Why did John change his surname?

[sancti]

1901

John Stewart 65 head  born: Linlithgow, Linlithgow occ retired farmer
Christina Stewart 56 wife  born: Glasgow, Lanark
Lily Stewart 30 daur  born: Glasgow, Lanark
Sophia Stewart 18  daur born: Glasgow, Lanark
Isaac Stewart 16 son born: Glasgow, Lanark

Address: Bellevue Terrace Forgan

[sancti]

1891

John Stewart 58 born: Carluke, Lanarkshire  living on private means
Christina Stewart 42
Lily Stewart 16
William Stewart 14
Alexander Stewart 10
Sophia Stewart 8
Isaac Stewart 6
 
 
Address: Wellshot Hill Wellshot Driv Saltcoat's Villa Cambuslang

[Forfarian]

sancti I think you've got it! Thank you very much indeed.

This is from the 1881 census

67 Park Road, Barony
Christina McDONALD     Head Mar   34 Wife Of Harbour Labourer      Shotts
Adam McDONALD     Son 9 Scholar Son Of Land Proprietor           Glasgow
Lily McDONALD             Daur 8 Scholar Daur Of Land Proprietor        Glasgow
William McDONALD     Son 4 Son Of Land Proprietor                      Glasgow
Alexander McDONALD  Son 2 Son Of Land Proprietor                      Glasgow
Sophia McDONALD     Daur 9m Daur Of Land Proprietor                  Glasgow
Mary BEVERIDGE     Serv 14                                                        New Monkland

Christina Stewart died in Glasgow in 1926, described as widow of (1st) John McDonald, butcher and (2nd) John Storry Stewart, farmer. Her parents were Isaac Glencorse and Agnes Ditchburn, and she had married John McDonald in Glasgow on 24 August 1868. I am not surprised to find that there is no other marriage of a Christina Glencorse in the SP index. The IGI has a birth of Lillias Storey McDonald on 30 December 1873, parents listed as John McDonald and Christina Glencorse. I have not found Adam, but there was a John McDonald registered to the same couple on 30 April 1872 who would have been very nearly old enough to be Adam. The others are too young to be in the IGI.

So John had a mistress, and eventually left his wife to live with his second family, hence the change of name. But still no indication why they should have chosen Stewart (other than to hide themselves with a very common name, or to confuse future genealogists).

I'll have a look for all the children's birth certificates when I next go to Edinburgh.

[sancti]

Great!

The wall is weakening 

[Forfarian]

On the IGI, an extracted record gives John Storry birth 29 Oct 1822 @ Whitburn parents John Storry and Mary Walker, does this tie in with OPR.

Yes. I still have to see the actual OPR to confirm details. The 1827 date is (I think) from an online tree, and as you all know it is never wise to trust online trees, or 'submitted' IGI entries.

[tidybooks]

Hi,

Well done Sancti and Forfarian, eventually pinned him down by the address that he died at. So he left his wife did not divorce her, stayed with his new partner. Would be interested to see his will, he had quite a few children and step children. Like it when you get a result.

Tom

[sancti]

I wonder how William knew about the name change as he was born a McDonald

[sancti]

Looking at the 1881 census it looks like Christina was still married and had left her husband.

[Forfarian]

I wonder how William knew about the name change as he was born a McDonald

William was apparently better informed than his brother Alexander, who registered their mother's death. William obviously knew that their father had changed his name, that he had not married their mother, and that their father's wife was still alive. Alexander described their mother as the widow of their father, which she wasn't. Maybe Alexander was telling a diplomatic lie.

The law assumes that all children of a married woman are her husband's unless she specifically declares that they are not. The children can only be registered in the biological father's name if he accompanies the mother to the registration office and signs the birth certificate at the same time as she does, in which case the children are registered under her own name, her husband's name and under their father's. The father's name cannot be added later except by an entry in the Register of Corrected Entries, or the birth can be re-registered if the parents marry subsequently. The original birth certificate cannot be altered.