Brocks from Thurso to Buffalo, USA via Aberdeen

[ED2005]

Researching Brock family from Caithness. Anyone recognise the name William Manson Brock (stone polisher) b June 4 1836, m'd Janet Thomson on April 13 1860? Generally trying to find out more about the Brocks in Caithness.

I now know that Janet Thomson emigrated to Buffalo, USA after she was widowed in 1906, to be followed years later in 1923 by one of her sons, Robert Thomson Brock  and his wife Mary Ann Shirreffs and three children, whom I have found on the Ellis Island website. I am puzzled though, why I cannot find the emigration of the mother on there. Perhaps she emigrated to Canada and moved across the border to Buffalo?

A lot of the descendants I know about worked in the granite industry in Aberdeen.

[jorose]

Have you seen http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ ?  That's the best source for scottish records (including census, civil registration, parish records, wills, etc)

Robert Thomson Brock's record on Ellis Island also shows that he's been in the US previously, specifically 1900-1903, in 'Barre St'.  (he obviously came back to marry as neither his wife nor any of his children have been in the US before).

[ED2005]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I have information on the family in Scotland, through various sources including Scotland's People. I was mainly trying to find out what happened to the family once they had settled in the US. I did note that the father had been in the USA before. I also noted that he was going to stay with his mother (who was by then in her 60s!). I cannot find anything on Ellis Island of her emigration, so I was curious as to how she got there.... Perhaps she went to Canada first and moved to Buffalo?

The family were mainly stonemasons, so if anyone knows anything about large construction projects going on at the time (possibly it was the building of dams on the great lakes) I would love to know more. It seems there was a large exodus of stonemasons and other tradesmen at that time.

Once again, thanks for your reply and for your interest.

[jorose]

Via Canada would certainly be a possiblity; you should look for the St. Alban's lists if you want to track border crossings (ships into Canada are not indexed, whereas people going Canada --> US are, and these records often list what ship people used to enter Canada as well).

There were also other ports (such as Boston, Baltimore, PA, etc), but it seems less likely they would have used one of those if they settled in NY.

[ED2005]

OK thanks. I haven't heard of the St Albans lists, but I will probably give it a go. I have also made a couple of posts on Buffalo area genealogy sites in the hope that some family member or person who might remember them might get in touch. Thank you once again.