Nichols/Nicolas Conning

[jesilw]

I have a Nicholas/Nicolas Conning (female) who was born 1812/1813.

The 1861 (Ayr) census puts her place of birth Whithorn/Wigtonshire.

I cannot find hide nor hair of her. There is no mention of her anywhere.

I know she married John Armour in St Quivox or in Ayr in 1836 (I have found 2 entries for this).

I have found 4 births for Conning to Parents Anthony Conning and Agnes Broadfoot

These are

Elizabeth Conning September 1811
John Conning August 1814
Robert Conning March 1817
James McMillan Conning June 1822

I have an inkling that these may be the brothers/sisters of Nicholas as her mother's maiden name Broadfoot appears as the middle name of her grandson, Robert Broadfoot Matthews.

Is there anyone who would have any idea where I might find information about her ?

I would be most appreciative as I have been looking for her on and off for the best part of 4 years.

Many thanks

[kirkmichael]

Names can often repeat over the generations.

In a case such as your it can be worthwhile looking for matches on the name only outside the likely period.  You might end up with a link to living relatives who know what happened to the Nicholas born 1812/13.

There are two deaths in Ayr of a female Nicholas ARMOUR, in 1941 and 1954, respectively aged 0 and 69.

There's a death record for a 54 year old Nicolina CANNING in 1927 in Dennistoun in Glasgow.

Wullie

[Erato]

Do you have any connection to a John Conning [b. abt. 1787?] married to Agnes Gibson b. abt. 1795?].  Their daughter, Janet Conning, born in Glen Luce in about 1808? was my gg grandmother.  All of these dates are very shaky.

However, Janet Conning did marry Robert Logan in Whithorn on 29 June 1830.  Robert Logan was born 1 Jan 1804 in Whithorn, son of John Logan ans Elizabeth Murray.  Robert and Janet emigrated to the US in 1834, accompanied by Robert Logan’s unmarried sister Jane Logan [b. abt 1810?] and Janet Conning’s unmarried brother Anthony Conning [b. abt 1824?].

[jesilw]

To reply to Kirkmichael first

The death of the infant in 1941 may be a link to the family.
The same name appearing may be a coincidence but I am not sure.
I will research that further as I will the 1954 death.

The Nicholas Conning who married John Armour in St Quivox (There is a record of this marriage in Ayr as well but I think it is the same people) is I am sure, my GGGG Grandmaother.

She was born about 1812/1813. I can find her on the 1861 census (aged 48) but not therafter so at the moment I assume that she died sometime between 1861 and 1871. I cannot find a death for her.

There is a death for an Agnes Nicholas Armour in 1869 but that is up another branch of my tree and this little girl was only 1 year 10 months old.



Erato

I have seen the children of John Conning and Agnes Gibson who are

Andrew Conning B 1811
Agnes Conning B 1813
James Conning B 1815.

If Nicholas is one of their offspring then she would be the second child. I am not ruling it out.

However, what makes me think that the parents of Nicholas Conning are Anthony Conning and Agnes Broadfoot is the occurence of the name Broadfoot as a middle name of Robert Broadfoot Armour who would, if they are related. be Nicholas's Great Grandson. There is also a very strong tradition in my branch of the family of repeating names as middle names etc. I assume that is the case in many families.

I just find it funny that I cannot find anything apart from a marriage and census certificate.
Her death would have fallen within the statutory period so i would have expected her to have been registered unless she moved outwith the country. However, her children are all registered as living and dying in Scotland. A real puzzle which I have just noticed has actually been puzzling me since 2003.

[kirkmichael]

Hi jesilw

To reply to Kirkmichael first

The death of the infant in 1941 may be a link to the family.
The same name appearing may be a coincidence but I am not sure.
I will research that further as I will the 1954 death.

Further info awaited with interest !

The Nicholas Conning who married John Armour in St Quivox (There is a record of this marriage in Ayr as well but I think it is the same people) is I am sure, my GGGG Grandmaother.

She was born about 1812/1813. I can find her on the 1861 census (aged 48) but not therafter so at the moment I assume that she died sometime between 1861 and 1871. I cannot find a death for her.

Such double recording of banns/marriage is common, most probably meaning that one of the couple resided in Ayr, and the other in the neighbouring parish of St Quivox.

Between 1861 and 1871 there are 9 female ARMOUR deaths in the County of Ayr, but none with a given name approaching 'Nicolas' or the other surname anything approaching 'CANNING', -

ARMOUR ANN   BRACKENBRIDGE
ARMOUR CATHERINE   MCALLISTER
ARMOUR HELEN MURPHY   LECKIE
ARMOUR JANE MCCRONE   MCMONAN
ARMOUR JANE   WALLACE
ARMOUR JANET   GOUDIE
ARMOUR MARGARET HAMILTON   CUMMING & LEITCH
ARMOUR MARGARET BROADFOOT    WHITEFORD

....this searching on the basis of a year of birth of 1812 +/- 10


Searching for the death of a John ARMOUR in Ayrshire between 1861 and 1871 of like age to Nicolas, i.e. born 1812 +/- 10 produces just 4 results, one of which is the record for John ARMOUR in Ayr, Shoemaker, Married to Nicolas CONNING [sic], aged 58, Informant Son, John ARMOUR of George Street, - I was there y'day !

Sooooo..... unless John got it wrong, his mother was still alive; and may well have been living in Ayr unless, of course, she had deserted her husband John at some previous date.

Based on that info you'll find the widow Nicholes [sic] ARMOUR in Ayr in 1871, Head of Household, with Son Robert, 27, unmarried, a Mason, and a lodger.

Does that qualify as finding some hide and hair !


IGI is of no help in identifying children of the couple.


At least this appears to rule out the emigration of John and Nicolas, unless, of course, son John or another child emigrated after 1871, and mother went with them !!


This view would tend to be reinforced by there being no later death record for Nicolas, of whatever spelling, especially in the context of there being no matching 1881 or 1891 census entry, but that's not to say that spelling variations won't play merry h*** with that idea !

There is a death for an Agnes Nicholas Armour in 1869 but that is up another branch of my tree and this little girl was only 1 year 10 months old.

Understood.

Orraverybest

Wullie

[jesilw]

Searching for the death of a John ARMOUR in Ayrshire between 1861 and 1871 of like age to Nicolas, i.e. born 1812 +/- 10 produces just 4 results, one of which is the record for John ARMOUR in Ayr, Shoemaker, Married to Nicolas CONNING [sic], aged 58, Informant Son, John ARMOUR of George Street, - I was there y'day !

Does that qualify as finding some hide and hair !

Orraverybest

Wullie

Apologies. I had identified the death of John but forgot to include that in my original post. However, there are still +- 2 years between this death and the 1871 census. Enough time for her to move outside the Scottish system or to die.

I will just have to keep looking

I do have a Son, John for the couple but no other children as yet.

Thanks for your comments and efforts Wullie.

Much appreciated

Iain

[conning8]

Hi there,
I am sure that Robert Conning,  born in Isle of Whithorn in March 1817 to Agnes Broadfoot and Anthony Conning is my GGGrandfather. He was a seaman and married Catherine Green from Limerick in 1840 and had 4 children in Isle of Whithorn. I cannot find his death record anywhere but in 1861 census, Catherine was listed as widow of seaman. She came to Australia with 3 of their kids and I am a descendent of one of them.

I have had contact with a descendent of the other son John born to Anthony and Agnes, through GenesReunited.

I haven't heard of Nicolas Conning but would bet she is a sister to my GGGrandfather Robert.

Can anyone help confirm the death of Robert?
Jan

[KirstyG]

Hi Jan

There are apparently no OPR burial registers for Whithorn see http://tinyurl.com/dkp4vp

Do you have Robert's family in the 1841/1851 census records? Do you think he died between 1851 and 1861?

Kirsty

[kirkmichael]

Hi Jan

There are apparently no OPR burial registers for Whithorn see http://tinyurl.com/dkp4vp

...snipped.......

Kirsty 

Sadly, not unusual.

In fact, just over a third of the 963 parishes have no death/burial records; a further 9% have records for just 1 to 10 years; and a further 21% have records only for a period or periods totalling 11 to 50 years.

In other words, it's only just a third of parishes that have death/burial records extending over a period longer than 50 years !

Fife, followed by Midlothian and Aberdeenshire lead the way !

Anyone who's interested in the full figures and a county by county breakdown, please PM me with your email and I'll send the chart.

Wullie