Missing Emily/Amelia Stuart in Lanark

[hilarykellis]

My ancestor was baptized as Emily Stuart on 18 May 1794 in Douglas, Lanarkshire, to Duncan Stewart and Isabel Neilson. I am fairly certain this is her as no other girls with that name were baptized in the same time period/area.

She was married on 28 Jan 1810 as Emily Stuart to William Sommerville in Lanark, Lanarkshire and both residing in Lanark.

She had my ancestor, Duncan, in 1821 in New Lanark and he ended up moving to South Knapdale, Argyll, where he married Catherine Morrison in 1839. Emily is known as “Emilia” or “Amelia” on her children’s baptism records and family members named their daughters “Amelia” in her honor so Emily must be the Anglicized name.

I completely lose Emily/Amelia in the records after Duncan is born in 1821 (she had William, Isabella, John, and James before Duncan). I can’t find her in the parish records, census records --I can’t find her husband, and I can’t find either of their burials. There is an “Amelia Sommervell” working in a cotton factory in Lanark, Lanarkshire in 1841, born about 1796, but I don’t recognize any of the children: Alex, Hugh, John, and Mary with the oldest being born in 1825. These could be younger children of Amelia’s but I can’t find their baptisms in the parish register?
Could anyone provide some insight?

[RJ_Paton]

There are several children listed as having been registered by a William Sommerville  in the New Lanark Mill Register

Sommerville   William   New Lanark Mill Register 1818-53   UGD42/7/5   On 26/11/1819 William Sommerville registered the birth of Thomas Sommerville
Sommerville   William   New Lanark Mill Register 1818-53   UGD42/7/5   On 28/12/1821 William Sommerville registered the birth of Duncan Sommerville
Sommerville   Willm   New Lanark Mill Register 1818-53   UGD42/7/5   On 08/01/1826 Willm Sommerville registered the birth of Alexander Sommerville


There is also a possible death recorded of William Somerville
Sommerville   Willm   New Lanark Mill Register 1818-53   UGD42/7/5   Died 08/10/1836 age not recorded

That said there are three other Somerville Children registered by William Somerville in the 1830's - possibly the same family or not

Sommerville   William   New Lanark Mill Register 1818-53   UGD42/7/5   On 02/03/1835 William Sommerville registered the birth of John Sommerville

Sommerville   William   New Lanark Mill Register 1818-53   UGD42/7/5   On 02/11/1833 William Sommerville registered the birth of Mary Sommerville

Sommerville   William   New Lanark Mill Register 1818-53   UGD42/7/5   On 17/06/1832 William Sommerville registered the birth of Robert Sommerville

No mention of the childrens mother unfortunately.

[RJ_Paton]

Amelia Sommervill is recorded in the 1841 Census in New Lanark she is listed as aged 45 (so 45 - 49) the address is Household 105 Double Row, New Lanark.

Withe her are Mary age 8, John 6, Hugh 10 and Alex 15 (There are also 2 other Somerville housholds one in Long Row and the other in Bankhead)

There is no trace of her in 1851.

[hilarykellis]

There are several children listed as having been registered by a William Sommerville  in the New Lanark Mill Register

Sommerville   William   New Lanark Mill Register 1818-53   UGD42/7/5   On 26/11/1819 William Sommerville registered the birth of Thomas Sommerville
Sommerville   William   New Lanark Mill Register 1818-53   UGD42/7/5   On 28/12/1821 William Sommerville registered the birth of Duncan Sommerville
Sommerville   Willm   New Lanark Mill Register 1818-53   UGD42/7/5   On 08/01/1826 Willm Sommerville registered the birth of Alexander Sommerville


There is also a possible death recorded of William Somerville
Sommerville   Willm   New Lanark Mill Register 1818-53   UGD42/7/5   Died 08/10/1836 age not recorded

That said there are three other Somerville Children registered by William Somerville in the 1830's - possibly the same family or not

Sommerville   William   New Lanark Mill Register 1818-53   UGD42/7/5   On 02/03/1835 William Sommerville registered the birth of John Sommerville

Sommerville   William   New Lanark Mill Register 1818-53   UGD42/7/5   On 02/11/1833 William Sommerville registered the birth of Mary Sommerville

Sommerville   William   New Lanark Mill Register 1818-53   UGD42/7/5   On 17/06/1832 William Sommerville registered the birth of Robert Sommerville

No mention of the childrens mother unfortunately.

Wow thank you - where can I access this?

[RJ_Paton]

The records are held at Glasgow University Business Archives ( https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/archives/collections/business/ ) but they are not available online.

The New Lanark Research Group have also made transcriptions of the records and these are available on DVD but again nothing online.

The 1841 census can be found at Scotlands People. https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/

[RJ_Paton]

The 1841 census entry transcription can also be seen at freecen https://freecen1.freecen.org.uk (search for Amelia Somervill Lanarkshire).

I've checked the Monumental Inscriptions for new Lanark and lanark and although there are several Somerville (Somervill and Somervell) entries none appear to be your lady.

[hilarykellis]

The 1841 census entry transcription can also be seen at freecen https://freecen1.freecen.org.uk (search for Amelia Somervill Lanarkshire).

I've checked the Monumental Inscriptions for new Lanark and lanark and although there are several Somerville (Somervill and Somervell) entries none appear to be your lady.

Thank you! Did you happen to see her husband or his parents in the MIs? Her son Duncan went to South Knapdale, Argyllshire so I’m wondering if at some point she joined him there. I’ll have to check burial records in that area for her.

[RJ_Paton]

Sorry there was no trace of the names you mentioned at all.

Re not being able to find any of the records in the Parish registers this is down to a  number of factors
1.New Lanark was a Social Experiment - a created village - isolated geographically
2. The owners of the New Lanark Mill did not encourage the church to participate in the village life - so much so that the ministers continually raised the matter with local and national politicians.
3. Even when the Church did get in one of the main churches was the Relief Church which was one of the early secessionist Churches and although years later some of them rejoined the Church of Scotland not all Relief churches did so and their records got passed from pillar to post with many disappearing along the way.
4. Except in matters of money, record keeping in New Lanark was not up to the standards one would wish for. The Records in the Mill Register finds Births deaths & Marriages mixed in with payments to teachers or petty cash entries. The Births entries are pretty poor (The New Lanark group reckon on 1 in 5 being missing) , Deaths are mainly just one line - on this day Joe Smith died kind of thing.

 

[RJ_Paton]

Digging further into the BMD Records I found the following entries

11/5/1826 an unnamed person registered the birth of William Somervill
7/5/1827 an unnamed person registered the birth of an unnamed Somervill
10/6/1828 an unnamed person registered the birth of John Somervill