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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => West Lothian (Linlithgowshire) => Topic started by: libbyjones on Tuesday 19 August 14 13:31 BST (UK)
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I have just found out I was named after one of my father's siblings who died young and it was my sister who attended my cousin's funeral in whitburn a couple of years ago, who got the shock of her life to see my name on the headstone as my cousin was interred in the burial plot. I would like to know how I can find out when my Aunt Sheila Dickinson died. I thank she was born in 1925 and I was born in 1948 so somewhere between those dates she passed away. Any help is most appreciated.
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Nothing showing up on the West Lothian Family History Societies burial CD for Whitburn which covers 1862-1975. There is only one Sheila being shown as being buried in Whitburn, a Sheila Smith in 1929 and no Dickinsons. In fact I cannot find a burial for an Dickinson anywhere in West Lothian. A quick search of ScotlandsPeople brings up no deaths of a Sheila Dickinson between 1925 and 1948. There are three deaths between 1948 and 2013 none in West Lothian.
Eric
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Hello Eric, thank you so much for your swift response to my query. I have checked with my sister and she is sure that the burial plot where my cousin was interred had the headstone with my name on it, Sheila Dickinson and we both knew that my Dad did have a sister named Sheila and I did find a certificate of birth on scotland's people when Sheila Dickinson was born in Errol, Dundee in 1925 but when I entered the details for a death certificate nothing came forward, hence the roots chatroom.
I am visiting scotland at the end of next month for a few days and I think I will visit the whitburn cemetery and see for myself the details on the headstone. My cousin Andrew Woods was buried in the same burial plot a few years ago. It is certainly a mystery Eric and thank you for your efforts to help. Regards Sheila
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Hi Sheila and Eric
Eric, maybe the death was later than you have on the CD?
There is a death showing on SP for a Sheila DICKSON in 1997 with a birth year c. 1926. The death was registered in Bathgate, West Lothian. I haven't viewed the search results on SP. There may an additional name showing if she married. Not available to view online unfortunately given the years and the cert would need to be ordered.
Monica :)
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Sorry, re-reading... :P
Sheila, why do you think that your Aunt Sheila died before you were born in 1948? Was this from an inscription on the stone that your sister saw?
Monica
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Thank you so much for your posts. I spoke with my sister and she confirmed seeing the headstone, very old headstone, with the name Sheila Dickinson on it, when she attended our cousin's funeral a couple of years ago. Definately Whitburn Cemetery, West Lothian. She just assumed our cousin Andrew Wood was interred in the burial plot of Sheila Dickinson, as she was our Aunt, my dad's sister. I did find a Birth Certificate for Sheila Dickinson born in 1925 in Errol, Perthshire, Scotland and in fact all my dad's siblings 2 brothers and 2 sister and himself, were born in Errol. I was born in 1948 and given the name Sheila and assumed it was in memory of my dad's sister who died. I tried to obtain a death certificate for Sheila Dickinson but to no avail. Now if she was born in 1925 and I was born in 1948 I thought she must have died somewhere in between. Also, my sister is adamant that the name on the headstone was Sheila Dickinson in Whitburn Cemetery and I am now trying to find out burial details for my cousin and maybe I will have success there because he was buried in the same plot. regards Sheila
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I should have mentioned that my sister got such a shock seeing my name on the headstone that she tried to ask my mother about it but my mother was very poorly that day and in fact she died in June this year, and she didn't get the opportunity to return to the cemetery to take details. She wished she had of course but I thought it would be easy to find out myself but it is becoming a bit of a challenge. regards Sheila
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A couple of thoughts.
It would almost certainly be useful to note the date of death from the stone before taking things further.
People are sometimes named on a stone even though they are not actually buried there. Maybe they died overseas, or maybe they were cremated and ashes scattered somewhere, but the family still has the name added to the stone.
West Lothian Council has all the recent burial records for West Lothian, including Whitburn, and they are very helpful. Why not contact their burial grounds department and ask if they have a record of the burial of Sheila Dickinson?
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Thank you so much for all the helpful information and I will contact Whitburn Council and enquire about the burial plot. It's a very old headstone with my name on it and of course my cousin was buried there in 2008 and so it should be easy I hope to find out who is in that plot. I did try scotland's people birth register and found sheila dickinson born in Errol, Dundee, in 1925 and when I input details for a death registration it came up with a sheila dickinson but the date of death showed as 1990 city of dundee and Errol is outside Dundee and the strange thing was that her mother's maiden name was shown as Gilchrist and that is correct. To be honest I don't know what to think now and I shall continue with a Whitburn Council enquiry and see if I can find out more about the burial plot in Whitburn. regards Sheila
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Thank you so much for all the helpful information and I will contact Whitburn Council
There is no Whitburn Council. You need West Lothian Council.
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Hi, I contacted West Lothian Council and they were very helpful and told me who the occupants of the burial plot are, all three of them, but no mention of Sheila Dickinson, whose name is on the headstone. I also found out a birth in 1925 and a death of a Sheila Dickinson in 1990 buried in city of dundee and whose details show the correct m.s. and place of birth. I contacted Dundee Cemetery Records Office and again they were very helpful, but, they can't find details of her burial. Her middle name was Campsie and that too was on both the birth and death record. I am awaiting a further check from Dundee and hopefully I am coming close to finding out more. regards Sheila
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...when I input details for a death registration it came up with a sheila dickinson but the date of death showed as 1990 city of dundee and Errol is outside Dundee and the strange thing was that her mother's maiden name was shown as Gilchrist and that is correct.
Hi Sheila,
If the Council don't have a record of her buried at Whitburn and you have a 1990 record in Dundee that matches, it would seem that Forfarian's suggestion that she is commemorated on a stone in Whitburn but not actually buried there is likely to be correct. It's not uncommon and there are a number of stones in Whitburn that commemorate people in that way.
There are atually three cemeteries/churchyards in Whitburn. The oldest is the parish churchyard, where there are some really old gravestones from the 1700s. A number are from the early/mid 1800s (including a daughter of Robert Burns), although there are one or two later burials where there was obviously space left in the plot. The second cemetery is in Manse Road, just around the corner from the church and burials there date from the late 1800s. I think all the plots in Manse Road were allocated by the late 1970s/early 1980s (although later burials took place where space was still available) and the third cemetery, Blaeberry, in the East of the town opened in the early 1980s and is still in use today.
I'm from West Lothian and was out seeing family earlier, afterwards I took a walk round the Manse Road cemetery and the old churchyard, but I didn't see the gravestone with your Aunts name on it. It is possible I missed it as, although I walked round most of the place, it was quite a quick tour as I was trying to avoid the rain!
Did the Council confirm that your family members are definitely buried in Manse Road?
What are the dates of the burials that the council had information for? As you would expect, the oldest burials are at the front gate and the oldest near the back, so if you give me the dates it narrows down the part of the cemetery that they might be in and I'd be happy to have another look over the next week as I'll be passing through Whitburn again.
Best wishes
Brian
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Good Morning Brian, thank you for your very interesting reply to my query. West Lothian Council did give me the number which is Lane Q and No. 84 and I found out that this burial plot houses three occupants, Thomas Wood 1968 Robert Wood 1991 and my cousin Andrew Wood, most recent 2008 and my sister attended his funeral with my late mother and that it when she read my name, Sheila Dickinson, on the headstone. But, you are right Brian, I have been told it was not uncommon to place a memory on a headstone without an actual burial and my sister remembers this headstone as being an old one. I found the birth details of Sheila Dickinson on scotland's people as 1925 which ties in with all the other siblings in the family and the place of birth is correct, viz., Errol, outside Dundee and the m.s. Gilchrist is correct too. But, when I searched for death details of my Aunt, it showed the correct names, including maiden surname and seemed to suggest she was interred in a cemetery in the city of dundee but the strange thing is the date of death showed 1990. Now, how can I have an aunt for all those years and not know about her nor was she mentioned by my dad or his other siblings. Your help is most appreciated, regards Sheila
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Hi Sheila
I have checked the CD for the grave you have given and it is in Manse Road Cemetery. To find it come into the cemetery from Manse Road and at what looks like a roundabout turn right and follow the road right round. You will come to a slight bend to left where the original cemetery meets the extension section Q is on the left next to the wall.
Regards
Eric
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I tried to obtain a death certificate for Sheila Dickinson but to no avail.
What did you do that didn't succeed?
If you tried to download it from Scotland's People, you would fail because the death (whether it was 1990 or 1997 - there seems to be some confusion in this thread) is less than 50 years ago, and 50 years ago is the cut-off date for getting death certificates online.
You won't get any further with this without that death certificate, which will tell you the full names of both her parents, and hence whether she was or was not your aunt. You can order the certificate through the Scotland's People web site. There is a charge for this and it will come in the post. I forget what the charge is - £10 or £12. (Which is still a sight cheaper than many countries charge!)
Or you could hire a professional searcher to go to the Scotland's People Centre and transcribe it for you. This would be cheaper and might be quicker because you could get the information by e-mail.
Or you could appeal for some kind soul who is going to the SP Centre to look it up and transcribe it. That's the cheapest but possibly slowest method.
Why do you think she was buried in Dundee? Could she have been cremated?
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Hello and thanks to all for your help with this query. I now know that Q84 the burial plot is from the Manse Road end and have noted the directions to lead me there when I visit at the end of September. The lady I spoke to from Dundee cemetery records asked for the last address my aunt lived at prior to her demise and the exact date and this is why I need the death certificate to obtain all the information including parents names etc. and she suggested I call at a Registrars Office and they will help with this for a fee which I am happy to pay. I dont have to visit Dundee to do this. I will call at the Registrars Office in Kirkintilloch. I am inclined to think that the inscription to my aunt in whitburn cemetery could be a memory inscription but until I see the headstone and any other detail on it, I can't be sure. I know that all six siblings were born in Errol, outside Dundee and they all moved away from Errol, 2 moved to Linlithgow, 1 along with grandad moved to Chryston, Lanarkshire 1 moved to Whitburn and my Dad moved to Kirkintilloch but where did Sheila move to? or maybe she didn't move. regards Sheila
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Hi Libby
It should have been on the right next to the wall rather than the left. I was distracted by our puppy as I was posting ;D.
Regards Eric
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Hi, thank you for the correction in the direction Eric, Sheila
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Hi Brian, yes, West Lothian Council did check the occupants of grave Q84, and it's Manse Road, as my cousin Andrew Wood in 2008 my uncle Robert Wood in 1991 and his brother Thomas Wood I think, in 1968. And, no record of Sheila Dickinson being interred in the grave Not sure if they would have a record of when an inscription of a memory would be put on the headstone. Regards Sheila
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Hi everyone, I have a general question. My mother died in June this year and was buried in Auld Isle Cemetery in Kirkintilloch. At the funeral, in the church, it was mentioned that my mother had one sister, Elizabeth, known as Bessie and I and my sister had often heard her talk about her sister. However, I found amongst papers, birth certificates for a further three children. This would mean my mum was one of five, Agnes, my mum, born 1921, James born 1923, Elizabeth born 1925, Robert born 1932 and Martha born 1933 all born in Kirkintilloch at Nos. 35 or 39 Donaldson Street. Their mother and father, my grandparents were Robert Kennedy and Elizabeth Kennedy, m.s. Gilchrist. Robert died in 1977 and Elizabeth died in childbirth in 1936. I have the birth certificates but when I tried to obtain details of when they died, it came up no record of death in each case except of course my mum Agnes. Any help would be appreciated. Elizabeth
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I have the birth certificates but when I tried to obtain details of when they died, it came up no record of death in each case except of course my mum Agnes.
Hi,
When you say you have tried to get details of the deaths, how and where are you searching? If you are using Scotlands' People and putting in the mother's maiden name [Gilchrist] you won't get any matches much before the late 1970s, as the mother's maiden name isn't indexed for earlier records.
If you use Scotland's People and search only for Martha Kennedy born 1933 (+ or - 5 years) anywhere in Scotland there are 9 matches. The first is your Aunt, who sadly died in 1935 aged 18 months at 39 Donaldson Street.
If you search for Robert Kennedy born 1933 (+ or - 5 years) in Kirkintilloch only, there is a Robert who died aged 5 in 1937. I don't have the credits to look at this certificate, but there is a very good chance that this is your uncle.
I can't find any obvious record for James and Elizabeth passing away as children - there are no matches in Kirkintilloch as far as I can see and widening the search gives too many matches to narrow it down.
On the Whitburn gravestone - now that we have Eric's directions, I'll have a look again tomorrow evening, as I'll be passing by again.
Best wishes
Brian
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Hello Brian, thank you so very much for all the information you have given me and I think you are spot on with Martha and Robert. I have since found out that James joined up and was killed in action and Elizabeth committed suicide. This freaked me out a bit but I spoke with an old friend of the family who vaguely remembers the incident. As you probably know Kirkintilloch has the Forth & Clyde Canal running through the town and this is where she met her demise. It was hushed up at the time and he didn't have much more to say. This explains why my mum Agnes told me she was 14 yrs old when her Mum died following a botched abortion and she was left on her own with my Grandad with no mention of other siblings except Elizabeth who she said drowned. I will be very interested to hear the detail on the headstone for my Aunt Sheila Dickinson and must thank you very much for taking the time to venture back to the cemetery to find out. Regards Sheila
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Hi,
Following the directions from Eric, I found the stone this evening. I missed it last week as there was a plant masking part of the stone.
The stone gives dates of death for Robert Wood in 1991, aged 71 years and describes him as the 'beloved husband of Elizabeth Dickinson'. Also Andrew, son of Robert, in 2008 and Thomas Wood who died in 1968 aged 75 years, who was Robert's father. There is no further information given for Elizabeth.
However, if you search on Scotland's People for the death of Elizabeth Dickinson with other surname Wood, there is only one (very recent) record, also in Whitburn who is likely the person you are looking for. My guess is that either you have been looking for a Sheila who was actually called Elizabeth or they are two different people.
Given the date of Elizabeth's death and the location, I would think that any burial would have been at Blaeberry and the council may be able to give you more information.
I took a couple of pictures of the gravestone and I'll send you a private message to arrange how to get them to you.
Best wishes
Brian
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Thank you Brian for all the information. Thomas, Robert, and Andrew Wood, grandfather, father and son on the headstone I can understand. Elizabeth, marrried to Robert died in 2012 but I found out she was cremated on the outskirts of Whitburn. Her name was Elizabeth Dickinson, m.s. Gilchrist but she did not have Sheila in her name. Was there any inscription on the headstone for a Sheila Dickinson with a date possibly? Regards Sheila
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Hi,
There is no mention of a Sheila on the stone and no sign of a separate memorial. There is an obscured inscription at the base of the stone but from the text I can make out I think this reads something like 'until we meet again'.
Best wishes
Brian
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Hello Brian, just thinking again. Elizabeth Dickinson, married name Wood, and m.s. Gilchrist was born in 1917 in Errol, and died in Whitburn in 2012 but as I found out she was cremated and not interred with her husband and son and father in law. So, if there is a Sheila Dickinson on the headstone, it is definately not Elizabeth known to me as Aunt Betty. On the headstone was there a name Sheila Dickinson with any detail about that person? kind regards Sheila
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Sheila, Brian has already said
There is no mention of a Sheila on the stone and no sign of a separate memorial.
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I have finally found the details of my Aunt Sheila's birth and death. Her name was Sheila Dickinson. She never married. She was born in 1924 and died in 1990 and I was told my Dad had a sister and that I was named after her. But, nothing more. She died in Dundee and the Dundee cemeteries have checked and there is no sign of a burial there. They have asked me to check with the Crematorium and I am waiting for their reply. My sister told me she saw my name on a headstone in Whitburn Cemetery and got such a shock because she was there at the funeral of our cousin in 2008 but by the time she returned to get more detail, the headstone was not there and a new headstone was erected, but without my Aunt's name on it. It is a puzzle and I just want to know where she is rested. I am hoping the Dundee Crematorium find something and perhaps her ashes were interred in Whitburn which would account for her name being on the old headstone, but why would her name not be on the new one? Sheila
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Hi,
Glad you have found her details and hopefully the crematorium might have more details.
If she was cremated and her ashes interred in Whitburn, I would think that the Council would still have to have a record of this as they would have had to open the ground.
I hope you get the news that you are looking for.
Best wishes
Rockford
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I will have a reply by 5 p.m. tomorrow from the Dundee Crematorium and will contact West Lothian Council to check if her ashes were indeed interred in the Grave in Whitburn. I have the grave number. It is such a pity my parents didn't tell me about my Aunt, after all, I share her name and it would have been nice to know her. I was 42 when she died and it defies belief that this was such a secret. Back in the day I suppose parents kept such information to themselves but I just need to complete the puzzle. My sister will also be relieved as she had the shock of seeing my name on a headstone and then the name to disappear after my cousin was interred in 2008 with a new headstone replacing the old one. Thank you for your help, regards Sheila
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My initial enquiry was about my aunr sheila's name on a headstone in Whitburn cemetery but I am no further forward as to what happened to this old headstone and why my aunt's name, Sheila Dickinson was on the headstone. As, my aunt died in 1990 and this old headstone was replaced just after my cousin Andrew was interred prior to 1990 there was no reason for her name to be on a headstone as she was still alive. A mystery!!!! However, from her death certificate, I found out she died ion 18th December 1990 as a result of a vehicular collision as a pedestrian, Nearr Kinnaird and she was not buried as I thought she might have been, in Dundee. But, in fact she was cremated on Christmas Eve 1990, in Dundee no family present and her ashes were passed from the Crematorium back to the Funeral Directors for a month but not claimed and then returned to the Crematorium and scattered in the woodland, no family present. How sad is that. She lived in Dundee in a high rise until her death in 1990 aged 66yrs. and the high rise flats were demolished in 1995 but I am trying to find out her start in life. She was never adopted and never married or had children. The Adoption Society in Edinburgh said it was common for a new baby to be looked after by a family until a placement was found in an orphanage. But, I am struggling to find out where she grew up and why her family, 5 siblings, never sought to find her. Orphanage records don't appear to be available for one reason or another so am unsure where I go from here. I was told my dad HAD a sister and I was named after her. No more. Any help on orphanages would be appreciated, Sheila
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My sympathy to Libby. I am curious to know if you resolved your problem.
I was drawn to this post whilst searching for evidence. I have a couple of Whitburn, West Lothian burial queries and saw MonicaL responding who has helped me a great deal in the past.
Firstly, my great x 3 grandmother Elisabeth Bryce nee Hamilton born 21st november 1802 Whitburn died sometime between the birth of her last child about 1840 and the 1841 census. We believe that last child, who did definitely exist was not registered so no records, apart from census records exist for her. I know she exists because I am in contact with the wife of her great x 3 grandson and she lived with my great x 3 grandmother for a while. She died on the 15th December 1905 19 Main Street, Whitburn a spinster but had a few illegitimate children.
So the last recorded birth/baptism was John Bryce 1836. However, I cannot find a death record for Elisabeth anywhere. She does not appear on the Whitburn South Parish Church, Midlothian, Monumental Inscriptions where I have found her husband William Bryce who died 16th July 1886 buried with his 2nd wife Jean Weir who died 1768 togeter with their daughter Elizabeth who died in 1871 aged 20 years.
Also Jane Brown (sometimes recorded as Jean) nee Hamilton who is closely connected to Elisabeth Hamilton as myself and my mother have lots of DNA matches popping up all over the place descended from her. She was born in Whitburn 28th December 1802, baptised 9th January 1803 with parents Robert Hamilton and Agnes Wilson. She married Robert Brown in West Calder in 1822 and was living there in 1841 but lived in Whitburn for the rest of her life. I have her up until 1891 where she is living in Whitburn Main Street, North Side with her nephew John White. Her age is recorded as 82 which doesn't match the date of birth I have but does match a death on Scotland's People in 1893 aged 84. There are 2 others 1892 aged 79 and a1899 aged 66 so the 1893 one is probably her.
There is a listing for a Jane Brown on the Whitburn South Church Monumental Inscriptions number 158 but no date or any other details.
I need to positively identify these two people to establish their true parentage and connection.