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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Aberdeenshire => Topic started by: gypsyspirit on Wednesday 15 November 17 13:18 GMT (UK)
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Hi everyone
I am researching our family from Peterhead and would love to hear from anyone with similar family names. My gggrandfather Alexander Butters arrived in Australia in 1854 at the time of the gold rushes and we believe he is the one with a short prison record for desertion from the UK Merchant Navy in Melbourne. His death certificate states born Aberdeenshire abt 1830, gives mother: Barbara King father: John Butters Sea Captain. We have researched the family tree, and found DNA matches that fit, but unable to place Barbara King in her family apart from her probable father Alexander King - shoemaker in Peterhead.
Any leads would be helpful. Thanks Margaret.
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Hi Margaret there are several tree's on Anc....y with names that match if you have access you could make contact ..Don't know if you have the death certificate for Barbara King on Scotlands People 1885 St Nicholas Aberdeen 168/1659 other surname Butters
1841 Census for Alexander King age 67 shoe maker born about 1774
address King Street Peterhead Aberdeenshire
Isabella King age 20
Alexander Butter age 10
Rosie
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If you do as I did & search on Freecen you will find Barbara in the 1841 -1871 censuses. In 1841 she is living in James Street, Peterhead. She is a seaman's wife & has 6 children living with her. In 1851 she is in Back Street, Peterhead & widowed. There are 4 children there, the youngest, Helen, is aged 6. This may give an indication as to when John butters died. In 1861 Barbara's surname is shown as Buttus. She has family living with her including a married daughter. By 1871 she is living with that daughter in Aberdeen.
Regards,
flst
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Thanks for the lookups. Yes we have the census data mentioned and death registry notice for Barbara King/Butters. We have also found some information on family trees - many of those on Ancestry belong to myself and other local family. We have followed the later families to Australia, Canada and USA. I was hoping someone in Aberdeenshire would be able to find a link to Barbara's King family other than the brother shoemaker in Peterhead. Other posts have mentioned Alexander King watchmaker/silversmith and Charlie King Peterhead merchant but we have not been able to link her to them. We have also been unable to find the correct birth and death for her husband John Butters, seaman. There is a Masters ticket issued in 1855 with a likely birth date, but he and Barbara apparently had a daughter "born posthumously" in 1849. So many Butters in Scotland and perhaps Ireland?
thanks
Margaret
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The following people are buried in the same grave in the old cemetery at Peterhead.
16-1-1808 Robert King, 6, son of Charles King, merchant
2-1-1810 William King, 4, son of Charles King, merchant
7-1-1810 Barbara King, 2, daughter of Charles King, merchant
21-3-1843 Benjamin King, 8 months
8-12-1845 Barbara Butter, 6
14-5-1847 Alexander King, 74, Kirk Street
18-8-1848 Ann Butter 3, months
5-3-1850 John Butter, infant
16-1-1958 Isabella King or Strachan, 66, 82 King Street
29-11-1958 William Strachan, 71, 82 King Street
10-5-2005 William James Strachan, 82, 59 Windmill Street
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Another thing to check are the Old Parish Records,on scotlandspeople website, for the baptisms of the children. Sometimes the names of sponsors,occupations & addresses can lead to a discovery of a family link.
flst
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Thanks for the detailed information from the Cemetery, this certainly include family members, and is the correct Alexander King. I had found a scanned document for burial for Barbara King or Butters 14 Aug 1855 in plot 34 at the same cemetery, which I assumed was our Barbara. It is possible there was no room for Barbara in this plot in 1855, although further burials were possible later. This gives me some leads to find her family.
And also thanks for the hint re additional information on baptism records.
thanks Margaret
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Joan Butter 22/5/1849 born Peterhead is a daughter but I cannot find a death notice
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I have not found a death notice for Joan Butter born 1849. She was baptised and the record states "born posthumously" and this fits with the disappearance of her father (Master seaman) from the records - maybe died at sea or a foreign port? Witness to the baptism was Benjamin King - I believe Barbara's brother.
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Could the infant who died in 1850 be Joan & not John?
flst
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I had found a scanned document for burial for Barbara King or Butters 14 Aug 1855 in plot 34 at the same cemetery, which I assumed was our Barbara. It is possible there was no room for Barbara in this plot in 1855, although further burials were possible later.
This cannot be right, as I said in reply no.2 she was alive in the 1861 & 1871 censuses!
flst
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Are you sure it is the right Barbara King/Butters that died on 14 August 1855 as the cemetery is given as St Peters Cemetery Aberdeen and not Old Churchyard at Peterhead like the relatives.
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Thanks for taking the time to assist. Sorry, my typo, the burial record in St Peters Churchyard is 14 Aug 1885. Following her daughter Isabella's census records it seems the family moved back to Peterhead by the 1881 census and Barbara is missing from the 1891 Census, so that fits with a death in 1885, presumably in Peterhead?.
Thanks for clarifying the different churchyards, as I am not familiar with Aberdeen and Peterhead and I can easily get them mixed up.
What I am really trying to find out is Barbara's family of origin, presumably King.
I believe the burial John Butters infant in 1850 belongs to the next generation of Butters.
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Reply no.1, from Rosie,gives you the details of Barbara's death certificate. Have you not viewed it? It will give the names of her parents. The death was registered in Aberdeen so that is where she died, not Peterhead.
flst
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Thanks. I bought some credits and have the death certificate. It is informative. Will go from there.
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Out of interest, what names does the death certificate give for the parents and what does it say about her father's occupation?
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Just what I expected
Barbara Butters, widow of John Butters (dec), Seaman Merchant Service.
mother Isabella King Ms Bruce (dec) - I had found a birth for Barbara with this Bruce name which I will now accept, and the Scottish naming pattern is evident here, Barbara's first daughter named after mother's mother.
father Alexander King (dec) - Master Shoemaker - my ggggrandfather Alexander second son named after mother's father, older brother John named after father's father.
it is a bit complicated because John Butters married twice, Barbara was the second wife and she raised the earlier children.
Now for the mysterious Agnes Penny (born England), living with Barbara and all the young children except Alexander in Peterhead at the 1941 Census - perhaps a grandmother?
My Alexander Butters was living in the house of Alexander King at 1841 Census. After that he went to sea, and eventually to Australia.
Can now confidently look among a number of DNA matches with Bruce for the earlier family
thanks for all the good advice and interest
How far back do the Scotland's People records go? I am having trouble locating Alexander King's birth in Scotland's People although I found a Registry Record that fits.
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How far back do the Scotland's People records go?
The oldest record is from 1553 if I recall correctly. But it's not how far back they go that matters, it is how complete they are.
From 1855 every birth, marriage and death should be recorded in the statutory records, and the vast majority are.
Before that, it's a very different story.
See https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/old-parish-registers/list-of-old-parish-registers
The Church of Scotland was supposed to record all births and marriages, but there are several reasons why this didn't happen in practice
- poor record keeping by the clerk
- people belonging to one of the other denominations so the C of S didn't hear about them
- parents not bothering to have their children baptised, or to have the baptisms recorded
and of course many of the registers did not survive, for whatever reason.
SP has the surviving C of S and RC records, and a fair proportion of the surviving free and dissenting churches' records. So the majority of the surviving records are on SP.
However the records of the Episcopal Church, which was quite strong in parts of eastern Scotland, are not included. The surviving Episcopalian registers are either still in the respective churches, or in the custody of the dioceses or in some cases in local or university archives, so tracking them down takes more than a few clicks of a mouse.
I am having trouble locating Alexander King's birth in Scotland's People although I found a Registry Record that fits.
Just because it fits doesn't mean it is the right one! (What do you mean by 'registry record?)
I see above that Alexander King was buried in 1847, aged 74. If this age is accurate, it puts his DoB sometime in 1772 or 1773. The 1841 census shows him as born in Aberdeenshire and aged 67, which, if accurate, puts his birth in 1773 or 1774. There is a baptism of an Alexander King in Cruden in 1773, but it's not safe to assume he is the correct one without some more evidence.
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FOUND
Barbara King Butters death certificate, located on Scotland's People, shows her death in Aberdeen 1885, and her certificate gives details of her parents.
John Butters died in Greenwich Greater London in 1848, from Cholera, on the Dreadnought Hospital Ship for Seamen, and is buried in the St Alphege/Alfege Churchyard, Greenwich. Thinking laterally (which ports was his Merchant Ship visiting) I typed a death for him as "England", Ancestry search engine found this Hospital record, Registry death information, and churchyard burial record.