Please help! Dead end in West Indies...Shaw/Baillie

[kshaw]

I seem to have hit a dead end in the West Indies and don't know what to do next! I'm looking for help finding more info on David Shaw born between 1804 and 1811 West Indies -  31 May 1887 in Inverness, Scotland. I Know that he was back living in Scotland before the 1841 Scotland Census was taken, I'm not sure when he arrived in the UK or who with.  I found a record of marriage for him and wife Ann McLeod 1 Dec 1824 in Inverness, but I'm not sure if it's them or another couple with the same names and info.

He's birth year changes on every census, but going by his age listed on grave marker he was born 1811.... however that means that he was 13 yrs when he got married and Ann was 22 yrs... is that possible c1824? I have a copy of his DC 31 May 1887  aged 72 yrs, it names his parents as Donald Shaw Farmer deceased and Reinas Shaw M.S. Baillie deceased. I did manage to find a baptismal record for a David Shaw bap'd 30 Oct 1814 St. James, Jamaica.

I would love to find out about his parents but have no idea if they came to Scotland, I think that his father may have been from the Inverness, Scotland area but that's just a guess. His mother's name is very different but I can't find anything about her.

Any help, even if just to point me in the right way would be great.
 

[jorose]

Minimum age for a boy to marry would have legally been 14 but that would have been rare.  Also take into account that baptisms didn't always happen right after birth.

I see that the 1824 marriage was for a David Edward Shaw - and there is also a 1825 birth for a child Ann with father David Edward, and then for subsequent children he drops the "Edward" (if this is the same man).

Can you confirm that the child Ann b. to "David Edward" and wife is one of the children of your David?


There were many Scottish men who went to work on sugar plantations in various areas
For example:
http://www.spanglefish.com/slavesandhighlanders/index.asp?pageid=300479
In 1809 the "Shaw brothers" from Inverness, including an Edward b. about 1789 ,and possibly a David, were in Guyana.  Baillie was also a name found in the area.

Have you looked for deaths/wills back in Inverness for his parents?

[jorose]

Incidentally I checked the 30 Oct 1814  baptism (images are on familysearch but not directly linked). This man was 30 years old, and is listed as a slave:
 http://www.rootschat.com/links/0w74/

[kshaw]

jorose, thank you I didn't think that the baptism was right, I've never seen the image.

Yes, I do have him as David Edward Shaw on a few of the early records but have yet to find any records related to that name in West Indies. I'm not sure if that is the right couple I found the marriage record for although all info matches. it's just his age that throws me, as on his death cert in 1887 he is said to be 72, which would have made him only 12. I'm guessing that he must not have know his right age (for whatever reason) or that somewhere along the way it was recorded wrong and that was the date used on his death cert.

I do think that his father Donald Shaw was Scottish but because of not having any info other than his name on David's death cert (plus Donald was a very common name) I have nothing related to him. While searching I have come across Edward Shaw (also from Inverness) , son of David Shaw and Ann Fraser. On Edward's grave it says that he was in the colony of Demerora for many years. I've taken note of him but never found a link other than surname, so the "Shaw brother's from Inverness" could very well be them.

I can confirm that yes Ann was the eldest child that I have for David (Edward) Shaw and Ann McLeod. On the 1841 Scot census I have them in Muirtown, Inverness oddly they are listed as -
David Shaw 30 Farmer
Ann McLeod 35
Ann McLeod 10
Catherine McLeod 8
Bell McLeod 6
James McLeod 4
David McLeod 2
I can only guess as to why they are listed with her maiden name.

** The whole family (+/- children) appear with the surname Shaw on the 1851 and every one after.**

I've looked for deaths in Inverness for his parents but have found nothing for his mother and a lot of matches for his father, but I've yet to find the right one. Once I have found Donald's Death record I'll look for a will. I'm going to do a trip to the archives in Inverness when I have the time, and a bit more info.