Hi, I am wanting to connect with anyone who is connected or has any info what so ever on the Welsh family from Hawick, My two times grandfather was Robert Ballantyne Welsh, (Grocer-Confectioner),who infact married three times.I hail from his second wife Margaret Chisholm who gave birth to my grandfather Robert Welsh who then fathered my father Walter Thomas Heriot Welsh.My father and mother migrated to Australia in 1959. Both are deceased my father dying at the cruel age of 45 in 1968 only ten years after we all migrated.My fathers brother Robert Welsh was our only link and he died in 1977 having never married. I am desperate for any info what so ever and if anyone would have photos that would be unbelievable. Regards To All Fellow Searcher
Hi. I was about to call it a day and give up on email and genealogy forums for tonight, then I checked Rootschat one last time and saw your posts. Absolutely amazing! I have far more info about our mutual Welsh ancestors than I can put into one post, so I'll need to contact you privately.
Briefly, just to give you a taste, your Thomas Welsh (b.1807) had an older brother called Christopher (b.1800) and an older sister called Martha (b.1803). In the past I've corresponded with direct descendants of both Christopher and Thomas, but unfortunately both persons are now dead. The descendant of Christopher was depute rector (deputy headmaster) of a secondary school in Edinburgh, and the descendant of Thomas was a customs officer, among other things, in England. The sister of Christopher and Thomas, Martha Welsh, was my 3 x great-grandmother. There was also a sister called Agnes but I don't know any more about her.
The parents of the four children were Thomas Welsh and Jean Ballantyne, who were married in Glasgow in 1795. Thomas was then a soldier in the 7th Regiment of Fencibles, also known as the Southern or Hopetoun Fencibles, who were stationed in Glasgow. The regiment had been raised at Linlithgow in 1793 by the Earl of Hopetoun. Jean Ballantyne was a "residenter" or resident of Glasgow, and I believe she was born there. I believe Thomas Welsh was born in the parish of Castleton in Roxburghshire, and after being demobbed from the army he became coachman to a gentleman called Gilbert Chisholm Esq. in Wilton, Hawick. Thereby hangs a tale! I know a lot about Thomas Welsh from the Wanted notices about him printed in the Edinburgh Courant and Kelso Mail in July 1808, when the procurator fiscal's office in Hawick was taking a keen interest in his whereabouts.
Your distant cousin who was descended like you from Thomas Welsh (b.1807) was an enterprising individual who managed to contact quite a few relatives and they actually started up a little newsletter, purely for descendants of this Thomas Welsh. This had been going on for some time before I came on the scene, and they kindly sent me some copies of their newsletter. One of them has a photo of Robert Welsh the confectioner, which I'll scan for you. This will give me something to do tomorrow!
I look forward to hearing from you, either on this forum or by PM.
Harry (in Edinburgh)
