William Bisset

[eileendavid]

Hello all and thank you for all your trouble.  I purchased the death certificate and this is what it reads William Bisset Hammerman married to Mary Murray November 1st 1873 at Railway works Kilmarnock M aged 36 parents George Bisset Woodman dead and Mary Bisset dead.  Died of injuries received after falling from scaffolding Railway works  reported by Mary Bisset widow her x mark 1 Guard Lane Kilmarnock Ayr

Do you all think he is the right one if so were do I go from here await your valuable advise.

Eileen

[Forfarian]

parents George Bisset Woodman dead and Mary Bisset dead. 

Does it just say 'Mary Bisset' or does it say 'Mary Bisset MS ....'?

[Forfarian]

I think this is the family in 1851:
William Bisset 25 agr lab. b. Closeburn
Jane Bisset 28 b. Coching (spelling? as transcribed), Kirkcudbright
Janet Bisset 5 Months
Address: Closeburn Village

Oh the joy of transcriptions

FindMyPast has the surname as Bissit and hasn't bothered to attempt to transcribe Janet's birthplace.
FreeCEN hasn't got as far at the 1851 census of Closeburn.
SP indexes them as Bissot.

Has anyone looked at the originals of any of these censuses?

According to FindMyPast William Bisset, 35, married, born Closeburn, was a ploughman at Nether Dargavel, St Michaels, Dumfries in 1861.

[eileendavid]

Forfarian

It just says MS and a line dead

The child on the census should be Jessie not Janet

Monica
1871 and there is this entry:

William Brisset 40 labourer b. Closeburn
Mary Brisset 33 b. Dumfries
Mary Jane Brisset 8 months b. Kilmarnock

Address: 2 Mill Lane, Kilmarnock

This is the correct one for the death certificate but they have recorded him as 36 which again is almost a 10 year age difference.


Thanks

Eileen

[loobylooayr]

Hi Eileen,

Poor William Bisset   

First of all Mary Murray is, I think , being economical with the truth (probably to save her from embarrassment ) but she and William don't appear to have married . There is no marriage record on Scotland's People . They could have married outside of Scotland - but that's doubtful.
The birth certificate of Mary Jane Bisset should have the date & place of the couple's marriage recorded .

Secondly, I think she's guessed his age. William was 40 on the 1871 Census - now, two and a half years later he is 36. Either she didn't know his age or William had lied to her and knocked a few years off when they met (happened a lot  ). It's possible William himself wasn't sure of his exact age - no birth certificate , no birthday celebrations like we have today  - easy to lose track.

Lastly his parents as recorded on the death certificate - remember Mary supplied this information too. It's as accurate as her knowledge/memory. I think George Bisset is correct as his father though.....and I think it is the George married to Agnes/s on the 1841 & 1851 Census at Closeburn.
Mary may never have known William's mother's name - or made a mistake .

Is this William the same man who was married and had children with Jane McNaught - I suspect so. We just need to find a link.

Looby

[loobylooayr]

Oh the joy of transcriptions

FindMyPast has the surname as Bissit and hasn't bothered to attempt to transcribe Janet's birthplace.
FreeCEN hasn't got as far at the 1851 census of Closeburn.
SP indexes them as Bissot.

Has anyone looked at the originals of any of these censuses?

Unless Eileen has checked on SP - probably not.  I've no credits.

Looby
 

[Forfarian]

It just says MS and a line dead.

That means that his wife* did not know the MS (maiden surname) of her mother-in-law.

The child on the census should be Jessie not Janet

Not really. The names Janet and Jessie are totally interchangeable. It is very common indeed for someone whose baptism says Janet to turn up in later documents as Jessie and vice versa. Any time you mislay a Jessie, check for her as Janet, and if you mislay a Janet, look for her as Jessie.

*In the light of Looby's speculation, maybe that should read 'his reputed wife'.

[Forfarian]

I wonder about the change of occupation from ag lab/ploughman/labourer to hammerman between the 1871 census and the 1873 death.

Would a hammerman not have to have served an apprenticeship?

See https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=307160.0

[loobylooayr]

I wonder about the change of occupation from ag lab/ploughman/labourer to hammerman between the 1871 census and the 1873 death.

Would a hammerman not have to have served an apprenticeship?

See https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=307160.0

Mary could've "bigged"  him up     Perhaps he was just a general labourer .
Would a hammerman be up on scaffolding as part of his work ?

Looby