COMPLETED Thank You. Mitchells in Moray

[flst]

I think you'll find Elspet is a common name in these parts!The fact that there's different first names on the certificates may be another indicator that they never knew their father .
flst

[scotdownsouth]

Sorry, I am beginning to get a little confused. Whose names are different and on what certificates?

As far as my research has taken me the only differential in names is that of Janet/Jessie. On the marriage certificate of her son David in 1856 she is listed as being Janet Burgess without m.s. but on the death certificate of David in 1889 she is listed as being Jessie Mitchell m.s. Burgess (deceased) alongside that of Thomas Mitchell - Tailor (deceased)

Hope that explains it or are you talking about someone else? Thanks

George

[flst]

Sorry,I'm confused myself! I meant to say different occupation. Perhaps Thomas was a labourer after being a master tailor but seems a bit unlikely! What do you think?
flst

[scotdownsouth]

Sorry,I'm confused myself! I meant to say different occupation. Perhaps Thomas was a labourer after being a master tailor but seems a bit unlikely! What do you think?
flst

My thoughts thus far.

Elspet b. circa 1834 parents Thomas Mitchell (labourer) and Janet Burgess. By time Elspet is 22 her father is deceased as stated on her wedding certificate of 20 Jun 1856.

David b. circa 1830/2 in Duffus Elgin (from census information from 1861 1871 and 1881) parents Thomas Mitchell (Master Tailor) and Janet Burgess as stated on his marriage certificate from 14 November 1856 in Glasgow to Ann Dunwoodie.
No mention of father being deceased on this wedding certificate.

Perhaps David has left home and working/living in Glasgow by say 1850 and is unaware his father has died, hence no mention on his marriage certificate, and as you suggest maybe his father was a tailor while he was at home and changed occupation after David left for Glasgow and became a labourer until his death some time before Elspet got married.

All possible I suppose but not proven either way yet. May have to try and find David in the 1851 census to see if he is in Glasgow by then although Gadget thinks he was on the census as a lodger still in Elgin so maybe not!
 

[Forfarian]

ICensus documents indicate he was born in Duffus

For some unaccountable reason all the baptisms in Duffus from 1820 until 1854 were omitted from the IGI and the Scotland's People indexes. SP may or may not have remedied this by now. They are indexed on LIBINDX at http://libindx.moray.gov.uk/mainmenu.asp. However I have checked and there is nothing on LIBINDX about David Mitchell or David Burgess born in Duffus in the 1830s.

If, as seems probable, he was illegitimate, it is possible that the Duffus Kirk Session minutes might shed some light on the matter. These are in the National Archives of Scotland www.nas.gov.uk but the last time I looked they were not accessible online, so you would need to get someone to go and look at them for you in Register House, Edinburgh.

In the 1841 census there are a Janet Burghess, 45, ag lab, and Elspet Burghess, 5, in Duffus. She may be the same one who is listed in 1851 as Janet Burgess, 64, pauper, living in Cummingston. I have no other information about this Janet, but she could perhaps be the mother of your David.

[scotdownsouth]

Thanks for your information on this topic. I am now aware that in addition to a parish called Duffus there was also a parish named Dallas in Moray so I may have to revisit my certificates and check on the correct parish as on some certificates it looks like it could be Duffus or Dallas.

I remain convinced (but not yet 100 percent without any documentary evidence) that Janet Burgess and Thomas Mitchell did indeed marry as m.s. appears on the death certificate of their son David (1889) and also on the 1856 marriage certificate of Elspeth Mitchell to James McIntosh who I believe was sister to David but again no hard evidence as yet. Thanks again.

George

[Forfarian]

Ah, yes, I could have told you there are both a Dallas and a Duffus. Very confusing!

If Thomas Mitchell and Janet/Jessie Burgess had three or more children, it does strengthen the evidence for there having been a marriage. It is unusual for a couple to have three illegitimate children, but not impossible.

[scotdownsouth]

Further research has revealed the following

Thomas Mitchell and Janet Burgess had at least 3 children that I have found:-

David b. 20 Aug 1827
Alexander b. 19 Apr 1831
Elspet b. 4 Jan 1834

all traced via the Moray Libindx site but census for 1841 reveals nothing as a family, and I can find nothing at all about Thomas and Janet relating to b/m/d.

All 3 children were born in Cummingston..........the search continues!
 

[scotdownsouth]

Elspet married James McIntosh in 1856 and died on 16 Dec 1899 at Rosevalley Farm, Duffus

David married Ann Dunwoodie in 1856 and died on 30 May 1889 at 174 High St Elgin

No info on Alexander as yet or the elusive parents!