Woohoo avm - I was busy tapping away and just noticed your reply
What wonderful finds!!
I'm posting below what I was tapping away at, as it's all seeming to fitting in with your wonderful information:
Hi Robert
I take it you don't think the family found in Cumbernauld is the right one or that Condorrat in Cumbernauld is the place noted where the bible daughter Agnes died?
I don't think you can go past them! Compare:
Condoratt
Mary Watson Walker (married name) born 31 August 1836.
Alexander Walker (husband)
Agnes (daughter)
Death of daughter Agnes, 12 May 1863 age 4 in Condorrat
Family appears to 'disappear' from Scottish Census after 1861
Condurant
Mary Watson Walker (presumed married name) born 31 August 1836.
Agnes (daughter) died 12 Mar 1860 in Condorant
Alexander (son)
Alexander (son)
Family places in Tchi Turkey from at least 1869 to 1880
I do think these rather compelling 'co-incidences' are more reliable than presuming only a well off family would have had a bible in the first place, and that the only reason they had to be in Turkey was for Military purposes?
Just say for argument's sake for a minute, that it is the Cumbernauld family who are the subjects of the Bible…. were it not that Mary's husband, Alexander WALKER was already in his 30's, I'd possibly agree with Military as a reason for being in 'Turkey' even though it was for an extended period, for supposedly at least a decade 1869-1880 or more - but since he was already well aged by 1860-1869, and it was well post-Crimean War I'd be more inclined to wonder if the Cumbernauld WALKERs who were weavers, were in Persia for some reason to do with the Persian Rug or silk industries?
Nothing is coming up in searches for "Condurant" or similar as a place in Turkey.
"Tchi" is on first impression, seems a Asiatic looking word. I'm wondering if it is Armenian, or Persian - there is reference here in texts dated 1753:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/019s5/to a place therein called Isfahan with districts named: Tchi, Marbin, Keiraridge, Kahaan, Bharan, Perharvar, Elkhan, Roundester
Isfahan (today known as Esfahan). Iran
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IsfahanI think back in the 1800's this would have been in part of the Ottoman Empire - and may very well have been referred then to as 'Turkey' as in died in 'Tchi, Turkey'.
Is there any indication as to how old the bible itself actually is (any date printed? publisher name, typeface, etc).
Is the ownership of the bible clear? Was it Mary - and does it appear clearly to have been her who names places & dates of death of the three sons and a daughter? Any indication as to who might have written Mary's date of death in it?
I couldn’t resist - The death I found on Scotland's People index - is the daughter of the Condorrat, Cumbernauld couple:
Agnes Watson WALKER age 4
Died 7th April 1863 at Condorrat, Cumbenauld
Father: Alexander WALKER
Mother: Mary WALKER maiden name WATSON
She died of Croup.
Family Search has her birth as 12 May 1859 - I can't help comparing that to the death date in the bible of 12 Mar 1860.
Cheers
AMBLY
