This is the story of George Fielding born in Edzell, Forfarshire in 1788 to Alexander Fielding and Janet Henry
or is it?George's sister Margaret is my 3xs great grandmother and in a last ditch attempt to discover more about her parents I'm trying to follow through on her siblings to see if their stories offer any clues. What follows is about a man I found on the 1841 census living in Edinburgh. This story is now so convoluted I'm beginning to think I've entered into the land of fiction. I'll try and summarize....
In 1841 living at 33 College Wynd, Edinburgh is a Mrs Angus age 60 (furnished lodgings), Charlotte Smith age 30, dressmaker and George Fielding age 45, bookseller. Both Mrs Angus and George are showing born outside census county.
At the same time in the Seagate, Dundee there's an Ann Low age 65, a George Low age 7 and a David Fielding age 30, printer - they are all showing born Angus.
Ten years on and George Fielding is living at 10 West Bow, Edinburgh age 60, bookseller, born Forfarshire, he's still with Charlotte Smith age 44 listed as a lodger with her occupation given as dressmaker mistress. Also with them is a 16 year old George Orr, grandson. I can't find Ann Low and I'm pretty sure David Fielding (still single and a printer) has decamped to England.
I found an 1809 August marriage in Brechin for a George Fielding and an Ann Lowe no clues on the OPR except they were both of the parish. There looks to be two children born to this couple a David Fielding who comes along very shortly after the marriage in late December of 1809 and a Maria born in August 1815. David was born in Brechin (I don't have his OPR) but it turned out Maria was born in Cannongate, Edinburgh. From that OPR Maria's father George Fielding is listed as a mason.
I thought the George with Ann Low in 41 and the one with George Fielding in 51 might be one in the same person. I was guessing he was the illegitimate son of Maria Fielding. On his marriage certificate he lists his parents as George Fielding (house painter) and Maria Orr then at his death it's George Fielding and Maria Fielding so I'm pretty convinced he was Maria's illegitimate son.
So, I now know George the bookseller was once a mason, married to Ann Low living in Angus if not Edzell and born about the right time to be the son of Alexander and Janet perhaps I had found Margaret's brother.
Knowing he had once been a mason I googled 'George Fielding, mason, Slateford' (old name for Edzell) and found this!
http://genegenie-scotland.blogspot.fr/2013/06/george-fielding-slateford-brechin.htmlNeedless to say the next thing I did was find the original article to confirm the story.
So do I have the son of Alexander and Janet or have I just woven together a tale that makes it look that way? Maybe I've just really keen to have a relative who wore velveteen breeches!
Jen
PS I still have to follow through on this birth
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYJS-LQZ