Reverend William Mercer of Pitsligo Kirk, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

[jennywren001]

Place of birth for William in the New Jersey book is interesting 

[Forfarian]

Place of birth for William in the New Jersey book is interesting 

Indeed. I am not at all sure where Aldie is, or, come to that, where Todlaw and Smiddyburn are.

[Forfarian]

Interestinger and interestinger

http://www.mercermillions.info/aldie-castle/ - but there are other places called Aldie.

As I suspected, there are several Todlaws and several Smiddyburns.

The IGI has a baptism of William Mercer, son of Thomas Mercer, in the parish of Fyvie on 22 March 1696, which is pretty close to the birth date quoted in Fasti. However it doesn't list a John Mercer born/baptised in Fyvie.

[GR2]

Smiddieburne, Fyvie (November 1695)

(The valuation thereof is £51 12s. Scots, the hundreth part whereof is 10s. 4d.)

Mr. Thomas Mercer of Todlay, heretor within the shyre of Bamff, and polable
     ther, but resdiding as tennent in Smiddyburn, and lyable for the said
     hundreth part of the valued rent, as is above set down, inde.........£0 10  4
Issobell Smith, his spouse.............................................................  0   6  0
John, Thomas, Jannet, Lilias, Margaret, and Christian Mercers, his children,
      all under sixteen years of age, in familia....................................  1  16  0
Anna Mercer, sister german to the said Mr. Thomas Mercer, past sixteen years
     of age, in familia...................................................................... 0  6  0

[bobbym1955]

Thank you Forfarian, GR2 and Jennywren001 for all your assistance.  I will have to put aside some time this Christmas to do a bit of research.  Wishing you both a very Merry Christmas.  I will post if I find anything else.

[Flattybasher9]

Regards

Malky

[Forfarian]

Good finds, Malky.

I wonder if the Todlaw at Turriff is the right Todlaw, given that the 1696 poll tax described Thomas as heritor in Banffshire? Is there any information to link Thomas Mercer of Todlaw with Turriff?

And well done finding another Aldie. I didn't know about that one!

FWIW I am wondering if someone, somewhere along the line, has confused the Mercer family of Aldie in Kinross-shire with the Aberdeenshire Mercers? Or was Lancelot Mercer of London, father of John, grandfather of Thomas and great-grandfather of Rev William, one of the Aldie family?

[GR2]

The Todlaw on the "Turriff" map is actually over the parish boundary from Turriff. It's in Forglen, which is in Banffshire.

"Googling" Todlaw/Mercer" brought up someone's research which links the Smiddyburn/Todlaw Mercers to the Pitsligo minister and to an earlier generation in Kinellar. The references given were mostly from the Fasti.