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Messages - Bosconermal

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10
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


11
Banffshire / Re: William Riddoch's birth year
« on: Monday 21 August 17 03:01 BST (UK)  »
It looked promising but the SP index says that the baby William is 0 and the actual facsmile says "9 mos" (also in FreeCen). Also says that baby William on is the son of William, the head of the household.


12
Banffshire / Re: William Riddoch's birth year
« on: Sunday 20 August 17 15:52 BST (UK)  »
Thanks, Larkspur

I'll look into that to see if it's possible.

13
Banffshire / Kirk Sessions lookup request for memorial for William Riddoch
« on: Saturday 19 August 17 00:53 BST (UK)  »
My great grandfather William Riddoch was born in Alvah, Banffshire and died in Vancouver, Canada in 1914 in a work-related accident. He was buried in Vancouver in an unmarked grave. By miraculous happenstance, I recently learned that a group of people from the company he used to work for has raised funds to put a marker on his grave. There is a question about his year of birth, however.

His death certificate says he was born on February 23, 1854 and that is likely wrong. The parish record says he was born on February 23, 1851:

“William Natural Son of Alexander Riddoch son of James Riddoch, Farmer in Upper Deuchries and of Jean Pirie, daughter of James Pirie Crofter in m? of Deuchries was born 23 February 1851 - and subsequently baptized by the Reverend Andrew Todd of Alvah in presence of George Shearer and William Pirie witnesses.” (see attachment)

Census records from 1861-on imply a birth year of 1852 or 1853. I have been unable to find him in the 1851 census (when he would have been 1 month old), despite the help of some rootschat colleagues. Maybe he was just missed, but it would sure be good to confirm that 1851 birth year.

The best suggestion has been to find him in Kirk Session records, where his parentage would likely have been discussed. Those records are only available in Scotland, not online, and I live in Toronto, Canada.

If a member has an opportunity to look this up in the Kirk Sessions and confirm that his birth year is 1851 (or not), I would be grateful. I feel I owe it to William Riddoch to do what I can to get his dates right.

14
Banffshire / Re: William Riddoch's birth year
« on: Friday 18 August 17 21:09 BST (UK)  »
I will probably go with the birth/baptism record but as Rosinsh suggested I am going to send out a lookup request for the kirk session just in case someone has an opportunity to check. I can't do more short of going to Scotland and it would be good to put the doubt to rest.

Thank you all for your help-- I always learn a lot from these exchanges.

15
Banffshire / Re: William Riddoch's birth year
« on: Friday 18 August 17 04:31 BST (UK)  »
It sounds like the Kirk Session minutes might be the best way to sort this out. I just have to figure out how to access them from Canada.

Thank you all for your help!

Richard

16
Banffshire / Re: William Riddoch's birth year
« on: Friday 18 August 17 04:01 BST (UK)  »
It looks like 1844 William married Margaret Symon in May 1870. Tragically, she died in January 1871 of scarlet fever and William was enumerated at his father home in 1871.

17
Banffshire / Re: William Riddoch's birth year
« on: Friday 18 August 17 03:29 BST (UK)  »
The William in the 1851 James and Anne Pirie census seems to be Jane/Jean Pirie's younger brother:

William, Lawful son of James Pirie, Crofter, Hill of Deuchries, and of Anne Henry, was born at Milbethill in the parish of Marnoch on the 16th day of August 1844 - and baptized on the 4th October in the same year by the Revered David Henry Free Church Minister of Marnoch in presence of James Morrison, Petterden, and William Wilson, Milbethill, witnesses

18
Banffshire / Re: William Riddoch's birth year
« on: Friday 18 August 17 03:23 BST (UK)  »
I checked the original census page and it's pretty washed out but clearly no baby William.

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