Samuel family in Kirkliston and Stirlingshire

[RichSam]

Hi there,

Re: Andrew B. Samuel
DOB August 30, 1883 as per Military records.
1881 Census shows DOB as 1878. Scotlands People has his DOB as August 30, 1877.
Parents: James and Janet Samuel

After some research and the much appreciated help of some rootschat users, I was able to narrow the search for my grandfather's home to Kirkliston or Stirlingshire, Scotland.

He emigrated to Canada in 1902, settling in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

If anyone has any information or know of anyone with the last name Samuel, Brand or Black in these areas, please let me know.

Thanks everyone!

-Rich Samuel

[Rosinish]

Related thread;

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=816411.0

Annie

[Rosinish]

1881 Census shows DOB as 1878. Scotlands People has his DOB as August 30, 1877.
Parents: James and Janet Samuel

Have you purchased the 1877 birth to confirm the mother's maiden name & their place/date of marriage?

Annie

[RichSam]

No I havent. This is all very new to me. I just stumbled upon this site yesterday.

-Rich

[ecksdochter]

     Birth dates are not included on UK Census Returns, just age on the date Census taken. Andrew, born 30th August 1877, would be 3 years old when Census was taken 3rd/4th April 1881. Sites like Ancestry give an ESTIMATED Birth Year by subtracting age from Census year. ie: 1881 minus 3 = 1878. UK Census Returns were taken approx. first week in April, apart from 1841 Census which was taken first week in June.
               Regards,     Dod.

[RichSam]

That is very interesting information. Thanks for that Dod.

-Rich

[cosmac]

I had some credits left on ScotlandsPeople so did purchase the birth certificate for Andrew which does confirm mother as Brand and includes her marriage date.  If you PM me your email address I will forward you a copy of it.
What this certificate does not prove conclusively is a tie in with your Andrew as your Nova Scotia documentation does not give his mother's maiden name and his place of birth for everything in Nova Scotia is given as Edinburgh (although Kirkliston is not far from there).
I could not find another James and Janet combo with son Andrew other than this couple but I suggest you look carefully at Scottish census for years Andrew would have been enumerated on them and see if you can find another possibility before you accept Janet Brand as his mother.

[RichSam]

Wow! Thank you so much. I will PM you my email address. I will take everything you said into consideration.

Thanks again,

-Rich

[Forfarian]

1881 Census shows DOB as 1878.

No, it doesn't. The 1881 census shows him as being 3 years old. The census never gives a year of birth.

You are probably looking at a 'transcription' which has miscalculated his DoB by subtracting his age from the census year. This produces a wrong result three times out of four, because anyone whose birthday is later than census day, around the end of March or beginning of April, has yet to have a birthday in census year.

Scotlands People has his DOB as August 30, 1877.

QED. On census day 1881 (4 April) his most recent birthday would have been his 3rd, on 30 August 1880.