The point of my post is to ask about these Dalgleish family groups. I am asking the question hoping that someone had already researched them (not in the Preston context) because none of the usual resources provide any answers.
The situation on the Preston side has been gone over exhaustively trying to make sense of all sorts of anomalies in surviving records. My sole remaining avenue is to identify Helen from Stirlingshire. As explained, I believe she is Helen Dalgleish but need evidence to confirm this assertion. At present there is none. I also feel she was only a housekeeper or visitor, and she was not married to James Preston.
The 1851 FREECEN transcript shows James and Helen as married. Have you found them in later censuses?
James Preston married in 1853 (to Marion McQuarrie); he had previously married in 1842 (to Elizabeth Ogilvie). There is no record of an intermediate marriage (to Helen). There could be an argument of co-habitation, except that James is on record as having his 4th lawful child by Elizabeth Ogilvie in 1853 -
after he had married Marion McQuarrie.
In that context, the 1851 census doesn't make sense - goodness me, it might even be inaccurate!
This should at least help in confirming Grace's mother's name
I know Grace's situation. She is the daughter by his first wife (Elizabeth Ogilvie). There is no record or other evidence of there ever being a further two children before the so-called 4th child was born. There is no record of when and where Elizabeth Ogilvie died.
The so-called 4th child is my gtgdmother Hannah Preston - her mother could be Elizabeth Ogilvie (if you believe the record of her birth), Helen (Dalgleish) (if you believe the 1851 census) or Marion McQuarrie (if you believe she lied when she said her child in 1855 was her first child).
