Headstone pictures CAMBUSNETHAN CHURCHYARD WISHAW

[Lodger]

A few more pictures of the Thomson stone.
Looking at the back of the stone, into the old churchyard. The paupers field in the foreground.

[Lodger]

This is the obelisk headstone of John Thomson and Isabella McMinn. It was still upright when I transcribed in back in 1983 but, like many others, it has fallen over. The tree roots have caused havoc and what they missed, the vandals finished off. It was once a beautiful monument and thankfully is it still legible because someone had the foresight to use a slate tablet insert.

"Erected by John Thomson and Isabella McMinn in memory of their children. Daniel died 15th March 1839 aged 5 weeks. Daniel died 1st March 1860 aged 4 weeks. Mary Ann died 28th August 1866 aged 5 months. James died 9th March 1873 aged 3 years. Marion Bell Thomson died 19th January 1882 aged 18 years. Bessie Reid Thomson (wife of Matthew Boyd) died 4th October 1887 aged 26 years. The above John Thomson died 18th March 1900 aged 74 years. Isabella McMinn died 20th August 1907 aged 81 years".

The plot is just in front of the ancient ruined church, you can see the typically Scottish 17th century "birdcage" belltower in one of the pictures. I have to make 2 posts for the pictures!

[Lodger]

2 more of the Thomson & McMinn stone.

[Lodger]

This is the plot book entries for the John Thomson & Isabella McMinn plot in the old churchyard.
This book only began around 1876, entries from 1860 - 1876 were included in the gravediggers Day Book. Before 1860 we have to rely on monumental inscriptions.

This plot has the owners listed as John Thomson and Isabella McMinn.

In the South lair -
HUGH BELL THOMSON, aged 10 weeks, 7th February 1882.
In the Centre lair -
JOHN THOMSON, aged 74 years. 21st March 1900.
ISABELLA THOMSON, aged 81 years. 29th August 1907.
In the North lair -
MARION BELL THOMSON, aged 18 years, 23rd January 1882.
BETSY BOYD, aged 26 years, 7th October 1887.

This information is repeated (in more detail) in the Day Book.

ISABELLA THOMSON, Wishaw, aged 81 years, widow.
Parents - Hugh Bell McMinn and Marion Prentice.
Interred in old churchyard, 29th August 1907.

MARY ANN THOMSON, Wishaw, aged 5 months.
Parents - John Thomson and Isabella McMinn.
Interred in old churchyard, 31st August 1866.

JAMES THOMSON, Wishaw, aged 3 years.
Parents - John Thomson and Isabella McMinn.
Interred in old churchyard, 12th March 1873.

Also -

ELIZABETH THOMSON, Wishaw, aged 77 years, widow.
Parents Robert Reid and Elizabeth Cunningham.
Interred in old churchyard, 10th July 1869.
(This is Betsy Reid).

Also, from the Day Book of the "new" municipal cemetery -

JOHN THOMSON, joiner, Wishaw, aged 55 years, married.
Parents - John Thomson and Isabella McMinn.
interred in plot D253, 21st May 1908.

ROBERT THOMSON, stocktaker, Wishaw, aged 54 years, married.
Parents - John Thomson and Isabella McMinn.
Interred in plot F85 & 86. 28th April 1913.
Plot owned by John Reid Thomson, 43 West Thornlie Street, Wishaw.

That's all I have for now!

[ard]

Hi Ard,

I've had a look and can't find pictures of Halliday & Paterson or of Littlejohn & Young but, I do have Young & Littlejohn, would this be what you are looking for?
(...)
The 1st picture, Halliday & Brownlie, inscription reads -"Erected by Thomas Halliday and Marion Brownlie in memory of Robert Halliday their son who died 16th April 1840 aged 1 year and 6 months".

Hi Lodger - a couple of years ago you posted the above information (along with the corresponding photo) in response to my Halliday query. At the time I didn't know how or if this Thomas was connected to my Halliday branch of the family (some of whom are apparently buried in a Carluke cemetery). So I was thrilled to discover recently that Thomas was the brother of my 3xgreat grandfather John Halliday - It turns out that Thomas and Marion moved to Canada in the 1850s (paving the way for later Halliday relatives, it would seem).

It has been difficult for me to piece together the family of Robert Halliday (brother of Archibald Halliday) and Margaret Williamson because there are so many gaps in the records available online but I've long suspected there must have been other children besides the three that I knew of (i.e, John, Agnes and a much later Violet). Fortunately, quite a few from the subsequent generation are listed in the Wishaw Relief Church records - that was also something that you introduced me to years back!

So thank you yet again for going above and beyond...it really was that inscription (in context) and the Halliday-Brownlie connection that led me to investigate further and ultimately helped me fill in a missing family member all these years later!

ard

[Lodger]

Hello again Ard,

Many thanks for your kind words, it is nice to know that my efforts have paid dividends!

(Sometimes I hear absolutely nothing from people I have really put myself out for - like the last set of pictures I posted - climbed over broken stones, nettles, soaking-wet grass and cleaned about 10 lbs of moss from a stone - and nothing! Not a dicky bird!)

Anyway, I had a look for your James Legget. Was his wife Marion Paterson by any chance?

Since last we corresponded, I have compiled a tree for my nephew, (my brother's son) his mother is descended from Margaret Halliday and John Gray. Margaret's parents were Archibald Halliday & Marion Penman, Margaret's youngest sister was Violet, who married George Brownlie.
I feel sure there must be a connection with your Hallidays.

Lodger.

[sancti]

Moss makes great compost

Getting back to nature keeps you out the pub 

[ard]

I certainly appreciate all that I have learned through your generous offerings on many subjects and have referred back to them multiple times over the years...  decades, even!

I solved another mystery just yesterday (although it makes for a new one):
In Cambusnethan Cemetery Grave Search - Part 2 ( Reply #123 on: Thursday 07 January 16) you had included a "Not too sure about the next 2 but just in case" (never underestimate those "just in case" entries!!!) for which you included inscriptions for two children of a George Brownlie and Janet Halliday.

What made these so mysterious is that there was of course the George Brownlie (s/o George Brownlie and Elisabeth King) who married a Violet Halliday!

Might there be an error in the records, I wondered - was Janet really Violet? Never one to give up, I discovered that Janet was the daughter of a Martin Halliday (1811-1861) and Catherine McMillan who married 1834 (Old Monkland). So now I also have the names of her six siblings!
However, I don't know who HER George Brownlie's parents were.
I also don't know how (or if) Martin Halliday may relate to "my" Hallidays!

Interesting that you have a connection to Margaret Halliday and John Gray, albeit indirect. You are correct - I am now fully confident that Margaret (and violet) were first cousins of my ggg grandfather John Halliday 1802-1853 (who m. to Elizabeth Blair Dick). He was one of the many coal miners to tragically die prematurely of a mine-related accident. A hard life that I can only try to imagine.

It was their daughter, my gg-grandmother Agnes Halliday who m. James Leggat (1841-1921). They eventually moved to Cumberland but sometime after Agnes died, James moved back to Wishaw and even married again late in life. His parents were James Leggat (b about 1816 Cambusnethan) and Jane Frew, and, based on his father's death record, his grandparents were James Leggat (a solider) and Janet Gilchrist!

I'm not aware of a Leggat-Paterson connected to "my" Leggats but beyond James Leggat who married Jane Frew, the branch is so far pretty sparse...
 
The information that I have gathered on Archibald and Robert Halliday is that they were brothers born in Perth to a Thomas Halliday and Anne Campbell. I don't know if they had other siblings. While Archibald and Marion's 12 children are quite well documented, that's not the case for Robert and Margaret (Williamson) who *I'm assuming* married in Crawford, where Margaret was apparently from and where two of their children, john and Agnes (1806) were born. I only know of their daughter Violet (cousin to the Violet who married Geo Brownlie) because of her 1839 death record, showing that she must have been born in about 1817.

So you can see why I thought there must have been other children but finding definitive records for them has been a challenge. One of the clues that helped me confirm that Thomas (b c1812) was their son was that he named a daughter Margaret Williamson Halliday! Thomas also married a Brownlie. From what I can gather, I figure she must be the daughter of Robert Brownlee and Marion Davidson. How all these Brownlies relate is still unclear. It's probably a fairly common name, isn't it?


I'm wondering now if, while compiling a tree for your nephew, you have found anything else on the ancestry of Robert and Archibald? Please feel free to email me if you would like to compare notes!!

Note: my postscript modifications are meant as clarifications!

[ard]

PS I've discovered Martin's parents! John Halliday (with various spellings) and Elizabeth Provan who married in Old Monkland in 1808. No further in how this family fits into the Halliday clan, though.