Now, again, I know that James Wilson was married to Mary Bann, so I found their wedding cert. James's father is listed as John Wilson on that document.
Marriage 1868 Liverpool - not Scotland. Father's occ was "agent"
Sorry - but your method of researching James is unsafe to say the least.
I discovered that his wife's name was Mary. I did some digging, and I thought I found the right marriage cert, which listed her maiden name as Bann.
Are you saying this was also guesswork rather than fact?
Which of James children are you descended from? It's usual to find a birth registration for that child and confirm the mothers maiden name before looking for a parental marriage. Particularly as Wilson is rather a common surname in England.
You have absolutely no proof that James was born in Wigtown. There is an 1871 entry for a James & Mary Wilson - James b 1843 Scotland and living in Liverpool. He has a 14yr old brother David Wilson b Wakefield Yorkshire living with him and he also has children born before 1868 so a different marriage
GRO online search show David's mothers maiden name was Ferguson
Births March qtr 1856
David Wilson Wakefield 9c 21
1881 shows the first Wilson/Bann child was Sarah b 1872 but 1871 has a James aged 2
So we have 2 James Wilson's both born Scotland 1843/44 and both married to a Mary and living in Liverpool. Which one are you descended from?
Hi again! Thank you for bearing with me - this is the first time I've taken my tree back this far so it's hard for me and I don't know how/what to consider as fact.
Okay, so... the James Wilson, whichever one it is, had a son named Thomas Wilson. Thomas Wilson is my great-great grandfather. Thomas Wilson had a son named James J Wilson (my great grandfather)...
I found on James J Wilson's wedding cert that his father was Thomas Wilson, so I searched for a James J Wilson born on the right date to a Thomas Wilson in Liverpool (Where I know him to be from) and there was only one.
Then, on Thomas Wilson's wedding cert, I saw that this father's name is James Wilson (the one we are talking about above, the one I thought was born in Wigtown).
So, I searched through the censuses until I found a Thomas Wilson born in Liverpool to a James Wilson, and I only found one relevant with dates. That is in the 1881 England Census, which shows a Thomas A Wilson of the right age, born to James Wilson who was born in Scotland.
So, that's how I got to where I am.
I do apologize if my methods aren't up to snuff - still new at this! Thanks so much for the help!
Out of the 2 James that we are looking at, I don't know how to figure out which one I am related to. Both are James and Mary Wilson, with a son Thomas Wilson. One is just listed as born in Scotland, and one is listed as born in Glasgow. This is for the 1881 England Census of folks living in Liverpool.
The difference between the 2 James and Mary Wilson families....
One has Thomas Wilson and one has Thomas A Wilson.
I have NO IDEA how to figure out which one I should go with.