Author Topic: Christina Sutherland, Edinburgh  (Read 3341 times)

Offline EdinKath

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Christina Sutherland, Edinburgh
« on: Monday 20 November 17 22:34 GMT (UK) »
Hello, I'm new to RootsChat and I'm hoping that someone can suggest ways to solve an Edinburgh mystery.

Starting with what I definitely know and working backwards:
Christina Sutherland died of typhus on 30 August 1874 in the Royal Infirmary. The death certificate gives her age as 46 and occupation as a nurse at the Royal Infirmary. It has no parents named. The informant was Christina's daughter Mary. The certificate gives her as the widow of John Sutherland, Cabinetmaker. I believe this last piece of information to be untrue as there's no record that Christina was ever married, and definitely not to a John Sutherland. Where might she be buried?

Christina's daughter Mary married on 31 Dec 1872. Mary's name is given as Mary Sutherland Sword and her parents are listed as James Sword, Cabinetmaker and Christina Sword, MS Sutherland. Mary was 18 and living at 14 Advocates Close. She married William Anderson.

On the 1871 census for 14 Advocates Close, Mary Sword age 16 is the lodger of Margaret Carnie, Mary is listed as born Edinburgh, Tron. Christina Sutherland is on the census at the Royal Infirmary, married, age 40, Day Nurse, born Edinburgh.

On the 1861 census for 489 Lawnmarket, Christina Sutherland, head, married, age 33, shirtmaker, born Edinburgh Tolbooth and Mary Sutherland, dau, 6, scholar, born Edinburgh Tolbooth

And now I'm stuck. I can't find any birth/baptism record for Mary (either using Sutherland or Sword) who would have been born around 1854. There is no record of a Christina Sutherland marrying either James Sword or John Sutherland. I've looked at the 1851 and 1841 census to see if I can identify Christina but there are 5-6 people of that name and of similar ages to her. In 1851 there's a Christina Sutherland who is the lodger of a James and Margaret Carnie living in 2 Advocates Close which seems a good possibility given where Mary was a lodger in 1871.

I'd love to know if anyone has suggestions for how find out about Christina's early life. And what was life like for women with an illegitimate child in the Old Town at that time?
Thanks very much!

Offline ev

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Re: Christina Sutherland, Edinburgh
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 21 November 17 08:26 GMT (UK) »
Hi , welcome to RC  :)

If it's the same Margaret Cairnie on the 1871 Census that would seem to be a bit of a coincidence -
1851 Census(FreeCEN)
2 Advocates Close , Edinburgh , Midlothian
James Cairnie 53 tailor journeyman b. Dundee Angus
Margaret Cairnie 50 wife b. Edinburgh Midlothian
Christina Sutherland 22 lodger bookbinder b. Edinburgh Midlothian
+ 4 other lodgers


ev
Census information Crown copyright , All Census information from transcriptions - check original records , Familysearch/IGI is a finding tool only - check original records

Offline tidybooks

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Re: Christina Sutherland, Edinburgh
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 22 November 17 10:52 GMT (UK) »


Starting with what I definitely know and working backwards:
Christina Sutherland died of typhus on 30 August 1874 in the Royal Infirmary. The death certificate gives her age as 46 and occupation as a nurse at the Royal Infirmary. It has no parents named. The informant was Christina's daughter Mary. The certificate gives her as the widow of John Sutherland, Cabinetmaker. I believe this last piece of information to be untrue as there's no record that Christina was ever married, and definitely not to a John Sutherland. Where might she be buried?

Christina's daughter Mary married on 31 Dec 1872. Mary's name is given as Mary Sutherland Sword and her parents are listed as James Sword, Cabinetmaker and Christina Sword, MS Sutherland. Mary was 18 and living at 14 Advocates Close. She married William Anderson.



Not too sure you have the correct person to start with, you say her daughter, Mary registered the death, and said she was married to a John Sutherland. You say she was not married, at least not to a John Sutherland.

In next paragraph you say her daughter is Mary Sutherland Sword, I am not getting how you are linking up these 2 facts.

Can you maybe post how you got back to Christine Sutherland, and any other certificate.

Tom
Scotland - Buchanan, Thomson, Pat(t)erson, Stewart, Ritchie, Tracey
Ireland - Tracey, Conroy, Pat(t)erson.

Offline EdinKath

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Re: Christina Sutherland, Edinburgh
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 22 November 17 20:58 GMT (UK) »
Hi Tom,
Yes, the Christina on the death certificate is the same person as the Christina listed as Mary Sutherland Sword's mother on the marriage certificate. The 1874 death was registered by "Mary Anderson, daughter," address in Dunfermline, Fife. Mary and William Anderson's first child was born in Dunfermline in 1873. Mary's signature on Christina's death certificate is the same as her signature when she reported the death of her 5 month old daughter in 1891.

Additionally, Christina worked at the Royal Infirmary. Mary and William's marriage was conducted by the Rev J. Hamilton of 5 Argyle Place. According to Edinburgh Post Office Directories, Rev Hamilton was chaplain at the Royal Infirmary.

If the info on the death certificate that Christina was the widow of John Sutherland is correct, then both the marriage and John Sutherland's death must have taken place in the 20 months between 31 Dec 1872 and 30 August 1874 (and James Sword must also have died in that time since the marriage certificate doesn't list him as deceased). But there are no records of this happening so I think it's more likely that Mary gave the registrar a fake name for the death certificate to cover up that her mother wasn't married. I can't find any evidence that Christina was married to James Sword either. The only time she's referred to as Christina Sword is on Mary's marriage certificate, possibly also a cover up for illegitimacy.


Offline tidybooks

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Re: Christina Sutherland, Edinburgh
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday 22 November 17 22:28 GMT (UK) »
Hi EdinKath,

Still a bit confused about Christina, not sure what her maiden surname was, or if she was married at all. Without certificates that can be trusted, I think breaking down this wall will be impossible.

Tom

Scotland - Buchanan, Thomson, Pat(t)erson, Stewart, Ritchie, Tracey
Ireland - Tracey, Conroy, Pat(t)erson.

Offline Rufous Treecreeper

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Re: Christina Sutherland, Edinburgh
« Reply #5 on: Monday 27 November 17 13:19 GMT (UK) »
Just as a wildcard you could look for daughter Mary's birth under the Carnie surname...
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Offline Rosinish

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Re: Christina Sutherland, Edinburgh
« Reply #6 on: Monday 27 November 17 13:31 GMT (UK) »
Another is sometimes Christina is 'Christian' as a possibility?

Annie
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Offline EdinKath

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Re: Christina Sutherland, Edinburgh
« Reply #7 on: Monday 27 May 19 15:32 BST (UK) »
After re-checking all info I have, I'm going to have another go at explaining the records I have and the discrepancies between them. Hoping that someone has suggestions for figuring out what's true and what's a cover up!

William Anderson and his wife Mary had 8 children between 1873 and 1891. The eldest daughter Hannah was born in Dunfermline, June 1873 all the rest were born in Edinburgh. On their birth registrations their mother is named as Mary Anderson M.S Sutherland. William is a plumber. The family are on the census at 11 James Court in 1881 and 1891.

Mary Anderson married to William Anderson, plumber, died of TB in James Court in Feb 1901, aged 46, reported by her son Robert. Her mother is named as Mary Sutherland (dec), infirmary nurse, no father's name.

William and Mary's marriage certificate: (marriage date 31 December 1872, registered in 1873) William Anderson, plumber, age 26, 15 Advocates Close married Mary Sutherland Sword, age 18, 14 Advocates Close, parents James Sword, cabinetmaker and Christina Sword, M.S. Sutherland. (Williams parents are both noted as deceased, neither of Mary's are stated to be deceased.) Witnesses were D? McDonald and M Aitchison.

Mary reported her mother's death in 1874 - she signs the certificate Mary Anderson, address in Dunfermline. The signature matches Mary's signature on her daughter Isabella's death certificate in 1891. Christina Sutherland, nurse Royal Infirmary, widow of John Sutherland, cabinetmaker, died 30 August 1874, age 46, Typhus.

I think I have found Christina on the 1871 and 1861 census. In each she's calling herself Christina Sutherland, saying that she's married and was born in Edinburgh. In 1861 she's 33, a shirtmaker, head of household with daughter Mary, aged 6. In 1871 she's a day nurse at the Royal Infirmary. The age is difficult to read, it could be 40 or 42.

So I have three certificates which relate to the same mother and daughter but with three different names for the mother. Mary Sutherland, Christina Sutherland and Christina Sword. Two of the three agree on nurse as her occupation and two of three agree her first name was Christina. I think it's reasonable to think that son Robert made a mistake with his grandmother's name when he reported Mary's death (He was born 3 years after his grandmother died). The documents from when Mary was alive report her mother as Christina, even if the surnames differ.

If her age at death is roughly correct, Christina would have been born around 1828. I searched on SP for marriages between Christ* no surname and James Sword between 1845 and 1874 anywhere in Scotland and got one result. DONALDSON CHRISTINA,SWORD JAMES, 1860 380/ 17 Methven
On the 1861 census, they are both aged 26, in Methven so that gives a birth year of 1835. Christina Donaldson/Sword died in Methven in 1917, aged 81.

With Mary never using Sword after her marriage and no likely marriage between a Christina/Christian and James Sword, am I safe to conclude that Mary was illegitimate and lied about her mother's name on her marriage certificate?

Which leaves whether Christina was married to John Sutherland. There's one marriage of a Christ* to John Sutherland in Midlothian 1845 - 1874. In 1850: MCPHERSON CHRISTINA JOHN SUTHERLAND/FR6915 (FR6915) 31/03/50 685/1 690 350. She appears on later census with John and their kids and dies in 1901 so she's not the Christina I'm looking for. 

I *think* Sutherland is more likely to be her maiden name (maybe her only name) rather than a married name but maybe I've missed something? It's a long shot but I'm trying to track what happened to every Christina/Christian Sutherland in Edinburgh with a birth year of 1828 +/- 5 years that appears on records in Edinburgh, whether or not Sutherland was the married or maiden name, to see how many i can rule out.

I've not been able to find a baptism for Mary. On another branch of my tree there was an illegitimate birth and the baptism happened 7 years after the birth. From her age on her death certificate and census, I think Mary was born in 1854 so just before civil registration came in. I searched SP for a baptism of a Mary S* between 1854 and 1865 but no Sutherland or Sword. All the baptisms that came up were in 1854 and 1855. If her baptism happened after 1855, could it be somewhere in church registers that aren't on Scotland's People and if so, is it possible to access them?

Thanks for any suggestions! This is my grandmother's line and all the women seem to have had really short, tough lives. I'd love to figure out who Christina was.

Offline Wendy2305

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Re: Christina Sutherland, Edinburgh
« Reply #8 on: Monday 27 May 19 17:08 BST (UK) »
Hi have you ruled out the Sutherland siblings in St Cuthbert 1851 census William Christian and Thomas William occupation is cabinetmaker Christian is a dressmaker William born Leith other 2 born Edinburgh
In 1841 they are still in St Cuthberts at Allan Street living with possibly mother Ann age 46 occupation sewing establishment and possibly sister Janet age 18 occupation sewing establishment all born Midlothian