George Craik or Creak, Tweedmouth

[Pennines]

I am overwhelmed! That is just more great information -- thank you so very much. May I ask how you found that please?

[Pennines]

Aha --- just found that baptism amongst the Non-Conformist Baptisms on Ancestry.

The others aren't there though -- but I will explore that angle --- if George and/or Margaret did have Scottish origins it stands to reason that they may be Presbyterian. Many thanks again.

[jora]

I have transcripts of Presbyterian registers which I did for Berwick Record Office and most of which are now available at Berwick Record Office and at Woodhorn. I also have some marriages, burials and baptisms abstracted from Scottish parishes bordering Northumberland.

We concentrated on transcribing Presbyterian registers because some of them just came to light in recent years. A lot of information is not available online, which is why I keep and eye on this forum in case anyone is up against a brick wall!

[Tickettyboo]

A lot of information is not available online, which is why I keep and eye on this forum in case anyone is up against a brick wall!

and its very much appreciated by us all :-)

Boo

[Tickettyboo]

I had no idea that Durham Wills were available on Family Search.

Pleased its the right will, things like that are the icing on the cake!

In case you have others to find in Northumberland / Durham you can search wills pre 1858 by name here
http://familyrecords.dur.ac.uk/nei/data/simple.php

follow through the screens and the individual results will have a link to the images on Family Search


Boo

[Tickettyboo]

Re your reply about the mysterious baptism records. From what you say then - it is even more peculiar. I know the type of very useful records you mean. I know them as Dade Registers and there were several examples in some of my own parishes in Yorkshire. They are SO useful, but did cause complaints from the clergy who had more recording to do!
I wonder then about those Tweedmouth transcripts. Has an incorrect 'reference number' or something been input thereby bringing up the parish as Tweedmouth, whereas it's really somewhere else. I know that happened on Ancestry with some Lancashire Records from Lancashire Record Office - hence baptisms recorded as - say Langho -- were really somewhere else several miles away (or vice versa, can't remember now).

From what you say - it doesn't sound like they should be Tweedmouth though.

Possible explanation:

From Jora's info, the family were, in the Anglican Vicar's view to be classed as 'Dissenters'. In my limited experience, as the Anglican registers were the 'civil registration' of the time, some non conformist parents requested that , though baptised into a different faith, their children's births be recorded in the Anglican register. In future years they may be required, for whatever reason to give proof of birth (as we would provide a copy birth cert) and at that time an Anglican Parish Register was accepted proof.  A fair few Vicars seem happy to do this (he! he! they probably made a few pennies out of it)
It may well be the case here. It could explain why the births were not on the BTs (as far as the Vicar was concerned they were not of his flock so no point reporting them to the Bishop). It could also explain the lack of the usual detail in the transcription of the Original Parish Register. Why bother writing down all that info if you weren't going to tell the Bishop?

Again, this is me and my usual straw clutching, not writ in stone, but if anyone is going to Woodhorn, NoseyBoo would really like to know if there are any clues in the original entry :-)

Boo

[middlesbrough]

Could this be George?

Newcastle Courant 30th June 1827



On the 16th inst, at Tweedmouth , Mr George Craik, aged 55.

[Pennines]

Yet more great finds for this family. I am so very grateful to everyone.

Jora --- the non-conformist parish register book Ancestry (just in case you don't have access) - is apparantly Baptisms and Marriages for Berwick upon Tweed United Presbyterian, Chapel St - originally called Shaw's Lane Meeting House. Dates covered 1764-1858.
At the front of this book are several pages annotated at the top with 'A Register of Births and Baptisms Misplaced which have taken place some time before Registration.'  This annotation is only on the first few pages.
I didn't see any marriages, but haven't been all the way through it.

Boo -- many thanks for the link to the North East Inheritance Database. I have bookmarked it for possible future reference. I have now seen the several batches of Durham Wills and Probate records on the England page of Family Search - but you have to 'browse' them - they aren't searchable. (Hours of fun!) The direct link will be most useful indeed.
I suspect your thoughts about the Dissenters baptisms in the C of E Church are probably correct - and they may not have been included in the BTs.
I know I have seen them listed in registers as a whole batch together, at the front or back of a Register book.

Middlesbrough The newspaper report for a George Craik dying in 1827, could well be the correct death -- it gives him an approx birth year of 1772 -- consistent with the marriage date of 1797 found by Jora. Thank you for that.

You have all been a great help and uncovered some wonderful information. I am SO appreciative. Thank you very much.

[Pennines]

A few months ago I received some great help from you regarding a Craik family from the Tweedmouth area.

I just thought I would give you some feedback. After completing that research, with your help - and as far as I could - I started on an associated family - and was advised by a kind Rootschatter that Northumberland and Durham Family History Society held several publications which may be helpful for this area. I purchased some, including the M.I.s for Tweedmouth, St Bartholomew Parish Church.

Amazingly there were indeed 2 gravestones for this particular Craik family, (whose baptisms had been so difficult ---and in some cases, impossible to find) in the Churchyard which had legible M.I.s.

One gravestone revealed George Craik (born about 1770) - had several more children than I had discovered. George was buried in the same grave along with his wife Margaret.

In the adjacent grave was his son, Nicholas, Stonemason - with 2 of his children, one of whom I hadn't found when searching for baptisms. Absolute gold-dust.
I am pretty amazed that this grave yard contains SO many legible gravestones for the 1700s and early 1800s. Hence if anyone else has early ancestors from Tweedmouth - the MIs booklet available for purchase from Northumberland and Durham Family History Society is worth buying. By coincidence the M.I.s were done by J & R Stone!

(I know I sound like an advert -but I am not from Northumberland/Durham, nor am I a member of the Society - I was completing this family history for a friend.)

Just a bit of feedback in thanks for all the help I received.

Regards June