May/Mary Reid possibly Dundee, connected to the Wright family 1800s

[Scottleneveu]

Hello all,

Does anybody have any information on a May or possibly a Mary Reid? I thin that she would've been born around 1800, possibly in Dundee. I can't find a birth for her though to purchase a birth certificate!

I do know that she married a man by the name of Robert Wright in Dundee, 22nd of December 1822.

I've put a post on here before about Robert and various members of his family and his children with May but I want to try and concentrate on May/Mary this time as I can't seem to find anything on my own and I don't know how to do the searches that people seem to do for me on here!

Any information would be greatly appreciated,

All the best

[luciacw]

Hello Scottleneveu,

Is this them on the 1841 census?

Address: Peddie's Square, Dundee
Robert Wright, Linen Weaver, 40, born Angus
Mary Wright, 40, born Angus
Robert Wright, 12, Rope maker apprentice, born Angus
Thomas Wright, 10, born Angus
David Wright, 6, born Angus
Benjamin Wright, 4, born Angus

I may be taking a leap here but there are some Wrights from Ireland in Dundee. Wright burials in The Howff cemetery (FDCA Index), Dundee for children of Robert Wright, Weaver:

John Wright, died 1838, aged 3 years and 10 months
Catherine Wright, died 1840, aged 5 months
Ann Wright, died 1847, aged 5 years, born in Armagh, Ireland
Isabella Wright, died 1847, aged 18 months, born in Armagh, Ireland

Note: on one entry the address of Robert Wright is recorded as Henderson's Wynd, Scouringburn.

And the following on the 1851 census:

1851 Census
Address: Henderson's Wynd, Dundee
Robert Wright, born c.1803 in Armagh, Weaver, Lodger
Mayt Wright, born c.1811 in Armagh, Lodger
Rachel Wright, born c.1835 in Armagh, Lodger
James Wright, born c.1808 in Armagh, Weaver, Lodger
Thomas Wright, born c.1841 in Armagh, Lodger

The full entry shows them lodging with three other families.

This Irish Mary was in the poor house/lunatic asylum in 1861-1871. I realise this Mary doesn't seem like the right one she would have to have been 11 when she married!

Do you have information on her death/burial? Perhaps this could shed new light on her parentage. I searched statutory deaths on ScotlandsPeople for Mary Wright with 'reid' in other surname box and county Angus. I don't have enough credits to view results but by playing with the search, this Mary seems to have been recorded as having been born in 1815 and died in 1892. The death is registered in Arbirlot. It could be the same Mary but could also be barking up the wrong tree!

Hope I start off some replies for you.
- Lu

[Scottleneveu]

Hello and thank you for your reply

I don't know if the Wright family that I'm researching came from Ireland as it's all new to me. David Wright who was born 1837 in Dundee, was my 4th great grandfather and he married a lady by the name of Helen Allison. Together they had my 3rd great grandmother, Clementina Wright who was born 1859 in St Cyrus....

Anything after them is all new information so they could well of been from Ireland, I'd like to see if you are right as it could most definetly be a possibility.

Thank you again,

Scott

[ev]

Hi Scott ,

Do you have the marriage certificate of David Wright and Helen Alison ?
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XT5B-KBH

Does that state that his parents are deceased ?

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=716009.msg5596458#msg5596458



ev

[luciacw]

Another possibility

1851 Census
8 Bellfield Lane, Dundee
George Souter, 49, Head, born Dundee, Baker
Clementina Souter, 48, Wife, born Dundee, Wender
David Wright, 14, Nephew, born Dundee, Millworker

This provides more clues to David's family. A quick check through marriage registers proves the link between the Wright and Souter families.

The marriage of George Souter and Clementina Wright took place on 16 May 1846 (Familysearch data).

David's aunt Clementina Wright

Baptism for Clementina Wright
Source: FreeReg
Place: Dundee
Date: 12 Dec 1802
Date of birth: 7 Dec 1802
Father: John Wright, Weaver
Mother: Elizabeth Henderson
Witness: Clementina Burns

Therefore, since Clementina is David's aunt, David's paternal grandparents were John Wright and Elizabeth Henderson. This takes us back another generation to the late eighteenth century.

David's grandparents and more of their children

Further children of John Wright and Elizabeth Henderson (from FreeReg)

Robert Wright (born 29 Dec 1796). Notes: uncle Robert Henderson witnessed his baptism
James Wright (born 15 Oct 1801). Notes: uncle James Wright witnessed his baptism

Date of their marriage (Familysearch data): 15 June 1796 in Dundee.

David's grandfather, John Wright

If we make the assumption that he was born in Dundee, there are a couple of possibilities on familysearch that fit his age - John Wright, born 21 Oct 1770 and John Wright, born 9 Jul 1778.

We know he had a brother called James Wright as he is named as a witness for one of his children's christenings. The christening entry for a James Wright with the same set of parents as John Wright is 6 Feb 1765 in Dundee. This takes the tree back to what is possibly David's great grandparents, James Wright and Catherine Lowrie. &so on

There is no sign of John on the census so perhaps he died before 1841.

David's grandfather, Elizabeth Henderson

Elizabeth Henderson had a brother called Robert Henderson who attended the baptism of one of her children. Elizabeth was probably also born in the 1760s-1770s. I haven't come up with anything for her baptism as yet as there are a few possibilities. Haven't come up with anything as to when she died yet.

So, to summarise:


David is living with his aunt Clementina Wright and her husband George Souter on the 1851 census. Clementina was born c.1802 and her baptism states that her parents were John Wright, Weaver, and Elizabeth Henderson.

So Robert Wright had at least two siblings: Clementina and James. They were all born in Dundee between 1796 and 1801.

John Wright married Elizabeth Henderson on 15 June 1796 in Dundee. John Wright had a brother called James Wright - James Wright and Catherine Lowrie are likely to be their parents. John Wright was probably born in 1770.

Sorry I realised I've gone off on tangent. We probably know enough about Wrights. Hopefully we can find something on Mary Reid.

[Scottleneveu]

Hello again and sorry for my delayed reply

No please don't apologise, all this information is absolutely amazing! Thank you so so much. You've given me so much to look at and to work with.

I'm so pleased, I can't say thank you enough

All the best,

Scott

[Scottleneveu]

Hello,

I was just going over these notes again and I forgot to mention that no, I haven't found a death or burial for May/Mary as of yet.

I'm presuming that Mary and Robert passed away young and that's why David was living with Clementina, his aunt and the Soutar gentleman.

Perhaps you're right and there is some kind of 'Irish' connection and that's why nothing can be found?

All the best

Scott

[luciacw]

I like trying to solve the family history mysteries . If they had siblings who lived past 1855 then we could find their deaths and check death certificates for information on the parents.

We know Robert had at least two siblings- James Wright (born 1801) and Clementina, who became Clementina Souter (born 1802). Clementina and George Soutar also appear on the 1861 census living at St Cyrus running a Baker's Shop. So there will definitely be a death certificate for Clementina after 1855 which will give her's and Robert Wright's parents. It seems Clementina died between 1861 and 1871 as George Soutar is back living with their son's family in 1871. Also a search for Wright deaths in Angus with mother's maiden surname 'Henderson' between 1855 and 1901 brings up 3 results - possibly Robert's sibings?

I've come across some Mary Reid christenings in Dundee around the same time as Robert's birth in 1796:

Mary Reid, born 19 June 1797, d/o Andrew Reid and Isabel Whyte
Mary Reid, born 5 July 1800, d/o Thomas Reid and Janet Mackenzie
Mary Reid, born 27 March 1801, d/o Alexander Reid and Mary MacDonald
Mary Reid, born 3 November 1805, d/o Alexander Reid and Mary Morison

Hopefully can eliminate some of those with some more info. Have you seen the original marriage entry? If so, does it give any further information on Mary's parents?

You could also look up marriages for all of Robert Wright and Mary Reid's children. At least this would give an indication of whether they were alive at points when their children married. If the census data I found is the right Robert and Mary/May then they were alive in 1851. There is a Mary Reid/Wright died in 1892, buried at Arbroath Abbey but not sure whether this would be the right one. Do you know where David and Helen are buried?

- Lu

[Scottleneveu]

Hello again

I will try some of these things that you have mentioned.

As for knowing where David and Helen died, I'm not sure of this but I think that it could've been around St Cyrus. I think this because Helen was born in St Cyrus and that's where their daughter Clementina was born in 1859, but this could be wrong I don't know.

I have various notes and certificates that people have given me or that I've purchased myself along the way but they seem to of been misplaced in a recent house moving so I can't tell you what I know for definite at the moment :/

All the best and thank you

Scott