Mary Nicoll Anderson b. 1851 , daughter of John Anderson and Ann Erskine.

[woodentop]

My GG grandmother was Mary Nicoll Anderson. She came to London her father was John Anderson was born on 10 March 1815 in Rescobie, Angus, He was a Shoemaker and the son of Elizabeth and James. I am unsure of John Anderson parents, this is a combination of guesswork and record sifting.
Would these be of your line? If so do you have any more information on these people? 🤗


Topic split off.

[Forfarian]

Anderson is a very common surname so it isn't likely that your ones are connected to the ones mentioned in this thread, though of course it's not impossible.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=720804.0

No point in guesswork. Have you exhausted all the information at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk?

I see that a Mary Nicoll Anderson was baptised in Forfar on 12 December 1851, parents John Anderson and Ann Erskine.

The family are in Forfar in the 1861 census: John, 46, born Rescobie; Ann, 40; Jean, 20; William, 18; George, 11; Mary, 9; Catherine, 5; and Thomas, 1; all but John born in Forfar. (There was also a son James, born 1844, who isn't with his family in 1861. He could have died young, or he could, at 16, be away working somewhere.)

Ann Erskine or Anderson died in Forfar in 1893, aged 73. Her death certificate will tell you the names of her parents, including her mother's maiden surname.

John was still living in the 1891 census, but I can't see a death in Forfar in the SP index. I do hope that he didn't move to join Mary in London after being widowed, because then there won't be a Scottish death certificate, and an English one doesn't tell you the names of the parents of the deceased person.

[woodentop]

It's been a long time, Forfarian. I hope things a well. I have found a record of thier marriage. Would there be a marriage certificate and if so would the parents names be on that?

[Forfarian]

It's been a long time, Forfarian. I hope things a well. I have found a record of thier marriage. Would there be a marriage certificate and if so would the parents names be on that?

If it's a marriage in Scotland after 1855, then yes, there would be a certificate and their parents' names would be on it, including mothers' maiden surnames.

If it's a church record before 1855, there is no certificate and it is not likely that the record contains  any information about the parents.

If it's in England, Ireland or Wales it would have the fathers' names but not the mothers' - not even their given names, let alone their surnames.

So assuming that the marriage you have found is the one of John Anderson to Ann Erskine in Forfar in 1840, it probably won't tell you who their parents were.

Ann Erskine or Anderson died in Forfar in 1893 aged 73, mother's maiden surname Watt (that last detail has been added to the index by SP since I previously gave you the pointer to that death). Ann Erskine, one of five recorded children of Andrew Erskine and Catherine Watt, was baptised in Forfar on 27 July 1820. Her death certificate should confirm the names of her parents, and tell you whether or not John survived her, which will narrow down the search for his death.

John and Ann are both in the 1891 census in Forfar: John aged 76, born Rescobie, and Ann, 71, born Forfar.

There is a baptism of John Anderson in Rescobie in 1815, one of two recorded children of James Anderson and Elizabeth Dick. John Anderson, mother's maiden name Dick, died in Edinburgh in 1895 aged 79.

The other child of James Anderson and Elizabeth Dick was Susan, baptised in Rescobie in 1813. Susan Anderson or Gale died in Edinburgh in 1882 aged 69. Susan Anderson married James Gale in Dundee in 1851.

[woodentop]

I had a feeling that these are the names I have been looking for. There is a burial in Angus of a John Anderson in 1895, he died in London but was buried in Angus.
I tentatively put the surnames that you mentioned on my tree and on both sets of parents, myself and many others are at a dead end for years.
I thought if using the Scottish naming system to try to track down the grandparents of John and Annie/Agnes as thier children had Scottish surnames as middle names and indeed Mary my fathers great grandmother carried on this tradition. However, I still am stuck at these people.
Many thanks. I hope one day to get past this dead end.

[Forfarian]

I still am stuck at these people.
I hope one day to get past this dead end.

You are not 'stuck'. Get those two death certificates, which will almost certainly get you past this 'dead end'.

[woodentop]

Thank you, Forfarian. Is there a website where I might be able to order the death certificate. I am actually going to Forfar area later this year. So hopefully I can find thier graves to put some flowers on them.

[Forfarian]

Thank you, Forfarian. Is there a website where I might be able to order the death certificate. I am actually going to Forfar area later this year. So hopefully I can find thier graves to put some flowers on them.

You can view the death certificates at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk for a small fee.

If you want to know where they are buried, the information should be available at www.deceasedonline.com