CORK and CLARK surnames

[Fordyce]

I do not know who Helen's parents are and our chat is part of me finding part of the proofs to the answer. Helen seems to link to all the Clark in a way.

OK. That's fine. My concern was that many others had come up with at least two views as to her parentage, one of which can be dismissed out of hand and another is unlikely, and I couldn't tell whether you were coming from their direction or not. But I'm surprised that Rev Weir didn't know her parents but knew her sister. Which is why I was pressing. And still am!

But, before dealing with Helen Weir ms Clark, some findings on the Simpson side.

a granddaughter of the said Elizabeth Clark a Elizabeth Simpson married a James Mitchell from Park Home Dufftown 4th March 1820 this is tracible or proven, and therefore possibly makes her mother Jean Turner who is recorded having resided in Crossburn before being buried 30 JAN 1821. Dying of course first. Why parentage is an uncertainty because there is a Margaret Turner marrying a John Simpson 1787 in Keith, but no Jean recorded to my knowledge

As it happens, I have James MITCHELL & Elizabeth SIMPSON in my tree database. And just to complicate things further, I now see he is a gdson of John ORD & Helen BURGES who are my 6xgtgdparents. I have their son Robert MITCHEL who died 27 Apr 1819 at Parkmore, Mortlach and his wife Mary Ord died 28 Dec 1830 at Parkmore (MI in Mortlach c/y). And the adjacent MI for the family of their son James MITCHELL, up pops the name of Elizabeth SIMPSON (LIBINDX's headstone refs M(O)48 and M(O)49 with Elizabeth erroneously indexed as M(O)89). I hadn't made the connection. Have now!

Now, that's a by-the-by in our discussion. But I can now trace Elizabeth SIMPSON. She died 16 May 1880. By coincidence I already had the page of her death registration which confirms her parentage as John SIMPSON & Jane TURNER (image attached). So John SIMPSON ought to be the son of Elizabeth CLARK? LIBINDX NM167159 has his MI: died 18 May 1846 age 86. So born abt 1760 (in Banffshire per 1841 census). His burial record shows Mr John SIMPSON 25 May 1846 Keith. And LIBINDX headstone Ke(O)434 shows he died age 86.

So, John SIM(P)SON  was born abt1760. But no records show a Clark mother. So I need help here - where's the connection to (a) Rathven (b) Clark? I'm afraid I'm going to take some convincing that this Keith Simpson line is connected to our Rathven Clark line. But serendipitously this exercise has connected a spare branch that was lying around into my main trunk. So, as they say, that's all good.

That's the second of my three 'threads' I mentioned. Next I'll cover the Rathven Clarks you mention. As you know there are zillions of Clarks kicking about and whilst I and others had untangled them to a degree of certainty, there were and are all sorts of loose ends, one or two of which I'm trying to tie up as a result of your posting. Not just all those Burnsides (I remembered another one - Burnside of Tynet) but a surplus of Jameses and Johns. And when two cousin Clarks marry and one of them has both parents named Clark, you know you're in for a brain-squishing ride.

[rodweir]

Hi Fordyce,
Thanks for the warning of brain squash but I think it's too late as rabbit holes have taken hold already.
I'll try and keep this one shorter and sorry I hadn't seen first and third section by my earlier reply.
The Rev may have known the parentage just didn't give it in this particular tree. Maybe as it was a given pending on who he wrote it for. Or Elizabeth Simpson was a worthy person to name drop as was her brother James who seems a good deeds doer until James fell from grace being caught for embezzlement as his bank collapsed. And to tell the truth the information I have is an interpretation of a version written pre 1938 by the reverend's nephew then further interrupted. But to the nephew's credit he was friends with George Black the historian you quoted earlier. (Now rereading that it really means nothing).
I'm not surprised Elizabeth Simpson is in your tree, and this is my attraction to this thread as I see a pattern of inter marrying much like a triple helix where you have constant change but a connection and underlying pattern.
Have you a link to a Robert Mitchell in Hawcairns, Keith present around the early 1700's? (I now feel like I'm playing Go Fish) He could be James Mitchell's great grandfather's brother?
 And to question the reverend and his nephew Elizabeth Simpson would have to be a great granddaughter.
One thing that seems common or just in my mindset at the moment is in the surnames is the fact an ancestor had been a minister of the church but unsure of the connection as yet.
 What worries me is the lack of the names Agnes and Charles in any of the Weir children even though there is proof of an Agnes Weir pre1730. There however are Charles and Agnes Simpsons in Keith but may predate time we are looking at.

Looking forward to Clark in Rathven installment.

[Fordyce]

Hi rodweir (Rod?), I've got answers/responses for you but they're getting too wordy, quite obscure and too off-topic per my original post, so in order not to bore the other posters, can you send a DM or PM or whatever it's called (via 'My Messages'), with your email address? Ta!