Easton in Jedburgh

[hdw]

Is anyone researching the name Easton in Roxburghshire, especially Jedburgh? I read the other day that Robert Burns was in Jedburgh in 1787 and visited a gardener's wife called Esther Easton who "can repeat by heart almost everything she has ever read, particularly Pope's "Homer" from end to end, and is a woman of very extraordinary abilities".

The Jedburgh OPR has an Esther Easton born in 1751 in Jedburgh to a Robert Easton, labourer, and his unnamed wife. The daughter would have been about 36 when Burns visited Jedburgh, and I wonder if it was her that he talked to rather than the mother, assuming she didn't marry and was still using her maiden name. Otherwise, her mother must have been an Esther too, and there is no record of a Robert Easton marrying an Esther -.

Harry

[matth364]

Hello Harry,
Did you ever get a reply to this post?  I too may have an Easton in my husband's family of Bells in Jedburgh, so am curious.  Thanks
Jean (Calgary, Canada)

[hdw]

No, not a squeak till your post today!

Harry

[matth364]

Hello Harry,
Thanks for your reply.  My husband's gg grandfather, Adam Bell, is said - by family - to have come from the Jedburgh area, but I have little to go on.  He was born in 1839, emigrated (nd) to Ontario, Canada, married there in 1864 and was a farmer.  By the Canada census, we know that he and his first wife had 3 children before her death.  We have their marriage license listing his father only as 'W' and his mother as "Agnes"; his second marriage lists his father as William.  Adam had a sister, Bella  who also came to Canada.  Adam had a daughter Agnes who, when she married, listed her name as "Agnes Easton Bell" on the marriage registration.  She is also listed as that on her husband's death registration.  She is listed as that on their tombstone in Toronto.  We've never had any idea where the Easton name came from, but from past experience, figured it had to have come down from a prior generation (will check on her mother's side as well).   Any searches on Scotlandspeople (sad that it's still down and I cannot check my shoebox!) haven't been successful in either the Jedburgh area or the larger Roxboroshire area.  When I saw your query, I wondered if you had any further information about the Eastons in Jedburgh that we could compare.   
Thanks, Jean

[Ruskie]

The use of the surname Easton as a middle name does not necessarily mean that was a family name. It was quite common, especially in Scotland, to use surnames of people of some esteem in the community, or even an employer (in the case of one of my families) as middle names.  Some are obvious, as in my example, but with others you can never work out why a certain name was chosen.

A link to your thread about this family:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=756522.msg6062804#msg6062804

You should probably return to your thread - there are questions for you to answer and some research which you might wish to comment on.

[matth364]

Good thought - I am familiar with taking a middle name because one likes it, my mother did that.  So this will be put to rest for now.   And yes, I was waiting for Scotlandspeople to be up and running again to check my shoebox before answering the other questions.....appreciate the contact.

[hdw]

Scotlandspeople is up and running again. I had to make up a new password, but it was accepted and I had no problems accessing the site.

Harry

[moo]

Good Evening Everyone

Here is a list of the Easton's I have in my husband's family tree :-

Descendants of :
Andrew EASTON
 
Generation 1
 
1. Andrew EASTON. He married Elizabeth ALEXANDER.
 
Children of Andrew EASTON and Elizabeth ALEXANDER:
     i.        2.        Walter EASTON was born 1792 in Kelso and died 03 Aug 1855 in Abby Place, Jedburgh
 
Generation 2
 
2. Walter EASTON was born 1792 in Kelso and died 03 Aug 1855 in Abby Place, Jedburgh. He married Janet BROWN.
    
Other events in the life of Walter EASTON
Burial:   in Jedburgh New Cemetry
 
Children of Walter EASTON and Janet BROWN:
     i.        3.        Andrew EASTON was born 1822
     ii.                 William EASTON was born 1824
     iii.                 Euphemia EASTON was born 1826
     iv.                 Elizabeth EASTON was born 1828
     v.        4.        Janet EASTON was born 1832 and died 24 Mar 1874 in Jedburgh
     vi.                 Agnes EASTON was born 1833
     vii.                 Mary EASTON was born 1835
     viii.                 Isabella EASTON was born 1837
     ix.                 Walter EASTON was born 1839
 
Generation 3
 
3. Andrew EASTON was born 1822.
 
Children of Andrew EASTON:
     i.                 Walter EASTON was born 1853 in Jedburgh
     ii.                 Robert S EASTON was born 1854 in Jedburgh
     iii.                 William EASTON was born 1856 in Jedburgh
     iv.                 Andrew R EASTON was born 1858 in Jedburgh
 
4. Janet EASTON was born 1832 and died 24 Mar 1874 in Jedburgh. She married William ELLIOT 12 Oct 1857 in Edinburgh Parish, Edinburgh. He was born 06 Mar 1810 in Jedburgh and died 12 Dec 1880 in Jedburgh, son of Archibald ELLIOT and Anna Maria BURN.
 
Children of Janet EASTON and William ELLIOT:
     i.                 William ELLIOT was born 26 Sep 1858 in Jedburgh
     ii.                 Walter ELLIOT was born 28 Nov 1859 in Jedburgh and died 11 Jul 1868 in Jedburgh
     iii.                 James ELLIOT was born 09 Feb 1863 in Jedburgh
     iv.                 George Tinline ELLIOT was born 23 Jan 1868 in Jedburgh
 

Regards
Moo

[terianne]

the use of middle names can depend on families, but the traditional trend in the scottish borders is to use them to pass down maternal/family surnames