Yorkstones in Brown Street, Haddington

[Anon anon]

Hi I am looking for any information on the Yorkstone families who lived in Haddington in the 1800s. They are  in Brown Street in the census. The family is more Leith based so not sure how or why this group of my family came to be in Haddington.

Many thanks.

[Woodsd]

Moira

I can't really help you; other than to mention that Yorkston (not sure whether the name had an "e" or not) used to be a well-established cobbler shop in Brown Street, until maybe 20 or 30 years ago.  I have a book called "Haddington in Old Picture Postcards" by J M Russell (published 1983) which has a photograph of Brown Street (and the shop that became Yorkston the cobblers) around 1900.  Also, Yorkston appears on the Haddington war memorial.

I Googled "Yorkston" plus "Haddington" and got several reasonable hits, including other references on Rootschat.  But you've probably done that already, and I see you mention having gone back to census returns

I know that's not much to go on, but might just be of some help.

Regards

David

[Hibee]

Moira

There is a George Yorkstone and family at Standingstone, Parish of Morham, East Lothian, in the 1841 census.

He was aged 40, and an Ag Lab.

Hibee

[Anon anon]

Many thanks Hibbie and David. I will investigate the cobblers store in Brown Street. Have not heard of them before, really interesting. My great great grandfather's father was the Brown Street connection, and there were several generations at 2 and 6 Brown Street, but the family first appear in Canongate in the 1600s and then mostly Leith born and died, some had Leith parents but born on farms. A lot of farm labourers in there so they were pretty mobile in their working lifes. Interesting though all roads seem to lead back to Leith for most of my ancestors and they died thier. The library may have a copy of the postcard book so going to have a look for it. Thanks again.