John Stevenson=Agnes Stuart son John

[sjme]

John Stevenson and Agnes Stuart had a son John christened 13 March 1791 in St. Ninian's Stirling. Does anyone know who John married?

I think it may have been Jane (Janet) Berry who a John Stevenson married in St. Ninian's on the 15th of May 1819 but I'm not certain.

If anyone can confirm this marriage I would be most grateful.

sjme

[rosie17]

Hi you won't get much information on the old parish registers... the best thing to do provided he was still living in 1855 would be to try and get his death certificate to see who what information is on it

There is a tree on Ancestry with a death certificate for a John Stevenson widower so no wife mentioned but they have her down as Jane Barry ...This John has his parent's as Robert Stevenson and Janet Grant

Just  seen the proclamation of banns and marriages dated 15 May 1819 parish of St Ninians  on another tree just says John Stevenson and Jane Barry

[NettieS]

There is a marriage for a John Stevenson to a Jane Aiken/Aitken 20th August 1821 in St Ninians showing up on the family search site.


John Stevenson son of Robert Stevenson and Janet Grant shows up as being christened 23rd February 1794 in St Ninians.

[sjme]

Thank you rosie17:

Your info looks promising as the John Stevenson I'm looking for is listed in the 1851 Census as being 57 (born in 1794). What date is on the death certificate you mentioned? The fact that his age is correct in terms of your posting and he did marry a Jane Barry makes it highly probable his parents are Robert Stevenson and Janet Grant rather than James Stevenson and Agnes Stuart.

The only fly in the ointment is that this same John Stevenson is listed in the 1841 Census as being 50 (born in 1791). That's why I was pursuing the John Stevenson born to James Stevenson and Agnes Stuart in 1791.

sjme

[tidybooks]

Hi sjme,

The 1841 census round ages up to the nearest 5.

From scotland Peoples website,

"Enumerators were instructed to round down the ages of persons 15 years and over to the nearest five years. Hence a given age of 28 would be recorded as 25, one of 63 as 60 and so on. If a person lied about their age, this, combined with the rounding down, could severely distort the actual age. You will find instances where enumerators did not adhere to this instruction on age and inserted the given age."

Tom

[sjme]

Hi Tidybooks,

Thank you. Good to know.


sjme

[rosie17]

Hi Sjme ....John Stevenson occupation carter ( widower ) died 12/10/1862 Redding Polmont
father Robert Stevenson ( deceased ) mother Janet Stevenson ( Grant )
Death registered by son Robert Stevenson

[Forfarian]

the John Stevenson I'm looking for is listed in the 1851 Census as being 57 (born in 1794).

What this means is that, assuming he gave his age accurately, he was aged 57 on the day of the census. The census was always taken around the end of March (except in 1841) so anyone born between April and December would not yet have had their birthday in the census year, and would be a year older on 31 December of census year than they were on census day. April to December is three-quarters of the year.

In the case of John Stevenson, whose birthday fell in February, it does give the correct answer. But the general principle is that subtracting the age on census day from the census year will give a wrong answer three times out of four.

[sjme]

Thank you Forfarian, great explanation.

sjme