Author Topic: Puzzled Purvis.  (Read 6246 times)

Offline lowanslow

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Puzzled Purvis.
« on: Wednesday 25 June 14 18:35 BST (UK) »
Hi all, I am hoping I am on the right track with the family name, but I am struggling to find any reference of a marriage of Alexander Purves to Elizabeth Drydon. Cant find it on the Scottish site, wondering which way to turn now?   I believe the Alexander I am following was Born to Alexander Purves and Elizabeth (betty) Swanston in Coldingham in 1762, they have quite a large family with another son called Alexander born 1772. which through me for a while. Thanks all round for any information which may help my search.  ???
Purvis/purves. conlon, carson. Birney, monaghan, moore. World war I/II. Raf.

Offline Craclyn

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Re: Puzzled Purvis.
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 25 June 14 18:55 BST (UK) »
You may be having the same issue I have with folks just south of the border in that period. Many of mine were non-conformists so they were reluctant to marry or baptize their children in the Anglican church. I have many Presbyterian baptisms for families who were subsequently of the Methodist persuasion. As to marriages, I would suggest you also consider Irregular Cross Border Marriages. These were conducted by renegade priests at toll bridges on the border. Records are rather incomplete but many were mentioned in the Berwick Advertiser. NDFHS (Northumberland and Durham Family History Society) has a couple of publications for sale that cover Coldstream Bridge Tollhouse, Lamberton Toll and more. Hope you hit on lucky. I have been hunting for 6 years for a marriage for my great great grandparents. Found most of his brothers at various tollhouses, but not him :)
Crackett, Cracket, Webb, Turner, Henderson, Murray, Carr, Stavers, Thornton, Oliver, Davis, Hall, Anderson, Atknin, Austin, Bainbridge, Beach, Bullman, Charlton, Chator, Corbett, Corsall, Coxon, Davis, Dinnin, Dow, Farside, Fitton, Garden, Geddes, Gowans, Harmsworth, Hedderweek, Heron, Hedley, Hunter, Ironside, Jameson, Johnson, Laidler, Leck, Mason, Miller, Milne, Nesbitt, Newton, Parkinson, Piery, Prudow, Reay, Reed, Read, Reid, Robinson, Ruddiman, Smith, Tait, Thompson, Watson, Wilson, Youn

Offline GR2

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Re: Puzzled Purvis.
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 25 June 14 21:17 BST (UK) »
You say "I am hoping" and "I believe". What is the furthest back Purvis you have traced with absolute certainty? I am assuming you have parental details from a post 1854 death certificate.

Offline lowanslow

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Re: Puzzled Purvis.
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 26 June 14 02:35 BST (UK) »
Thanks for that    Craclyn, will start that ball rolling and see how it goes, thank you.
Hi GR2, I have the death certificate for John and Isabella Purves, which confirms that Alexander was there For his Father and George ( my direct line), was there for his Mother. george moved to Gateshead. This has taken me back to 1857 with him. When i was looking for the family line, I thought it would have just been around the areas where they were born, until I started checking. Belford, Norham and the rest of that area, but  John he was born up in the borders, one big clue in the 1861 census was his son Thomas, this caught me off guard at first, but the penny dropped, hopefully the attachment will show this. Because now I am blathering on. John being a master Joiner moved (i Believed where the work was available). They ended up in Bamburgh. After that I must admit, it has been following the Master Joiner/Wright, West Reston clues, of course along with Alexander and Elizabeth. Since it is late I am resting my wee brain now, but looking forward to hearing from you again with any information. Thank you  :)
Purvis/purves. conlon, carson. Birney, monaghan, moore. World war I/II. Raf.


Offline Craclyn

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Re: Puzzled Purvis.
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 26 June 14 17:41 BST (UK) »
What source did you use to find Elizabeth Drydon and Elizabeth Swanston?
Crackett, Cracket, Webb, Turner, Henderson, Murray, Carr, Stavers, Thornton, Oliver, Davis, Hall, Anderson, Atknin, Austin, Bainbridge, Beach, Bullman, Charlton, Chator, Corbett, Corsall, Coxon, Davis, Dinnin, Dow, Farside, Fitton, Garden, Geddes, Gowans, Harmsworth, Hedderweek, Heron, Hedley, Hunter, Ironside, Jameson, Johnson, Laidler, Leck, Mason, Miller, Milne, Nesbitt, Newton, Parkinson, Piery, Prudow, Reay, Reed, Read, Reid, Robinson, Ruddiman, Smith, Tait, Thompson, Watson, Wilson, Youn

Offline lowanslow

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Re: Puzzled Purvis.
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 26 June 14 23:45 BST (UK) »
Hi Craclyn, When i first started looking for John Purves I followed the family tree down through the English census down to 1871, I became stuck there until some one pointed me to the site find My Past, there was the 1861 census  there with George my G.G. Grandad. I used marriage certificates to confirm that I was on the right track. when I checked the 1861 census I spotted that there was Thomas Purves born in 1840, in Scotland. His son from a former marriage. This led me to check the 1851 and 1841 Scottish census, 1851 has John Purves there, a joiner and Thomas aged 11, the 1841 census, has most of the family there, John Purves ( a Joiner), his wife Mary and there again there was Thomas aged 2. I applied for John's death certificate, this gave me age of 89 when passed in 1889.
   When I checked scotlands people site the only marriage I found with a John/Mary marriage was 1823, his father was Alexander, a wright in west reston. I then looked for the birth of John with the father Alexander around the 1800's, there was only one in Longformacus, 1801, his wife was Elizabeth Drydon. It was along shot I know but it seemed right. i checked the site for their first born, Alexander in 1824, dowloded the registration, and it read John Purves, a wright and Mary Delgaty, in West reston.

    This is why i am looking for the evidence of the marriage of Alexander and Elizabeth, to see if there is any more information held there. When i started to look for Alexander, Johns father I searched for any link around west reston, this was done by looking at the apprentice records and the witness records for the area, the names were there, so that was a start. i found a Alexander born in  July 1762, th father was Alexander but no mother, he was born in West Reston. I checked the Marriages around that time in west reston, I found a Alexander purves married to a Elizabeth swanston by a Charles Smith, they were then brought before the Kirk sessions and rebuked for their irregular marriage.

   I then started to check the rest of the childrens birth entries, their next child was jannet born in 1764, on the record was Alexander,  a Wright in West Reston. The next children were born in Cockburnspath. Sorry for the winded reply, but I am hoping when I find the Marriage certificate i hopefully can confirm my efforts, at the moment I am 95% sure that i am on the right track. Heres the rub though there was Another son called Alexander born in 1772, who became a wright, lived in West reston and Married a catherine Smith, their first child was called :-X you guessed right then, I hope i'm on the right track, thanks for the interest. Any one who can help, confirm or confuse is welcome. Big thanks to all. :)
Purvis/purves. conlon, carson. Birney, monaghan, moore. World war I/II. Raf.

Offline lowanslow

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Re: Puzzled Purvis.
« Reply #6 on: Thursday 26 June 14 23:51 BST (UK) »
P.S   Mary Delgaty I believe to have been born In Brechin in 1789, her father was James and Mother was Jean Black. Mary Purves passed away in Ayton in 1848. :)
Purvis/purves. conlon, carson. Birney, monaghan, moore. World war I/II. Raf.

Offline Craclyn

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Re: Puzzled Purvis.
« Reply #7 on: Friday 27 June 14 06:45 BST (UK) »
Fascinating trail of research which you have followed. Did you find a death for the first of the two Alexanders?
Since you have one couple rebuked for an irregular marriage then it is even more likely that others in the family may have gone the route of an irregular cross border marriage.
Crackett, Cracket, Webb, Turner, Henderson, Murray, Carr, Stavers, Thornton, Oliver, Davis, Hall, Anderson, Atknin, Austin, Bainbridge, Beach, Bullman, Charlton, Chator, Corbett, Corsall, Coxon, Davis, Dinnin, Dow, Farside, Fitton, Garden, Geddes, Gowans, Harmsworth, Hedderweek, Heron, Hedley, Hunter, Ironside, Jameson, Johnson, Laidler, Leck, Mason, Miller, Milne, Nesbitt, Newton, Parkinson, Piery, Prudow, Reay, Reed, Read, Reid, Robinson, Ruddiman, Smith, Tait, Thompson, Watson, Wilson, Youn

Offline lowanslow

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Re: Puzzled Purvis.
« Reply #8 on: Friday 27 June 14 09:50 BST (UK) »
Thank you for that, Alexander born 1772 also was rebuked for his marriage, so I think I will have to start getting on to other sites from Northumberland. I found one entry at the moment for a death for Alexander Purves at St. Cuthberts on 26-4-1836. He was a wright and died of old age at 73 years. The other Alexander from 1772, just not to sure at the moment. Although I am sure i have found his son Alexanders death of consumption in 1827, also at St. Cuthberts age 30, his wife Elizabeth Hunter also dies at the same place in 1839. Alexander and Elizabeth (Hunter) were married in 1822.
Purvis/purves. conlon, carson. Birney, monaghan, moore. World war I/II. Raf.