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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Aberdeenshire => Topic started by: jennywren001 on Saturday 03 May 14 15:18 BST (UK)
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Hi Everyone,
DAVIDSON, Jane/Jean and FULLERTON Alexander marry in 1837 Old Machar. From Jean's death cert in 1891 I took her parents to be Isabella Marr and Alexander Davidson (blacksmith). As I was going to stop at six generations back (I think I can safely say that idea has been abandonned!) I had not followed through on her parents until this week.
A search at Familysearch shows a marriage between an Isabel Marr and a George Davidson in 1809 in Ellon. Also showing, two births (actually christenings) for a Jean in 1814 and an Alexander in 1811 both at Tyrie.
I know mistakes are made on death certificates (especially with 'my Davidsons' it appears) and as the informant's father is called Alexander I can see how the mistake might even of happened. On the 41 census Jane is down as age 30 so a 1814 birth is a bit out but occasionally I've had ages rounded up rather than down. Plus on the 51 she is showing age 35.
What is really bothering me is the fact her place of birth is always given as Old Machar. To add to my frustration I can find on Freecen a George (blacksmith) and Isabel Davidson on the 41 and him on the 51 living in Old Machar. On the 51 he is down as born Ellon. So, alive potential parents :)
On Jane and Alexander's marriage certificate he is listed as living at Grandholm Works and she is down as at Cotton. I don't know if this is Cotton Street in Aberdeen or a cotton mill? None of Jan and Alexander's children are called George
Feel like I'm missing a bit of the jigsaw here...
Jen
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Cotton is nothing to do with cotton. It is a small group of cottages - cottage + town (in the sense of a small group of buildings, as in ferm-toun = farm-town). It is a very common place-name, usually described further e.g. Cottoun of Balgownie.
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Thanks GR2,
Familiar with fermtoun but had never heard of cottoun. Thought I'd better go back and reread about Old Machar in the statistical accounts and check out the old parish map. Grim reading about the poor and not one of the more detailed reports but useful for me. First thing I see are the list of Ministers for the parish and there in the list is Rev Robert Forbes (he married the couple) - Woodside. So it looks like they got married at Woodside - this is good as George and Isabel are in Woodside on the 41 census living at Tanfield, Bairnshall Lane (he's still there in 51). The other thing I learned was the huge grow in the population of Old Machar from under 10K in 1800 to almost 30K in the 1840s.
OK to the old map and plenty of 'Cottons' - Lodge, Croft, Lower and Houses. Almost equidistant from each is Tanfield and Barnshall - I take this to be the Bairnshall on the census. So, if Jane is living in one of these 'Cottons' in 1837 she is less than a quarter mile from where George and Isabel are in 1841.
My logic was if Jane thought she was born in Old Macher she must have lived there from a very early age. I had hoped to place George in Old Machar long before 1841 but can't find him in any directories. He and Isabella have two children with them in 41 - George age 2 and Mary age 12. Unfortunately, can't easily see a birth for Mary...will have another look once I've planted my parsnips at last a day without rain!
Jen
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Have you looked at the actual baptism record for Jane/Jean? She may have been born in Old Machar but christened at Tyrie. Another thing to check is the baptism records for any of Jane & Alexander's children.Names & addresses of sponsors were often mentioned, and in some instances they are grandfathers :)
flst
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Hi Flst,
I've not looked at the baptism record for Jane - this is on my SP list. New SP strategy, make list of everything I want before buying credits :)
Also, their son William's baptism is on the list as on one census (and nowhere else so far) it looks like he has the middle initials A.G. Their daughter named Isabella Scorgie Fullerton appears to be named after Alexander's sister-in-law. Since yesterday, now know Alexander's mother was a Milne not a Mill (as on death cert) - easy mistake to make when you say both names out loud.
Thanks
Jen
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Now have Jane/Jean's birth record from SP but no help there - the two witnesses are an Alexander Baird and Alexander Brown but they mean nothing to me :-[
Can't find a birth for William but did find one for Jane Fullerton born 1840 - and this one was much more fruitful - witnesses George Davidson and Alexander Fullerton. So I think I can safely say I've got the couple and both sets of grandparents in Old Machar.
Thanks
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Regarding the names of the witnesses at Jane's baptism - I decided to look for the least common name (Alexander Baird) in freecen. There was one, born around 1783, living in Buchanhaven. He could be a possibility. I then found him in the 1851 census, his place of birth was Tyrie. I then checked Ancestry & found a family tree which gave his wife's (Barbara) maiden name. She was a Davidson, born circa 1796 in Peterhead. Is this a coincidence, or not? Next step is to try & identify who Barbara was :)
flst
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Hi Flst,
Since finding the grandparents listed on Jane's certificate (b.1840 ) it's all gone a bit ballistic! With fingers crossed downloaded the birth cert of John - first born of Alexander Fullerton and Margaret Milne - witnesses George Milne and John Fullerton :)
Another name - 'Hervey' appears as a middle name in the youngest three offspring of Alexander and Margaret the older four appear to have no middle names. I need to sit down and get my ducks in a row:)
On freecen - Jane's father George Davidson is still alive on the 51 census age 67 - born Ellon - he's down as 'infirm'. Possible birth for him on Familysearch - but no mother listed.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XB79-8P8
Also, He could be the George Davidson who dies in Old Machar 1857 age 71 mother's name Simpson - but I've run out of credits at SP and not going to feed my bad habit again today!
Question - on the Davidson/Marr marriage certificate the majority of the men on the page have N.P. after their names - I've never come across this before.
Jen
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Hi Jen
How does this George Davidson relate to Agnes, daughter of John Davidson and Jean Wyllie as in http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=684025 ?
Could you post a part of the page with NP against the men?
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Hi Forfarian,
These Davidsons are on my mother's side and are no way related to the couple who marry in Brechin in 1803 - they are from my father's side. Jane Davidson's son William Fullerton 'marries' Jessie Cochrane. MonicaL helped me sort that puzzle on the thread below.
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=670693
I've attached a clip from a page of Ellon birth records. NP appears after each man's name on the page except for one man - after his name it lists crofter. I thought maybe 'no property'?
Since Flst's suggestion re the birth records I've made significant progress with George Davidson. I found a Margaret Simpson and George Davidson marriage in Ellon for 1767 at Familysearch so then had to have a look at the death certificate at SP for the George who died in 1857.
Thankfully old George stayed put at Bairnshall Lane until 1857 so it's the correct George Davidson (Blacksmith) son Alexander signs the cert and above couple confirmed as his parents. It helpfully gives Alexander's address as 13 Peacocks Close, Aberdeen. I've yet to find Alexander on other than the 41 census (pretty sure it's him in Aberdeen with wife Margaret and son George 2 and daughters Isabel 3 and Jane 1m).
Still struggling to make the Baird/Brown connections on the 1809 Ellon marriage for George and Isabella Marr. The Barbara Davidson and Alexander Baird marriage didn't happen till 1812 and I'm pretty sure she is from Peterhead not Ellon. On SP all the Davidson/Baird marriages don't include an Alexander outside the one already mentioned. I've noticed on the old Ellon records the same men are showing up as witnesses at multiple births of different couples. For instance a George Ougstoun is witness to three births on the page showing the birth of George Davidson (Snr) in 1743 including George's.
Whew...recap - Jane's father is confirmed as George Davidson born Ellon, son of George Davidson and Margaret Simpson who marry Ellon in 1767. I think this latter George was born in 1743 to yet another George Davidson of Ellon. Added to this I now have the Alexander Fullerton/Margaret Milne family more or less sorted and I know the names of both their fathers.
Now definitely going to leave off the family history - only 49 days till my open garden days...yikes!
Thanks everyone.
Jen
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I've attached a clip from a page of Ellon birth records. NP appears after each man's name on the page except for one man - after his name it lists crofter. I thought maybe 'no property'?
Ah. Your first mention said it was marriage records. Unfortunately the clip you attached is only half of the entry and doesn't include the NP! Also, the year (if mentioned) is not included.
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Sorry Forfarian I had so many new records in front me I listed the wrong one re the 'NP'. This clip is from the page containing Jean Davidson's birth 1814 in Tyrie.
I can see a scroll bar so can view the whole clip perhaps that is not working on your computer? I now see it says 'in' N.P. Must change these specs or stop potting on while next to the computer!
Jen
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Ah, yes, I see the scroll bar now.
As it is Tyrie, I am willing to bet that 'N P' is short for 'New Pitsligo'.
New Pitsligo is the biggest settlement in the parish of Tyrie, give or take a few of the many disjunctions and suppressions that the parish seems to have undergone in the 18th and 19th centuries. New Pitsligo was founded by Sir William Forbes of Pitsligo in 1787, one of the many new planned villages associated with the Scottish Enlightenment between about 1750 and 1850.
See http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NJ8855
and http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NJ8856
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It's taken me all morning to get my head around the places George and Isabella are associated with as I was totally unfamiliar with these parishes. George was born in the parish of Ellon and that is where he and Isabella got married in 1809 - she is from the parish of Tyrie. George's father was born in 1743 at Turnerhall a short distance from the village of Ellon. George's father was a 'tacksman' of Lime Quarries - but I can see no evidence of a lime quarry in Ellon.
After their marriage George and Isabella move to the parish of Tyrie and probably to the village of New Pitsligo. Having read the statistical accounts of both these parishes I think at that time I'd be off like a shot to New Pitsligo! Wish I could have met the Rev William Fraser who wrote the Tyrie account 1791-99 not many quote Pliny in their accounts!
Jen
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This is from the Ellon 1769 page I have for an unrelated family surname.
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Many thanks Breaky for for posting this clip. I can see they are living at Little Arnage :)- this is very close to Turnerhill where I think George (married to Margaret Simpson) was born in 1743. The witnesses to his birth are both living in Little Arnage.
Jen
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(Just in case there is a link), on the same page in 1769, on March 3rd this time, a 'William Davidson in Mains of Arnage had twins baptised by the names of Elspet and Margaret. Witnesses John Gray and William Arthur'. (No wife's name is given).
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Thanks again Breaky, I've made a note of this. There would appear to be (at least) four Davidson men registering births in Ellon from the late 1750s to the late 1760s. I can see the same names repeating through the generations. I really am delighted at being able to confirm Jane's parental grandparents - this was way beyond any expectation I had when making this post.
Thanks
Jen
PS
I found 'The Book of Ellon' online - some very interesting reading about the origin of place names and about the geology or the area.
https://archive.org/details/bookellon00mccogoog
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Many thanks, Jen, for the Book of Ellon link...completely new to me.