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It was not unusual at that period for folk from the county to be burgesses. Many of the landed families had a house in Aberdeen as well as estates in the country. Just because someone is described as 'of' a place, i.e. owns it, does not necessarily mean they lived there. Ancestors of mine who were burgesses of Edinburgh in the 16th century owned land in several counties and got income from renting it out to others.

Graham.

Kirk session minutes are in the National Archives of Scotland. They have been digitised and can been read in that form there. Later this year they will be made more widely accessible. I may have an opportunity to see them later this month. If I do I'll see if I can find anything relevant to your ancestors.

Graham.

Hi.

In a case like this a good place to look is in the minutes of the kirk session for the parish. The session investigated cases of illegitimacy and associated 'sins'. If you are lucky you might find quite a lot of detail.

Graham.

The 1841 census was taken much later in the year than the subsequent ones (shows those who spent the night of 6th June in a household), so the Parkneuk Wilson won't show up in it, though a widow, if there were one, might. Spinster is an occupation. Agents used to come round delivering flax and collecting the spun thread: a useful sideline. If a husband does not appear in the 1841 census, it may just mean that he was not at home that night - could be out at sea. The fishing families of Gardenstown and Crovie tended to marry amongst themselves and there are relatively few surnames in these places - lots of Watts, Wests, Wisemans etc. A grandfather of mine, Samuel Craik, was a fisherman there (he had an uncle with the same name) and just disappears after 1828, presumably lost at sea.

What I would do in your position is assume he was lost at sea between the birth of his last child and the 1841 census. In 1841 his wife is given an occupation, that suggests she is a widow as otherwise it might be left blank. The James Wilson looks like a son who is the main earner. Perhaps if his father had been alive and out at sea, James would have been in the same boat. The kirk session might have given the family something if it were in straightened circumstances. Also, if you have access to the microfilm roll for the Gamrie OPR, have a look at the baptism entries for other people. Who witnessed the baptisms of your family of Wilsons? See if you can find your William Wilson as a witness to other families' baptisms. When does he stop appearing?

Graham.

Parkneuk is south of Dubford. It is inland, so the Wilson from there would not likely be a fisherman. One thing about ages in the Gamrie burial register is that when they say someone was 82, they usually mean he was in his 82nd year, ie he was 81. I have found this quite often to be the case when I've had a precise date of birth to compare.

Graham.