The Strang's

[tommacgregor]

Hello Monica & Sancti,

Many thanks for the confirmation about Margaret Westwater and that possible "switch" in the mother's Christian Name that I was talking about. I was trying to illustrate just how the records can do that kind of thing, and how we all should be very, very careful with them. As I said in my posting, those kind of things tend to drive one to distraction and so, when good friends like yourselves come along and give precise details from other sources, it makes everyone feel a bit happier.

I have been doing a bit of tidying up with my files - all neatly filed away in my filing cabinet. Using the Death and Marriage Certificates that Sancti was kind enough to give me, I took a long look at the information about who the parents were of my Grandmother - the ones with the multiple spouses! Using the Death Certificates, I can confidently go to William Hepburn, who married Annie Birse and then back to David who married Margaret Hay. Therein lies the problem! Because, as Sancti correctly pointed out, David Hepburn probably died before the 1855 barrier and so there's no Death Certificate to authenticate his parents, the question is, which David Hepburn married Margaret Hay at Leslie on 26th February, 1815 at Leslie.

I have spent most of the day looking at David Hepburns from the Leslie and Abbotshall area of Fife, and the work that you did the other day still appears to be a good fit. You will recall that a David Hepburn was born to Andrew Hepburn and Janet Reekie at Leslie on 25th April, 1779. My old "clapped-out" details suggested David, the son of David Hepburn and Isabel Peage. However, that David was born 1st May, 1797 at Abbotshall - that's a big, big difference.

Again, very many thanks for your on-going assistance.

Kind Regards,


Tom.

[davaar36]

Tom

I see that David Hepburn and Margaret Hay married 26 Feb 1815 in Leslie, Fife and had (at least) 3 children
1. Andrew b. 15 Dec 1815 Leslie, Fife
2. William b. 11 Aug 1817 Leslie, Fife
3. Janet b.03 Aug 1819 Leslie, Fife
If Scottish naming pattern followed this suggests David's father was "Andrew" and maybe Margaret's parents were "William and Janet".
Perhaps the "Fife Deaths" pre-1855" CD will have some details about David but most likely this will just give Margaret as his widow.

Dod

[Bill Fraser]

Hi Folks,
Another STRANG to add :
DEATHS in the Parish of Beath in the County of Fife.  410/00 0128.
MARION CAMPBELL, Married to WILLIAM CAMPBELL, Coal Miner. Died on 28th August 1893 at 20 Thistle Street, Cowdenbeath, aged 74. Father JOHN STRANG, Coal Miner (deceased) Mother ISABELLA STRANG M/S IZATT (deceased) Cause of death was Cerebral Hemorrhage for 7 days. Informant was William Campbell, Son, Present. Registered on 29th August 1893 at Cowdenbeath.
William Campbell was my 2nd Great-Granduncle.
Regards.
Bill

[Mells]

Is this the STRANG/CAMPBELL whose dau. Marion married a BOWMAN?

M.

[tommacgregor]

Hello Dod,

Many thanks for your input - it's greatly appreciated.

When I look at children as a whole, I see:

Andrew born 11th December, 1815 at Leslie.
William born 11th August, 1817 at Leslie.
Janet born 3rd August, 1819 at Leslie.
David born 26th May, 1821 at Leslie.
James born 10th March, 1824 at Leslie.
John born 13th June, 1826 at Leslie.

Yes, I tend to agree with you about the "naming patterns", but it would appear that this was not followed. We certainly see the name Janet above as perhaps the name of Janet Mo(o)re, and we also see see the name John, which some other researchers are suggesting was John Hay, the "alleged" father of Margaret Hay.

I have had a good look at the family of John Hay who married Janet Rutherford who married 15th December, 1738 at Cleish. and noted the names of their children. The problem is, I have looked at other Hay families too, and from the same area. I even looked at the Hay family from Arngask, just north of Loch Leven and their connections to Dysart, near to Kirkcaldy. A William Hay married an Elizabeth Wilkie.

One member of the David Hepburn/Margaret Hay union is the William Hepburn who was born 11th August, 1817 at Leslie. Since this has to be correct, then he is the man who married Annie Birse at Leslie about 1853. He died on 17th May, 1883 at Leslie and the names of his parents are on the Death Certificate - David Hepburn and Margaret Hay. That's good conclusive evidence, but unfortunately I can't do that with his father, because he appears to have died before the year, 1855, thus no Death Certificate to obtain the names of his parents.

If John Hepburn, born 13th June, 1826 was the last of the children born to David and his wife, Margaret Hay, then obviously David was still around in August/September, 1825. Is it just possible that he was buried at Leslie and there remains a headstone with a readable inscription on it? I just don't know.

Kind Regards,


Tom.

[Bill Fraser]

Hi M
Yes, Marion Campbell  (1857-1913) married Laurence Bowman (1856-1919) on 6th April 1876 at Beath.
Regards.
Bill

[Mells]

So is this a case of a mistaken first name given for Mrs. IZATT, mother of Marion, by the informant?  a mistake by the recorder?  or are the names Elizabeth and Isabella somewhat interchangeable?    Mrs. IZATT STRANG was usualy know as Elizabeth or Betty or Betsy, wasn't she? 

I'm familiar with that Laurence BOWMAN, a gr uncle of one of my family.

M.

[MonicaL]

Hi Mells

Elizabeth and Isabella are interchangeable in Scotland.  A good site to always check for first name variants:www.whatsinaname.net

Monica 

[tommacgregor]

Hello Mells,

Let me save you the inconvenience of digging through all my postings, which can take quite a bit of time! Question: where do the Strang's and Izatt's fit into my family? Answer: Janet Cook was my Great-Grandmother on my mother's side.

Elizabeth Hepburn, (my Grandmother), married William Livingstone 22nd December, 1905 at Cowdenbeath. Her father, David Hepburn who married Janet Cook 21st January, 1887 at Manse of Beath.

Janet Cook's parents: Archibald Cook who married Elizabeth Strang on 30th June, 1837 at Aberdour in Fife.

Elizabeth Strang born about 1817 at the coaltown of Fordell, Dalgety. (She died 29th January, 1890 at Fordell). Her parents were John Strang born 10th August, 1778 in Dunfermline, Fife and married Elizabeth (Betsy) Izatt on 16th November, 1804 at Dunfermline. Elizabeth (or Betsy), was born on New Years Day 1782 at Culross.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Izatt's parents were William Izatt, born 5th February, 1758 at Alloa, Clackmannan and married Margaret Simpson at Culross on 21st August, 1778.

The John Strang who was born on 10th August, 1778 at Dunfermline was the son of Charles Strang and Isabel Cunnan. There is a bit of a mix-up on the records about Charles - on one LDS Record he is shown as Charles Strang Baker, one can only assume that his occupation was a baker! I have had a bit of difficulty in tracking down exactly who Isabel Cunnan was.

If I can offer a bit more help. It may pay you to download a few blank Ancestral Charts and pencil in the above information. I find that it helps me to see a much clearer picture. Now you can take your own Family Tree and compare the two. Now, that's what I do, and I'm not for one moment trying to say that it's the best method. As well as the Ancestral Charts, I also download some Family Record Sheets and insert the parents particulars as well as details of their children. Now I have a reasonably clear picture when people contact me talking about one of the children shown on the Family Record Sheet. My Family Tree will move towards the present day through a certain individual, but yours may be through a brother or sister of that individual.

I do hope that the above information will assist you and that the very basic information that I have given, extracted from my own personal records, will help you out.

Kind Regards,


Tom.