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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Shetland => Topic started by: AsH62 on Monday 02 January 17 14:27 GMT (UK)
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Hi. My 3 x great grandfather was Captain James Johnson born in Mull 1804-bef 1861. He married Williamina Crawford born in Lerwick in 1814 in 1832 (Sandwick church) and they had 10 children in Shetland.
James's mother was Barbara Rendal (or numerous other spellings) 1774-1859 and she was born in Yell and buried in Sandwick. So far so good.
On the death certificate of James's wife Williamina, her mother was listed as Barbara Rendal. I have always assumed that this is a mistake and that the witness who was Williamina's son got the wrong side of the family and listed his father's mother. The family had moved to Portobello in Edinburgh and so the links back to Shetland could have got blurred.
In 1861 Williamina was a widow living in Lower Chanerwick and there was a 'pauper' lodger living with her called Jane Rendal b.1780 in Whalsay. I am now wandering if the name on Williamina's death certificate was only partly a mistake and if her mother was Jane Rendal? There wouldn't have been anything unusual if Williamina and James were cousins and their mothers were sisters, Barbara and Jane Rendal. It's a stretch but I can't stop thinking about it and wondered if anyone out there knew anything about the family.
Another link is that in 1851 Catherine Johnson b.1762 (unmarried) was living with the Rendal family in Yell.
I hope that someone recognises this family, it is driving me a bit mad!
Alison
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Alison, are you familiar with Tony Gott's website, www.bayanne.info/Shetland
Had some Rendal's myself but they were in Orkney!
Skoosh.
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Hi Skoosh. I did look at it ages ago but had forgotten all about it - thanks
Alison
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Hi Alison
I looked on Tony Gott's site and did not see any children born around or immediately after 1832. Here is the site: http://bayanne.info/Shetland/search.php?mybool=AND&myfirstname=&mylastname=Randall&imageField.x=18&imageField.y=10
Are you sure the children were born in Lerwick?? Of course they may have been but am wondering if you went to Scotland's People's site to search for them. Do you have their names? If so you might want to try looking up a couple there and make sure you have the correct birth place. There is a charge to look up their actual birth certificate but it is a minimal charge.
Tony may have missed your ancestors but not to sure about that. Let me know if you have tried Scotland's People site.
Lauraine
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Hi Lorrain
Thanks, I have had a look at the site and then I went on Scotlands People but with no luck. I am missing quite a few births even though the LDS site has them but i am going up to Scotland next month and am going to ask the staff at the archives what I am doing wrong.
I really appreciate your help
Alison
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Hi Alison
I would try to make an appointment with the Archives in Glasgow before you get there. Here is how to contact them: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/about-us/contact-us
Not sure how busy they are now but with all the internet stuff appointments were necessary. In Shetland, the name is spelled Randall but had other spellings too.
I hope you have a great time in Scotland. Travel by train and bus are most accommodating even if one uses a walker. My daughter and I went there in May of 2016 and enjoyed ourselves a great deal. In Shetland stayed with one of my cousins and they drove us around a fair amount. In Mainland Scotland we rented a car for three days - oh my gosh are the roads ever narrow - so drove around with white knuckles all the time we had it. We then bused and trained the rest of the trip. We did see many graveyards in Shetland but only saw one in Invergowrie which was very difficult to find. Luckily the gravestone has fallen down so was still readable. It was a thrill to see the names of my 3x great grandfather and his wife!
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Alison
Seems you did make a connection...Jane Rendel died in 1865 at 86 years. She had been married he was a Colvin. Her parents were John Rendel and Agnes Robertson. The informant was John Johnson, nephew.
Send me a PM with your email and I will send you her death.
Don
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Thank you!
PM on it's way
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Hi there
My 3rd great grandfather in captain James Johnson from Shetland. Seems we must be related somehow!
Cheers
Anja
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Hi Anja
How exciting, how are you related to him?
Captain James Johnston and Williamina Crawford had ten children and I am related to the oldest one, Margaret Crawford Johnson. She married William Inglis and their daughter Agnes Cecilia Inglis married James Masterton. Their daughter Margaret Johnstone Masterton was my granny, she married Douglas Hepburn.
I would love to share information. I have been researching this with a third cousin from Ontario who is a much more experienced researcher than me and he has helped put a lot of information together.
Speak soon
Alison
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Hi Alison
Would that be Neil? He is my 4th cousin so we are also related. I have been in touch with him he put me onto Bayanne site.
So my line is from James and Williamina's daughter Elizabeth Jessie leask Johnson (so margaret Johnson's sister). She is my 2 x grandmother.
I live in Sydney but grew up in Edinburgh.
I probably can't shed anymore light on details other than I have a james Crawford dying on Shetland 1st April 1832 who I assume is Williaminas father and that he's was an Englishman. Any luck on Williamina husband?
Williamina and Elizabeth were both illiterate so I am assuming all 10 children would have been.
But I keep rescearching. It's hard from across the globe. Will get home one day and get to Shetland , have you been?
Look forward to hearing from you cuz 😆👍
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Yes, it's Neil, we all know him, he adopted me in my first weeks of researching 6 years ago and really got me started.
I live in York and so get up to the Edinburgh Archives on a fairly regular basis to research for me and Neil but I have never made it to Shetland. It was only in February this year at the archives that I found that Elizabeth Jessie Leask Johnson had remarried and finally found her death date - I could have asked you!
I did give that bit of information to a researcher called Bill (living in Edinburgh) who is researching Elizabeth for his wife's side of the family, he has an ancestry tree called alb25will and he is very helpful. His wife is the great granddaughter of Elizabeth, her son John married Margaret Shand Little, their son Ernest married Margaret Hannah Henderson and they had Bill's wife. How is your line worked out from Elizabeth?
So far I have been unable to find out about the family of Williamina Johnson, wife of Captain James Johnston. I like your thinking about James Crawford, I had heard that her father might have been an Englishman but that is as far as I had got. BTW I am not sure what you mean about 'any luck on Williamina's husband' wasn't that was the captain?
If you are on Ancestry I can send you access to my tree and you can see if there is anything there of interest.
I am taking a bit of an enforced research break at the moment, I have a work deadline on the 12th of June so am having to be disciplined but my reward is two days in the archives later in June.
Alison