Marble Quarry Grays (Portsoy)

[Stewart 1]

Thanks for doing this .It got me out of a fix.

[Forfarian]

Nae bother!

[sigismunda]

Hello,

My name is Jasmine born in Malaysia. My father is Barry son of Horace Gerald Gray who passed away in Kuching, Malaysia. He had the first radio shop in Kuching. Horace was married 3 times and my father was from his third and last marriage to Florence who is half Spanish, half Filipino. If I am not mistaken, my great grandfather was William George Gray who migrated to Malaysia and served as a headmaster at an all boys catholic school. He was the son of Alexander Gray from Portsoy and I believe he was a farmer.


This William George Gray does not tally with the William George Gray who was the son of Alexander Gray of Marble Quarry.  He died at Mill of Park, Banffshire, in 1957.

Another of Alexander's relations did die in Singapore, in the quarantine hospital.  He was a ship's captain and had caught smallpox. He was married but had no children.

There is at least one other Gray family from Portsoy but with no traced link to the Marble Quarry Grays.  Maybe your ancestors came from them?  So many used similar christian names.

I hope you do find your true tree.

Sigismunda

 

 

[Forfarian]

This William George Gray does not tally with the William George Gray who was the son of Alexander Gray of Marble Quarry.  He died at Mill of Park, Banffshire, in 1957.

William George Gray, born January 1867 in Portsoy, son of Alexander Gray and Ann Grant, was the headmaster of St Anthony's School in Singapore, and he died there on 2 November 1922. He is described in several newspaper items in Singapore as a native of Banffshire.

William Gray, son of George Gray and Christina Gordon, Mill of Park, and later tenant there himself, died on 19 September 1957 in Chalmers Hospital, Banff.

I am not in the least doubt that Jasmine's Grays are descendants of the Marble Quarry Grays.

[Forfarian]

MARYDALTONTHEW, who were the parents of Elizabeth M Dalton who married John P Thew in Chelsea 1949/Q2/5c/661 and Frances M Dalton who married Kazimierz Kubera in Kensington 1956/Q3/5c/2898 ?

[markreynier]

If anyone can throw any light on the details of Alexander Gray (b 1740? d 1826) and his wife Jane Boggie I would be grateful.

Andrew
[/quote]

Does anyone have any more information on  Alexander Gray and Jane Boggie?

[Forfarian]

This is all I have on them.

1770, Jan 13. Alexr Gray Gardener in Fordyce and Jean Bogie in Banff were contracted. [Banff Parish Register]
Janry 14th 1770. Alexander Gray in this parish contracted with Jean Boggie in Banff and were married. [Fordyce Parish Register]

Therefore when their banns were called, he lived in the parish of Fordyce and she lived in Banff. It is said that she was a lady's maid at Forglen House, and that she was the daughter of James Bog(g)ie of Towie near Cullen.   

There are three children in the surviving records, all baptised in Fordyce: Mary 1771, William 1774, and May 1779. There could be others whose baptism records have not survived, but if there were, then either they died before 1855 or they left Scotland.

[markreynier]

Forfarian - that's very kind of you to reply, and so promptly.

 So we have Jean - not Jane; and Boggie possibly not Bogie.

I have this piece of info if its of any use - not sure how reliable it is - from a family researcher back in the fifties:

Alexander's father (a Schivas Gray?) was employed by the Laird of Auchintoul, Mr Morrrison, on the river Don from 1735 until 1746, when he joined Bonnie Prince Charlie's army at Culloden where he died of wounds. His only son, Alexander, was raised & educated by Morrison, trained as a gardener. Then employed by Abercrombie of Forglen (Near Aberchirder on the Deveron) where he met Jane, daughter of Laird of Towie.  They married and left Forglen to Marble Quarry Farm near Portsoy in 1768 where he market-gardened.   

There is no mention of Alexander's mother. I wonder of anyone knows any more about his father?

"daughter of Laird of Towie" - not sure if that's short hand for illegitimate - the laird appears to be a Barclay.   I assume Abercrombie was the Gardener/factor of Forglen. 

Thanks for the information. Appreciate it.

[Forfarian]

Don't worry about spelling variations. Jane and Jean are totally interchangeable, and an extra g in Bogie is not significant.

I have also heard all of that story before, but I don' t know where it comes from.