Todd and Buchanan mystery in Glasgow

[scritsal]

Wow, thanks for all your input. I hand't expected so much interest. Apologies for the typo regarding Margaret/Mary Buchanan. The 3 children of Charles Todd and Mary Buchanan are:
Margaret Buchanan born 22.4.1822 Lanarkshire, married Colonel Sir David Davidson on 2.9.1849 in Kelso, died 12.11.1899 Edinburgh.
Mary Buchanan born 1828/1829 (estimated from census records) Lanarkshire,married William Middlemass 27.111848 London, died 21.1.1927 Hampstead.
David Buchanan born 16.1.1830 Edinburgh, married Anna Wyndham Penruddocke 29.9.1853 Pewsey, died 30.5.1900 Rugby.
My g-grandparents were Godfrey Critchley-Salmonson and Caroline Middlemass. Caroline was born  26.12.1852 at Monkrigg, Haddington. She was the daughter of William Middlemass and Mary Buchanan. William was born 4.2.1808 at Dunbar ( the son of the Provost of Dunbar Christopher Middlemass)
George Dalziel WS appears to have dealt with all the legal matters of both the Middle mass and Todd families. He is an executer in all the family wills. The records of Cambridge University show David Buchanan as the ward of George Dalziel..
David and Anna had 11children - the first 4 (up to 1847) were born at Bragburgh Hall, Northants, the rest at Northfield House, Rugby.
I have not been able to find any of the birth or baptism records for Margaret, Mary or David - nor any 1841 census (apart from David who was at Rugby School in 1841).
Charles Todd had a number of siblings. One of these was a sister named Arthur! She appears to have acted as some sort of guardian. she was witness at their marriages, and in fact David's wedding certificate shows him living at her house Broomlands, Kelso. When Arthur died in 1862, she also left a considerable amount of money to her three neices, this time also naming their respective spouces in the will.
Hope this gives you something to go on. I have much more information which I will post later including more details of the Glasgow Herald article!

[Susanne Buchanan]

Hello Scritsal
What a surprise. Margaret Buchanan was my husband's  3xgGrandmother. David the cricketer's son David Penruddock came to NZ via Australia and we are 3rd generation farmers of his original land.
We have limited knowledge of "the mystery" but apparentally Margaret was a mill girl and had her first child at approx 12 or 13!! She was from  Bridge on Allen and known locally as Mrs Todd. She is on the 1841 census with David in Edinburgh. Arthur brought the girls up to give them a better chance in society and they were educated at Henley on Thames. Margaret married a minister after Charles's death from scarlett fever in Paris. There is a headstone in Dean Cemetery Edinburgh for Margaret Buchanan and Thomas Calderwood. We were told Charles would be disinherited if he married Margaret. Jean Davidson came to NZ in late 60's and left written knowledge of what she knew of "the mystery". Hopefully we will find out where Margaret ended her days.

[scritsal]

Hi Susanne, I am so pleased to hear from you. I have been struggling with the Buchanan "mystery" for years, and you have answered so many questions already! I would be thrilled to learn anything more that you can tell me about your husband's family. As you can see from my earlier posts, I have so much information on Charles Todd and his family, but could never get any further back than Margaret Buchanan. Was the Jean Davidson that you mention a descendant of Col Sir David Davidson and his wife Margaret Buchanan? Do you know if her notes are available on line anywhere? Do you have an on-line family tree yourself? My tree can be found on Ancestry - the tree name is SCC241~1. I think you should be able to view it. The newspaper article about Charles's embalming has always fascinated me!! Are you still researching your husband's family? If so, I would be delighted to share any information that I find with the new information that you have provided. Hope to hear from you soon.  Simon

[Susanne Buchanan]

Hello Simon, I too am delighted to find a "Margaret mystery" distant cousin. I have been looking for Margaret for aprox 3 years along with a genealogist friend . I am a complete novice and only by luck I found this site. Answers to questions: Yes Jean Davidson was a descendant of Sir David Davidson and   I will get her notes retyped to send to you and are not on line.No we have no family tree online. Google The Carlyle Letters to read about Sir David Davidson's friendship with Jane Carlyle and some interesting facts about him. Yes still researching and I won't rest until we find Margaret's resting place.
We thought Charles Todd was buried in Paris due to the scarlett fever and I would have thought he would have been embalmed in Paris due to infection control. My friend Barb thinks Margaret maybe from Campsie near Stirling and that Margaret and Charles set up house in Bridge of Allan. If we find her marriage certificate to the minister we will get her father's name. It seemed strange that the headstone in Dean Cemetery had a maiden name; of course if that is her!! We have very little information about Charles Todd. Thank you for your family tree information. I am not on ancestry       at present but Barb will print it off for me. It will be a pleasure to share information with you too.
I think I have a photograph of Caroline Middlemass and what a beautiful young woman she was.
Well Simon that's all for now. I am happy for RootsChat to release my email to you if that is allowed. Margaret is very elusive but we WILL find her. Susanne

[scritsal]

Hi Susanne, I've been doing a bit of digging. I have found a marriage entry for Thomas Calderwood and Margaret Buchanan on 11th Oct 1840 at St. Andrews Church, Edinburgh. Thomas' occupation is given as a "wright" living at 7 North Saint David Street, Edinburgh, while Margaret was living at 29 George St, Edinburgh. Her father's name is given as JAMES (deceased). This would appear to be our descendants - I can't find any other Calderwood/Buchanan marriages anywhere. I have also come across a death entry for Thomas Calderwood in June 1848 at 6 North Saint Andrews Street, Edinburgh age 51 (cabinet maker) - this matches the grave in Dean Cemetery. They are both listed in the 1841 census at Rose St., Edinburgh, although as you say Margaret also appears to be listed with David at another address - was she registered twice. This is throwing up more questions than answers!! I have also managed to get a copy of the will of "Margaret Buchanan or Calderwood straw hat maker and milliner of North St Andrew St, Edinburgh" who died 11th Nov 1848 - just a few months after Thomas. The will gives details of her sister Catharine (spouse of George Ross) and brothers James and William, so it looks like we are getting somewhere, but there is still a lot of digging to do! I believe that in Scots law, a wife does not legally take her husbands name (although they normally are known as Mrs ***) this would explain the gravestone. I have many documents that I could send you, but think this is easier by e-mail, however I understand that after 3 posts, we can exchange personal messages! If you reply to this, I will send a PM with my contact details on. Hope to hear from you soon.

[Susanne Buchanan]

Hello Simon, Barb has come up with the same details except the wills. Our delight was tempered with sadness with Margaret's early death after finding a "legal husband" and we feel they may have died from the cholera/fever epidemic at that time. Margaret likely infected from nursing Thomas and hence the few months between their deaths. New cemeteries were opened to cope with numbers one of which was Deans. No vicar as per Jean Davidson's notes. But as Chinese whispers happen one of his family may have been ordained. The Calderwood family have many Presbyterian ministers back to the 15th Century. You have done so well Simon. You asked re my husband Ross's family and David Penruddocke married Marianne Mein born Channel Is and of St Andrew Devon in NZ in 1887. David knew her from Warwickshie through Lady Warwick and we are on the Plantaganet roll through Anna Wyndham his mother.( but nobody is very impressed by that!) Marianne died in1898.

[Forfarian]

 

It seemed strange that the headstone in Dean Cemetery had a maiden name

That is normal practice in Scotland. Headstones without a married woman's maiden surname are unusual.

[Susanne Buchanan]

Hello Forfarian and thank you for that information. It certainly makes tracking relatives down much easier; and here I was thinking this is TOO obvious and probably not our Margaret. What a wonderful website. The angel of genealogy was sitting on my shoulder the day I accidentally came across it.

[Forfarian]

Related thread https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=829513.0