Helen Lockhart, born 1812 at Kettle

[heiserca]

Helen Lockhart, born 18 Aug 1812, baptised 23 Aug 1812 at Kettle, Fife; parents John Lockhart and Margaret Rollo. 

She is a close match for my ancestor, Ellen Lockhart, who married James Clezie in 1840 at Troy, New York.  Is it possible that Helen and Ellen are the same person?

The only record of my Ellen’s origin says.... Scotland.  Like finding a needle in a haystack!  Dozens, hundreds of Helen Lockharts lived in Scotland.

The traditional naming pattern (1st son after father’s father, 1st daughter after mother’s mother, etc) suggests that Ellen’s mother was indeed a Margaret.  We have little else to go on.

Did this Helen Lockhart from Kettle marry someone else?  Did she die at an early age?  Or could she possibly be the one who went to New York before 1840, and became my ancestor? 

[loobylooayr]

Hi,

Not sure if the Helen Lockhart from Kettle in Fife is you ancestor.

There is a Hellen Lockhart  age 25 on the 1841 Census working as a servant at Montquhanie House, Kilmany, Fife her birthplace is the county of Fife.
Two years later 1843 a marriage at Kilmany Fife between Helen Lockhart and William Donaldson.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTPL-RV3

There is a couple on the 1851 Census at Newton of Falkland Fife -
    DONALDSON       William       Head       M       M       45       Ploughman        Fife - Kilmany           
    DONALDSON       Helen       Wife       M       F       37               Fife - Kettle           
 
So Helen Donaldson was born in Kettle Fife.

Doing a search on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk I found a death for a Helen Donaldson/Lockhart at St Andrew's Fife in 1898 (year of birth 1814 ). Viewing the original death record would hopefully give you this Helen' s parents names (if the person registering her death knew them) and if eliminate the Kettle Helen from your list of candidates.

Have you looked at Troy in New York around the 1840's/1850's for any other Scottish Lockharts to try and tie Ellen/Helen to?
There is a Margaret Lockhart marries in the same location 12 years after Ellen
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F64R-FX6       

Good luck with your research,
Looby

[heiserca]

Thanks, Looby.  My ancestor Ellen Lockhart was gone from Scotland before the 1841 census.  She married James Clezie at Troy, New York on 11 June 1840.  Any Helen or Ellen found in Scotland after that date is definitely not mine.

There was a Lockhart family living near Troy, New York about 1840:  John Lockhart and his wife, who was also called Ellen and Helen!  Seems an amazing coincidence!  Probably my Ellen was somehow related to them but I can’t figure out how.  She was about the same age as John Lockhart, so might be his sister.  All inquiries in New York have been circular, leading nowhere.  So I’m trying again on the Scottish side.

At Familysearch.com, I made a list of all Ellen/Helen Lockharts born in Scotland between 1810-30, then tried to eliminate them one-by-one.  Helen from Kettle seems to be the last one standing!  No record of her marriage to anyone else; no record of her death; so she could be my ancestor.  But can anything more definite be found?

[loobylooayr]

Hi heiserca,

I take it you have used the Scotlands People website (pay to view) during your research.
I would suggest you look at the death in St. Andrew's of Helen Donaldson nee. Lockhart in 1898 and see if her parents are recorded as being John Lockhart and Margaret Rollo. Then you could eliminate the Helen Lockhart from Kettle, unfortunately .
I noticed on Family Search - the US Census for 1870-  https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MC21-QJL
that three of Ellen's children have middle names, Do you know what they are? Even middle names can help tie in grandparents names.
Looby

[heiserca]

You were correct, Looby.  Helen Donaldson’s parents were John Lockhart and Margaret Rollo.  So, that eliminates my candidate!  There are no others.  I want my great-great-grandmother!   

Ellen had 7 children:

1.  James (no middle name; presumably named after his father, James Clezie)
2.  George Alexander (James Clezie’s father was George, and his maternal grandfather was Alexander Lockie)
3.  Margaret Jane (the origin of Margaret is unknown; Jane Lockie was the mother of James)
4.  Mary Ann (origin unknown)
5.  Helen Orr (thought to be a misspelling of Eleanor; she died soon after her birth)
6.  William James (the origin of William is unknown; James again from the father)
7.  Ellenor (another variation of the mother’s name; she apparently had no middle name)

[loobylooayr]

Sorry 
I'd much rather have helped you trace Helen/Ellen as eliminate your last candidate. But don't give up yet!
I notice someone on Familysearch has the Ancestral tree for this family online. Ellen's year of birth is recorded as 1810 and her date of death 27 October 1899. Could there be any info on her death cert?

Looby

[heiserca]

Success!  After years of fruitless searching, I finally found my Ellen Lockhart, thanks to someone on another site, who is doing a one-name study on the Lockharts.  My ancestor Ellen Lockhart was not Helen from Kettle… rather Ellen was born in 1816-17 (still don't have the exact date), a daughter of William Lockhart & Margaret Henderson, who married on 7 Sept 1811 at Paisley.  William was a soldier at the time of marriage, apparently born at Lanark.  This couple emigrated to Canada, found in the 1831 census at the village of St. Philippe, a suburb of Montreal.  My ancestor is no longer an orphan!

[loobylooayr]

Pleased to hear you have eventually found your girl !

Looby

[tonythurston]

Hi

Could you kindly direct me to the Lockhart study you mentioned pleased. I would be very grateful,

kind regards Tony