MORRISON - Killearn

[LindsaySiam]

David Morrison of Killearn and Janet McKay, also of Killearn married in Nov 1878, in the Gorbals, Glasgow.  By 1882, they were living in Edinburgh where David died of Typhoid.

They had 2 children, Alexander born in 1880 and Agnes born in 1881. After the death of David, Janet took the children back to Killearn where they lived with her mother, Agnes Gourlay McKay at Crosshead.

In 1901, Alexander Morrison was a plumber, still living at Crosshead with his mother and grandmother and Agnes Morrison was a housemaid at Killearn House.

They seem to have vanished after 1901, can't find any marriage or death certificates. Agnes Gourlay McKay died at Crosshead in 1905, her death was registered by another of her daughters - Rebecca Gourlay which maybe suggests that Janet had moved on ...

Does anybody know this family?

thanks,
Lindsay

[LindsaySiam]

Hello ADP, yes that is them.  Janet was born in Killearn on the 3rd Nov 1854, I have wondered why Glasgow on the census also ...

Alexander who is shown as being born in Edinburgh is shown on the 1901 census as being born in Glasgow.

Perhaps all my relations liked to claim that they were born in Glasgow, can't blame them 

[neilsearcher]

Hi Lindsay
Agnes Gourlay Morrison b 1881 in Newington, Edinburgh was my grandmother ! What do you still need to know, 15 years since your post.
Regards Neil

[LindsaySiam]

Hello Neil, Happy New Year  15 years, unbelievable, that makes us 3rd cousins once removed.

 I haven't done much genealogy recently but I don't think that I ever found out what happened to Alexander Morrison, brother to Agnes Gourlay Morrison, will be happy with whatever you can tell me please?

I know Agnes married Hugh Cameron and had at least two daughters, Annie McGregor Cameron and Jessie McKay Cameron.

I think from memory that you need to make at least three posts here on RC before we can private message each other (if you don't want to post in public). I have a lot of Morrison history that I can share with you.

regards,

Lindsay

[neilsearcher]

Hello Lindsay

Thank you for responding after all this time - maybe you can help me with the details of our common linkage to the past, as I am new to this activity and have not mastered all the cousin terminology etc.

I started a couple of months age just looking at the origins of some family middle names e.g McKay and Gourlay, and it would have saved me a lot of work if I had found you earlier. Nevertheless, let me tell you where I have got to on the Morrisons.

Going back from Hugh Cameron m Agnes Gourlay Morrison in Killin (1902 - my maternal grandparents), I have David Morrison m Janet McKay in 1878 (these having two children Agnes Gourlay and Alexander).

David Morrison parents were Alexander Morrison and Mary Stirling who had 8 other children all born in Killearn. I only bothered with the "other children" names and birth dates.

Janet MacKay's parents were Daniel (later Donald) MacKay and Agnes Gourlay (m 1837), who also had 8 other children (have names/birth dates only) all born in Killearn.

I have bmd info for all these principals except for marriage of Alexander Morrison and Mary Stirling which I would expect to be c 1830 or so. Do you have this?

I had not intended to go further back, but in passing logged the following parents (I have the names only) : Andrew Morrison m Margaret Baird : James Stirling m Elizabeth MacIndoe : Angus MacKay m Isabella Cameron : James Gourlay m Catherine Stewart. Not sure if have the energy to look for any more than that !

Coming now to relatively more recent times and your enquiry, Alexander Morrison, the son of David Morrison m Janet MacKay, was born in Glasgow in 1880/81, but I have not tracked his birth cert as there are too many possible options in the various Glasgow districts. He died suddenly in Freuchie/Kettle District Fife, in 1942, aged listed 62. In Glasgow in 1916, he was married to Catherine Smart nee Lumsden b 1880 in Kirkcaldy & Abbotshall, d 1974 age 94 in Auchtermuchty.

As far as I know, they had only one son, David Morrison, my mother's cousin, b 1919 (not sure where, probably Glasgow, but info still in the "order cert" category). He died in Coupar, Fife in 2013, aged 94 (unmarried).

Even more recently, Hugh Cameron and Agnes Gourlay Morrison had a third daughter (my mother !) born in 1915 at Dunollie Home Farm Oban, called Agnes Colina Hughina Cameron. She died in Oban in 1992. I was born in Oban in 1946 and am currently living in Staffs UK.

As a newcomer, I have found this research activity strangely addictive. You seem to be a veteran ! I'll let you digest this info. There are a few other things I picked up which may be of interest.

Best Wishes also for 2020.

Neil

[LindsaySiam]

Hi Neil, sorry for the late reply, I have been away for work ...

Yes, Alexander Morrison and Mary Stirling who married 26th November 1830 in Killearn were your Great, Great Grandparents (2G), they were my 3G Grandparents (do not buy the certs, I have all that are relevant and will share).

Alexander was the son of Andrew Mor(r)ison and Margaret Baird, married 2nd November 1800 in Falkirk, they are my number one brickwall and have been for 30 years!!! Andrew died 19th July 1811 - his 3rd son, Andrew's christening says that he was the son of the 'late' Andrew Morrison.

Of their five children, I can only find Alexander's line. I believe - but cannot confirm - that their son William, born 17th April 1804, died in England (English death certificates of that time do not name the parent's names but I think it is him based on other information i.e. age, birthplace and SNP).

As for Mary Stirling's parents, yes, her parents were James Stirling and Elizabeth McIndoe BUT whether they are the JS and EM married 16th July 1801 in Killearn and consequently the daughter of Robert McIndoe and Bethia Duncan is unsubstantiated, yes, I believe this as do my modern day McIndoe and Duncan 'cousins' but I have never been able to put together a paper trail ....

James Stirling's provenance is unknown to me.


p.s. You said you didn't intend to go back any further, be careful, this stuff is addictive 

[neilsearcher]

Hello Lindsay

Thanks for reply.

Just a couple of Morrison-related things I picked up during my searches which may be of peripheral interest to you.

In the 1891 Census, Janet Morrison (age listed 34, born Killearn), widow of David) together with children Alexander (age listed 11, born in Glasgow, and my grandmother Agnes (age 10 listed, born in Edinburgh), was the housekeeper at (Blackmount Deer) Forest Lodge, in Glenorchy Civil Parish. I mention this because at that time, probably till around 1900, my grandfather (Hugh Cameron) was definitely a gamekeeper on the same estate, but I have not found him definitively on the censuses, possibly because of his job. Anyway, this must have been where Hugh and Agnes first met,  leading up to their Killin wedding in 1902. At that time, Hugh had already moved to Dunollie as a gardener.

I also found out that Janet Morrison died at Dunollie in 1933, aged 77, so was then living with her daughter Agnes.

As you may know, Dunollie (Kilmore and Kilbride District) near Oban, is the seat of the MacDougall Clan, and Agnes moved there to Dunollie New Lodge immediately after her 1902 wedding. Hugh Cameron looked after the Home Farm there during WW1, and Hugh and Agnes remained there till retirement around 1940 or so.

Like many families in Scotland, we had a myth about being in some way connected to the MacGregor clan. Because of the Morrisons' location not that far from Balquhidder, I though that if the rumour had any credence, it would from the lowlander side of the family, but not a MacGregor in sight !! However, on the Cameron side, I found a definite John MacGregor b 1783 -5 in Morvern, North Argyll, so that must have been where the story came from. However, I'm not planning to look for a connection !

Off to Australia, etc for 4 weeks in about 10 days time, in case you think I have vanished.

Regards

Neil