Author Topic: Isaac Robertson - born Kilrenny or Whitehaven  (Read 10667 times)

Offline MonicaL

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Re: Isaac Robertson - born Kilrenny or Whitehaven
« Reply #18 on: Sunday 09 October 16 11:16 BST (UK) »
Anne, unfortunately, not seeing how you are connecting Isaac to Scotland at this stage, except by marriage  :-\

There are clear references from his Scottish life to his birthplace in Whitehaven. There are also sources to his life in Whitehaven from the 1841 census to all the material William has sourced.

Have you viewed his marriage or death certificates? These should include full details on his parents' names including mother's details. Sometimes informants to a death did not know the full details but his marriage cert will reflect the information he gave himself in respect of his parents including his mother's maiden name.

The marriage cert will also let you check whethr Elizabeth Dick showed as widowed or a spinster. Again, given the birth entries on the FS index that William has mentioned, the two Scott children's births were registered under the mother's maiden name. This indicates that their births were illegitimate. Quite common for illigitimate children to go by the surname of the reputed father in later years.

With Harry's details, you certainly have plently of history there for Elizabeth's side of the family  :)

Monica
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Offline hdw

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Re: Isaac Robertson - born Kilrenny or Whitehaven
« Reply #19 on: Sunday 09 October 16 17:19 BST (UK) »
Got them at last, John Dick and Elizabeth Davidson were married on June 14th 1812 at Inverness. John was a soldier in the 93rd Regiment of Foot. I'm a bit surprised by that as those men were mainly natives of Sutherland, but I suppose he could have been transferred from another regiment.

The 93rd formed the famous "thin red line" at the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, when the Light Brigade made its disastrous charge, as Tennyson tells us.

Harry

Offline hdw

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Re: Isaac Robertson - born Kilrenny or Whitehaven
« Reply #20 on: Sunday 09 October 16 17:22 BST (UK) »
I tried to attach the John Dick/EDavidson marriage-certificate but was told it was too large, so I've compressed it.

Harry


Offline surfingpiglet

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Re: Isaac Robertson - born Kilrenny or Whitehaven
« Reply #21 on: Tuesday 18 October 16 09:57 BST (UK) »
I've followed up all the leads on here - so grateful.  But a real shocker to find that as Isaac was a Robinson not a Robertson !!!    So we all have the wrong surname!  Possibly hundreds of us by now if his brothers got it wrong too.  Checked though and we are still connected with Clan Donnachaidh, so I suppose that's not such bad news. 
I'm pleased that I can now carry on with my research.  This lack of evidence has stumped all of us since my Dad started researching his family in the 1970s with Microfiche Records at Markinch.

I'll need to have a family meeting now with my cousins and break the news.  Two male cousins are very proud of their Robertson Ancestry.


Offline Millmoor

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Re: Isaac Robertson - born Kilrenny or Whitehaven
« Reply #22 on: Tuesday 18 October 16 10:22 BST (UK) »
Thanks for the update and glad that your research is " back on track". Have to say that in my own family when you put 19th century illegitimacy into the mix,  both my parents surnames and, therefore my own, could have been completely different!

William
Dent (Haltwhistle and Sacriston), Bell and Jetson (Haltwhistle), Postle, Ward, Longstaff, Purvis, Manners, Parnaby and Hardy (Co. Durham), Kennedy and McRobert (Banffshire), Reid(Bathgate), Watson (Wemyss), Graham (Libberton), Sandilands (Carmichael), Munro (Dingwall)

Offline hdw

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Re: Isaac Robertson - born Kilrenny or Whitehaven
« Reply #23 on: Tuesday 18 October 16 19:17 BST (UK) »
A lot of people are going about with names different from those of their ancestors. I had ancestors in the Borders called Familton. Very unusual now, although I believe there are some in New Zealand. And I know of one individual called Hamilton who has documentary evidence that his ancestors changed their name from Familton to Hamilton, presumably because they were fed-up with people getting it wrong.

Robert Burns's ancestors came from the north-east of Scotland and were originally called Burness. Robert and his brother Gilbert waited till their father was dead, I believe, before changing their name to the Burns spelling that was commoner in Ayrshire.

I had ancestors in St. Andrews called Burns, but if you go back a few hundred years in the St. Andrews records, the name was Burn!

Harry

Offline surfingpiglet

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Re: Isaac Robertson - born Kilrenny or Whitehaven
« Reply #24 on: Tuesday 18 October 16 19:45 BST (UK) »
One last query. 

I posted a photo of Isaac, which my Grandfather (his son) James Dick Robertson kept in his wallet.  I am wondering if anyone else has any photos of Isaac or Elizabeth - his parents Dinah & John - or indeed any of the other elders in the tree ? Or more information about them - to make them more than just names and numbers.

I have photos of Isaac's sons, James and William, also James's wife and 4 son ( my Grandparents ) and their 4 sons.  Also a photo of the four sons with William's son Jack when he visited Scotland in the early 1960s.  That branch emigrated to Western Australia and I am in touch with one of them. Also I have recently found a descendant of George Scott and am going to follow that up.  I do remember Scotts visiting my grandparents when I was young. It is a wonderful way of making new friends as well as finding out about the wider family and we are sharing the information & photos we have.  Thanks once again.

Offline surfingpiglet

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Re: Isaac Robertson - born Kilrenny or Whitehaven
« Reply #25 on: Wednesday 19 October 16 17:18 BST (UK) »
In case it is of interest I have attached a photo of my Grandparents, James Dick Robertson - son of Isaac Robertson - with his wife Jemima (Bell).

Offline MonicaL

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Re: Isaac Robertson - born Kilrenny or Whitehaven
« Reply #26 on: Wednesday 19 October 16 21:17 BST (UK) »
Always great to put photos to names  :) Thank you for posting!

Monica
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