Sorry this is a long post, most of it is Census listings, I’ve found myself sudden stumped as to whether I’ve been following the right family, that is the parents of my 3X G Grandfather, John Frase. Or whether the John Fraser I found in the 1861/1871census is my John Fraser, who possibly married again?
His age in the census is pretty consistent, so I can put his date of birth being around 1813/1814. I guess, I can’t start with his birth certificate, as I’m not too sure if I have the right parents now.
However, what I do know, is that he married Elizabeth in August 1831 (there were no parents name given on the marriage cert), but they married in Forres, a shotgun wedding as his first child was born 4 weeks later and their residence given as Balnaferry, in Forres. One thing on his Marriage certificate was that a witness to the marriage was a Robert Fraser, Tailor (this I am 99% certain, is the brother of William Fraser, and believing William to be John's father). Robert Fraser was living at 159 High Street in Forres in 1851, so I have several people who I believed to be the same family, living within 5 doors of the other around the same time. I have Christian/Christina (nee Robertson) having died at Tolbooth Street, Forres in 1866, which is just around the corner, Christian is who I'd believed John's mother to be. (I really hope I'm not being too confusing)
From the birth of the 2nd child they were living in Rafford, 1834, so from here aside from the birth of their children, I have the following census listings.
1841 in Rafford (no address, just Rafford in the place the address should be)
Address: Rafford
FRASER John M 30 Ag Lab Morayshire
FRASER Elisabeth F 25 Morayshire
FRASER Mary F 6 Morayshire
FRASER Jessie F 4 Morayshire
FRASER George M 2 Morayshire
1851 in Forres
Address: 353 High Street
FRASER John Head M M 38 Agricultural Labourer Morayshire - Kinloss
FRASER Elizabeth Wife M F 36 - Morayshire - Forres
FRASER Mary Dau U F 16 - Morayshire - Rafford
FRASER Christina Dau U F 9 Scholar Morayshire - Rafford
FRASER Alexander Son U M 7 - Morayshire - Rafford
FRASER Sophia Dau U F 5 - Morayshire - Forres
FRASER John Son U M 2 - Morayshire - Forres
FRASER Hellen Dau U F 2m - Morayshire - Forres
FRASER Elisabeth Dau U F 2m - Morayshire - Forres
John Fraser’s Wife, Betsy Matheson died in 1860, at 149 High Street, Forres. I think overall the family where poor, all laboured, even the children as they seemed to disappear from the following census at around the age of 12, I found a majority of the children in various census’s that followed, the girls eventually lost if they married or died, John’s wife died of Typhus, so it says something of their poor living conditions?
in the 1861 Census, 3 young children of John and Betsy (8 and under) were living with the eldest known daughter of John and Elizabeth, at 124 High Street, Here, things kind of got confusing for me as to what happened to John, I found a John Fraser back in Rafford in 1861/1871. Though in 1861 it had his place of birth as Dyke, whereas the 1871, his place of birth is Kinloss again, as it was in the 1841/1851 Census
1861 in Rafford
Address: Cluny
MAVER William Farmer U M 18 Farmer's Son Farm 230 Acres Rafford
FRASER John Servnt W M 48 Ploughman Morayshire - Dyke
CRUICKSHANK John Servnt U M 44 Ploughman Morayshire - Dallas
MELLIS David Servnt U M 40 Ploughman Morayshire - Rafford
MURDOCH John Servnt U M 17 Cattleman Morayshire - Dallas
MCKENZIE Ann Servnt U F 30 Housekeeper Morayshire - Rafford
MCDONALD Margaret Servnt U F 23 General Servant Morayshire - Rafford
1871 in Rafford
Address: Tore
FRASER John Head M M 58 Farm Servant Morayshire - Kinloss 2 rooms
FRASER Margaret Wife M F 33 Farm Servant's Wife Morayshire - Rafford
FRASER Elspeth Dau - F 9 Scholar Morayshire - Rafford
FRASER William Son - M 6 Morayshire – Rafford
In the 1871 Census, it shows this John as married, when I did a search for a marriage of John Fraser to a Margaret, I came up with a John marrying a Margaret McDonald in July 1861, who as it seems, was at the same residence as John Fraser in the 1861 Census? The ages match up, as does the age of John give or take a year in the 1841 and 1851 Census.