Brash family of Leith, originally Linlithgow

[bonjedward]

I've just come across a lookup post from 2011 mentioning Ebenezer Milner and the Brash family of Leith. I've been researching this family for a while. I'll add a link to this post in the other forum.

Margaret Brash, born 1767 in Linlithgow, daughter of David Brash and Margaret Easton, was my 5xG-grandmother.
I've followed 3 other branches of David and Margaret's children Jean (1771-1864), David (1778-1864) and Alexander (1780-1838). Also two other daughters of my direct ancestor Margaret Brash and Alexander Cunningham, Jean (1786-1862) and Margaret (1793-1860) Cunningham. My direct ancestor is their sister Helen (1788-1865).

I use the GenoPro genealogy program where you draw diagrams of the family relationships. For branch lines, I create links to a new page where there's room to display them. Here's a PDF file (attached) showing the abovementioned branch lines for Jean, David and Alexander Brash, and Jean and Margaret Cunningham. All 5 are displayed with large circles/squares to show they link back to my main page.

I've come across some interesting stories. David was obviously a well established merchant who was active in campaigning against the "unjust, impolitic, and oppressive" Excise Laws. He was a juror in the Burke and Hare trial - they sat though the night with the jury retiring to consider at 8:30 on Christmas morning and came back with their verdict after 50 minutes. David went bankrupt in 1849 (those damned Excise laws!) but was back in business a couple of years later.
I see David's son John was transported to Australia in 1850 - I don't know what happened to him afterwards.

Among David's other descendants was David Brash Dick (1846-1925) a successful architect in Canada, and Robina Brash who died within a month of her husband Ebenezer Milner leaving 4 orphaned children. I found a number of newspaper articles on Ebenezer, a respected doctor known for helping the poor. I see one of his descendants played in a band in the 1960's in Sussex with Keith Emerson, later of prog-rock band ELP fame.

In the PDF display I've coloured individuals who moved overseas dark red - those who later returned in a lighter red. The thin arrows between some individuals is marked 'lived-with' in GenoPro - it gives a good overview of where orphans and others ended up.

links to individuals

Margaret Brash born 1767              https://familytrees.genopro.com/bonjedward/terkelanderik/Brash-Margaret-ind01312.htm
Jean Brash (1771-1864)                 https://familytrees.genopro.com/bonjedward/terkelanderik/Brash-Jean-ind02674.htm
David Brash 1778-1864)                 https://familytrees.genopro.com/bonjedward/terkelanderik/Brash-David-ind01316.htm
Alexander Brash 1780-1838)           https://familytrees.genopro.com/bonjedward/terkelanderik/Brash-Alexander-ind01319.htm
Jean Cunningham (1786-1862)         https://familytrees.genopro.com/bonjedward/terkelanderik/family-AlexanderCuninghamAndMargaretBrash-fam00409.htm#Cunningham-Jean-ind05654.htm
Margaret Cunningham (1793-1860)   https://familytrees.genopro.com/bonjedward/terkelanderik/family-AlexanderCuninghamAndMargaretBrash-fam00409.htm#Cunningham-Margaret-ind01631.htm
Ebenezer Milner (1819-1866)            https://familytrees.genopro.com/bonjedward/terkelanderik/Milner-Ebenezer-ind03331.htm

You can browse the tree from there, or start at the list of names:     http://familytrees.genopro.com/bonjedward/terkelanderik/default.htm?page=toc_individuals.htm

[Skoosh]

Poster Fordyce was researching Brash on Rootschat!

Skoosh.

[bonjedward]

thanks, I've had a look at those posts but I can't see any overlap with those names. I see on Scotlandspeople there are over 1500 Brash death certificates - 30% of them are in Midlothian, so it's a more common name than I though.

[Skoosh]

I bought Brash the butcher's haggis on a trip to Edinburgh back in January! 

Skoosh.

[dowdstree]

It is a very common name in West Lothian.

My husband's 4 x great grandmother was Elizabeth (Betty) Brash born in 1739 and died in 1798. Her parents were John Brash and Christian Greenlaw . She married into the Chattam Family (sometimes Shatton, Chattie) and that line eventually moved to Edinburgh.

No help to you but if we could go back far enough in time I believe they would all be related some way or another.

Dorrie

[Fordyce]

Hi bonjedward

I have your Margaret Brash in my tree.

However I have that Margaret Brash married instead to Hugh Borthwick on 27 Nov 1789 Kirkliston - she died 16 Mar 1828 age 59 and he died 9 Apr 1834 age 77 according to their MI in Kirkliston. She would have married a realistic age 22. The MI doesn't mention her parents.

Their dau Isabella Borthwick had a illeg child with John Morison, born May 1827. John Morison is s/o James Morison & Isabella Brash who is gtgddau of George Brash & Margaret Meikle who are my 6xgtgdparents, and that's why she's in my tree.

Her age on her MI (59) is very persuasive that her parents are David Brash & Margaret Easton - she would have been in actuality age 60 and there are no other known candidates in the area anywhere near the right age, so I (was!) persuaded I had the right parentage for her.

And I also have Alexander Cunningham but marrying another Margaret Brash. This time their marriage is recorded on 20 May 1785 Abercorn and 22 May 1785 Linlithgow. This Margaret Brash is d/o John Brash & Jean Richie, born 4 Jul 1757 Newtoun, Abercorn, making her too a realistic age of 26 upon marriage. If she had been born 22 May 1767 she would have been only age 18 (just) upon marriage, which although not impossible is borderline. I don't have the two OPR records which might provide further detail. This Brash line also leads back to George Brash & Margaret Meikle, and that's why she's in my tree too.

I can't follow your attachment - it's too complicated for me! And doesn't seem to go back far enough anyway. Have you dound an MI or something else for the Cunningham/Brash family that would confirm Margaret's parentage?

As dowdstree says, I've researched Brash. As it stands, I do have David Brash h/o Margaret Easton as an end-of-line stub, but I do have David Brashes in my main tree, starting with David Brashes born 1702, 1711 and later all in Abercorn, so David Brash h/o Margaret Easton probably does connect back within a generation or two.

[bonjedward]

Fordyce, thanks. As you say, there are indications that the Margaret Brash who married Alexander Cunningham is not the Margaret Brash born to David Brash and Margaret Easton. I have had some suspicions. For example that the name David, frequently used in the descendants of David Brash, does not appear in the descendants of Alexander Cunningham and Margaret Brash, and that Alexander and their descendants were mostly farm labourers, not grocers and merchants. I don't have other evidence pointing to her being the daughter of David Brash and Margaret Easton.
I don't have any MI's other than those available on the internet.

The Margaret Brash, daughter of John Brash & Jean Richie, sounds very plausible - I hadn't come across her before. I'll look into it. Do you have any data published on the internet that doesn't require a subscription (like Ancestry) to see it?

The two large squares (male) in the PDF file for Alexander and David Brash, and the large circle (female) for Jean Brash are children and descendants of David Brash and Margaret Easton for which there's strong evidence.

It's on a separate page in my genealogy program, so David Brash and Margaret Easton are not displayed here (they're on my main page as direct ancestors, with a link to the other page where there's room to trace side branches downwards). I'll probably move them off my direct ancestor tree and onto the side page as a disconnected group that one day might link up with a more distant ancestor - if it's possible to go back far enough.

The diagram is complicated by the fact that William Dick, a brother-in-law of David Brash and Agnes' Henderson's daughter Margaret, married her sister Jean.
When Jean died, he married Jean and Margaret's cousin Sibella (the daughter of David's brother Alexander).

[Fordyce]

I'll try harder with your PDF!

The MIs I have, I've taken from the booklet West Lothian MI volume 2 - Kirkliston - I think it was in the library of the Aberdeen & North East of Scotland Family History Society (I'm a member). Uphall was either in the same book or another in the same series.

MI Kirkliston #54 : "(fallen on face by 2006) Hugh Borthwick died 9-4-1834 age 77 [sic 72?], son George died 2-4-1867 age 77 [76] (wife Janet Cuthbertson died 20-4-1863 age 82, son James 7-2-1826 age 11, dau Janet 11-1-1869 age 46 (husband Alexr Irvine)). Hugh Borthwick died 10-11-1889 age 77 [sic - 87?], wife Mary Haston died 14-3-1874 age 62, son John died 22-5-1881 age 40. (west face) by Hugh Borthwick in memory of father George Borthwick died 29-6-1814 age 85, mother Isabel Strachan died 21-8-1786 age 65, wife Margaret Brash died 16-3-1828 age 59. 1821."

In similar/same volume, MI Uphall #84 records that Jane Spiers Brash died 26-12-1847 in 34th year, hence born abt 1814; hus William Dick died 11-10-1887 age 82, hence born abt 1805. MI Uphall #85 is the MI for John Dick & Janet Smellie.

I haven't followed through this David Brash / Margaret Easton, having established they're, at best, a distant collateral line.

Am I right in assuming from your original post that you're descended from Margaret Brash & Alexander Cunningham? Again, given my assigned parentage for Margaret, because they're also quite a distant collateral line albeit closer, I've only got minimal information - see attached.

There is one timely candidate for Margaret Brash's father John Brash: born 27 Mar 1726 Shillinghill, Abercorn to George Brash & Agnes Nicol. This George Brash is s/o George Brash & Margaret Meikle. I'm sure this couple have been discussed before in Rootschat. Jean Richie is also recorded as Jean Richison; I haven't a note of her parentage; they married 5 May 1749 Abercorn. There is another John Brash who could conceivably just about be the father (born 15 Aug 1731 Newtoun, Abercorn) but that would depend on when Jean Richie was born, and I haven't followed that up.

The LDS IGI and Patron Submissions do have a good deal of information, some good, some bad, and you can search ScotlandsPeople Indexes for free - that can be hugely useful because you can search on parents as well as children.

Hope that helps. This topic is possibly now better placed on the West Lothian list - unless of course you're following up the Leith-based Brashes.

[bonjedward]

Thanks, that's very interesting. Yes, I'm descended from Helen Cunningham, daughter of Alexander Cunningham and Margaret Brash. Helen really did marry a Theophilus John Paterson. He obviously didn't like his name as he always used only John. Theophilus is a Greek name from the Bible meaning beloved by God, or loving God - his parents must have been pretty religious. But in a family of ag. labs he probably didn't want to stick out from the crowd. Also, he was probably not very religious as he married Helen in an irregular ceremony. They were later "severely admonished and rebuked" by the kirk session and the marriage was confirmed.

Interestingly, a daughter, Margaret Paterson, her husband Archibald Thomson and their children spent 8 years or more in St. Petersburg, including during the Crimean War (where it didn't seem to matter that they were 'enemy aliens' - they weren't interned.

I think I'll leave it at that - my main purpose for posting was to make available my findings on the three children of David Brash and margaret Easton that are well documented.