William Douglas and Hellin Low - Dowally/Logierait

[Scottish_Rachel]

Hi all,

Another query from me. I have a puzzler. I'll start at the beginning -

My 5th great-grandfather was William Douglas born 1785 in Dowally, Perth (according to the 1841/51 census).

According to his death certificate his parents were William Douglas (farmer) and Hellin Low.

I have found a birth certificate for him - 11/03/1785 Dowally, Perth with Mother Hellin Low and Father William Douglas.

This is where it gets tricky.

There are two possible marriage certificates for Hellin and William.

1. William Douglas and Helen Low 19/04/1779 Logierait.
2. William Douglas and Hellin Low 17/04/1779 Dowally.

Any help working this out would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Rach

[Millmoor]

Hi

Just to say that these are not marriage certificates - civil registration did not start  in Scotland until 1855. The records you have quoted are from the Old Parish Records and are most likely to be banns for the same couple, one being of the parish of Dowally and the other of the parish of Logierait.

You might find it useful to have a look at the Help and Guidance section on Scotlands People and read the guide about Church Registers. It is very good.

William

[Scottish_Rachel]

Hi William,

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, I meant parish records sorry. Its been rather a long day. 

This is what I thought at first too. Problem being - there is a Hellin low born in both Logierait and Dowally. And a William Douglas born in both Logierait and Dowally too. This is where it gets confusing.

I have read the guides on the Scotland's People website. I have also bought and read the NRS book which has been helpful.

Rachel

[Millmoor]

Hi Rachel

Have you actually looked at the original records on SP? ( Appreciate that the OPR's often have a disappointing lack of detail!). Are there any pointers there?

It is sometimes useful to see if there is a naming pattern going on to identify potential parents - a quick look at familysearch suggests that William Douglas and Hellin Low had a fair number of children between 1779 and 1800 with baptisms in both Dowally and Logierait. ( The most cost effective way of viewing all these OPR births on SP might actually be to visit the Scotland's People Centre or one of the hubs!). If an abode is named  and/or there are witnesses on these all the better!

 I think that sometimes you have to view these conundrums from the point of view of the balance of probabilities. The proximity of the dates of the two records in 1779 would certainly make me favour them being the same couple. ( And,if it is any consolation, I am struggling in my own Scottish research to get much further back from these sort of dates simply because of the nature - and sometimes absence - of the records!).

William

[Forfarian]

There are two possible marriage certificates for Hellin and William.
1. William Douglas and Helen Low 19/04/1779 Logierait.
2. William Douglas and Hellin Low 17/04/1779 Dowally.

This is not two different marriages. It's two records of one and the same marriage. This is because if the couple lived in different parishes, the banns had to be called in both, so this generates two records of the same event. You need to look at the originals to find out who lived in which parish, and to see if either says where and when the actual wedding ceremony took place.