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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Aberdeenshire => Topic started by: themonkeymonkey on Wednesday 04 October 17 12:00 BST (UK)
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Looking for any information on Isabella Geddes Booth supposedly born 1826 Cruden, Aberdeenshire to Helen Geddes (1804-1883). Helen was not married so i'm supposing that Booth is Isabella's fathers surname. Isabella gave birth to a daughter Jane Booth (1844-1893). Isabella was unmarried at time of birth but on Jane's marriage certificate is lists father as James Lemon. Jane married Peter Copland (1841-1911) in 1866 in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.
I cannot find birth certificate of Isabella's birth but in the 1841 and 1851 census it lists her living with her mother Helen Geddes. I also cannot find a death certificate but it does say on the death certificate of Jane that Isabella is deceased.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
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Looking for any information on Isabella Geddes Booth supposedly born 1826 Cruden, Aberdeenshire to Helen Geddes ....
I cannot find birth certificate of Isabella's birth
As this is before the start of civil registration in 1855, there is no birth certificate to look for.
Assuming there is no record of her baptism in the old parish register, the only possible place is the Kirk Session records. If Helen and Jane belonged to the Church of Scotland, and if their pregnancies came to the attention of the Kirk Session, they would have been summoned and interrogated about the identities of the fathers. Usually this results in a record in the minutes of the Kirk Session.
The Cruden Kirk Session minutes for the 1820s and 1840s are in the National Records of Scotland. They have been digitised but are not yet available on Scotland's People, though it is planned to make them available 'soon'. In the meantime you would need to hire someone to search them in Edinburgh or in the Aberdeen Archives, who also have access to the digitised version.
I also cannot find a death certificate
I take it that you have searched for her both as Geddes and as Booth? Though I can't find either her or her mother in 1861, so they could both have died before 1855.
I see from the 1851 censes that Helen is described as a pauper. This means, specifically, that she was being supported by a parochial board, almost certainly Cruden parochial board because that is where she was born and where she was living. I do not know offhand whether or not the Cruden parochial board records have survived, but if they have, they will contain a lot of detail about Helen and her family. Aberdeen Archives http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/education_learning/local_history/archives/loc_archiveshomepage.asp is the place to start looking.
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Thank you I will enquire at Aberdeen Archives, thanks.
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What does Jane's marriage certificate say about her mother's status? Is she still alive then?
flst
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The good news is that Helen Geddes is living in North Street, Peterhead in the 1861, 71 & 81 censuses. From the free index on scotlandspeople I note that she died in 1883 aged 79. You can view her death certificate online . It will give details of her parents.
flst
I note you already know her date of death & assume you have those details?
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The good news is that Helen Geddes is living in North Street, Peterhead in the 1861, 71 & 81 censuses.
. Hmmm. FreeCEN has her in 1871 but not in 1861. I wonder why .... Ah! Creative spelling - she is indexed as Gides on SP and FreeCEN lists her as Gilles :o
Could Isabella be the Isabella Booth who married Robert Chalmers in Peterhead in 1860?
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I don't think so. She appears on an online tree as being born in 1811, in Old Deer, to different parents.
flst
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I don't think so. She appears on an online tree as being born in 1811, in Old Deer, to different parents.
There are two other marriages of Isabella Booths in New Deer, in 1853 and 1874, so I would not trust any online tree not to have got them mixed up, especially the earlier one. The certificate would sort that out.
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Isabella Chalmers, nee Booth died in 1899,aged 89. As per scotlandspeople.
As you say, certificates would be best. Just looking for other possibilites while I wait to hear back from the OP regarding information off Jane's marriage certificate.
flst
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I have Helen Geddes's death certificate which unfortuntely says that her parents are not known to informant and as yet I have not found the birth certificate. I maybe foolishly took her birth date by the death certificate ( 79 years old in 1883). Thanks for all your help.
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Where did she die & who was the informant? As already requested, what did Jane's marriage certifcate state about her parents?
flst
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There is another possible death entry for your Isabella,in Peterhead. Isabella Booth died in 1900 aged 75.
flst
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Janes birth certificate states: 1844 January 20th Isabella Booth in Peterhead an unmarried woman had a daughter born - baptised and named Jane.
Janes Marriage certificate gives James Lemon as dad and Isabella Booth as mum (I do not think that they ever married and that he went on to marry someone else).
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Informant for death of Helen Geddes was Peter Copland and it looks like it says he is Grandson
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Isabella Chalmers, nee Booth died in 1899,aged 89. As per scotlandspeople.
that does seem quite conclusive. As I am sure you are aware, I do not trust anything I find online unless it is an image of an original document, and certainly not tress on A******y, myH******e and so on.
Janes birth certificate states: 1844 January 20th Isabella Booth in Peterhead an unmarried woman had a daughter born - baptised and named Jane.
That's not a birth certificate; it's an extract from the Registers of Baptisms. Birth certificates did not exist before 1855.
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On searching DO I found a burial for Isabella Booth 20th January 1854 at the Old Churchyard Peterhead. It says she lived in the Longate which is the road leading on from North Street where she was in 1851 census. It may be just someone with the same name but age wise it fits. I will see if a relative can visit the churchyard and see if there is any information. Thanks everyone for you help.
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On searching DO I found a burial for Isabella Booth 20th January 1854 at the Old Churchyard Peterhead. It says she lived in the Longate which is the road leading on from North Street where she was in 1851 census. It may be just someone with the same name but age wise it fits. I will see if a relative can visit the churchyard and see if there is any information.
If her mother was a pauper it's unlikely there will be a stone. The burial records are held by Aberdeenshire Council (probably in their Peterhead office) but they charge heftily to let you see them, and Deceased Online has an image of that anyway, so no point trying the council office.
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Thanks for all the help Forfarian :).