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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Midlothian => Topic started by: Geordie daughter on Tuesday 28 January 20 08:35 GMT (UK)
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I would be eternally grateful if some kind soul would be willing to look for the deaths of the following MacGregor siblings for me, as this may help to fill in gaping holes in my tree. Their parents were John MacGregor and Isabella Taylor and all were born in Edinburgh:
Isabella Henderson MacGregor b. 13 Feb 1865
Jessie Innes MacGregor b. 26 Jan 1867
William Taylor MacGregor b. 11 Mar 1869
Rankine Forrest MacGregor b. 28 Mar 1876
Patrick Watson MacGregor b. 1877
I have tried tracking them down by trawling through newspaper articles and a variety of other online records but have drawn a complete blank so far.
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Hi :)
Scotlandspeople has a death -
Patrick Watson MacGregor , age 51 , 1928 Ecclesmachan West Lothian.
ev
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Isabella Macgregor Head Widow 39 Lodging House Keeper b Bathgate, Linlithgowshire (West Lothian)
Isabella Macgregor Daughter 16 Dressmaker b Edinburgh, Midlothian
Jessie Macgregor Daughter -14 Scholar bEdinburgh, Midlothian
Margaret Macgregor Daughter - 7 Scholar b Edinburgh, Midlothian
Rankine Macgregor Son - 5 Scholar b Edinburgh, Midlothian
Patrick Macgregor Son - 3 bEdinburgh, Midlothian
I guess this is the family in 1881 at 2, Stafford Street, St Cuthberts, St Georges, Midlothian
Except William Taylor MacGregor but he is with all the family in 1891, Rankine is noted as Frank
Find a grave:
Patrick Watson MacGregor born 1877 died 1928 buried Dalry Cemetery, City of Edinburgh
Not sure about this one Frank McGregor born 1876 died 1973 Evergreen Cemetery Prescott, Adams County, Iowa, United States of America
No trace of William yet. Do you know if the females Married?
Colin
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From the birth records I think Jessie’s middle name was Innes?
A Jessie I Macgregor born about 1867 died 1938 Bournemouth Hampshire
Colin
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Thank you so much, ev and Colin!
Colin, yes, you have the right family in the census. William Taylor was with his younger brother John (my great-grandfather) at George Heriot's Hospital in 1881, but is not in the 1901 census which is frustrating. I thought I'd tracked him down as the chaplain of Craiglockhart Poorhouse, only to find out that that individual was a William Tomlinson MacGregor! There is the possibility that W.T. left for one of the colonies as my great-grandfather lived in South Africa and what was then Southern Rhodesia, for many years, and his sister Margaret Beveridge Henderson MacGregor also spent some time there, though was mostly based in Edinburgh, where she died in 1943.
Isabella disappears after the 1881 census so she either died or married before 1891. As for Jessie, I know she didn't marry, so that death entry sounds really promising. I will follow it up and order the certificate if needs be.
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Isabella was with the rest of the family in 1891 at 8 Chalmer's St, Edinburgh St Cuthberts.
No deaths in Scotland on Scotland’s People. A number of marriages in the UK but none with the middle initial H
Colin
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Thanks for looking anyway, Colin. Half of this lot just don't seem to want to be found. Still, I know more about them than I did this morning! It's a pity Jessie died in 1938, otherwise I could have looked her up in the 1939 Register.
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Birth year a little out but there is this death for a William Taylor Macgregor in South Africa 1936 -
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2QM-JS31
ev
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ev, I could kiss you! I have spent hours trawling that site in recent weeks and found nothing! South African records can sometimes be a bit vague on the details depending on who gave the info to the registrar, but that does look like my man. Cue crazy dance around the room!!! I will go back tomorrow and see if I can dig up any more on him.
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Looking at the record it does say born Scotland , and married.
ev
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The record now makes complete sense of a story my Gran told me when I was a teenager, of her hunting for mussels on the rocks at the foot of Lions Head in Table Bay, Cape Town, with her dad, as a young girl. I had always assumed the family were holidaying there but in fact they were probably visiting her uncle! W.T. has been hiding under my nose all these years and I never knew it. I don't think my Dad was ever aware of having a great-uncle in Cape Town, as W.T. died the year he was born.
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Patrick was briefly in the 12th (Prince of Wales' Royal) Lancers Regiment, but from 1902 onwards seems to have been in and out of mental health institutions, poor soul. I stumbled on the full details of his burial record this morning; he was actually residing at Bangour Village Hospital (aka Edinburgh District Asylum) when he died, and was buried at Ecclesmachan nearby (as per the info you gave me previously, ev). His name is on the family's gravestone at Dalry Cemetery, Edinburgh, though, so I don't know whether his body was moved there later or whether he was just commemorated on it.
William Taylor may have gone out to Africa around 1913. A W.T. MacGregor, age 42, b.1871, travelled out on the Dover Castle from Southampton on 14 June of that year. The ship's destination was given as Beira, Mozambique, but W.T.'s intended future permanent residence was stated to be Rhodesia which would fit, as John MacGregor was there by around 1911. W.T.'s occupation was that of Railway Clerk, as was John MacGregor's, so it all seems to be adding up nicely.
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Colin, I went looking for traces of Jessie in Bournemouth this morning, and (as is usually the case with this hobby) turned up her sister Isabella's death notice in The Scotsman instead. It killed several birds with one stone, and confirmed you had found the right Jessie: Isabella Henderson MacGregor Murray died at "Parkside," Richmond Park Road, Bournemouth in 1931, and she was "the dear wife of Thomas Dunn Murray, late of Joppa, Edinburgh." Jessie, presumably, had joined the couple in Bournemouth and more than likely stayed on after her sister died to look after Thomas. Thomas himself died in Bournemouth in 1937.
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I see Thomas and Isabella married 1893 St Giles Midlothian(SP).
Probate for Thomas Dunn Murray(died 13 Jan. 1937) to daughter(?) Atholl Isobel Murray or Oswald , widow(born 1895 Newington Midlothian ?).
Marriage John Alexander Oswald / Atholl Isobel Murray , 1924 St Andrew(Edinburgh).
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVZ9-3ZL9
ev
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Thank you for that info, ev, it's incredibly helpful! With your and Colin's help I finally seem to be breaking down the various brick walls that this branch of the family have presented me with for so long. ;D