BAIRDs of Fife

[bairdie]

Hi all,
I am a new member to this forum and I am wondering if there is anybody out there searching for BAIRDs in Fife.
After 10 yrs of searching I have just found my 3x Gt Grandfather's grave (in Buckinghamshire) on which it says he came fom Fifeshire and would have been born in 1778.
Scotlands People suggests that he may be the son of David BAIRD and Isabel COCKBURN and born & Baptised in Dalgety. 1778.
Any help appreciated

[MonicaL]

Hi Bairdie

Welcome to RootsChat 

I assume this was David Baird b. 1778. It would probably help you if you worked back from the details you have for your David. Did he marry in Scotland, do you have the names of his children which can often provide clues?

Do you have your David on any census to try and reconfirm age (ie birth year). As ages on censuses can sometimes be inaccurate...so can ages on grave stones!

Be aware also that not all births were registered on the Old Parish Registers and if they were, a number of registers have not survived over the years.

The marriage/banns for the couple you have:

DAVID BEARD Marriages:Spouse: ISABLE COCKBURN
Marriage:  24 APR 1772  Foulden, Berwick, Scotland

Apart from son David, these children also show for them:

3. MARY BEARD BAIRD   Birth: 27 MAR 1776/ Christening: 08 APR 1776 Dalgety, Fife, Scotland
5. THOMAS BAIRD Birth: 21 AUG 1780/ Christening: 29 AUG 1780 Dalgety, Fife, Scotland

These entries are all actual extract from the Old Parish Registers.

Regards.

Monica 
   

[bairdie]

Hello Monica,
thanks for the welcome and reply, I have followed David BAIRD from his marriage in Dumfries to having children in Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, Isle of Man, back to Kirkcudbright, across to Ireland where his first known grandchild was christened and on to Wolverton Bucks via Liverpool, St Helens, Birmingham, where he has died in 1842. His MI says he was aged 64 and his death cert also.
Still do not know where Lidia GLENDINNING his wife died, maybe Ireland, as there is nothing in the SOPRs nor BMDs in England and Wales. I have copies of the SOPRs for his children born in Scotland and also copies of David Baird and Isable COCKBURN's marriage banns plus the two other children Mary and Thomas.
These I have to prove as well as a link to a James BAIRD who was producing children in the IOM at the same time David and Lidia were there. Both David and James were Millwrights and both proven to originate from Fifeshire, David's grave being the final proof of his origination.
Fifeshire is new ground for me and I had hoped somebody may have been researching the BAIRD name there also, I am aware that somebody is, it is just a matter of finding out who?
 As I think I said, I have only  just found David's grave and the proof of a link to Fifeshire for him, David BAIRD and Isable COCKBURN are very likely his parents but I have to prove that.
Many Thanks,
Bairdie

Hi Bairdie

Welcome to RootsChat 

I assume this was David Baird b. 1778. It would probably help you if you worked back from the details you have for your David. Did he marry in Scotland, do you have the names of his children which can often provide clues?

Do you have your David on any census to try and reconfirm age (ie birth year). As ages on censuses can sometimes be inaccurate...so can ages on grave stones!

Be aware also that not all births were registered on the Old Parish Registers and if they were, a number of registers have not survived over the years.

The marriage/banns for the couple you have:

DAVID BEARD Marriages:Spouse: ISABLE COCKBURN
Marriage:  24 APR 1772  Foulden, Berwick, Scotland

Apart from son David, these children also show for them:

3. MARY BEARD BAIRD   Birth: 27 MAR 1776/ Christening: 08 APR 1776 Dalgety, Fife, Scotland
5. THOMAS BAIRD Birth: 21 AUG 1780/ Christening: 29 AUG 1780 Dalgety, Fife, Scotland

These entries are all actual extract from the Old Parish Registers.

Regards.

Monica 
   

[Meredith48]

Hi, I know the previous messages were years ago, but I have now joined the search for Bairds of Fifeshire - from a South Australian viewpoint. 
Thomas Baird (b1780)'s widow emigrated to South Australia in 1837 - ie, just one year after the colony was settled. She came with her new husband James Greig, and many children.  I'd love to know how to search for a) a death for Thomas, and any way I could find his occupation, etc.  Scottish records are a new field for me. 
Any advice welcome,
 Meredith.

[whiteout7]

Hi Meredith http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ is the best place to look records in Scotland, the best way to find out about Thomas Baird is to find his marriage to the widow that immigrated. You could also find her marriage to James Greig. Thomas's death might be hard to pin down but his marriage cert might give a clue to his occupation and importantly it will name his father.

It does cost a little bit for us downunder but at least you know the imformation is accurate

[MonicaL]

Hi Meredith

Welcome on to the Scottish boards 

What was the name of Thomas Baird's widow? Have you got details on the marriage to Thomas B?

Hate to pour cold water on this for now, but if you are lucky to find a marriage entry for Thomas, son of David, in Scotland...unlikely it will include father's name. Unlike England where official registration began in mid 1837, in Scotland it didn't begin until 1855.

You might be lucky though and if there is an Old Parish Register entry for Thomas' marriage, there may be an additiona detail that might help you further. Sadly, OPR entries a bit of lucky dip...you don't know what will be in them until you look as there was no set down rules for what clerks across Scotland should include in these records 

Monica

[Meredith48]

Hi Monica, Thank you for your insightful reply to my query.
Thomas married Margaret Reedie 26 January 1812, in Beath, Fifeshire. This is so early, I feared there would be scant information on any registers, but I live in hope!  If only they had more unusual names!
I looked at the site suggested for searching online for Scottish records, but admit I will need considerable concentration to work out what it all means before tackling an official search.
Margaret then married James Greig in 1831, in Cowdenbeath, Fifeshire.  He was a brave man, taking on a widow with 8 or 9 children in tow! Then emigrating to South Australia with most of them on the Navarino in 1837. 
Thanks again,  Meredith. ( pwenham@tpg.com.au)

[MonicaL]

Guessing there was nothing on Thomas' death entry that showed parents' names  Great though that his gravestone gave his place of birth. Did it have just how old when he was (sometimes gravestone include the date of birth)?

Assuming there is no official confirmation on who his parents were, just some ideas for you to consider. At some point we all have to move from blank ink to pencil...and make hopefully sound guesses with what info we have 

Some suggestions when looking around for ideas...

Scottish naming pattern can often help. Not always followed, or in the standard prescripbed order, but amazing how often it did come into play. Lots of links around describing this, see here for example www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?561

These were their children? https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3Abaird~%20%2Bfather_givenname%3Athomas~%20%2Bmother_givenname%3Amargaret~%20%2Bmother_surname%3Areedie~

From their marriage in Beath in 1812, first born son looks to be David which is promising with everything else you have.

All of the above entries for births/baptisms for children to Thomas and Margaret look to show on the Old Parish Registers (images available on the pay to view site www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk ).  You might get some more clues from some of the christening entries from witnesses names.

Monica

[Meredith48]

Thanks for the further info, Monica.  I don't have Thomas Baird's gravestone record - that was "Bairdie" on the message in 2007.  I find it hard to accept that her David Baird moved around from Scotland, Ireland and then Buckinghamshire in those early days.
I'll work through the links you have advised..........thank you so much.
Regards, Meredith