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Topics - Bosconermal

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1
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Henry Spicer's profession
« on: Wednesday 27 February 19 01:42 GMT (UK)  »
On the 1841 census? He later worked as a rent and debt collector, broker and auctioneer. Lots of scrapes with the law, so mostly up to no good, it seems.

In 1841 he is ~25 and I can't read his profession


2
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Banffshire locations
« on: Friday 06 July 18 21:20 BST (UK)  »
I can't decipher a couple of the placenames in the attached entry. The parish is Grange. The whole things seems to be:

October 9th 1755
James Huie in Nethermills had a Child by his Wife Isabel Simpson baptized & called George Witnesses Geo Ruddoch in ? Geo Longmoor in The Hillock Geo Craib in Cairnhill Margaret Ruddoch in ? [same as above] Jean Sime in ?

3
Banffshire / James Riddoch, b. Alvah 1849
« on: Friday 06 July 18 17:31 BST (UK)  »
My 2nd great-grandfather had two illegitimate sons with two different mothers before heading to the U.S., marrying and raising a family of legitimate children. My great-grandfather was the second of the two, but I have had little success getting a trace of the first: James Riddoch. Here's his parish baptismal record

James Natural son of Alexander Riddoch Farmer's son Deuchries, and of Elspet Grant was baptized 7 Aug 1849. -- Witnesses George Simm and John Watson

He shows up with his mother in the 1851 census in the parish of Banff where his name is given as James Ruddoch. His mother's is given as Eliza Grant and she is a domestic servant to James Mitchell and his daughter Christian Kinnaird in Shirra Sheets (aka Sherriffseat or Sherriffsheets). After that, not a trace.

Anybody have any ideas?

4
Banffshire / dating conundrum
« on: Wednesday 01 November 17 23:09 GMT (UK)  »
Hi all:
I've posted about this person a few times before so forgive the obsession. I get new information and it presents me with new puzzles.

William Riddoch's parish birth record says he was born on February 23, 1851. He is the “natural son” of Alexander Riddoch and Jean Pirie, so illegitimate. His death certificate (in Canada) says he was born on February 23, 1854. The default theory is that the 1851 date is correct, BUT:

    The parish record page has other entries dating from 1843 through 1854, but not in chronological order, suggesting they were copied from another source. Copyists can make mistakes.

    • I can find a census entry for Jean Pirie on 31 March 1851, but 5-week-old William is not with her

      I now have an excerpt from the Alvah kirk session on 2 May 1852 where Jean Pirie accuses Alexander Riddoch of being the father of her child. Alexander sends a letter on 16 May that says he accepts paternity. He appears on December 26 in person to acknowledge paternity and, at some point later, he scarpered for the U.S. where he started another family in California.

      It seems odd to me that Jean Pirie would have waited 15 months after William’s birth to accuse Alexander.

      Would the source of the parish record name Alexander the father before the fact had been acknowledged in the kirk session? (I suppose the record could have been emended when it was copied to reflect the new paternity fact, though).

    1)   Could the date be a mistake and William was born in February 1852?

    a) that’s why he’s not in the census.
    b) then Jean accused Alexander when William was just under 3 months, not 15 months.

    2)   Or do you think that the 1851 date is still preferred-- given that is what was recorded?

    Not sure if there is much more evidence around to get. I need his birthdate for a headstone


5
Banffshire / William Riddoch's birth year
« on: Thursday 17 August 17 19:47 BST (UK)  »
My great grandfather died in Vancouver, Canada after an on-the job accident in 1914. He’s buried there in an unmarked grave. By shear happenstance, I recently discovered and came in contact with a group of people in Vancouver from the same organization that have raised money to put a marker on his grave. That means we need to put his dates on it so, it I really want to make sure I get his birth year right.

The parish register of William Riddoch's birth says that he was born "William Natural Son of Alexander Riddoch son of James Riddoch, Farmer in Upper Deuchries and of Jean Pirie, daughter of James Pirie Crofter in ?? of Deuchries" on 23 Feb 1851. His birth is at the top of the page, but the order of entries on the page looks random (1851, 1854, 1843, 1845, 1848, 1851) and all in the same hand, so may have been copied from another source or sources sometime later.

His death certificate acknowledges the parentage of the parish register but gives his birth date as 23 Feb 1854. The Census in 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911 (Canada) imply a birth year of 1852 or 1853.
 
I can’t find him in the 1851 Census. His mother Jane was living with her parents James and Anne Pirie in Alvah, but no William. There is a baby Elizabeth in the census but she is Jane’s sister’s daughter. William’s father was Alexander Riddoch who could be a couple of people in the census, but with no baby. Same for paternal grandparents.

If he was born on February 23 and the census was March 31 you’d think he’d be there.

Any suggestions?

6
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Help reading signature of witness on death registration
« on: Sunday 13 August 17 04:17 BST (UK)  »
I have found what might be the death registration of my 3rd great grandmother. The general location, her maiden name and her husband's name suggest it's her, but her name is common so I have been trying to build a case. The witness to her death was her son-in-law, which might cinch it, but I can't make anything out of his signature.

The deceased died in Liberton, Midlothian in 1874. The son-in-law lived in Stainton, which I assume is the one in Midlothian (close by) and not in Ayrshire (not so close).

Can anyone help?

7
Banffshire / Jane/Jean Pirie in Marnoch
« on: Tuesday 04 July 17 21:37 BST (UK)  »
My 2nd great grandmother was Jane Pirie, daughter of James Pirie and Ann Hendry of Marnoch. Jane died a pauper in Forglen in 1905 where she gives her parents. Her age at death is 75, which points to 1830 as the year of her birth. The same birth year is also pointed to in the 1871 and 1861 censuses where she is living with her father James Pirie in Marnoch, and in the 1851 census (as Jean) where she is living with both parents and 5 siblings including her sister Anne (born 1833). She gave birth to my great grandfather in 1851 but didn't marry the father (who scarpered to the U.S. and had a different family there).

She is not in the 1841 census, when she would have been 11, but the younger sister Ann is listed age 9. The surname is misspelled "Perrie" Where is Jane? It's possible that she was just somewhere else when the census taker showed up, but there is a bit more mystery.

I can find a record of birth for all her siblings, but nothing for Jane. There is, however, another Ann, born in Marnoch on 19 December 1829. I know it is fairly common when a child died to give a subsequent child the same name, but I can't find a death record for the 1829 Ann. This is an odd thought, but could Jane and 1829 Ann be the same person? If not, where did Jane come from?

Thanks for any help or advice!

8
US Lookup Requests / Alexander Riddoch
« on: Monday 01 August 16 17:34 BST (UK)  »
Hello all:

My great grandfather, William Riddoch, was born "natural Son of Alexander Riddoch son of James Riddoch, Farmer in Upper Deuchries and of Jean Pirie, daughter of James Pirie Crofter in ? of Deuchries was born 23 February 1851 - and subsequently baptized by the Reverend Andrew Todd". William lived and married in Scotland until 1910 when he and his family emigrated to Vancouver, Canada

After William's birth I can trace Jean/Jane Pirie to her death in Banffshire in 1905. William is living with her and his grandfather Jamies Pirie in 1861. Alexander seems to disappear.

About Alexander: according to the parish register, Alexander was born December 31, 1828 to James Riddoch and Mary Riddoch (MS Napier) in upper Deuchries.

The most intriguing possibility I can see is that he moved to the U.S. and started over. There is an Alexander Riddoch who married Jessie Davis in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1856. The 1900 Census says he arrived in 1852 and according to an 1877 voter registration in Contra Costa California, he naturalized in 1858. His name is usually given as Riddock rather than Riddoch

He's in Judsonville, Contra Costa in 1880, but for the 1900 Census he is in San Francisco and he died in there in 1904. I have a picture of his and his wife's Jessie's grave. He had other children in the U.S.

The San Francisco gravestone says he was born December 31, 1829. Same month and date as on the parish register, but one year out. Maybe his family wasn't sure of the year?

A picture of the grave is on Findagrave at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=136768328&ref=acom. I note that the transcriber got his birth year wrong-- he said 1823 whereas it definitely looks like 1829 to me. This person also provides a link to an obituary in the San Francisco Call on July 3, 1904 that says he died at 74 years, 6 months, which corroborates the rough birth date of 1829 . I could send that but can't seem to find a way to upload (no upload button).

The transcriber also says Alexander's parents were John and Mary Riddock. Not sure where he got this, because it's not in the obituary. The Deuchries Alexander's parents were James Riddoch and Mary Napier (rather than James and Mary Riddoch). Again a little wrong, but it all seems so very close.

My questions is: is there a way to prove or disprove that the Alexander Riddoch born in Deuchries in 1828 is the one who died in San Francisco in 1904?
 

9
London & Middlesex Lookup Requests / Walter Benyon aka William Binyon - from Acton?
« on: Tuesday 26 July 16 03:58 BST (UK)  »
Hi!

My cousin’s grandfather is a bit of a mystery. The earliest mention of him I can find he is Walter Benyon, but after he emigrated to Canada in 1895 he became William Binyon.

The earliest trace I can find of him is as a student in the District School at Islesworth, Middlesex in the 1891 census, where he is 12. He was actually born September 29, 1878, but I can’t find him in the 1881 census.

In 1892, at the age of 14, he enlisted in the Shropshire Light Infantry as a musician. He attended the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall, left in October 1895 and shortly after emigrated to Winnipeg, Canada and then on to Vancouver. He worked there as a clarinetist and violinist until his death in 1938.

His military attestation says he was born in Acton. He had siblings Henry, Florence and Maude that I can find possible online records for but in different places and I can’t find a way to connect them as a family.

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

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