Cornistown

[simon tree]

Hi first time here
   trying to find a place called Cornistown Aberdeen Scotland James Smith was born here 23-11-1843/ 44 it is shown on his naval records and the cencus

[GR2]

Cornistown does not exist, so thought what alternatives there could be. Cuminestown is a village in the parish of Monquhitter in Aberdeenshire, so I looked up Family Search and found a James Smith born there on 23rd November 1843 to Alexander Smith and Ann Barclay. That's your man. What's the first census you have him in?

[GR2]

The 1851 census (on FreeCEN) shows the following household at Garmond (a small village just to the north of Cuminestown):

Alexander Barclay, 65, an agricultural labourer; his wife, Isabel, 63; their daughter, Barbara,23; four grandchildren - Alexander Barclay, 13, James Smith, 7, Isabella Gaul, 4, Christian Stewart, 1. All were born in Monquhitter, except for Alexander junior, who was born in Edinburgh.

The 1841 census shows the Barclays at Garmond.

Alexander Barclay, "50", an agricultural labourer; his wife, Isobel, "50"; Mary, 20, Margaret, 11, William, 8, Alexander, 4, (all Barclays) and Margaret Clark, 1.

[GR2]

Alexander Barclay and Isobel Morison had a daughter, Ann, born 3rd April 1816 (they had married in 1813). This is the mother of your James Smith.

I think she might be the Ann Barclay, "20", working as a servant for William Dunbar, grocer and clothier, in the nearby town of Turriff in 1841.

The actual record of birth and baptism for James Smith will make it clear, but I get the feeling that his parents may not have been married. There is an Alexander Smith, agricultural labourer, working at Cairncake, Monquhitter in 1841. He is "15", which in the 1841 census means anything from 15 to 19.

[simon tree]

1881 census he was at sea on hms Thetis earliest trace I can find on a census  his wife was from Cornwall and son was William Alexander born 1867
Naval records told me where he was born as well as dob
1911 he was born in Amnisham Scotland

[GR2]

Again "Amnisham" does not exist. It will be a mishearing of Cuminestown. The Monquhitter baptismal records for the 1840s give the actual date of birth, as opposed to the date of baptism, so the details in the naval records are correct. I wonder if the place in the naval record actually reads "Comistown" which would be even closer in sound to Cuminestown.

[simon tree]

Thanks for your help