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Research in Other Countries => United States of America => Topic started by: zumaro on Sunday 14 August 22 07:53 BST (UK)
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I am perplexed as to fate of one of my family John Melrose. He was born in Manor, Peeblesshire, Scotland in 1827, son of James Melrose and Jane Ballantyne. In 1852 he married Mary Middlemass, and you can see him in the 1861 Scottish census, described as a linen draper master, with children Agnes (7), James (5) and John (3). Later that year he had another daughter Jane Ballantyne Melrose. That however is the last record I can find of him.
However Mary Middlemass is easy to track. In 1871 she is living on a farm with her grandparents, along with all 4 children. In 1881 she is living with her mother and daughter Jane in Peebles, where she is described as married, and living on private means. In 1891, she is living just with daughter Jane in Peebles, where again she is described as married and living on private means. In 1901 however, she is by herself in Peebles, and described as widowed and living on private means.
Next she moves to New Jersey, where she lives with her son James. You can see her in the 1910 federal census, living in Trenton Ward 13, Mercer, New Jersey, described as widowed. Also there are city directory entries around that time, where she is described as the widow of John Melrose. I have not found her death entry however.
Another small piece of evidence that John was alive at least in 1877, is that his daughter Agnes died in childbirth that year. John is not described as deceased on Agnes's death record.
At the same time I have found an entry in the 1870 federal census for John Melrose a tailor from Scotland, living in New York Ward 09 District 14. It is a curious entry, because living with him are an inferred set of children and an apprentice, but if you look at the children, none of them seem to be anything to do with his Scottish family, being born in New York. However if you look at how they are entered, the children also plausibly lack a family name - every other entry on the page has a line for the family name, and these have none. My research skills so far are not up to finding the origin of this "family", or the fate of any of them. I am suspecting that the children are not Melroses, and somewhere there might be an 1860 census with them. I have not found any of them in subsequent records.
What do people make of this? Have I located my John, but if so what happens to him? Who are the people he is with? I am hoping someone more skilled than me might point me in the right direction.
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Unfortunately, it looks like John Melrose, from the 1870 census, was living in New York in 1860 with his possible wife, Margaret, and their children. The ages are a bit off but close enough to possibly be the same family.
Update: they can also be found in the 1855 New York census.
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Alas that 1860 entry does appear to be them. Age for John is way off, which is why I didn't find him, but the children are spot on. No Mary in the 1860 census, but I think at 15 she was probably old enough to be living as a servant or something, somewhere else. Can't find them in the 1855 NY census however - do you have a link?
Back to the drawing board then - why would Mary Middlemass be living by herself most of her married life, with a husband who seems to be totally AWOL... Might be a Canadian problem, or South African (one of the sons went there). It doesn't seem to be a Scottish one.
Thanks for the help!
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Very welcome. I don’t have the 1855 census open right now, I was looking around for Mary and James. Are you aware that there is a passenger record for:
James Melrose, age 22, Draper(?) - sailed to New York on board the Columbia, arriving 3 Sep 1869 (port of departure was Glasgow, Scotland).
Could this be John’s son? I wonder if John was in America at that time?
I saw a passenger list for whom could be Mary and James, arriving in America in 1907, they were shown as American citizens, I believe. That led me to look for James’ earlier sailing date.
I will search for a few more minutes, then I need to call it a night.
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I hadn't seen the record for James, but he would have been only 14 in 1869, so I don't think this is him. In the 1910 federal census, it says he immigrated in 1882, and I have found him so far in the 1895 and 1905 New Jersey censuses as well. He was a merchant, starting his own businesses in Trenton, marrying Gertrude Sittner in 1898.
Thanks again!
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Thank you for the added info. I don’t like to give up so I’m irritated that it is the middle of the night here. ;D If I find anything within a few minutes, I will post details. If not, I will be back tomorrow. :)
Note: I’m wondering if he followed his father to America — possibly John found work in America and sent money home for the family?
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That's what started me looking for John in the US, when I found Mary Middlemass and James in New Jersey. She immigrated in 1907.
Somewhere along the line Mary was obviously being kept afloat, with her income from private means for about 40 years.
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There are 2 John Melrose deaths with MMN Ballantyne, both in 1891, one recorded as age 82 in Kelso & one age 60, in Colinton. I have known SP to get the age wrong before.
In 1881 census, there is a John Melrose, age 53, in Traquair, ref 771/3/2
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There is a marriage notice for a Jeanie MELROSE in 1897:
"At Peebles, on the 15th inst. R.A. Henderson, merchant, Queenstown, South Africa, to Jeanie, daughter of the late John Melrose, Peebles."
Thursday, Dec. 23, 1897
Publication: Southern Reporter
Is this your Jane?
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I have a James Melrose in a slightly different branch of the tree, born in 1847, who arrives in Hartford, Connecticut by 1870. He would have been an agricultural labourer going over, but somewhere along the line, he and his brother John reinvented themselves as cigar and liquor merchants. Wonder if that is your James in the 1869 voyage?
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Hi Maddy - that could very well be her. Is the Southern Reporter a South African paper? Can you provide me with a link? Her brother John definitely was in Queenstown, South Africa by then - I am guessing circa 1890, as he married that year in Queenstown, and her father apparently dead sometime between 1891 and 1901 (from Mary's censuses). That would narrow his death to between 1891 and 1897.
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I have a James Melrose in a slightly different branch of the tree, born in 1847, who arrives in Hartford, Connecticut by 1870. He would have been an agricultural labourer going over, but somewhere along the line, he and his brother John reinvented themselves as cigar and liquor merchants. Wonder if that is your James in the 1869 voyage?
It looked like the occupation was Draper.
I look forward to seeing what has been discovered while I sleep. Night everyone.
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Hi Maddy - that is definitely her. She has mother Mary Middlemass and father John Melrose, master draper, but the wedding certificate says nothing about him being deceased. It does say he is of Peebles however...
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:D
The Southern Reporter was published in Selkirk, Scotland. I access via British Library Newspapers through my library card - not sure where you are, your local or national library may have a similar arrangement.
The notice was also published on Thursday, Dec. 16, 1897 in the Evening Telegraph (Dundee)
"At Bloomfield House, Peebles, on the 15th inst. by the Rev. R. Burgess, Leckie Memorial Church, R. A. Henderson, merchant, Queenstown, South Africa to Jeanie, daughter of the late John Melrose, Peebles."
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Found the newspaper thanks! And Robert Anderson Henderson was born in Dundee on 30 June 1854, to the same parents as on the marriage certificate. We are doing very well in filling out Jane Ballantyne Melrose's life. I suspect they went to South Africa however, as I can't find a death record for her in ScotlandsPeople.
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It sounds like her parents were not living together (later in life). Is there a possibility that Jeanie didn’t communicate with her father and she didn’t know of his passing at the time of her marriage? Could her mother or other family member be the one who supplied the newspapers with the details?
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Could well be the case - I have seen these marriage records be very wrong as well (sometimes purposefully). I note that my great grandfather was probably church organist at their wedding, as a small aside...
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Jane Ballantyne Henderson died 12 October 1920, Trenton, NJ.
Wife of Robert Anderson Henderson.
(From Anc*try.)
Added: it appears that she was living in England, so perhaps she was just visiting Trenton at the time of her death.
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Hi Kloumann - neither of those death references check out unluckily. Both of these Johns have different parents to my John. Now to check the census!
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Lisa that is excellent thank you - I hadn't got any further than ScotlandsPeople. So it seems that mother Mary, brother James and Jane herself all ended up in Trenton, New Jersey.
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Here she is on Findagrave
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35572570/jane-henderson
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Jane’s “bio”
https://www.rootschat.com/links/01rrm/
This time I’m leaving. ;)
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Here is a treasure trove of information
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Duplicate findagrave memorial!
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/218045723/jeannie-melrose
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I’ve been looking around for John and haven’t had any success. You most likely have tried the following but I thought I would mention ideas in case you’ve not done so (and keeping in mind records are periodically added to the internet):
- searched for wills for John’s siblings and/or parents;
- searched for obits for the above (in case he might have been mentioned);
- checked newspapers around the time he “went missing”;
- did any cousins or other family members leave Scotland - could John have travelled with/followed them;
- could he have changed his name;
- have you checked census records for other family members…could he have lived with family and his name was not legibly recorded;
- was the name John handed down to later generations or did it suddenly stop (if it stopped, was there possibly a good reason);
- could he have been jailed at some point;
- family members went to America and South Africa…did he leave Scotland and his death was not accurately recorded - although family seemed to think he had passed away at some point.
I haven’t given up the chase yet but he is a challenge.
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1908 Trenton, New Jersey Directory
Fitzcharles & Melrose
James Fitzcharles & James Melrose - 134 E State
Notions, linens, cloaks, laces, etc.
Have you researched when the two men went into business? I wonder if there could be any connection to John?
Possibly the above man?
1920 Trenton Ward 1, Mercer Co., NJ
James Fitzcharles, age 58 (born c1862), Scotland. Immigrated 1882. Parents born in Scotland.
Occupation - Jobber. Industry - Dry Goods Co.
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Looking at the 1871 census for John's family (wife Mary, children Agnes, James, John and Jane) I see that James (15) occupation is given as "drapers apprentice". I wonder if this implies he was working for his father, if the father was still around? Maybe they were just visiting the grandparents on the night of the census? So many questions. :-\
Is the other draper in Peebles - William MELROSE - related to your John?
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1908 Trenton, New Jersey Directory
Fitzcharles & Melrose
James Fitzcharles & James Melrose - 134 E State
Notions, linens, cloaks, laces, etc.
Have you researched when the two men went into business? I wonder if there could be any connection to John?
Possibly the above man?
1920 Trenton Ward 1, Mercer Co., NJ
James Fitzcharles, age 58 (born c1862), Scotland. Immigrated 1882. Parents born in Scotland.
Occupation - Jobber. Industry - Dry Goods Co.
Trenton Evening Times
Saturday, Feb 04, 1911
Trenton, NJ
Page: 2
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Maddys52 - that's a messed up census entry on ancestry! I can't see a William Melrose in the immediate family that I can identify as another draper in Peebles. At this point I assume that if it is a Melrose in Traquair, Eddleston or Peebles, they are my family, but I can't see one that would match up with this William however.
James is the son of John who ends up in Trenton, and I think he had a few business ventures. I didn't realise he was also in Philadelphia, so that last cutting is very interesting (thanks RJ137 for finding this). It looks like James Melrose and James Fitzcharles met about 1889 or so in Philadelphia - wonder if they knew each other in Scotland originally. James Melrose married Gertrude Sittner in 1898, which must be about the time the Jameses started their own company. I see James Melrose is buried with members of the Sittner family.
I see no sign that John Melrose is floating around in this American picture. I have searched newspapers.com for any Johns from Peebles, but nothing shows up so far. Another son John Middlemass Melrose went to South Africa circa 1890 (I assume this is where sister Jane met her future husband) - but searching the South African card catalog for any John who isn't the son, also shows up nothing.
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I mean he's obviously not in Scotland is he? He doesn't show up in prison records, censuses, death records or anything else. But then he doesn't seem to be in America or South Africa, where his children are, either. Is he in NZ, Australia, England, Wales, Ireland or Canada? I have no idea where he went.
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…Are you aware that there is a passenger record for:
James Melrose, age 22, Draper(?) - sailed to New York on board the Columbia, arriving 3 Sep 1869 (port of departure was Glasgow, Scotland).
Could this be John’s son? I wonder if John was in America at that time?
I saw a passenger list for whom could be Mary and James, arriving in America in 1907, they were shown as American citizens, I believe. That led me to look for James’ earlier sailing date.
I hadn't seen the record for James, but he would have been only 14 in 1869, so I don't think this is him. In the 1910 federal census, it says he immigrated in 1882, and I have found him so far in the 1895 and 1905 New Jersey censuses as well. He was a merchant, starting his own businesses in Trenton, marrying Gertrude Sittner in 1898.
Thanks again!
Looking at the newspaper article that RJ137 found, dated 1911,
“Mr. Melrose retires after 40 years of business activity.”
Forty years could mean 37 or 38 years or it could mean exactly 40. Was his business activity split between Scotland and America or solely in America for 40 years? :-\
1911 - 40 = 1871. I wonder if he did sail to America in Sep 1869, perhaps following his father or another relative?
However, I believe he was in Scotland in 1871 — did he sail in 1869, return to Scotland (for some reason) in time for the 1871 census and return to America after the census?
I will look again for John, or any Melrose, sailing c1869.
Update: sorry, forgot that James age in 1869 was recorded as 22. Can’t be him unless he lied about his age/it was recorded incorrectly.
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See clips below-
Trenton Evening Times
Saturday, Jun 19, 1897
Trenton, NJ
Page: 5
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Trenton Sunday Advertiser
Sunday, Oct 20, 1907
Trenton, NJ
Page: 5
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Trenton Evening Times
Saturday, Nov 30, 1907
Trenton, NJ
Page: 10
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Trenton Evening Times
Sunday, Feb 05, 1911
Trenton, NJ
Page: 10
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Trenton Evening Times
Wednesday, Oct 15, 1913
Trenton, NJ
Page: 14
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James died in 1934.
Obit-
Trenton Evening Times
Thursday, Mar 08, 1934
Trenton, NJ
Page: 9
Burial-
Trenton Evening Times
Sunday, Mar 11, 1934
Trenton, NJ
Page: 15
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I don't have a subscription to British Newspapers Online (or findmypast) however there a few articles that mention the sale of the "whole stock in trade" of "Mr John Melrose, Draper and Grocer, Peebles" in 1863. eg 3 October 1863 - Daily Review (Edinburgh). Sounds like he may have been bankrupt, though I can't find any records yet.
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Another item mentions "John Melrose, draper, Dundee" - 4 January 1870 - Greenock Advertiser. Not sure if it's the same John MELROSE.
There may be other mentions too.
Modified to add:
Actually, the draper in Dundee may be a James MELROSE, rather than John.
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Maddys52 - that's a messed up census entry on ancestry!
I actually used FreeCen to find the 1871 census for the family.
https://www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/59045dcbe9379091b10aa6a4
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Thanks for this ongoing help! I am at work, so technically am not reading any of this, let alone replying, but I will be looking again tonight in 7 or 8 hours time. I love the way that so much has been filled in on son James, even down to a photo of him. Mary Middlemass I assume died in Trenton as well, but I can't find any trace of her either. She doesn't seem to be in the same cemetery as daughter "Jeannie Melrose" (Jane Ballantyne Henderson). What a difficult family!
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I can't remember if this has been found already - a death notice for son John in Queenstown, SA:
"MELROSE—On April 15, at Whittlesea, near Queenstown, South Africa, John Middlemass Melrose, younger son of the late John Melrose, Peebles, aged 44 years."
South Africa (a Weekly Journal) 1902 2 April - June
https://www.eggsa.org/newspapers/index.php/south-african-magazine/317-south-africa-1902-2-april-june
Can't see any other mentions in South African newspapers, though I'm not an expert in searching South Africa!
Modified to add:
I had a quick look in Australian and New Zealand papers too, though nothing jumped out at me. ;)
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Trenton Evening Times
Sunday, Feb 05, 1911
Trenton, NJ
Page: 10
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Trenton Evening Times
Wednesday, Oct 15, 1913
Trenton, NJ
Page: 14
Thanks for this ongoing help! I am at work, so technically am not reading any of this, let alone replying, but I will be looking again tonight in 7 or 8 hours time. I love the way that so much has been filled in on son James, even down to a photo of him. Mary Middlemass I assume died in Trenton as well, but I can't find any trace of her either. She doesn't seem to be in the same cemetery as daughter "Jeannie Melrose" (Jane Ballantyne Henderson). What a difficult family!
Re Mary, according to the 1913 newspaper clipping, James had been visiting his mother in Scotland. Perhaps she passed away in Scotland.
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Thanks for this ongoing help! I am at work, so technically am not reading any of this, let alone replying, but I will be looking again tonight in 7 or 8 hours time. I love the way that so much has been filled in on son James, even down to a photo of him. Mary Middlemass I assume died in Trenton as well, but I can't find any trace of her either. She doesn't seem to be in the same cemetery as daughter "Jeannie Melrose" (Jane Ballantyne Henderson). What a difficult family!
To clarify, you are looking for Mary, John’s wife?
Scotland National Probate Index
Mary Middlemass Melrose, died 28 Nov 1917 in Bournemouth.
“Confirmation Date - 22 Mar 1918. Confirmation Place - Peebles, Scotland”
It mentioned her daughter, Jeannie.
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Hi Lisa - John is who I am really looking for, but Mary Middlemass is his wife. And I just found her, thanks to the information that son James was visiting her in Scotland in 1913. She is definitely not dying in Scotland, as a search of ScotlandsPeople shows, but checking the GRO records instead I find:
MELROSE, MARY MIDDLEMASS 85 GRO Reference: 1917 D Quarter in CHRISTCHURCH Volume 02B Page 84
Success!
Now back to John........