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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Wigtownshire => Topic started by: HermitCedar on Saturday 11 November 17 15:10 GMT (UK)

Title: McPherson family member in Wigtown? I'd love some help!
Post by: HermitCedar on Saturday 11 November 17 15:10 GMT (UK)
Hello everyone - me again!

So I've worked a lot out for my family tree but I am now totally stuck yet again. Funnily enough (funny for someone else, not for me!) I am stuck now on the first ancestor I was specifically trying to find - urgh!

So, anyway, I have found my ancestor, James McPherson. I have no birth or death date. All I know is that he married Elizabeth Armstrong on October 30th, 1817, in Portpatrick, Wigtown. Elizabeth was born in 1796 in Portpatrick, and died on May 26th, 1877.

James and Elizabeth had a daugter, Susan McPherson, who was born April 22nd 1822 in Stonykirk and died 26 October 1899. She married a man named Robert Shaw on September 29 1842 in Kirkmaiden. I am descendant of this line and am trying to trace back the McPherson side.

So, again, I have no info at all on James and his line is the specific one I am trying to trace back.

Do you all have any thoughts?

As a secondary... this link is to a snippet of a document on my Google Drive account that was too large to post here as an attachment.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O_fOKesOngq6-GOpQ8e25v5hI5ri4a1t/view?usp=sharing

This is the death certificate for that Elizabeth Armstrong. At the time of her death she had remarried to a man named Robert McGarvie, but on that death cert it lists James McPherson as her first husband. I cannot read the other info below it... I'm also not sure if it lists some kind of death info for James McPherson either - can any of you help interpret this?

Secondly, I know it lists Elizabeth's mother as Susanna Armstrong nee Rennie, but I cannot at all read Elizabeth's father's name. Any thoughts on that as well?

As always, the McPherson line is the primary, but I am hoping that MAYBE some detail on the Armstrongs could help lead me there somehow.

Thank you so much in advance!!
Title: Re: McPherson family member in Wigtown? I'd love some help!
Post by: isobelw on Saturday 11 November 17 15:19 GMT (UK)
The information under James McPherson is his occupation. He was an Agricultural Labourer. Elizabeth's father was Thomas Armstrong, a Fisherman.
Isobel
Title: Re: McPherson family member in Wigtown? I'd love some help!
Post by: suzilad on Saturday 11 November 17 15:22 GMT (UK)


Hi, It also gives her address as Innermessan which is the site of a caravan park now.

It is on the A77 Stranraer to Ayr road approximately 2 miles north of Stranraer

suzilad
Title: Re: McPherson family member in Wigtown? I'd love some help!
Post by: suzilad on Saturday 11 November 17 16:00 GMT (UK)


Looks like  James McPherson died sometime between the birth of his daughter Mary in1829  and Elizabeth Armstrong/ McPherson   marrying Robert McGarvie on 3rd June 1834 in Stoneykirk .

suzilad

added these are the children of James and Elizabeth on OPRs

Susan -- 8/4/1822 Stoneykirk   John 21/1/ 1825 Kirkcolm  Elizabeth 4/2/1827 Stoneykirk and Mary 19/4/1929 also Stoneykirk

Stoneykirk , Kirkcolm and Portpatrick are all small villages a few miles from Stranraer
Title: One last struggle to trace this ancestor!
Post by: HermitCedar on Monday 11 December 17 14:59 GMT (UK)
Hey everyone,

So, after a lot of searching, I'm about ready to give up on searching for this ancestor.

I figured, though, that I should give it one last try.

I am trying to find more on a James McPherson.

He married Elizabeth Armstrong in Portatrick Wigtown on October 30th 1817.

He and Elizabeth had 3 children, Susan, Eliz(s?)abeth, and John. I am descended from Susan McPherson, who married Robert Shaw on September 29th, 1842 in Kirkmaiden.

Any help you guys can offer on tracing back James McPherson would be amazing, I'm trying to find more about the McPherson roots for my father!

Thanks again!
Title: Re: One last struggle to trace this ancestor!
Post by: rosie99 on Monday 11 December 17 15:03 GMT (UK)
What information does the marriage give  :-\


Title: Re: One last struggle to trace this ancestor!
Post by: louisa maud on Monday 11 December 17 15:06 GMT (UK)
Think this has been posted elsewhere recently

Louisa Maud


Threads merged.
Title: Re: One last struggle to trace this ancestor!
Post by: Gadget on Monday 11 December 17 15:07 GMT (UK)
Quote from: rosie99 on Monday 11 December 17 15:03 GMT (UK)
What information does the marriage give  :-\

If you mean the 1817 marriage, then very little info - both of the parish after proclamation of banns.
Title: Re: One last struggle to trace this ancestor!
Post by: HermitCedar on Monday 11 December 17 15:09 GMT (UK)
Quote from: rosie99 on Monday 11 December 17 15:03 GMT (UK)
What information does the marriage give  :-\

Not much at all. It's a church register. It just says...

"Robert Shaw and Susan McPherson, in Myroch were married, 29th Sept, 1842."

This is from the... (Old Parish Registers Marriages 890/ 30 96 Kirkmaiden) Page 96 of 118.

Not sure that will do us any good :/
Title: Re: One last struggle to trace this ancestor!
Post by: HermitCedar on Monday 11 December 17 15:13 GMT (UK)
Quote from: Gadget on Monday 11 December 17 15:07 GMT (UK)
Quote from: rosie99 on Monday 11 December 17 15:03 GMT (UK)
What information does the marriage give  :-\

If you mean the 1817 marriage, then very little info - both of the parish after proclamation of banns.

Ahh, I assumed she meant the 1842 one.

The 1817 marriage is basically the same...

This is the link on Scotlands People, not sure if you can open it directly from here...

https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/view-image/nrs_viewed_images/27679167?image=263&viewed_images=true

More or less, it just says "James McPherson and Elizabeth Armstrong, of this parish, married on October 30th, 1817, by Reverend J (John) McKenzie, reverend of this place."
Title: Re: McPherson family member in Wigtown? I'd love some help!
Post by: Gadget on Monday 11 December 17 17:02 GMT (UK)
I had looked at the 1817 marriage entry. In full it reads:

Quote
Portpatrick 30th October 1817

James McPherson and Elizabeth Armstrong of this Parish having had the benefit  of Proclamation of banns in this Church were married upon this thirtieth day of October one thousand eight hundred and seventeen years By the Revd J Mackenzie D.D. Minister of this Place.

signed by John Mackenzie D. D. at bottom of page.

Interesting wording  - not the more usual 2 liner :)

Do you have any further info on Elizabeth Armstrong?  It might give some background info.

Gadget
Title: Re: McPherson family member in Wigtown? I'd love some help!
Post by: HermitCedar on Monday 11 December 17 17:16 GMT (UK)
Quote from: Gadget on Monday 11 December 17 17:02 GMT (UK)
I had looked at the 1817 marriage entry. In full it reads:

Quote
Portpatrick 30th October 1817

James McPherson and Elizabeth Armstrong of this Parish having had the benefit  of Proclamation of banns in this Church were married upon this thirtieth day of October one thousand eight hundred and seventeen years By the Revd J Mackenzie D.D. Minister of this Place.

signed by John Mackenzie D. D.

Interesting wording  - not the more usual 2 liner :)

Do you have any further info on Elizabeth Armstrong?  It might give some background info.

Gadget

Hey Gadget,

I do have a little more info on E. Armstrong...

I have, from the 1817 census, that she was born ~1798 or so (was listed as 73 at the time, and was living with her daughter and son in law, her son in law being the Robert Shaw I spoke of before). At this point in time her last name was listed as McGarvie. This threw me for a loop at first until I found her death cert ((Statutory registers Deaths 886/ 16)) where it lists her parents as what looks to be Thomas Armstrong (can't read it very well, not 100% about the first name) and Susanna Armstrong, nee Rennie (I think).

Here is the link from SP...

https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/view-image/nrs_stat_deaths/1999020?image=1&viewed_images=true

Anyway, on that death cert (she died in Inch in 1877, looks to say May 24th) it lists her first husband as James McPherson, and agricultural laborer, listed as deceased at the time. Her second husband, who I think was also deceased at the time, Robert McGarvie, a carpenter.

Hopefully some of that helps!
Title: Re: McPherson family member in Wigtown? I'd love some help!
Post by: Gadget on Monday 11 December 17 17:29 GMT (UK)
Quote
Anyway, on that death cert (she died in Inch in 1877, looks to say May 24th) it lists her first husband as James McPherson, and agricultural laborer, listed as deceased at the time. Her second husband, who I think was also deceased at the time, Robert McGarvie, a carpenter.

That helps a lot - if we  find when she married Robert McGarvie (or find them on one of the censuses), it might help us work out an approximate date of James's death.

**I've just noticed that this thread has been merged with a previous one so will read that before I look any further**

 :)


Gadget
Title: Re: McPherson family member in Wigtown? I'd love some help!
Post by: HermitCedar on Monday 11 December 17 17:33 GMT (UK)
Quote from: Gadget on Monday 11 December 17 17:29 GMT (UK)
Quote
Anyway, on that death cert (she died in Inch in 1877, looks to say May 24th) it lists her first husband as James McPherson, and agricultural laborer, listed as deceased at the time. Her second husband, who I think was also deceased at the time, Robert McGarvie, a carpenter.

That helps a lot - if we  find when she married Robert McGarvie (or find them on one of the censuses), it might help us work out an approximate date of James's death.

**I've just noticed that this thread has been merged with a previous one so will read that before I look any further**

 :)


Gadget

Hrm, I just did a quick check on SP and I didn't see any McGarvie's marrying any McPhersons or Armstrong.

Wasn't an in depth search though... I can try to back into this later on! I've been so stone cold on this line for so long that I'm having a hard time staying motivated!!
Title: Re: McPherson family member in Wigtown? I'd love some help!
Post by: Gadget on Monday 11 December 17 18:07 GMT (UK)


From your earlier post and now attached above, it looks like James died between May 1829 minus circa 9 mths and June 1834.

Quote from: suzilad on Saturday 11 November 17 16:00 GMT (UK)


Looks like  James McPherson died sometime between the birth of his daughter Mary in1829  and Elizabeth Armstrong/ McPherson   marrying Robert McGarvie on 3rd June 1834 in Stoneykirk .

suzilad


Title: Re: McPherson family member in Wigtown? I'd love some help!
Post by: Gadget on Monday 11 December 17 18:10 GMT (UK)
Just a though, and then I'll have to disappear for a while -

Have you checked for James in the Military records - some of my Kirkcudbrightshire relatives served in the Napoleanic wars and  married when they returned after 1815.

Gadget
Title: Re: McPherson family member in Wigtown? I'd love some help!
Post by: HermitCedar on Monday 11 December 17 18:41 GMT (UK)
Quote from: Gadget on Monday 11 December 17 18:10 GMT (UK)
Just a though, and then I'll have to disappear for a while -

Have you checked for James in the Military records - some of my Kirkcudbrightshire relatives served in the Napoleanic wars and  married when they returned after 1815.

Gadget

So, I haven't checked military records BUT I don't know how I'd even know if it were my James because I don't have his parents names, birth date, birth location, or etc :/
Title: Re: McPherson family member in Wigtown? I'd love some help!
Post by: Gadget on Monday 11 December 17 19:46 GMT (UK)
You seem to have asked about James here as well:

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=781823.0