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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Banffshire => Topic started by: Terry_R on Thursday 09 February 17 14:32 GMT (UK)
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I am researching my great grandmother Jessie Morrison. She was born November 17th 1869, the illegitimate daughter of John Morrison (a carpenter) and Jessie Fleming (a domestic servant). She was born on South Street, Aberchirder, and the birth was registered on Dec 6th at St Marnoch, Marnoch, Banff. Both parents signatures are on the registration.
I have researched the records at Ancestry.com and some at Scotlandspeople.gov.uk and it appears Jessie Morrison was a common name at the time. I can confirm this is my grandmother as her marriage certificate lists them as her parents, her birthday was November 17th and my father remembers her speaking of a “Fergieloen”? which I finally figured out was Foggieloan.
My great grandmother immigrated to Canada prior to 1890, (I can trace her from 1890 on, just not from 1869 to 1890.)
Any information on the Morrison families in the area at the time would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
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Hi ,
Could this be the Morrison family in 1861 ?
Brokenfolds , Marnoch , Banffshire.
Alexander Morrison 48 mason/farmer
Elizabeth Morrison 47 wife
Jean Morrison 19 dau
JOHN MORRISON 16 son Apprentice Wright
James Morrison 14 son
Robert Morrison 12 son
Isabella Morrison 9 dau
Mary Ann Morrison 5 son
William Morrison 1 Son
1881 Brokenfold , Marnoch , Banffshire
Alexander Morrison 68
Elizabeth Morrison 66 wife
Mary Ann Morrison 24 dau
William Morrison 20 son
Elizabeth Morrison 18 Dau
JESSIE MORRISON 11 g. dau born Marnoch Banff.
ev
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You beat me to it, Ev!
Wonder if this is John Morrison's baptism
As transcribed on Freereg
John Morison born 1 Aug 1844 bap. 25 Aug 1844 Abode Macduff Parents Alexander Morison Occ. Mason and Elizabeth Joass (shows as Joss elsewhere).
Maybe John in 1881
Address 11 Gladstone Ave Turriff
John Morrison 36 Macduff Carpenter Master empl.3 men 2 boys
Evaline A Morrison 23 wife b Turriff
John Morrison 3 son b Turriff
Evaline A Morrison 4 months dau b Turriff
+ 1 servant
William
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Possibly John Morrison in 1871
Transcribed as John Morison
On vessels b 1845 Macduff 2nd carpenter on the May Queen.
Maybe Jessie in 1871 showing as niece in Marnoch
Alexander Morrison 27 b Gamrie mason
Helen wife 23 b Huntly
Elisabeth J 3 dau
Jessie Morrison 1 b Marnoch.
William
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Hi Ev and William,
I do believe she may related to that family.
In the 1851 census the family is listed as Morison, the father is Alexander and there is a Alexander and John listed as sons.
In the 1861 census Alexander is not listed at home only John.
Jessie is born in 1869 and in the 1871 census there is a Jessie Morrison (born in Marnoch abt 1870) listed as a niece with Alexander and Helen Morrison.
In the 1881 census Alexander and Helen Morrison now have more children of their own however there is no niece listed. However, in the 1881 census there is now a granddaughter Jessie Morrison (born Marnoch abt 1870) living with the senior Alexander Morrison.
I think the difference in the years may be due to rounding due to when the census was taken and her birthday being in November.
It is a good possibility that is the family, I just can't find any secondary records to confirm it and there are many Jessie and John Morrisons to choose from.
William, I had considered that perhaps John Morrison was a carpenter on a ship. Your posting of John Morrison being born in Macduff in 1845 would tie him into that family.
Thanks again.
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Just to say that given the time of year that Jessie was born in 1869 you would expect her approx. birth year to show as 1870 in censuses.
William
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Wonder if this is relevant and worth your following up:
The 1901 and 1911 censuses (as well as the 1916 Prairie Provinces census) have a John Morrison of the correct age in Manitoba
1901
John Morrison 54 Dob 1 Aug 1844 (nb the same as on the OPR I posted earlier) occupation farmer
Eveline A wife Dob 3 Oct 1857 (both born Scotland)
Charles C adopted son Dob 19 March 1895
Year of immigration given as 1882
1911 They would appear to have a son aged 6 called James. John is recorded as a hardware merchant with 1881 as the year of immigration.
Have not found them in the 1891 census but I am not that au fait with Canadian records.
Back on safer territory for me I did have a look at the newspaper archive for John Morrison. There are a couple of adverts of interest in the Banffshire papers, one in late 1869 and one in 1870 regarding the sale of premises and fittings of a carpenter called John Morrison in Aberchirder.
William
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Marriage for John Morrison
At Turriff 8 June 1880 John Morrison (House Carpenter Master) age 35 parents Alexander Morrison, Farmer,and Elizabeth Morrison (M/s Joss).
To Eveline Ann Ingram parents William Ingram , Registrar of Births etc and Margaret Ingram (M/s Palmer - I think!). Witnesses Alexander Duncan and William Harris
The registrar was... William Ingram (I note there is a three year old son on the 1881 census!)
William
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Hi William,
Adding to my confusion, not only are there multiple Jessie and John Morrisons to sort out, there are also multiple Alexander Morrisons.
My understanding is there was Alexander Morrison (Farmer) married to Jane Milne.
Their son was Alexander Morrison (master mason) married to Elizabeth Joss
And their sons were Alexander Morrison (Mason) and John Morrison (carpenter.)
Reading your posting makes it sound like Alexander the master mason became a farmer (inherited the farm?) or could he have been both mason and farmer?
I found the references about the sale of the premises and fittings to be interesting as it appears John Morrison leaves the area around then. Were the premises on South Street?
I’ll follow up on the Canadian records, I did take a quick look at the online Manitoba records but they did not have a lot of details on them.
Just to add to the confusion, my great grandmother was living in Belleville Ontario in 1890. I discovered that In 1880 another Jessie Morrison (also born in Scotland in 1869) was sent to Belleville as a British Home child. I can find her in the passenger lists just not by great-grandmother.
So I had to sort out multiple Jessie Morrisons in Scotland and in Ontario.
Thanks again.
Terry
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Hi Terry
The 1869 newspaper advert (sale of property) is for John Morrison of South Street. The 1870 advert is for John Morrison, resident of New Street.
Re the Alexander Morrisons - Alexander Morrison married to Elizabeth Joss is in the censuses recorded as both a farmer and a mason. He is, I think, a mason when still in Macduff but when he moves to Marnoch he is recorded as both. My hunch he is your man!
William
Added: The birth of Eveline Ann Ingram showing on Familysearch 3 Oct 1857, Turriff, Aberdeenshire.
Parents William Ingram and Margaret Palmer.
This is the same date as on the 1901 census in Manitoba. Seems too much of a coincidence to me. Cannot see them in any passenger lists. Might be worth considering a post on the Canada board -there are some real experts on there.
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In the 1851 census the family is listed as Morison, the father is Alexander and there is a Alexander and John listed as sons.
Do not read anything into spelling variations.
Jessie is born in 1869 and in the 1871 census there is a Jessie Morrison (born in Marnoch abt 1870)
No, there is not. The original census never gives a date of birth. There is a Jessie Morrison, aged 1. This is exactly accurate because if she was born on 17 November 1869, she had passed her first birthday on 17 November 1870, but on the date of the 1871 census, 2 April, she had not yet passed her second birthday. So her age is indeed one year.
The same applies in 1881. She passed her 11th birthday on 17 November 1880, but on census day, 4 April 1881, she had not had her 12th birthday, so was correctly listed as aged 11.
Some census transcriptions (mis)calculate people's supposed year of birth by subtracting their stated age from the census year. As the census was usually taken a quarter of the way through the year, three-quarters of people had not had a birthday in that year, so the subtraction method gives the wrong answer three-quarters of the time.
I don't think there can be much doubt that you have the right Jessie Morrison. The dates, places and parents' names all match. What address did her father state on Jessie's birth certificate?
I have researched the records at Ancestry.com and some at Scotlandspeople.gov.uk
See http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=714261.0
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Hi Forfarian,
I have seen a lot of spelling variations over the years so I try not to read too much into them.
You are correct the census would not give the date of birth, the ABT 1870 came from the transcriber.
On the official registration it just has South Street, Aberchirder.
William found a newspaper advertisement where a John Morrison was selling his property on South Street in 1869. on the Scotslandpeoples site the 1865 valuation rolls has a John Morrison as Proprietor Occupier of House, Milk House, Barn and Brye, South Street Aberchirder.
Thanks for the link to the Ancestry vs ScotslandPeople discussion. I do prefer to research in Scotslandpeople but due to the expense I use Ancestry or Familysearch for initial research.