Where to begin?!

[gregrobertson12580]

Hi everyone

I am looking to start tracing back both sides of my family but really do not know where to start!

I am thinking of beginning with my grandfather's (on both sides of the family) siblings.

One grandfather had a sister ANNABELLA (Ella) PARKER REID ROBERTSON b1910 and brother HUGH ROBERTSON b1911 Scotland, probably Ayrshire.

My other grandfather had 2 sisters MAGGIE HUTCHISON b circa 1897 and MARY ANN HUTCHINSON b1900, and brothers ALEXANDER b circa 1896 and JAMES HUTCHISON - They were all from Gilmerton area of Midlothian, Edinburgh.

I really would like to know if anyone knows where I can start from or if they know of any information.

Thanks for taking the time to read this,

Greg Robertson.

[dowdstree]

Good Morning Greg,

Welcome to Rootschat. This is a great forum for information and help.

My personal advice to you is to start with yourself obviously and work backwards. Initially, write down all that you know about your ancestors e.g. dates, places of birth, marriage and deaths. If there is anyone still alive of an older generation to yourself talk to them and see if they can remember anything.

If your are researching in Scotland records are available online at www.scotlandspeople.com  It is a paysite but very reasonable you buy a block of credits  e.g. 40 credits for £10.00 and each record costs 6 credits or £1.50 (if my arithmetic is correct ) to view/download/print.

 Records are available to download and print as follows -

Births - after 100 years      Marriages  -  after 75 years    Deaths  -  after 50 years

Anything more recent you have to order and pay for the certificate.

Good luck and keep giving us your questions

Dorrie

[Ruskie]

Welcome from me too Greg.

It is worth checking Familysearch as well, though the coverage varies:

https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1&region=UNITED_KINGDOM_IRELAND

You can get lucky. 

Added: you might as well start with your grandfather rather than his siblings.  Siblings can be useful but sometimes they may be the product of a different father or mother (in the case of a second marriage for example) so just something to keep in mind.

[Ruskie]

A related thread:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=517300.0

[jaybelnz]

Greg, are you by any chance connected to the Watson - Robertson /Mason families from New Cumnock, Ayrshire?   (Or any families from New Cumnock actually, as I seem to be related to almost everyone in that village).  . Both my grandparents were born there!

[Annette7]

From reading both threads, studying census and corresponding birth records index it would appear that your great grandparents William Banks Hutchison and Jane Stirling had 7 children in registration district of Liberton (covered Gilmerton), your grandfather being the youngest (no other children born between 1911 and 1914), as follows:

Alexander Campbell Hutchison b.1896
Margaret Kerr Hutchison (Maggie) b.1897
Mary Ann Stirling Hutchison b.1900
Helen Hare Hutchison (Nell) b.1902
James Stirling Hutchison b.1904
William Banks Stirling Hutchison b.1907
Robert Banks Hutchison b.1915

Annabella Parker Reid Robertson b.1910 Stewarton, Ayrshire was the daughter of a William Robertson b.1878 Kilwinning and Susanna Baillie Jack b.1883 Beith who married 1909 Beith.

If you buy credits for Scotlands People you can view the early certificates and marry up the details by comparing/following the families on the census.

You have enough here to set you on the right path.

Annette

Note: unless someone on here is connected to the same family of Robertson's as yourself (which, to be honest is not very likely) since your Robertson great grandparents didn't marry until 1909, other than the Annabella and Hugh that you've mentioned there is no way of telling from birth records after 1911 (when the last available census took place) which of the Robertson births listed were possible siblings of your grandfather.

[DonM]

Annabelle Parker Reid was b 05 May 1910 at North Auchentiber Farm near Stewarton, Ayr. It is NW of Stewarton east of Dunlop.  Her parents (your G Grandparents) were William Robertson/Susanna Baillie Jacks and they were married 01 JUL 1909 in Beith. On your paternal side your GG Grandparents were Hugh Robertson/Jean Weir Garven & William Jack/Annabella Reid.

This is from her birth registration and her parents marriage.  So for the price of a pint, you can download these from Scot's People and from the information supplied above you can garner Hugh's 1911 birth, and go back with ease another 2-3 generations including their families. 

BTW your Grandfather had at least 5 siblings not just Hugh and Annabelle.

Don

[alanjam]

Hello Greg,
I've just seen your post.  We are distantly related and I have quite a lot of information on some of your ancestors.  I did meet Ella Robertson and two of her brothers, one of whom ran a nursery in Paisley.  Are you still interested in this?
Alan  alanjam(at)senet.com.au