The Watson/Jansie (Jousie) Connection

[tommacgregor]

Hello,

A short time ago I posted information relating to the wife of John Watson who was born about 1642 in Dunfermline, Fife. He name is given in a variety of ways - Jansie, Jousie, Joucie, Fowsie, Foucie and so on. I invited RootsChatters to offer any help that they could.

One particular lady, "merryhow' replied to my posting almost immediately and confirmed that she had had a quick look on the IGI and that there were quite a few marriages that appear to relate to Jon Watson and his wife, all had been submitted and that Helen's surname did, indeed, vary. She was kind enough to give me details of the couple's children. In ending her posting, "merryhow" asked, "Could Helen have come from the Edinburgh area? There seems to have been at least one family of Jowsies having children there at the right period".

The answer to that is yes, it is a possibility. However, being someone who originated in Fife, I am aware that the Jousie/Joucie's are a very old Dunfermline family and we should remember that John Watson married Helen Jouncie (Jansie) in Dunfermline in 1664.

I am able to go right back in time to about 1552 when a John Joucie was born in Dunfermline, Fife. Around 20 years later, John married a Maggie Stenhus - note the spelling! Today, we would probably show that as Margaret Stenhouse. On the 9th of February, 1575, their son James Jousie was born and christened on the 9th of November, 1575 at Dunfermline, Fife.

Twenty years later, James married, (would you believe it, a Margaret Stenhus in Dunfermline! The marriage took place about 1595 at Dunfermline. It is worth noting that Margaret's parents were John Stenhus and Margaret Douglas. (Note how we have managed to get within striking distance of about
1645!

I am able to state that John Stenhus and Margaret Douglas had the following children:

Margaret Stenhus  born 4th March, 1570 at Dunfermline
John Stenhus  born.chr 15th February, 1572 at Dunfermline
Andrew Stenhus chr. 3rd February, 1576 at Dunfermline
Janet Stenhus chr. 6th December, 1579 at Dunfermline
John Stenhus chr. 0th September, 1582 at Dunfermline.

All of that merely goes to show that  the Jousie's and Stenhus's were alive and well in Dunfermline. Sounds all nice and cozy, doesn't it? Well don't get too complacent because there are many, many Jousie's and Stenhus's at large in the Dunfermline area of Fife to be investigated before we cross over the waters of the Firth of Forth to Edinburgh. As examples, I know of a Robert Stenhus who married a Janet Thomson and their childen were John, christened 17th January, 1562 at Dunfermline and Janet christened 13th August, 1564 at Dunfermline. Another lead, perhaps, could be John Stenhus who married Ellen Horne on 21st September, 1572.

Well, as you can see there are many possibilities to examine, and I would advise budding genealogists to take hold of that information and go and examine it very carefully and create listings of each family. In this way, perhaps, just perhaps, we can trace the families down to John Watson and his wife, Helen. However, wouldn't it be much better if someone who frequents RootsChat knew something of these families because they formed part of their Family Tree?

As I see it, that's the beauty of the RootsChat site. It's an opportunity for good-hearted people to join together and share their knowledge. Certainly, people like myself have the ability to provide certain pieces of information, but that will never beat the records kept in family archives.

I look forward to hearing how well or badly RootChatters fared with the above information.

Kind regards,


Tom.

[stenny]

Tom, this is a shortened version of the Stenhouse family of Masterton and Fod.

The Stenhouse family are recorded in numerous historical and legal documents in the 1500-1600-1700's in the Dunfermline area in a variety of spellings.

In the 1560s after the secularisation of the Dunfermline Abbey lands several members of the Stenhouse family purchased 'portions'in each of the following farmlands:
Masterton: Johne Stanehous (1530-1586) - 1/8th Portion in 1565
North Fod: Robert Stanhous (1540-1604) - 1/4 portion in March 1566
North Fod: William Stanehous (1540-1590)- 1/4 portion in May 1566
South Fod: Robert Stanhous (1581-1624) - 3/4 portion in March 1623
 
William Stenhouse (1728-1770) acquired tenancy of The Grange in 1752

Over a period of time through inheritence and opportunity some members of the family owned a combination of portions of the different farmlands

SOUTH FOD: 1693 Date Stone preserved and now displayed at south bound boundary wall of South Fod Farmhouse.

Robert Stanhous (1581-1624) having previously inherited a 1/8th of Mastertoun purchased a 3/4 portion of South Fod in 1623
On Robert's death in 1624 the 3/4 portion was passed to his son John Stanhous (1614-1682) when he was 9 years of age. The lands were managed by his mother until he became of age. John, who married twice, subsequently owned portions in North and South Fod

On John's death in 1682 the South Fod land was passed to his eldest son from his first marriage to Jonet Cunninghamme, James Stanhous (1644-1715). The North Fod land went to the eldest son from his second marriage to Agnes Henryson, Gavin (1655-1730).

James had married Elizabeth Henderson (1644-1736) in Dalgety Church in 1679

James subsequently purchased the outstanding 1/4 portion of South Fod and thereby became the first Stenhouse to own the whole of South Fod

This was recorded by The Scottish Privy Council in 1692 and although only conjecture, it is possible that this being confirmed to James in 1693 the Date Stone was created showing the Initials of James and Elizabeth and that date and placed in the family house at South Fod to commemorate the fact he and she "Owned All and Haill the said townes and parts and land of Southfoid".

The letter 'J' was not commonly used in masonary in the 1690's and that is the reason the letter appears as an 'I' in the IS-EH in the date stone.
The exact date of the building of the original Fod House is not known. The house was obviously dismantled and rebuild at some time in the 18th Century and at this time the date stone was removed and placed in a wall built from the stones of the old house to make a stone barn.

The stone remained there until a visit to Scotland in 2016 by American relative/Stenhouse descendant Shirley Jean Carson from Detroit, Michigan. She was aware of the stone's existence and was take to South Fod by her Scottish relatives Gregor Stenhouse and his daughter Sophie, 13th and 14th direct generation descendants of Johne Stanehous, (1530-1586) Portioner of Maistertoun

On their visit the date stone was located in the wall of a partiallty demolished stone barn

The Stenhouse family contaced Dunfermline Council and the Fife Regional Archaeologist, Douglas Speirs, whom they informed of the history, existance and position of the stone. Mr Speirs was instrumetal in arranging with the developers of the new pending housing estate to retrieve the stone and it was kept in the safe custody of the council until it was finally placed in it current position at the south boundary wall of the Category B listed South Fod Farmhouse by the developers of the new housing estates surrounding the Fod Farmhouse

On James's death in 1715 South Fod passed to his eldest son John (1680-1764). He, in 1737 handed over the ownership of his portion of South Fod to his son John Stenhouse of South Fod and Glenquey (1701-1750). On his death the South Fod portion passed to his son, John (1732-1804).
Financial problems caused the sale of the both Glenquey and South Fod lands in 1759. This John went on to have a successful career in the Army.

At the time of the sale of South Fod by his John his grandson John had been given the rights of a liferenter to live on in the house for a period of five years. John died in 1764. His death was the end of his direct line with South Fod which had been in the Stenhouse family for 136 years.


John Stanhouse (1680-1764) sold his inherited 1/8th portion of Maistertoun which had been in the family for 170 years in 1736.
 

John Stenhouse (1749-1830) youngest son of William, Tenant of the 'Grange' having purchased South Fod in 1785 then became known as John Stenhouse of South Fod. It remained in that branch of the family for three generations until his grandson died, John Stenhouse (1805-1838) the last Stenhouse of South Fod. 


The portion of North Fod acquired by Robert Stenhouse in 1566 stayed in the Stenhouse family for a period of 356 years until it was sold, together with rest of North Fod, after the death of the 'last Stenhouse of North Fod' in 1922, James Stenhouse (1855-1922).

William Stenhouse (1728-1770) was the first Stenhouse to be the tenant at the farmland known as the Grange in 1752. It was passed over during his lifetime to his eldest son James (1747-1816) who in turn passed the tennancy of farm to his son James (1779-1856). The youngest son of William, John (1749) is the Stenhouse who acquired South Fod in 1785.