MIs Fetterangus - Mitchel

[ruthhelen]

I wonder if someone would be able to look up the inscription for stone 264 in the kirkyard at Fetterangus for me? It appears to be a number of generations of a family of Mitchel(l)s headed up by one William Mitchel and his wife, Mary Bruce. I think I've worked out the relationships between some of the later Mitchels, but I'm interested in where Mary Lawrance fits in.

My 4x great grandfather, John Mitchel(l), married a Mary Lawrance/Lawrence/Lowrence/Laurence, and I'm trying to work out whether this may be them - although the dates don't quite square with what I think I already know about them... There are a lot of Mitchells around Old Deer, so it's possible that this may be a different branch...

Many thanks.

Ruth

[flst]

Hi, Mary Laurance was the spouse of James Mitchel, she died Oct 1808 aged 71. Her husband died 1802 aged 69. They lived in Neder Hythie. Her brother in law, John Mitchel died 1800 aged 70, (late farmer of Pitscow.) It doesn't appear to be your branch, does it?
flst

[ruthhelen]

Thanks flst - you've right, this does appear to be a different branch of Mitchells. At least it rules them out and means I may be on the right lines with what I thought I already knew about my Mitchells.

It's a shame the Old Deer MIs haven't been published - I think most of several branches of my lot will be buried there if anywhere. 

[flst]

Can you give more information on John & Mary? What time period are you interested in? Where exactly did they live? With further info on this couple you stand a better chance of finding out when & where they died, & possibly, buried. A lot of people could not afford a headstone, but a burial book may have survived for a particular kirkyard.
flst

[ruthhelen]

Here’s what I have for John Mitchell and Mary Lawrence:

John Mitchell born circa 1750-1760, Tyrie, married Mary Lawrence, 17 Sep 1795, Rathen. They had seven children:

• Margaret Mitchell, baptised 10 Jul 1795, Rathen. Nothing else about her.
• William Mitchell (my 3x great grandfather), farmer, baptised 1 Aug 1798. Died 21 Sep 1869, Craigiehill, Old Deer. Married Ann Robertson (she of the previous Robertson thread!), 28 Nov 1833, Old Deer. They had eight children.
• Alexander Mitchell, farmer, baptised 5 Sep 1801, Rathen. Died 7 Jan 1891, Bulwark, Old Deer. Married Jane Youngson, 20 Aug 1831, Old Deer. They appear to have had no children.
• George Mitchell, farm labourer/ploughman, baptised 6 Dec 1805, Rathen. Died 19 Jan 1880, in the poor house in New Deer. He married Mary Ferguson, 7 Nov 1829, Old Deer. They had four children.
• Jean/Jane Mitchell, baptised 24 Sep 1807, Rathen. Died after 1891, Aberdeen. She married Robert Harris, 18 Dec 1828, Old Deer. They had nine children.
• Isabella Mitchell, baptised 16 Mar 1811, Rathen. Died 6 Jan 1877, Mosside, Old Deer. She had three illegitimate children, all by different fathers: Anne Harper, born 1841; John Elrick, born 1844 and Isabella Boyd Connon, born 1853.
• Mary Mitchell, born about 1814, Old Deer. She married James Coynach, 22 May 1834, Old Deer. They had four children that I know of, but they disappear completely after the 1841 census, so there may be others.

John Mitchell appears in the 1841 census at Annieswells, Old Deer - aged 85 - with his son George and family, and his daughter Isabella and her daughter, Anne Harper. He appears again in the 1851 census at Craigiehill - aged 100 - with his daughter Isabella and two of her children, Anne Harper and John Elrick. His place of birth is recorded as Tyrie. I’m assuming he didn’t make it to 1855 - at any rate, I can’t find a death record! 

The best guess I have for John’s birth is a John Mitchell, baptised 15 Nov 1757, Tyrie, born to John Mitchell (no mother named) - which would have made him 94 in 1851, rather than 100.

I’m even less certain about Mary Lawrence’s birth, and she must have died before 1841. The marriage record states that both she and John were ‘of this parish’ - which was Rathen, but he clearly wasn’t born in Rathen, and although there are some potential Lawrence’s baptised in Rathen around the right time, none of them are Mary… The closest Mary I can find was born to George Lawrence and Anna Pirie in Old Deer in 1767...

Ruth

[flst]

Did you notice that in Alexander's baptism entry one of the witnesses was a James Lawrence? Like John & Mary, he also lived in Satyrshill. He must surely be related to Mary! Have you looked at all  the baptism records for Alexander's siblings? There may be other family members as witnesses
flst

[Westcoasters]

I am wondering if your Mitchells are related to mine: James Mitchell, farmer from Rathen, who married a Margaret Allardyce.  Parents identified in the death details of their daughter, Margaret, born in 1794 in Rathen, who married a sailor, George Allardyce, probably from Banff. They lived in Peterhead. I have the John who married Mary Lawrence as his brother but I don't recollect where that came from.

[ruthhelen]

It's funny you should resurrect this branch of Mitchells, as I'm in the process of trying to find the connection between 'my' John Mitchell and the Mitchells who farmed at Old What, New Deer - who seemed to hail originally from Tyrie. I've got another branch of the family who connect to the Old What Mitchells via the Bonnykelly Ironsides, but it's getting very convoluted...

My John Mitchell was almost certainly born in Tyrie - and his wife, Mary Laurence/Lawrence was from Rathen. I'm pretty confident she was the daughter of James Lawrence and Mary Cummine. James' brother, John Lawrence, married Susan Cummine - presumably the sister of Mary, although I can't find any other documentary evidence to support that, beyond the original source material ('A Branch of the Aberdeenshire Lawrances' by Robert Murdoch Lawrance, published 1925).

As for John Mitchell, my best guess, based on available baptism records, is that he was the son of John Mitchell of Skilmano (sic) - probably Skelmanae, in the parish of Tyrie - baptised on 15 Nov 1757. This John Mitchell had one other son baptised that I've found so far - William, on 30 Mar 1760, but I know nothing about him.

Ruth

[Westcoasters]

I see a lot of work has been done on the Lawrences of Satyrhill, Rathen, etc.  And also found this, with a James Mitchell and James Lawrence working the same farm.  Is this them?:

Farms in Cairnbulg and Cortes
FARMS TO LET.

THE following FARMS, on the ESTATES of CAIRNBULG and CORTES, being out of Lease at Whitsunday 1813, are to be let in the month of August next, on a day to be afterwards advertised, viz.

ON THE ESTATE OF CAIRNBULG.
The Farm of INVERNORTH, presently possessed by Alex Cowie, containing about  100A  1R  2P
Ditto, LITTLE INVERNORTH, possessed by Alexander Lawrence and William Lee, containing about 45A 0R 0P
Ditto, MILL TOWN FARM of CAIRNBULG, with the Multures of the Mill, as presently possessed by Alexanderson, containing about 45A 0P 22P

ON THE ESTATE OF CORTES
The Farm of REDHOUSE of RATHEN, with the long established and well frequented INN, as lately possessed by the deceased William Murray, containing about 77A 0R 0P
Ditto, the Farm of NETHER CORTES, in the Proprietor's own possesison, containing about 113A 0R 0P
Ditto, FEARNIEBRAE, possessed by James Shirras, containing about 54A 2R 37P
Ditto, SATYRHILLS, possessed by Jas. Lawrence, James Mitchell, and Alexander Smith, containing about 104A 1R 17P