Mary Harkinson (born 1822 Scotland), (re?)married in Co. Durham 1851

[dtcoulson]

Answered my own question, with the ever-helpful website Family-Search.

In both cases, the bride's name was not Mary.

So, Looby, I can believe that these two are brother and sister (or unrelated).
However it is strange that there are no traces of these people in earlier times,
in Durham or Scotland.

-DC

[loobylooayr]

Hi DC-

This family in 1841 caught my eye - they are living at Orr Street, Barony, Lanarkshire. Barony in case you don't know was an area/parish in Glasgow.
HARKINSON   John   M   40   Gardiner    Ireland       
HARKINSON   Euphemia   F   45       Lanarkshire       
HARKINSON   Agnes   F   20   Power Loom Weaver    Lanarkshire       
HARKINSON   William   M   20   Carter    Lanarkshire       
HARKINSON   John   M   15   Agricultural Labourer    Outside Census County (1841)    Entry crossed out   
HARKINSON   Marion   F   15   Cotton Power Loom Weaver    Outside Census County (1841)       
HARKINSON   Thomas   M   14       Outside  Census County.

Marion Harkinson was according to the Census born outside Lanarkshire. However the christening record for her which I gave you earlier
 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X15K-5SQ
has her born in Hamilton Lanarkshire.
I also wonder if this record has been mistranscribed  - Maney could be Marey ??

Looby

[loobylooayr]

Trying to find these people on the 1851 Census but no joy so far.
However I'm unsure if the William on this Census is the William in County Durham
There is a birth in Bridgeton Glasgow in 1860 of a Euphemia Harkison to a William Harkison and Margaret Kerr. Most likely this is the William on the 1841 naming a daughter after his mother.

[loobylooayr]

On closer examination DC, I do not think that the Glasgow 1841 Harkinson family is the William or Mary of 1851 County Durham.
Wild goose chase I fear 

[dtcoulson]

This is a family I found in 1841 that I thought was a 'fair' match.
However there is so little data that it is impossible to be sure:

Gorbals, Lanarkshire, Scotland   1851 census   
-------------------------------------------------------
Last name   First name   Born
--------------------------------
Harkinson   Catherine   1789  (age 52)
Harkinson   John           1791  (50)
Harkinson   Janet           1829  (12)
Harkinson   Susanna   1836  (5)
with...
Hannah   Mary           1791
Hannah   Patrick   1795
Whitelaw   John           1794
Whitelaw   William   1836
Craig          Mary           1811
Craig          William   1813
Wright     Thomas   1814
McTaggart   James   1829
Estworth          Margaret           1845

I don't know what the presence of all the other people implies.

Our William and Mary would be 18 and 15, respectively.
That's too young, I think, for them to have left home,
so I am not convinced even now that this is the correct family.



I have seen the family you mentioned,
John Harkinson (wife Euphemia Kerr) father of William born 1820, living in Ruthergen,
which is only 2 miles from Gorbals.

The age for William does not match.
(1841 census rounds age down rather than up).


Harkinson seems to be a very rare name.
It's not just that Mary Harkinson is hard to find, ALL Harkinsons seem to be hard to find.

-DC

[dtcoulson]

I could be clutching at straws here, but it occurred to me that Harkinson might have been mis-transcribed as Parkinson. Turns out that there is a family of Parkinsons in Wolsingham in 1841,headed by John Parkinson (b. 1791).  I need to look more closely...

-DC

[loobylooayr]

The age for William does not match.
(1841 census rounds age down rather than up).


Yes, ages were supposed to round down rather than up but in my experience that didn't always happen. People made mistakes. Or forgot what age a family member was!  However I don't think that family headed by John & Euphemia are the parents of either William Harkinson or Mary Harkinson. I think we also have to remember that it could just be a co-incidence that 2 Scottish Harkinsons are in County Durham. They might not be siblings .

The other Harkinson family from the 1851 Census - they are visitors to the household of Patrick and Mary Hannah. The other people are recorded as lodgers.
John is Irish. Catherine and daughter Janet were born in Renfrewshire Paisley, daughter Susannah was born in Glasgow. Not sure about them either 

William at 18 and Mary at 15 in 1841 could have been out in the world on their own.  Youngsters of that age could be "in service" working as servants either in a house or on a farm. Young men could be living out as apprentices  - lodging with others.

Your Harkinsons are hiding well . Like the Parkinson theory  - let me know if you uncover anything.

Looby

[dtcoulson]

Parkinson theory:

I did a pretty thorough search across the relevant regions (Lanarkshire, Weardale and nearby) and found nothing consistent with the clues we have.

There are plenty of Parkinsons in Durham, by the way.

I'm prepared to call this the end of the search, with the question unresolved,
unless you have more to add.

-DC

[loobylooayr]

A pity that we've not uncovered anything 

Mary seems to be on the English Census right up to 1891. Do you have her death cert? I'm not sure what information is on an English death certificate/record Just wondering if it may yield a clue to her parentage? But of course maybe you already have that and it doesn't

Only other thing I can say is that perhaps her name was indeed picked up wrongly and therefore spelt wrong on her marriage record when she first "pops up" in 1851. Maybe she was a Harkins or Harkness??
Never give up.....maybe something else will come along (or someone else  ) and shed light on this. It just might take some time  !

Good luck !

Looby