SP (Scotlands People) for a Mary Ann Milton/Black in 1917 in St Nicholas, Aberdeen City. Your Maggie a few years older but story could fit around with what you have.

Britt, there is only one marriage for a couple with the names you have which is this one in 1889, with extra confirmation that it is in the right county of Aberdeenshire

When I searched the Scotland's people website for her birth record it said no exact match

Maggie's birth cert does show on SP:

Maggie Milton T Black, 1901, St Nicholas, Aberdeen City

Has to be the right entry I would think. The cert will include lots of details to let you firm up. As mentioned, her parents' marriage details will let you firm up that 1889 marriage and also address at the time of her birth should hopefully link to the 1901 census entry we are looking at for her and family.

Monica

[ev]

Hi all 

Just to add SP has a birth for a Charletina Milton 1885 Auchterless Aberdeen
Looking at the 1891 England census index for Durham(transcription)
William Black , Mary A Black , Charlotana Black(b. c1885 Scotland), Elizabeth J Black(b. c1890 Durham)

ev

[flst]

Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, went to Gordonstoun School. Might this be the private school that Patrick Black attended?
flst

[lizci]

Hi Britt

Don't forget that people usually put their "official" first names on the census, whereas they might be known by a quite different name within the family - maybe a middle name or shortened version of their first name.  Someone registered as Charletina/Charlotine could easily have been known as Ina.

Lizci

[ev]

Using the index on SP for 1911 gives this family
St Nicholas Aberdeen
William Black 44
Mary Black 45
Elizabeth Black 20
Jane Black 17
James Black 15
William Black 11
Maggie Black 10
Ethel Black 8
Alex Black 7

The ages of the children would seem to match up with the 1901 census that Monica found
Might be worth a look  since you are looking for an Ethel and Alec as well

ev

Added - SP has a death for a Violet Black 1895 St Nicholas Aberdeen , born c1895