wiliiam robertson

[lyndsey86]

I have William Robertson married to Margaret Smith, no marriage date, their children that I have are Elizabeth Robertson born about 1856 New York, William James Robertson 1857 he married Helen Marr Brotchie 1883, Edinburgh and Andrew C Robertson 1866, New York he married Isabella Paxton.

Ann

[GrahamH123]

Hi Ann,

It is the samer family. They married, 2 12 1853 in Inveresk. Have you got details for deaths of William and Margaret?  Ocupation of William would assist too, I can then track down on earlier Scotiish Census records.

Graham

[GrahamH123]

Ann, Further to message a couople of minutes ago, forgot to ask if you know if the C in Andrew C Robertson stands for Coltman, as an Andrew Coltman married into the line at that time.

[lyndsey86]

I have very little on the family, don't know what the C stands for.

Ann

[carriepear]

Are you still researching Wm Robertson born in New York? He was my great grandfather and I knew his wife, my gt grandmother (Helen Marr Brotchie) who died age 103 in 1968! William's father (another Wm) had 7 siblings. He was a pianoforte maker and patented a keyed finger keyboard for the violin in the US. The family were back in Edinburgh for the 1881 census.  His father, James Robertson (1798-1851) was a blacksmith and spirit retailer in Newbigging, Musselburgh (nr Edinburgh) and his mother was Frances Thomson, who died 16.8.1855 ... Death certs for 1855 give the details of ALL the children - very helpful. I have names for previous generations if you are interested.
I can't get any further back from Margaret Smith but that her father was called John Smith and was from Inveresk.
I have details of most of William Robertson's descendants up to the present generations.

[GrahamH123]

Hi Carrie,

That is interesting as it is the same family that forms part of that side of my direct line.

I was really curious if Andrew C Robertson, b 1866, middle name was Coltman as Andrew Coltman was married to a Hutton family member.

A William Robertsin married a Jean Hutton in Musselburgh (where I grew up) and had a daughter Margaret Smith Robertson b Musselburgh 1817.

I thought the likliest Margaret Smith was born 1822 in Musselburgh to John Smith and Elizabeth Aitken. She had a sister Janet Rogers Smith. I am not certain if these surnames crop up as middle names later which would suggest 'some' connection?

Be great to know middle names of William Robertsons and Margaret Smiths children. The eldest daughter of theirs being Elizabeth supports a potential link to Elizabeth Aitken by naming convention although iut is a very commoin name, BUT not particularly in Musselburgh at that time. Graham 

[carriepear]

I am not sure about the birth record you mention being our Mgt Smith's.  She appears in the 1881 Edinburgh census as age 51 and the 1891 census as 61.  I think her father could be another John Smith.  I am afraid I can't shed any light on the middle names of the 3 born in New York - but quite a lot of the following, which I have cut and pasted from a summary I wrote for my family, might be of interest to earlier correspondents.

My grandfather, Herbert Wm Robertson’s father was William James Robertson  The family originated in Inveresk and Musselburgh (both names are still in existence) near Edinburgh.  He was born in New York in 1857, but was living in Edinburgh by the census of 1881 (age 23).  He worked his way up to become the manager and owner of an oil and cake mill, and Herbert also worked in this trade.  William James Robertson died in 1918 and left a considerable bequest to the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh.
Available: picture of HWR’s birthplace in Edin, e-mail from Archivist concerning the Royal Infirmary bequest. His wife, my gt grandmother, Helen Marr Brotchie outlived him by half a century!  I knew her well.
William James Robertson’s father, William Robertson's first noted trade was as a pianoforte maker.   His 3 children were all born in New York.
I suspect that the following info which we found on line is about our Wm Robertson 
At the 1853 New York Crystal Palace, he displayed a “keyed stop violin, a new invention, greatly facilitating the process of playing.”  The Official Catalogue (1853-94) listed the maker’s address as 181 Broadway, which was also the workshop of the noted flute maker, Alfred Badger, and it is possible that the piano maker worked in the latter’s shop. He continued to work as a journeyman into the 1870s.
In the census of 1881 William James Robertson was back in Edinburgh and described as an unemployed cabinet maker (age 53). His death cert dated 1906 (age 74) gives his occupation as a seed millmaster’s assistant – presumably working with or for his son.   There were always rumours in the family about a fortune made in New York, properties in Manhattan etc, but I have not managed to find evidence of that. 

[carriepear]

Apologies!  Where I have Wm James Robertson in the last para, it should, of course, have been the elder Wm Robertson without the middle name!

[lyndsey86]

Hi,
I am really pleased you have got in contact with me, I am still researching my tree, but the trail for William hit a brick wall until both of you got in contact with me. William James Robertson born 1857 in America died 25/1/1918 in Crieff, Scotland he married Helen Marr Brotchie 1883, she died 1968, the children I have are Herbert W Robertson born 1885, Margaret S  R 1888 and Arthur Lockhart R 1889, Helen's parents were John Russell Brotchie and Robina Morrison Hume. I do have a number of Brotchie's in my tree. If you want more info, could you please send me a private message.

Ann