Where in Berwickshire do I go?

[MysticBreeze]

JAP where did you see the marriage in 1848 in Aberdour?  I have a copy of the Parish register for Ralph and Helen's marriage in Berwick but didn't see a marriage in Aberdour.  Where can I find this?  Thank you

[JAP]

MysticBreeze,

In the IGI (International Genealogical Index) on the FamilySearch site at:
http://www.familysearch.org/

Refer to the following thread:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,227883
(That thread has other relevant information).

If you search in the IGI for a marriage of a Ralph STOTT and a Helen GALLOWAY, region British Isles there are two hits - same date, one in Aberdour Fife and the other in Eyemouth, Berwickshire.

JAP
PS: Both entries are also on the (pay per view) ScotlandsPeople site at:
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
You could download (for a fee) a copy of the Aberdour OPR entry from SP.

[MysticBreeze]

Thanks.  I'm downloading the Fife marriage now from Scotspeople.  Why do you think they married twice??  I cannot find Lewis/Louis Galloway/Gallaway on the 1841 census.  I'm just downloading the marriage of Lewis Gordon/Galloway's marriage to Ann Dewar .. can't find any further children for them other than Helen! ... Lots of Ann Galloways in 1841 but none with Helen ... what to do what to do! lol.   It does seem strange that the 1851 census states Helen was born in Edinburgh and there is a family with her age there in the 1841 census ... but father is John (no children named John by Helen).  I love a challenge - and Scotspeople is fantastic. 

[JAP]

MysticBreeze,

The two entries do not mean that they married twice.  Often all you get in the OPRs are the calling of Banns (sometimes there is also mention of when and where the actual marriage took place, and who officiated - but far from always).  The Banns were usually called in both parishes if bride and groom were resident in different parishes.  The idea behind the calling of Banns was that it gave anyone who objected to the marriage on valid grounds (e.g. that one party was already married!) the opportunity to come forward.

As Helen lived until 1897 (as I recall) you presumably have many census entries for her.  Do the others simply say born Scotland, or is Edinburgh mentioned elsewhere, or is there any other place mentioned.

On another thread I gave information from FreeCEN about an Ann GALLAWAY (sic) in Aberdour with a Hellen (sic) aged 14 (and other possible children) in the 1841.

Perhaps you can post the details when you have finished downloading the marriage of Lewis & Ann, the birth of their daughter Helen, and the Aberdour entry for the marriage of Ralph & Helen - there might just be something in them which gives someone a further lead.

JAP

[MysticBreeze]

Thank you for the information about the banns ... its all new to me so I greatly appreciate your help and information.

The marriage information for Lewis Galloway and Ann Dewar definately doesn't give his middle name as Gordon.  Something is scribbled in the middle but its not Gordon.  It looks like borp... definately has a p in it - its very difficult to read. 

The marriage cert for Ralph and Helen says Ralph Stott of this parish (Eyemouth) and Helen Galloway of the parish of Aberdour married 13 July 1848 .. Minister of Free Church.

The marriage cert for Ralph and Helen in Berwick says July 1st 1848 contracted Ralph Stott, joiner in Berwick on Tweed and Helen Galloway in this Parish and after regular proclamation on 2nd & 9th were married on 13th (looks like currt).

Only the Eyemouth 1851 census states Helen was born in Midlothian Edinburgh.  All the others, up until her death simply state Scotland.

I can't find the births of their children Louis/Lewis or Ralph or Robert (who is 1 on the 1851 Eyemouth census) who were also born in Scotland according to all the census.

[JAP]

The marriage cert for Ralph and Helen in Berwick says July 1st 1848 contracted Ralph Stott, joiner in Berwick on Tweed and Helen Galloway in this Parish and after regular proclamation on 2nd & 9th were married on 13th (looks like currt).

MysticBreeze, I assume that in the above sentence you mean the entry in the parish register for Aberdour not Berwick.  And yes, it would be 'currt' i.e. an abbreviation of 'current' meaning the current month (i.e. July 1848).

The marriage cert for Ralph and Helen says Ralph Stott of this parish (Eyemouth) and Helen Galloway of the parish of Aberdour married 13 July 1848 .. Minister of Free Church.

This extract from the parish register is very useful!

Although the marriage is entered into the OPR (Old Parish Register of the established Presbyterian Church of Scotland), the marriage was actually performed by a minister of the Free Church.

The Church of Scotland experienced many schisms and breakaway groups.  A diagram which explains this can be found at:
http://website.lineone.net/~davghalgh/churchhistory.html

Do have a quick look at the diagram before reading on ...

The records on ScotlandsPeople before 1855 (when Statutory Registration began) are only from the OPRs i.e. the parish registers of the established Church of Scotland.

However, as Ralph & Helen were married by a Free Church minister, it is quite likely that, if they had their children baptized (far from all parents did so), it would have been by a Free Church minister and would have been recorded in a Free Church register. 

Sometimes such baptisms were also recorded in the local OPR (just as Ralph & Helen's marriage was despite the fact that it was performed by a Free Church minister) but more often than not they weren't.

Just to add a further twist, the IGI does sometimes include entries from other church registers.  But a check of the Family History Library catalogue on the FamilySearch site reveals that, for Eyemouth, only the OPRs of the Parish Church have been filmed by the LDS.

Whether or not any records of the local Free Church have survived anywhere I do not know.
The GENUKI page on Eyemouth at:
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/BEW/Eyemouth/index.html
has interesting sections on Church History and Church Records.

But it seems that, at this stage, there is probably no point in keeping on looking for births/baptisms of Lewis, Robert and Ralph.

JAP

[JAP]

MysticBreeze,

I trust that you found Helen (as Hellen GALLAWAY - note the spellings, both of given and surname, when you search) in the 1841 census on FreeCEN at:
http://www.freecen.org.uk/

Unfortunately, the 1841 does not give marital status or relationships, and ages of persons over 15 are rounded down to the nearest 5.

Helen's father, Lewis, may well have passed away before that census.

I did a free search on ScotlandsPeople for the death of an Ann GALLOWAY, other name DEWAR born 1800 +/- 10.  There was only one.  Refining the parameters revealed that this Ann died in Aberdour, Fife in 1888 aged 89.  Very likely to be Helen's mother.

JAP