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Piries and Riddochs intermarrying have caused me no end of confusion. It even continued a bit in Canada.

The earliest Riddoch in my tree is John Riddoch (wife is Isabel Huie) born in 1735

If I hadn't discovered the group raising money for the headstone, they would have put 1854 as his birthdate because that's on the death certificate and what the cemetery knows. I feel a responsibility to him to get it right.

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?

The deceased name is Margaret Smith, nee Brown. Her parents are not named in the parish record of her marriage to James Smith in 1813.
The 1841 gives her age as 42 and 1851 censuses as 57 so puts her birthdate between 1794 and 1799. If 1799 then she married at 14 or 15-- not impossible but not likely-- so 1794-ish and marriage at 19 or 20 seems more sensible. The census in 1841 in Temple, Midlothian only says that she was born in a different parish. The 1851 census from Borthwick, Midlothian has her born in Smeaton, Midlothian. Looking for her in Smeaton didn’t get me anywhere. I haven’t yet found the 1861 and 1871 censuses yet.

James Smith died between 1851 and 1858, but I haven’t found a parish record or statutory record of it yet. He’s an “agricultural labourer” in 1841 and a “farm servant” in 1851.

So here’s the evidence of this Margaret in 1874 being my Margaret.
The death register says:
1)   She was 79 so born about 1794 or 1795. Because her parents are given I can find a parish record of her birth in April 1794 so 79 almost 80.
2)   her husband is deceased
3)   her husband’s name was James
4)   James’s profession is given as “labourer”
5)   at the end of her life she lived in Gilmerton, Liberton, Midlothian. The 1841 and 1851 censuses put her in Temple parish and Borthwick, the latter just over 8 miles away according to Google maps.
6)   Her son-in-law lived in Straiton, maybe named Andrew Johnston/Johnstone.
7)   She had 9 children so far as I know, 5 of whom were daughters so five potential sons-in-law. I only know of the marriage of her youngest daughter, Agnes, who married Andrew Johnston in 1858. In 1871 they lived in Liberton; in 1881 they also live in Liberton but the “Road, Street & c.” column says they lived in Straiton. The Ancestry transcriber says their name is “Johnstone”. I looked at the census and it certainly could be “Johnstone”. It’s very clearly “Johnston” on their marriage register.
9)   I can certainly see “Andrew Johnston” or “Johstone” in the signature on her death register. It might be confirmation bias I admit.
10)   Andrew’s name looks to me to be in a different hand than the rest. It does have the same slant as the rest of the document (apart from the “cause of death” colum, which is more upright), but it looks heavier and more “flourishy” than elsewhere. If it’s a different hand that might explain why the “J” in Johnston/Johnstone differs from the “J” in January and James elsewhere on the page.

I think the preponderance of evidence suggests she is my Margaret. The only thing that makes me scratch my head is that the Margaret in the death register turns out to have been born in Channelkirk, Berwickshire which is a fair way from Smeaton, Midlothian. Can’t see how they could be confused.

Now onto James. He is the bigger prize because he is the earliest known ancestor in a straight patrilineal line, so finding him and his parents can push the YDNA line back further.

Thank you for all your help deciphering that signature. I couldn't see the name in it.

Sorry-- you are right. I meant to say Straiton (Midlothian).

Interesting idea. It would sure help to find a record of the 1829 Ann as proof that she actually existed and is therefore not a misnamed Jane. It would reduce my options!