Looking for info on William and Mary McBride Lilly

[Twin2]

I am their great granddaughter and am looking for information.

[Rosinish]

Hi & Welcome to Rootschat.

It may be an idea to give some details of how you know of this couple?

Who were their children, when & where were they born?

Do you have any further info. on William & Mary?

It is best you post all known facts to save duplication of effort i.e. researchers looking up possible info. you already have.

Annie

[Twin2]

Thanks!  They are my great- grandparents.  My grandfather, Alexander Lilly was born March 17, 1887 and is one of 9 or 10 children.   Most of the family came to the US around 1907.  A couple of siblings remained in Scotland.  My grsndfsther's brother, Robert Lilly married Elizabeth Cameron ( I believe her first name was Elizabeth, but am positive her maiden name was Cameron)and had 2 children Margaret and Hugh.  They all came to the US.  I am hoping to find some relatives and am anxious to correspond.

Than you again for your suggestion and help.
Sincerely,
Twin2

[Twin2]

I forgot to mention they lived in Bellshill.  One of their dsughters came to the US and she was married to a gentleman whose last name was Busby.  I remember my grandmother corresponding to a sister-in-law in Scotland.  Hope this additional info will hrlp locate relative.

Thanks again,
Twin2

[Forfarian]

William Lilly and Mary McBride were married in Bothwell in 1864. You can view and download a copy of their marriage certificate at modest cost by going to www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk and investing in some credits.

According to a transcription of the 1881 census the family were living in Bothwell: William Lilly, 39, ironstone miner; wife Mary, 35; Jessie, 11; Francis, 9; William, 6; Jane, 2; Robert, 3 months; father in law Francis McBride, 66, blacksmith's hammerman, born Ireland. All the rest were born in Bothwell. You can and should view the original census at Scotland's People.

Robert Lilly married Lizzie Cameron in Bellshill in 1902. You can view that marriage certificate too.

If you want to find out who the 8 or 9 children were, you can use the 1891, 1901 and 1911 censuses, which are also online at Scotland's People. The International Genealogical Index (IGI) at www.familysearch.org lists five of them: William, 26 December 1864; Annie, 16 April 1867; Janet, 26 February 1870; Francis, 29 March 1872; William, 5 September 1874 (presumably the first William  had died). You also know about Jane, born 1878/1879; Robert, born 1880/1881; and Alexander, born 1887, so that leaves you just one or two to find.

From the names of the children (first son William, second daughter Janet) you would expect William's parents to be William and Janet. In 1881 there are a William Lilly, 66, coal miner; wife Janet, 61; daughter Jeannie, 17; son William, 18; and son Adam, 3. I don't believe the last one. I also supect that the 18-year-old William is the illegitimate son of Mary Lilly, born 8 January 1863. Jeanie probably is their daughter, born 29 August 1863, parents William Lilly and Janet Stewart.

The IGI lists four children of William Lilly and Janet Stewart: James, born 12 April 1855; Barbara, born 1 April 1857; Martha, born 8 February 1860; and Jeanie. 1855 certificates are like gold dust for genealogy, because they contain far more information than any earlier or later records. James' birth certificate will tell you how many other children William and Janet had before 1855, and their ages and where they were born.

The 1851 census transcription at FreeCEN https://www.freecen.org.uk/cgi/search.pl lists the family in Bothwell: William, 35, coal miner; Janet, 30; Adam, 15; William, 10; Mary, 8; Janet, 5; John, 9 months.

If you are looking for living descendants, that isn't quite so straightforward because you cannot view online births less than 100 years ago, marriages less than 75 years ago or deaths less than 50 years ago. If you want to see these later documents, you need to go to the Scotland's People Centre in Edinburgh, or get someone to go on your behalf.

You should follow up by viewing all the originals of these assorted documents at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. Never trust anything you find online, unless it is an image of an original document, and even then be wary because mistakes can occur. And that includes everything I have said above. Check it out for yourself.

[Twin2]

Thank you so much for the info and help!  I am thrilled you were able to help me!  I know my grandfather had a brother,  Adam Lilly, who also came to the US.  I remember meeting his family because we traveled to West Virginia to see them.  His  wife was Mary and I believe her maiden name was White.  Plus I believe there was a sister, Molly who lived near by.  So that may account for the lastb2 children.

Thanks again!

Twin 2

[MonicaL]

Just adding to link to this much older post on the family for background here www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=346558.0

Monica 

[MonicaL]

Not sure if can access or have a subscription to Ancestry. There are numerous family trees there on these lines. From these, it looks like at least 3 of the children of William and Mary died young in Scotland. Father William is showing as having died in April 1930 in Beech Bottom, Brooke Co., West Virginia and wife Mary in 1925 in Finleyville, Washington.

Brother Adam that you mention. He is showing as having arrived in the US in 1904 and married a Mary Irvine Paterson in 1906. Adam seems to have died in 1960 at Beech Bottom, Brooke, West Virginia.

Lots of info there if you can access it via Ancestry....

Monica

[Forfarian]

Twin2, can I suggest that using a woman's maiden name as if it were her middle name is potentially confusing? In Scotland, a married woman doesn't lose her maiden name on marriage. So Jeanie Smith who marries Jimmy Brown is never described as Jeanie Smith Brown, but as Jeanie Smith or Brown. This makes it absolutely clear that this is not a Jeanie Brown with middle name Smith, but a married woman whose maiden name is Smith and whose husband's surname is Brown.

So your Mary would be Mary McBride or Lilly, not Mary McBride Lilly, and Janet in your previous thread is Janet Lilly or Given.