John GORDON -- Sarah PEEBLES

[MonicaL]

This is the will & t entry on SP:

William Gordon, 25/02/1858, Builder, residing at Lothian Road in Edinburgh- Edinburgh Sheriff Court Wills   SC70/4/56 and 05/02/1859 Additional Inventory at Edinburgh Sheriff Court Inventories   

Tom, there is a 9 yr old John Gordon (indexed as Gordan) b. England showing in Cupar Fife


Monica

[MonicaL]

From that 1851 census entry in St Pancras London, I wonder if this is the birth reg for son John:

2nd Qrt 1852 : John Alexander Brash GORDON at  St Pancras - Vol 1b   Pg.144

Now if this is the right birth entry, I wonder......

1881 Scotland:

At a lodging house in Glasgow Barony:

John Alex B Gordon    28, actor, b. England
Eliza Gordon 27, wife actress, b. Dundee

Monica

Address: Wellington Arcade Or 83 Renfrew St, Blythswood, Glasgow Barony

[MonicaL]

Sticking on the St Pancras theme, there is also this death showing:

1st Qrt 1855   Sarah Gordon at St Pancras - Vol.  1b Pg. 111

Monica

[hume]

John AB Gordon married Eliza Scobie on the 22nd December 1875, at St Rollox, Glasgow. Luckily just within the IGI's index of civil registration marriages. It should help with parents' names, etc.

No obvious deaths showing for John or Eliza in Scotland.

hume24

[MonicaL]

Thanks Hume 

Sadly, a good possibility just gone pop - wrong parents on the MC 

[tidybooks]

Hi Monica and Hume,

I will try and get this reply in before you find some other gem of info, 3 times I have been ready to answer, but got the message, another update been received.

Basically, I am trying to authenticate the son's names, but I cannot find any definite use of John, being son of John Gordon and Sarah Peebles. If there were 2 sons, I would have thought William and/or David would be used as they were grandfathers names.

I have delved into Gordon Highlanders theatres of wars, and not connected with Crimean War as a regiment but individual soldiers may have been transferred from the Gordon Highlanders.

Tom

[MonicaL]

I agree Tom. Let's see what William's will actually said. I'm confused about the interim years. If John and Sarah married in 1836 Edinburgh, then there must have been a lot of early deaths of children given no children show with them in St Pancras London 1851.

Monica

[tidybooks]

Since the last post we have had some breakthroughs but they take us out of Midlothian.

John & Sarah are in London (Parish of St Pancras) for the 1851 census.

Through John's brother's will, we have located one child, 9 year-old John Gordon (born in England) at the Springfield village school in Cupar, Fife, in the 1861 Census. However, we lose track of young John after this; for the next census he woud have been well and truly out of school and could be anywhere. No sign of him in Fife in 1871 ... does anyone have a suggestion what to try next?

Thanks
Peter

Hi Peter,

Since  reading this note we have all went off to various points but not getting anything definite back. Can you give us fuller info, who is with them in 1851 census, and what are they known as Gordon, Gordan etc. I did search on Ancestry and could not find them.

Can you give more info on John's brother's will, what brother etc. Did he make provision for looking after John's children? Anything more would be grateful.

Tom

[indigobloke]

This is the will & t entry on SP:

William Gordon, 25/02/1858, Builder, residing at Lothian Road in Edinburgh- Edinburgh Sheriff Court Wills   SC70/4/56 and 05/02/1859 Additional Inventory at Edinburgh Sheriff Court Inventories   

Tom, there is a 9 yr old John Gordon (indexed as Gordan) b. England showing in Cupar Fife


Monica

Hi Monica & Tom

Thanks for your recent input.

Here is my transcription from the relevant part of William's will:

"The remaining share to be giving to my brother John Gordon now in Sydney Australia but out of his share his son John Gordon now boarded by me with Mr Turner, Teacher, near Cooper in Fyfe [sic = Cupar in Fife] is to be educated and maintained and the remainder giving to my Brother John in the way my trustees think best"

In the 1851 census, on Ancestry, they are listed as John Gorden 33 and Sarah Gorden 34. They are living at 28 Frederick Street and appear to be boarding in the home of George & Mary Smith who are laundrypersons. Ages are a bit out, John at least should be older than this (c. 38), but his occupation is given as "painter" -- the same as on his marriage certificate in Australia.

I agree, Monica, there must have been either a few failed pregnancies/infant deaths or a protracted illness to explain the lack of children. The son, John, was probably born in the 12 months after this census. In the Cupar census, young John is indexed as "Gordan" and is a boarder at Springfield School.

There is still the question of the second child who is listed on the Australian certificates. We have no leads on this child yet.

Peter