James Currie Draffan Consett/Blackhill 1890

[Malcolm33]

    My Great grandfather James Currie Draffan was born 166 years ago, today in Lanarkshire. By the early 1870's he had moved to Consett and then married Jane Robson in July 1872.    Jane died in 1883 and as far as I knew until just moments ago he didn't remarry until the Sep qtr of 1892 to a Rosetta Allen nee Hoskins.
    The 1891 census shows him as a Widower
    I have just stumbled on this FreeBMD entry:
Marriages Mar 1890   
________________________________________
Dixon    Thomas        Lanchester
 10a   375

Draffan    James         Lanchester
 10a   375

Gladders    Elizabeth Ann         Lanchester
 10a   375

Heslop    Mary         Lanchester
 10a   375

     As far as I know and can tell there was no other James Draffan in County Durham at this time and of course we cannot see from this entry who married who.    I can only wonder if there was an annulment - there are no Draffan deaths in FreeBMD for the intervening period.
     So to narrow the search can anyone tell from the 1891 census just who Thomas Dixon married - was it Elizabeth or Mary?

[CaroleW]

If you look at freebmd - there was a James Draffan marriage in Lanchester in 1884 to Ann E Montgomery or Millsop - Ann was previously married

In 1890 he married Mary Heslop

http://gro.durham.gov.uk/pgPublicDetail.aspx

http://gro.durham.gov.uk/pgPublicDetail.aspx

[Malcolm33]

    Many thanks Carole.    Sounds so much as if there must have been another James Draffan somewhere outside of Scotland.    But now we know that it was Mary Heslop that should help.
   Malcolm

[Malcolm33]

    Well, I never.    Was always under the impression that Great Grandad James Draffan only married the twice, but now it seems he hardly stayed single at all.

    What I have just discovered is that Robert Millsop and his wife Ann (nee Montgomery) were living at 10 Armstrong Street, Benfieldside in 1881.     At that same time James and his first wife Jane Robson were living with their family including my grandad at 72 Durham Road, Benfieldside which according to my 1895 map of Blackhill was 895 yards from Armstrong Street which has now gone.    Robert Millsop died in 1882 and Jane Draffan nee Robson died in 1883.   Then a James Draffan married an Ann Millsop in 1884 - so surely it must be him?
    Next a James Draffan married Mary heslop in 1890 and then I know that Gt.grandad James married Rosetta Allen in 1892
     I cannot find any death for either an Ann Draffan or a Mary Draffan in Durham or come to that the death of any Draffan in England from 1884 to 1892.

[CaroleW]

The death of Ann puzzled me as well.  I tried a wildcard search and the only one I could find in Lanchester or anywhere else was Sarah Ann aged 28 died 1896

Ann Millsop was 25 in 1881 and she was Ann Eliza so cannot be the 1896 death

Marriages June qtr 1876 
Robert Millsop Lanchester    10a   470    
Ann Eliza Montgomery 

[middlesbrough]

Newspaper article from the Northern Echo 13 January, 1885

DOMESTIC INFELICITY
James Draffin, a respectable looking person, foreman under the Consett Iron Company, was charged with assaulting his wife, Eliza, at Blackhill, on the Monday previous,- Prosecutrix is a young woman of somewhat prepossessing appearance, but her face was disfigured with a black eye. She was a widow and was the defendant's second wife, having only been married to him for about five weeks. Draffin possessed five children, of ages ranging from eleven to three years. A short while ago prosecutrix was confined in a lunatic asylum when residing with her parents in Scotland, and, consequently she is eccentric in some of her actions. Draffin began to suspect that his wife was not sane, and said she ought to be sent to Sedgefield Asylum. Prosecutrix picked up a knife and threatened the defendant. Being thus provoked, Draffin thrashed his wife so severely that the blood oozed out of her nose and mouth. He was fined 1 pound and 12s costs.

So he definitely married in 1885 but could it have been in Scotland?

[middlesbrough]

Sorry, that must be the 1884 marriage

[CaroleW]

I had checked SP for a death for Ann Eliza as the 1881 showed she was b Scotland but nothing showed on a wildcard search.  I also wondered if she died in Scotland as Millsop or Montgomery

Couldn't find an entry as Millsop but there is an Ann Montgomery death in 1884 matching her birthyear (+- 1yr)  which you can discount in view of the article above as she was clearly still alive in 1885

[Malcolm33]

  Just as I clicked on 'Reply' I looked at the time and it is 5.33am.   This is so significant at this very moment.   Ah, it has changed now 5.34.    I get '33' all the time day and night and it usually pops up at a moment of truth or as confirmation of something I have been doing, or at the end of a long drive.  It is everywhere on all the tanks in every news report, even landing craft with the exception of the Russian invasion of Georgia.
    But I have to thank you both so much for what you have found.   Another odd thing has happened.   Yesterday I emailed my Draffan cousins and selected their addresses so carefully.   Yet I have just received a reply from a quite well known and respected Durham and Northumberland Genealogist.    Somehow I must have selected his address and yet didn't see it when I checked over the names I was sending to.    He has suggested I go for the various marriage certificates and I can see that he is right.  So must do that.
     I have been studying more and more of quantum mechanics and so much is becoming clear and explaining the mysterious coincidences and foresights I've experienced at odd times in my lifetime.
     But that's all another story.
     One thing that is bothering me now is that the anger flaring up as told in the Northern Echo Jan 1885 did happen again when James's youngest son George Draffan killed his wife in Stockton in April 1932.    It all happened in the heat of an argument over her indfidelity and he got 6 years for manslaughter - out after 4 years - mainly because as we see from the news reports all the sympathy was with George.    Having read The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton Ph.D. recently I know that we are not fashioned by genes but by environmental conditions.    Both James Draffan and his son George lost their mothers when only about 3 or 4 years old and that could have had a lot to do with their anger management.
     From what I have gleaned this anger was not in their nature - in George's case judging by the people who spoke up for him in court.   In James's case from what Grandad taught his family.
     I am still learning and thanks again for your help.   Malcolm