James Carter, b. 1829

[lucymags]

I'm not terribly hopeful about this one, being such a common name, but I'm just posting this in case someone thinks of somewhere else to check. My starting point is based on someone else's research (without citations) which shows James Carter b. Edinburgh 1829, who marries Margaret Biggen/Biggen b. Edinburgh 1827. Marriage record, 20 Nov 1848, her father's forename Luke. (That trail goes a bit cold there - no birth record but will get back to that another day.)

What I am chasing at the moment is James b. 1829. These are the records I have (which tally with the family tree notes):

Carters in Edinburgh, 1841 Census.
CARTER JOHN  M 16 685/1 2/ 13 Edinburgh Midlothian est. DOB 1824-5
CARTER JAMES M 12 685/1 2/ 13 Edinburgh Midlothian est. DOB 1829
CARTER MARY F 39 685/1 2/ 13 Edinburgh Midlothian est. DOB 1801-2

1851 Census - James married with family:
CARTER, JAMES, M, 22, 644/1 281/ 24, Glasgow, Lanark. (born.c. 1828-9)
CARTER, MARGARET. F, 26, 644/1 281/ 24, Glasgow, Lanark (b.c. 1825-6 - nee Biggen/Biggin)
Son John: CARTER, JOHN, M, age 0; 644/1 281/ 24; Glasgow, Lanark. (b. 1851)
Son James: CARTER, JAMES. M, 1; 644/1 281/ 24; Glasgow, Lanark (b. 1849)
(Sons were born in Glasgow, and they later have a George, in 1856, and then emigrate before the following census.)

I have records following James' family, but it's the antecedents of James (1829) that I'm trying to track. The only marriage of a Carter to a Mary around that time (St Cuthbert’s):
CARTER JOHN MARY OVANS/FR585 (FR585) 12/12/1824 685/2 400 654 St Cuthbert's

No birth record matching Mary Ovans – this one is the closest:
OVENS MARY   JAMES OVENS/MARY HADDEN FR746 (FR746) F 14/10/1798 695/ 30 111 Newbattle (not far from Edinburgh) - 

And no John Carter born Edinburgh who is age-appropriate. So apart from guessing based on the choice of son's names (John, James and George), which still leaves a choice of several possibles born elsewhere in Scotland - does anyone have any bright ideas about how to go about establishing who the father of the elder John and James is?

[Wendy2305]

Do you know what happened to John 1824 There is a John in the 1851 census with wife Ann Bain Smith can't see a marriage but there is one for a John and Mary Ann Bain in 1845 St Cuthberts
There are also 3 deaths of John Carter between 1876 - 1888 of the right age

There is also a marriage of a Catherine Carter Ovens father John Carter spouse Andrew Dickson in Edinburgh 1865

[lucymags]

Do you know what happened to John 1824 There is a John in the 1851 census with wife Ann Bain Smith can't see a marriage but there is one for a John and Mary Ann Bain in 1845 St Cuthberts
There are also 3 deaths of John Carter between 1876 - 1888 of the right age

No, I haven't followed that one up yet, thanks Wendy. I did start looking at deaths for the other John - don't remember the exact results now but I think nothing definitive. I'll have to have another look tomorrow on the computer, because it's late here now and I'm just on my little tablet.

[Wendy2305]

I have added something else to my last post may be of interest

[Wendy2305]

Catherine's name on Family Search is Catherine Carter Ovens but on Scotlands People it is Catherine Carter

[isobelw]

Looking at 1851 census on Freecen for John and Ann Bain smith and noted that there is an entry a few households previous for an Isabella Bain age 53 with grandson William Carter age 4. Alexander William John Bain Carter was born 1846 in Edinburgh to John Carter and Mary Ann Bain. They also had a son George Ovans Carter born in 1848.
Isobel

[lucymags]

Thanks again Wendy, that is very useful! And also thanks to Isobel - that's great, and has also reminded me about FreeCEN (which I have used for some areas of England, but found it less useful in others and hadn't thought of using it for Scotland, where I have just ventured fairly recently).

It's a shame that I can't find birth records for John and James, but I think that all of those records tally with John's dates and add weight to the Mary Ovans/Ovens connection. I will tentatively build up that part of the family in the meantime, and hope that something else comes to light about brother James along the way with some further searching.
 

[lucymags]

I also found another child of John (1824) and Mary Ann Bain. James Redpath Carter, b. 01 Dec 1851.

So it was good to have established that branch of the family (which brought me some more interesting trivia, such as the occupation of calenderer and the existence of an old railway station called Canal Street, since merged with Waverley, and no sign of a street of that name in Edinburgh) - but I will leave them there and get back to the forebears of James and John again. Thanks again for all of the help.