Still stuck on Robert Walker's parents

[MonicaL]

Whilst there does not look to be any Walkers in Kilbrandon on the 1841 census, there are Buchanans. Two Buchanan families living in Easdale. This one www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/5a1411c2f4040b9d6ef817fa/george-buchanan-1841-argyllshire-kilbrandon-kilchattn-1791-?locale=en is headed up by George and wife Margaret Stalker. They had a daughter Flora born c. 1818 who died in Easdale in 1902 (other surname Ferguson and aged 84 at when she died). This Flora would be too young to be Robert Walker's mother though. She is fairly consistent on the censuses with a birth year c. 1818 

The other Easdale family in 1841 is this one www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/597e8d13f4040b024a5ba192/william-buchanan-1871-argyllshire-kilbrandon-kilchattn-1826-?locale=en

Both George and William look to have worked in the slate quarries of the area.

Monica

[MonicaL]

The Muir Buchanan that you found in 1841 www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/5a1411bdf4040b9d6ef80f08/muir-buchannan-1841-argyllshire-kilbrandon-kilchattn-1805-?locale=en

She looks to have died in the Kilbrandon area at the age of 68 in 1859. Mother's maiden name of Cameron. Don't think she was married as there is no other surname for her listing on the index.

Monica

[GR2]

It may be worth looking at the minutes of the Kilbrandon Kirk Session for the period to see if anything appears. There are detailed proclamations of banns in the minutes from 1825. I looked 1825 - 1840 and there is no Walker marriage of any kind.

[ZerooreZ]

Robert Walker's statutory death record states that he died at 79 in 1909. and that his parents were Robert Walker, a cottar, and Flora Buchanan, both deceased at the time of Robert's death.

Who was the informant?

Thank you for your reply.  The informant was one of his sons, James.

According to various censuses

Are your censuses from the original documents or from some transcription or other? If the latter, you need to check the originals to eliminate the possibility of bad transcriptions. (Ancestry in particular is notorious for its poor transcriptions of the census.) The originals are at www.scotlandspeoppe.gov.uk.

They're from transcriptions.  freecen.org.uk and the LDS 1881 census from ScotlandsPeople.

I also found a Muir Buchannan (two n's)

Don't ascribe any significance whatsoever to variations in spelling. There was no such thing as 'correct' spelling until the late 19th century.

Understood.

Her huband died in an accident, so she's alone, reverted to her maiden name, and probably can't support her son, so he's down the road helping with a different family.

First, until relatively recently a married woman in Scotland retained and was known by her own surname, and it's very common to find a married woman listed under her maiden surname in the early censuses with her husband and children. So do not assume she 'reverted'. She was probably always known as 'Mistress Buchanan'. 

Second, it's not unusual for children as young as 12 to go to work, usually not too far from home. It was not necessarily a case of Robert being forced to go out to work.

Third, if Mistress Buchanan could not support her family, she would have applied to the kirk for assistance from the poor's fund or, after 1845, to the parochial board. If - and it's a big if - the parochial board records have survived, Argyll and Bute Archives should either have them or know where they are. See https://liveargyll.co.uk/facility/archives/

The kirk's records of poor relief will be in the Kirk Session records. If the relevant records have survived, you can search them on Scotland's People www.scotlandspeoppe.gov.uk.

OK. 

Any ideas how to get past the block of not knowing who his parents were?

Have you considered the possibility that he was illegitimate? If so, and if the relevant kirk session records have survived, you might find there a record of his parents being disciplined for the sin.

There is no record on Scotland's People of anyone at any time with the given name Muiraleen.

Yes, he could be illegitimate.  I didn't know there might be records of parents being disciplined for having an illegitimate child.

Thank you.

[ZerooreZ]

I think this is your Robert WALKER.

Ancestry Scotland Census 1891
Brownfield Inchinnan Renfrewshire
WALKER Robert      60y  farmer  b. Kilbrandon, Argyleshire
WALKER Margaret   58y             b. Greenock, Renfrewshire
WALKER James       23y son       b. Kilmalcolm, Renfrewshire
WALKER Peter         19y son       b. Kilmalcolm, Renfrewshire
WALKER Martha      17y dau       b. Kilmalcolm, Renfrewshire

Census 1901
Brownsfield, Inchinnan, Renfrewshire
WALKER Robert              70y  farmer      b. Easdale, Argyleshire
WALKER James               33y son           b. Kilmalcolm, Renfrewshire
WALKER Peter                29y son           b. Kilmalcolm, Renfrewshire
RICHMOND Margaret B   35y  dau           b. Kilmalcolm, Renfrewshire
RICHMOND Margaret       9y   g.dau        b. Greenock, Renfrewshire
McMEEKIN Isabella         21y servant      b. New Monkland, Lanarkshire

Use Scotlandspeople to find Will or Robert WALKER, died 7 Dec 1909.

Britishnewspaperarchives....shows estate worth 6,000 +  pounds.

Thank you for finding those two censuses.  That certainly seems to be him.

It's interesting how the different censuses give him different birthplaces:  Kilbrandon, Kilbarchan (I wonder if this was mistakenly written instead of Kilbrandon), Easdale, Islay, and possibly Oban.

[ZerooreZ]

These suggestions from Ambly I thought were worth pursuing in respect of Robert's mother? Were you able to follow up at all?

....Flora BUCHANAN - this is from his death record and therefore, as was common, the informant may have been mistaken as to her name - maybe Flora was a grandmother, for example (that was a common mistake).

Muiraleen Campbell BUCHANAN -  what was your relative's source? I haven't found 'Muiraleen' as a name anywhere. And in any case, it would be unusual. But upon gazing at it, I'm wondering…..could it be a Gaelic rendering, or a Gaelic pet form,  of a name like  Margaret?  Mairead (Margaret), Magaidh (Maggie)?

I'm looking at Robert WALKER and Margaret WATSON's children for a naming pattern - another tradition very much adhered to in Scotland, and often a very useful clue/tool.  I'm coming up with 'Margaret BUCHANAN' as a name? as follows:

From Census and Family search, the names of their children born:
Robert WALKER 1855
William Watson WALKER 1856
Duncan WALKER 1858
Mary WALKER 1862
Margaret Buchanan WALKER 1865
James WALKER 1867
John WALKER 1869
Peter WALKER 1871

There are child size gaps at crucial points in the timeline of births, but if this is the full list of live births to this couple then the pattern, if used might  be:
1st Son, after father's father:   Robert WALKER, b 1855
2nd Son, after mother's father: William Watson WALKER, b 1856
3rd Son, after father (but name already covered by 1st son)

1st Daughter, after mother's mother: Mary WALKER, b 1862
2nd Daughter, after father's mother: Margaret Buchanan WALKER, b 1865
3rd Daughter, after mother (but name already covered by 2nd daughter?)
....

Thank you.  Yes, I was quite interested in this post and looked into it.  When looking for records of Flora, I was also looking for Margarets. 

[ZerooreZ]

Also on the other post, Ambly had found and provided for you the 1891 and 1901 censuses. Looks like you have the complete set for Robert (albeit with the question marks up to his marriage in 1854).

Monica

Yes.  His pre-marriage years are quite unclear to me compared to post-marriage.

[ZerooreZ]

Whilst there does not look to be any Walkers in Kilbrandon on the 1841 census, there are Buchanans. Two Buchanan families living in Easdale. This one www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/5a1411c2f4040b9d6ef817fa/george-buchanan-1841-argyllshire-kilbrandon-kilchattn-1791-?locale=en is headed up by George and wife Margaret Stalker. They had a daughter Flora born c. 1818 who died in Easdale in 1902 (other surname Ferguson and aged 84 at when she died). This Flora would be too young to be Robert Walker's mother though. She is fairly consistent on the censuses with a birth year c. 1818 

The other Easdale family in 1841 is this one www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/597e8d13f4040b024a5ba192/william-buchanan-1871-argyllshire-kilbrandon-kilchattn-1826-?locale=en

Both George and William look to have worked in the slate quarries of the area.

Monica

Thank you.  They could be relatives.

[ZerooreZ]

The Muir Buchanan that you found in 1841 www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/5a1411bdf4040b9d6ef80f08/muir-buchannan-1841-argyllshire-kilbrandon-kilchattn-1805-?locale=en

She looks to have died in the Kilbrandon area at the age of 68 in 1859. Mother's maiden name of Cameron. Don't think she was married as there is no other surname for her listing on the index.

Monica

Thank you.  Yes, that's the entry I found.  I think it's possible this is his mother.