James Fraser mar Margaret Grant 12 Mar 1808 Abernethy & Kincardine

[zzjopark]

James was a blacksmith - parents Donald and Mary (nee Davidson). Donald was a taylor when James married, but described as a farmer when James died (1867)

Looking for any relatives/information on maternal and paternal sides.  Have James and family in 1841 census of Nethy Bridge

[GR2]

Do you have them in the 1851 and 1861 censuses? That would tell you where they were born and narrow down the search.

Also, if you haven't used it, Moray Council's free site Libindx allows you to search for people from the area.

[zzjopark]

I can't find any of them in Libindx. In 1861, James's son was a police superintendent in Lincolnshire, born Falkland, Fifeshire. This is next to Abernethy in Fifeshire, which became Abernethy & Kincardine.  His father was given as James, a blacksmith (on his marriage cert.).  Extensive searches found the only James, blacksmith with a son James of the correct age was in Nethy Bridge in 1841 and 1851.

James' (blacksmith) christening was found 29 July 1784 in Abernethy & Kincardine (Scotland's People searches).

[Forfarian]

Also, if you haven't used it, Moray Council's free site Libindx allows you to search for people from the area.

Except that the parish of Abernethy and Kincardine is not in the area of the present incarnation of Moray, and records from that parish are not routinely included in LIBINDX.

[ev]

In 1861, James's son was a police superintendent in Lincolnshire, born Falkland, Fifeshire. This is next to Abernethy in Fifeshire, which became Abernethy & Kincardine

The 1841 Census is Abernethy & Kincardine Inverness-shire 


ev

[Forfarian]

This is next to Abernethy in Fifeshire, which became Abernethy & Kincardine. 

No, that's incorrect. They are two entirely separate parishes with the same name.

The parish of Abernethy is mainly in Perthshire but partly in Fife.

The parish of Abernethy and Kincardine is mainly in Inverness-shire but partly in Morayshire. The largest place in the parish is Nethy Bridge.

(Perth Tourist Information Centre used to get a steady trickle of people each summer complaining that they had gone to the nearby town of Abernethy to see the Abernethy Highland Games, only to find that there were no Highland Games there on the advertised date. They were usually fairly cross when it was explained to them that the Abernethy Highland Games take place in Nethy Bridge, in the other Abernethy!)

[Forfarian]

I fear that you are at risk of making the classic error of assuming that because there is only one person in the records who matches, it must be the right person.

There seem to have been two couples named James Fraser and Margaret Grant, one married 1787 and the other 1808. The children were
Anne 1789
John 1791
James 1794
Pat 1796
Margaret 1798
William 1801
Mary 1804
Sueton 1807
Elspit 1809
Elspit 1810
Mary, 1811
John 1815
Marjory 1819
Alexander 1824
all baptised in the parish of Abernethy and Kincardine, Inverness-shire/Morayshire. I presume that one of the Elspits is the youngest of the first couple and the other is the eldest of the second couple, but I'd need to look at the originals for further clues.

A family at Nethy Bridge in 1841 consists of
James Fraser, 55, blacksmith; Margaret, 55; Janet, 25; Isabella, 24; Marjory, 20; James, 18; William, 13, and Margaret, 11. All born Morayshire except James Sr. Marjory fits the daughter of James Fraser and Margaret Grant, but the others don't, so I personally cannot be 100% certain that this couple is James Fraser and Margaret Grant rather than another James and Margaret Fraser entirely, whose children's baptism records have not survived.

However the census is quite clear that none of this family, or of these families, of James and Margaret Fraser were born in Fife.

I read the birthplace of James Fraser, 30, Superintendent of Police in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire as "Scotland, Fifeshire" not "Falkland, Fifeshire". See attached extract. So assuming that James' age is accurate, he would have been born in 1830/1831 in Fife.

On the other hand, in the 1871 census he says he is 48, which if accurate would suggest a birth in 1822/1823. This would fit with the 18-year-old James in 1841, but not with a birth in Fife. I can't find him or his wife in any later census.

Therefore it is not safe to assume that the blacksmith in Abernethy is the father of the Superintendent of Police.

If I were you, I would forget about the family in Abernethy and Kincardine for the present at least, and see if you can find any police staff records or newspaper articles that might shed further light on the Superintendent of Police.

[MonicaL]

Have you looked at this family in the past? Everyone showing as born outside of the county of Kinross-shire.

James Frazer 45 blacksmith
Margret Frazer 50
James Frazer 14 blacksmith
Janet Frazer 12
Ann Frazer 9

Address: Wester Balgidie, Portmoak, Kinross-shire

1851 has this possible entry:

James Frazer 53 blacksmith b. Perth - Kenmore
Margt Smart Frazer 58 b. Perth - Tulliallan
Ann Frazer 19 b. Lanarkshire - Old Monkland   

Address: Wester Balgedie Feus, Portmoak, Kinross-shire    

Monica

ADDED: Just found James' birth entry I think in 1828 in Tulliallan  to James Fraser and Margaret Smart...

PS: Just adding link to old post with some further details www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=144139.9