COMPLETED: JOHNSTONE Mary married BROWN William

[Wiggy]

I am looking for the family of Mary JOHNSTONE who married William BROWN and migrated to Australia in 1859 in Feb 1859 aboard Ocean Chief.

Mary b 1824 Dryfesdale - died 1899 Ballarat Victoria Australia
daughter of David JOHNSTONE and Mary ?WALLACE maybe.   Wallace is given as her second name on her death certificate so we are guessing mother's maiden name.
 
We would love to know any other members of the family both back and sideways if someone has access to the indexes - or whatever they are called over your way.

Before leaving Dryfesdale 'William and Mary' (sounds good doesn't it?  ) had four children Janet Eskdale, Elizabeth, Robert and George John Johnstone - five more born in Australia.

The family shows up in the Scotland census of 1851 at Dryfesdale as farmers with William working his own 90 acres, with help from his brother Thomas.

Think that is all the locating help I can give.   Any looking up is most gratefully accepted.

Thanks in advance,

Wiggy

[Gadget]

Hi Wiggy

I've checked the main site for Scottish Baptisms - Scotlands People ( www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk ) and can't find a baptism for Mary. I don't see any baptisms for any children of aDavid Johnston* and a Mary Wallace, either - I have Currie/Corrie; Irving/Irvine and Faring but none in Dryfesdale.

The only one showinf is in 1830 in Tundergarth to David Johnstone and Mary Corrie. 

The records are for those baptised in the Church of Scotland and those baptised in other religious faiths are not included and/or some of the records have not survived.

I see from the IGI ( www.familysearch.org ) that they married in 1846 in Dalton

I can't locate a marriage for a David Johnston* to a Mary Wallace 1790-1830 either.


It might be worth you looking at the 1841 on Freecen http://www.freecen.org.uk/cgi/search.pl

There are a couple of possibles for Mary but I'm not sure. The only David of an age in Dryfesdale is a surgeon (wife is possibly a Janet)


Gadget

[Gadget]

I see from the 1851 census that you referred to that Mary was born circa 1826 in Johnstone and not Dryfesdale

I'll now work with this information.


Gadget

[Gadget]

Sorry but I don't see anything that fits with the information.


Were William Brown's parents' Robert and Elizabeth?

Gadget

[Wiggy]

Hi Gadget,

Thanks for helping again.  William's parents were Robert b abt 1784, where ?? and Janet Eskdale, b abt 1786 somewhere in Dumfries.   We think we have a sighting of her in the 1841 census.  William's death certificate says father Robert Brown, farmer and Janet Brown formerly Eskdale.    William had a brother Thomas and a sister Dyebella (Izabella)

We don't know that Mary's mother was Wallace  - on her death certificate it says Mary Wallace Brown father David Johnstone, Farmer, mother Mary Johnstone - maiden name unknown - we just guessed Wallace because of the name given for her - maybe that could have been her grandmother's maiden name - my mother-in-law was so named with maiden name of grandmother as middle name.   I don't have her birth or marriage certificates yet unfortunately.   William and Mary's first daughter also has paternal Grandmother's maiden name as middle name - lending more weight to that thought.

When we first started looking, Johnstone, the village, came into things somewhere - I think we looked there first then found them in Dryfesdale.

It is possible that you have already turned up the correct people.   We don't know where the Johnstones came from  - we are supposing they were from somewhere close by.

Wiggy

[Wiggy]

Further info
 - just been searching  1841 census records  under William Brown and found Janet 55 with William 26 Dyeblla and Thomas  living at Mollon.   Father seems to be absent or dead - the latter likely - we've listed him as dying before 1841 - but that is on the strength of this census.  parish number for this record is 832.

by the 1851 record they are at Dryfesdale without Janet - can't find further trace of her.

Wiggy

Edit to add - Mary was about 20 when she was married - so about 1844 - 75 when she died in 1899.    All her children - bar one - died before her.     Her marriage and her death ages add up add up but age at immigration doesn't - take that as incorrect then! 

[Wiggy]

Hi Gadget,

I had a look at the census on the 'freecen' site to which you pointed me  -  bit of a popular name Mary Johnstone wasn't it?  - The one which rings most bells is the one which reads:

Piece SCT 1841/813
Applegarth - Dumfries
En. dist 3
Civil Parish: Applegarth
Folio 3 P 10 Address Dinwoodie Mains.

Why this one? - well the names are all used again in the next generation - Agnes, George, David, Mary, James, John, William.

Also we had a slip of paper with a Testimonial on it about a Charles and we were told that this was about a great great uncle, Charles A Johnstone, who we found out had been working in Manchester - and the testimonial was written up in the Galloway and Dinwoodie Mains Chronicle /Courier  in about January (I think) 1901- wish I could remember the exact date.   

There seems to be a possible sighting of David and Mary in the 1861 Scottish census  -  not sure about this one,   but the best match we could find.   Am now thinking that 'Wallace' may have been grandmothers maiden name rather than mother's.   so maybe one of the ones you found is correct.

Wiggy 

Edit to add - only thing wrong with the entry I've cited - not a husband and wife David and Mary

        

[Gadget]

Hi Wiggy

Have you got a rough idea of the age of Charles A Johnstone?  Like mary, there are a lot of them about and he might be the best lead so far.


Gadget

[Wiggy]

Rough age might be about 60-65 - just that he seemed to be leaving work so am guessing about to retire -  and I noticed on the reference I gave you that there was a Charles listed as 6 at that time. Think he'd been working in a mill down in Manchester - but that might be an educated guess!!

Have been looking for the reference for him all day - can't find it yet - worse I can't remember which file i've lodged it in - I'm not as scatty as I sound - I don't think!!!   Might look again through the Dumfries-shire pages and see if it was there that someone helped me find the reference - will get back to you!

thanks Gadget

Wiggy