Gordon Blair - Mystery? or Not!

[RJ_Paton]

I don't believe there ever was a 'James Gordon Blair'. He was just 'Gordon Blair' and he didn't change it for any deception at all and it's only to my knowledge and recollection used on two occasions. It may have been reprinted several times. It was a big 'initial' mistake by the Registrar.
...........

I must admit that I don't believe that there ever was a James Gordon Blair BUT I do believe there was every intention to pass off a deception
There are at least two occasions on official records where the "Glasgow" Blair uses the double barrelled name of "James Gordon Blair"  in 1857 at the birth of his son his details are recorded as JAMES GORDON BLAIR and signed J Gordon Blair on another occasion his wife in reporting the death of the same son reports the father to be James Gordon Blair. On both of these occasions his occupation is claimed to be that of "Writer". Although it is theoretically possible that a Clerk in a Solicitors office could become a Solicitor at that time period it was expensive and time consuming having to at least register with the University and then having to pass an exam either by  the Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow or The Society of Writers to Her Majesty’s Signet.
- - whether the deception/claim was for personal gain or a "Walter Mitty" type of self promotion we'll never know.


Surprisingly as I have said previously there appears to be several Jane Norvals about in Glasgow at that time period but the chances of two such women marrying a man with the surname Blair and having ties with the legal community must be extremely small.

I believe that Gordon Blair husband of Jane Norval as per the 1850 marriage is the same person as James Gordon Blair the claimed Writer and father of Jane Norval's child in 1857 - where the waters start getting murky are the assumptions where this Gordon seems to disappear around the 1860 mark and a person with the same name appears in Australia the following year.

Is there a proven link or have we just settled for acceptance of the easiest route - they have the same name so must be the same person ?

[jennywren001]

Sorry, this is a bit of a ramble...It would appear to me that William Kippen had a hand in much that is written about this family in Australia.

He claimed his mother only ever had two children - James who died in infancy and himself. From the family's arrival in 1855 (and the index at Family Search) a William Kippen and a Jean Blair had a daughter Isabella christened in 1848, not showing with her mother on the 1851 census, but showing on the shipping document age 6 along with her younger brother William.

Somewhere in this thread someone mentioned that Elizabeth may have married a Robert Aitken - well if that is correct she can be found on the 1851 census in St Ninians with her mother - Margaret Blair and two young children Isabella (2) and William (0). From the 1851 census both Elizabeth and Jean claim to be born in Perth, Perthshire - the mother Margaret has Glasgow down as her place of birth - she also claims to be the widow of an agricultural labourer. 

IF these two are the sisters of Gordon why is their mother listed as Margaret, the widow of an agricultural labourer, and why is Perth given as their place of birth?
Jen

[isobelw]

I think both Elizabeth (Aitken) and Jean (Kippen) were very likely born in Perthshire. Both are shown as not born in county in 1841 ( whereas brother Gordon is shown as born in Stirlingshire) and as born in Perth in 1851.
Isabella is a conundrum. James and Jean had a daughter Isabella in 1848 who is missing from the 1851 census and later it was claimed that Jane Kippen only had two children - William and a child James who died young. Yet in 1855 they have an Isabella listed as their daughter on the passenger list.
Robert and Elizabeth Aitken have no recorded birth for a daughter Isabella ( though there are two entries for a Jean, one in 1847 and one in 1849). In 1851 the census shows a daughter Isabel age 2 and stepdaughter Jane Cameron age 5 plus William 1 month. There is no Isabella on the shipping list for this family. Yet in 1873 when Robert Aitken died he left a will naming his children viz my daughter Jane Cameron, unmarried, Isabella now wife to John Stewart, Elizabeth now wife to Peter Sheridan and Jemima, unmarried ( born in 1855 in New South Wales) and son William.
Elizabeth Aitken/Blair died in 1904 in Copeton NSW. At some point she 'married' Asmus Strandt. Trees on Ancestry suggest that she had children by him from 1858 onwards even though her husband Robert Aitken did not die till 1873. There is no mention of her at all in Robert's will, suggesting they may have seperated shortly after arriving in NSW.
Both Elizabeth Aitken and Jean Kippen give parents as William and Jean on the shipping lists so don't know where Margaret comes from on the 1851 census. Place of birth (Glasgow) matches what we have for Jane Blair, daughter of John Blair and Jean Dunn but age is five years out.
This family is driving me nuts!!
Isobel

[loobylooayr]

The London Gazette, February 26, 1864 issue 22823 page 887

8th Foot
Captain Sydney Henry Jones PARRY, from 102 Foot, to be Captain, vice Blair who exchanges.  Dated 26 February 1864.

102nd Foot
Captain AEneas Gordon BLAIR from the 8th Foot, to be Captain vice Parry, who exchanges. Dated 26 February 1864.

JM

 

This man is listed on the 1861 Census England at Gosport Barracks , Alverstoke , Hampshire.
   https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M743-6QH       
His year of birth is 1837  - if this is correct he cannot be the Gordon Blair who marries in 1850.

I couldn't find him on the 1871 (possibly overseas? on service) but he is listed on 1881 Census - as Amos G Blair - born 1837 Kirkcudbright .  https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27W-LXYV

He is listed as Aeneas Blair on the 1841 Census in Kirkcudbright - 4 year old son of David and Mary Blair.

So I think we can rule the  Captain/Lieutenant Aeneas Gordon Blair out as being the husband of Jane Norval.

Looby

[majm]

Hi OzScot,

May I please mention that I have no knowledge of ever meeting you, or any other RChatter.  I can assure you that I do not hover, nor do I wait to swoop, nor do I set out to disagree or bring up things that are not relevant.   In fact I do not understand the origins or the intent of your comments about me at reply #278.  I see no reason for suggesting that anyone is spoiling for a fight, or that anyone posting on this thread does so by posting nonsense or has some ‘ego’ purpose.   I did not post any comment in anticipation of putting anyone offside, but I do not appreciate being the focus of your comment ‘Why Do I see a Shadow over head following me all the time’  ….  I am not a shadow, and I do not follow any particular RChatter’s posts at any time. 

I do not care about what information you gather for your own personal family history, but I do care that as you are preparing information for someone else’s personal family history that you seek out primary sources, as well as secondary sources, and that you analyse both to fully extract fact from fiction, for to me, the greatest gift a friend can share with another friend is that of sharing knowledge. 

JM   

[loobylooayr]

Hi OZScot,
Yes it was the 1861 census when she is living as a boarder in the household of Esther Jamieson. The transcript on Findmypast says she was a widow. The original entry on Scotlandspeople ( pay to view) would confirm this.
I have also found a newspaper entry in the Glasgow Sentinel of 31/1/1863 which reports that the mistress of an establishment of questionable fame in Maxwell Street was fined £5.00 with the alternative of 30 days imprisonment for an assault on Jane Norval or Blair at the premises in Maxwell Street. This suggests to me that Jane may have been working as a prostitute.
Isobel   

Still looking for what happened to Jane Norval/Blair after 1861 when she was listed at 42 Maxwell Street and 1863 when she was assaulted in Maxwell Street.
Is it a co-incidence that 1867 -1868 Post Office Directory Glasgow has a listing for a Mrs Janet Blair , commer. lodgings (commercial lodgings)  , 52 Maxwell Street ?
http://www.archive.org/stream/postofficeannual186768gla#page/n113/mode/2up   
Must look at other directories.

Looby

[OZScot]

Wonder if this is relevant - Glasgow Free Press 14th July 1860

Hello Isobel, This was a great find and could be the smoking gun that could explain why he left.
Once again the name is rubbery as usual with him but has all the names he has used previously but the job description and the timeline match are perfect.

If he was working for a Law Firm back then I assume it would have been instant dismissal as it would today. No self respecting Law Firm could afford to be attached to a serious scandal such as this as I'm sure that if it's him, he is now out of a job and he has been exposed in the paper as a wife beater. Time to leave and look for a new life. He set sail to Moreton Bay Brisbane 15 April 1861.

If we can find more details somewhere of this case it most probably will have his wife's name and if this house of Flora Sinclair's is indeed a brothel.? If it is it could signal that a bust up started earlier between them before 1861 and she essentially may have had no options left and he has found out and felt disgrace because of his position in his Law Firm. They even may have found out what she was doing and he was dismissed by them.

All a bit of a guess as usual.

Any ideas where I can contact to find this information Isobel?
Thanks.

[OZScot]

Thanks Looby great find Mrs. Janet Blair Commercial Lodgings sounds like it could be her for sure.

Maxwell street led down to the river Clyde from Argyle street back then and is much shorter today.
Jane Norval was in 28-77 Saltmarket St on 1841 Census with her parents age 11yrs. Maxwell street is not far from there. I found a few pictures of the area back then including #30 Saltmarket St.!! presumably next door.

When she married Gordon Blair they lived at 18 Clyde St., Calton. Calton wasn't a nice place to live as it had a high infant death rate and male life expectancy rates were in the low 50's. The Blair's lost 4 of their 5 children while living there and nearby. The area was full of Iron Foundry's, Cotton & Flax Mills, Flour Mills, Powerloom Factories, Boiler & Engine works, Ropewalks etc.

The cacophony of noise would be incredible & add to that the toxic smells from those industries hanging in the air where people had to put up with bad ventilation lack of sunlight etc.
The photo's will paint a better picture ...

Thanks Looby.

http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/month/Mar2006.html

[majm]

Sharing some of my scribbed notes…


Re isobelw’s reply #281 and Falkyrn’s reply #279 -  And Gordon BLAIR’s sisters as per Qld dc 1882 (#C1284) for his mother Jane BLAIR. 

If Gordon in Qld were previously husband to Jane NORVAL in Scotland, then Gordon’s sisters were  Aunt to Jane’s (Norval) children by Gordon,  and so Gordon’s mum  was grandmother to Jane NORVAL’s children.   

A question ....
Has there been any contact made with the descendants of Gordon’s sisters to see if there’s any mention of Georgina Lorimer BLAIR born 1850,  in their respective families’ private papers, particularly when Georgina married in Scotland in 1868?     

Now that would have to ‘clinch’ the connection, but the test simply does not need to be ‘that high’, although it should be higher than accepting the easiest route, of matching same names etc…. And so I support Falkyrn at #279 “Is there a proven link or have we just settled for acceptance of the easiest route – they have the same name so must be the same person ?”

To save others scrolling back through here’s the familysearch links for Georgina.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X1S9-K9Z   1850
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYWQ-4B7   1868


Re Gordon Blair, passenger on the Mangerton departing 15 April 1861 to Moreton Bay. 

I mentioned earlier that the ship left from Plymouth, Devon, England.    Plymouth seems to be a long way from Glasgow, and there were ships leaving Glasgow bound for the East Coast ports here in Australia, so when did Gordon quit Glasgow and when did he get to Plymouth?  Where is he in the 1861 UK Census taken 7 April 1861…   


Re being known by your middle given name rather than by your first given name. 

As far as I am aware, it was not at all unusual during the 19th Century and for much of the 20th Century for people to be known by their middle name instead of their first given name. 

So, perhaps as an aside or two …

One very good friend is known by ‘everyone’ as Michael.   His given names are John Peter.  My Uncle Jim’s birth cert has Richard George as his given names, and my Dad’s bc has John Albert, - answering to Harry of course.    

Two very prominent Australians were both known by their middle given names, during their public life, both became Prime Ministers of Australia, in the 1970s.  And they were of course  Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser.   
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gough_Whitlam 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Fraser

 

JM