RootsChat.Com

Looking on FreeCEN for unmarried William Robbs in the area in 1871, born 1820 - 1856, comes up with:

William Robb, 17, mill worker (wool spinner), living with father (a labourer) in Strichen

William Robb, 27, farm servant, working for his father at Bluebog, Rathen

William Robb, 28, labourer, boarding in Fraserburgh

All of whom may be totally innocent.

I note that at the time of Joan Robb Ogston's birth in 1873, her mother Elizabeth was about 31 - one of the older William Robb's therefore seems more likely to be the father - although to be fair the "William Robb, Labourer, in Strichen" does point to the young man - or MORE PROBABLY, his father William Robb, aged about 40 at the time of Joan's birth and recorded two years earlier as a labourer in Strichen. [** See note at end of this message.]

The William Robb living at Bluebog, Rathen in 1871 was my Great-Grandfather - my grandfather John Simpson being born illegitimately in 1868 to Isabella Simpson in Rathen.

The same Wiliam Robb was also the father of William Kelman, born illegitimately in 1865 to Mary Kelman in Doulie, Fraserburgh.

Both the above paternity cases were determined by Sheriff Court proceedings in 1868. (The RCE's are associated with the birth records on ScotlandsPeople.)

There is also Annie Kelman, born illegitimately to Mary Kelman in May 1876. Her death registration shows William Robb to be her father - quite possible, as in 1881 Mary was working as a domestic servant at Bluebog, Rathen, while William was still living there. (The caveat is that Mary already had at least three illegitimate children; young William in 1865 to William Robb, and two others to two other men!)

Despite their tangled lives, William later married Mary Kelman (in 1885) but she died in 1893. Perhaps unsurprisingly, William remarried six months later!

If any of that tallies with the Wiiliam Robb you are looking for, send me a PM and we can discuss it further, as I've traced his ancestry back a few generations.

EDITED
[**The older William Robb living and working as a labourer in Strichen was born in Rathen, probably in 1832 to James Robb & Grace (Grizzell) Johnston. It's possible that James Robb was born in 1780 to Thomas Robb & Mary Bissett, but I have no definite proof - it fits with the OPR but it's not conclusive. It's also probable there is a family connection to "my" Robb family from Rathen, but I haven't yet found the link.]

From SP - the spelling of the surname may have meant it didn't come up, unless you'd selected Name Variants 

Campbel Alexander, Parents: James Campbel/Jannet Cullen, 18/10/1772, Aberdour, Aberdeenshire 169/10 261

D'oh! Schoolboy error! 

Quote from: Forfarian on Monday 26 November 18 09:42 GMT (UK)

What connection, if any, is there between Elizabeth Campbell or Robb and Margaret Campbell?

I think I can answer that one 

Margaret Campbell died in 1864 - her death was registered by Alexander Robb (son of George Robb and Elizabeth Campbell), and he is noted as Margaret Campbell's grand nephew, so Margaret Campbell was Elizabeth Campbell's aunt.

Margaret's parents are noted as James Campbell, quarrier, and Janet Campbell (ms Cullen). There is a suitable baptism of a Margaret Campbell to a James Campbell in Aberdour on 28 Oct 1779. There is also a baptism for an Alexander Campbell to James Campbell and Janet Cullen on 18 Oct 1772, which matches the age of Elizabeth's father, Alexander.

On Elizabeth Campbell's death registration, her parents are noted as Alexander Campbell, farmer and Janet Gordon, domestic servant, so I think it's quite likely that Alexander didn't marry Elizabeth's mother.

Ruth

I agree with that line of deduction, and I had previously come to the same conclusions. A further bit of deduction/guesswork led me to believe that the two witnesses to Margaret's 1779 baptism (John & George Campbell) could well have been James' brothers - all three were quarriers. This ties in with another Margaret Campbell who was baptised 18 Dec 1778 in Aberdour, daughter of George Campbell & Agnes Bruce - witnesses James Bruce and James Campbell. The two Margaret Campbells would then have been cousins.

One piece of information that I had NOT found was Alexander's baptism in 1772 - I can't see it on ScotlandsPeople, where did you get the (valuable) information?

Apologies, Forfarian, about the James Robb in the 1841 census. I was wrong.

I had been (foolishly) relying on an Ancestry transcription showing a 55 year old James Robb & Mary Stuart living in Sauchentree in AberLour, and I thought that was who you meant. But I can't find that census entry using Scotland'sPeople.

It seems an odd coincidence for the same names (even common ones) to be in two locations, exactly the same age and each marked as Crofter, and I can only conclude Ancestry have got it wrong. But where did they get "Sauchentree" (or "Sarchintrce" as the Ancestry transcription has it)? Or could James & Mary have had two properties (seems unlikely) or be in the process of moving?

I've now got the actual 1841 AberDour census and I agree it is likely that the James & Mary living at Killyquharn are the right ones.

I see on the same 1841 census pages there are also entries for Jean Robb (50) and Jean Robb (15). It's possible that Jean (50) is a married name, if not she could just possibly be the Jean (b1789) in the Prayer Book but it's a long way from Keith if that is the case. Jean (15) is, I think, most likely to be the child of James Robb & Grace Johnston, baptised 6 Sep 1827 in Rathen.

Rightly or wrongly, I concluded several years ago that the George Rob who was  baptised in Aberdour on 9 June 1810 (child of James Rob & Isobel Stewart) is:
(a) the same George Robb who married Elizabeth Campbell on 8 Nov 1829 and went on to father (1) Wendy from Canada's husband's ancestor James and (2) my ancestor William Campbell; and
(b) the same George Robb who died on 8 Mar 1883 at Bluebog Farm, Rathen.
If there is any doubt about that, then any names further back in my tree are also in doubt! Unfortunately this was quite near the start of my research and I made the usual mistake of not documenting all my sources! 

I have a contact who has a Prayer Book that has on the flyleaf "belongs to James Robb" (no certainty as to which one!)

The 1st page of the Prayer Book has names with year of birth, all surnames Robb (William 1771, Margaret 1776, George 1777, James 1783, Jean 1789, John 1791.)

The 2nd page has dates of birth for the children of, we think, James & Isobel (George 9 Jun 1801*, James 19 Mar 1812, Cathren 17 Apr 1814, Alexander 5 Nov 1816, John 11 Jul 1820, Jean 12 Jul 1820, Mary 9 Jul 1822 and William 4 May 1827.)
*George's DOB is written as 1801, but we think it is an error and should be 1810 - we have the marriage of James & Isobel in 1809, and the other children are dated 1812-1827.

If we can agree that George is the son of James Robb and Isobel/Isabella Stewart then we need to identify which James Robb it is in the records.  I had assumed like Ruth that the James Robb in Aberdour kirkyard who died 11 Sep 1864 at Barnyards of Pitsligo is the same man, and he was therefore the son of William Robb and Janet Ogilvie. He was 81, which ties in with the DoB for James Robb (1783) in the aforementioned Prayer Book. I have no further information for William or Janet.

I have struggled to find definite entries in the 1841 Census for James Robb and his family, although it's possible George might have been working as an Agricultural Labourer at House of Mill.

The James Robb living in Rathen in 1841 appears to be quite different, but it is possible that the James living as a crofter with Mary in AberLour is the right one - while it seems far away it does tie in with the 1851 census (see below) where James & Mary are farming in AberDour parish. Marrying Mary Stewart in 1833 would fit with the death of his wife in 1831 when the youngest child was only 4, (although it's also possible that the oldest girl (Cathren/Catherine) was 17 and might have been roped in to do the household chores. The 1851 census record of James (b1783) and his wife Mary farming 40 acres at Killyquharon, AberDour is quite compelling, and if so then James was actually born in Keith, Banffshire.

Mary (Stewart) Robb, if it is she (?),  claims in the 1861 census to have been born c1785 in New Deer, and I cannot see her in the 1861 census. Death registration only began in 1855 and I cannot find her death after that date unfortunately, as that would have given her parentage. The New Deer parish register shows a Mary Stewart baptised on 17 Mar 1781 to John & Jean Stewart, and this MAY be her - it was not unknown for a prospective wife to shave a few years off her age! (Note there is also a Mary Stewart baptised in 1784 in Rathen to Robert Stewart.)

So - more work to be done!