Who was Margaret Thom?

[MonicaL]

I think this is the marriage of George in Edinburgh:

GEORGE THOM and MARY KIRK HODGE
1876
685/1 226
St George

Again, you can view the image of the marriage on Scotlands People.

This is confirmation of George's wife's surname from the birth of their daughter Margaret in Salford in 1883:

THOM, MARGARET  GOODBRANDT      
Mother's Maiden Surname:  HODGE     
GRO Reference: 1883  M Quarter in SALFORD  Volume 08D  Page 182

1891 family entry www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:788Z-T6Z which you have I am sure but adding just for background here.

Monica
 

[Forfarian]

There are three Margarets born around the same time in Banff that could fit (parent not John though)
Bullen

Er .... typo for Cullen?

[Olicana]

Thank you all for your help 

Does the family stay in England?  If so later census may give a more exact birthplace
Also for Margaret as I see she remarried in 1884 but died before 1891?

Yes, but later censuses and marriage only say born in Scotland.

1871 Scotland 

John Thom 53
Margaret 56
George 17
William A 15
Jane Taylor 27 daughter
Mary J 6
Isabella H 4
John 1
Margaret Thom 13 granddaughter born Grange Banff

George and Margaret's ages match the 1881 census, but the Margaret born in Grange Banff has father Alexander.....according to her 1884 marriage certificate, her father is John    She did however have a son named Alexander....

This is confirmation of George's wife's surname from the birth of their daughter Margaret in Salford in 1883:

THOM, MARGARET  GOODBRANDT     
Mother's Maiden Surname:  HODGE     
GRO Reference: 1883  M Quarter in SALFORD  Volume 08D  Page 182

Yes, Margaret's middlename ties in with George's mother's maiden name on his baptism:

father John Thom mother Margt Goodbrand

and the 1881 census also had a visitor named Elizabeth Hodge aged 56, most probably Mary's mother.

Perhaps Margaret's parents died when she was a child and her grandparents brought her up...

[Forfarian]

Perhaps Margaret's parents died when she was a child and her grandparents brought her up...

Well, once you have looked at her marriage certificcate you will know who her parents were and you will be able to find that out.

[Olicana]

once you have looked at her marriage certificcate you will know who her parents were

The only marriage that definitely belongs to the correct Margaret is the 1884 marriage which states her father is John Thom.

[Rosinish]

For what it's worth, I think you need to find Margaret with family or elsewhere in 1861 & g/parents & their children in 1851 as Margaret may have been illegitimate, mother died hence thinking her g/father was her father.

The 1851 may give earlier children & a possible mother for Margaret if she was illegitimate but also a look at the marriage of George Thom & wife Mary may help?

Annie

[Forfarian]

once you have looked at her marriage certificcate you will know who her parents were

The only marriage that definitely belongs to the correct Margaret is the 1884 marriage which states her father is John Thom.

Well, you said

She married a Mr Hawkins but was already a widow by 1881.

and Klouman has found for you a marriage of Maggie Thom to Robert Hawkins in Edinburgh in 1875.  It exactly fits the facts as you originally told them to us, and it will provide the answer to your original question.

So the 1884 certificate may not (indeed is almost certainly not) the only marriage that belongs to Margaret/Maggie Thom.

If only for the fact that (unlike the English marriage certificate in 1884) the Scottish one will tell you the full name, including the maiden surname, of Maggie/Margaret's mother, you have to look at it. You cannot dismiss it as irrelevant if you have not seen what it says.

[Kloumann]

The 1875 marriage.... (Used a spare credit)

Robt Hawkins, age 32, Private 1st Royal Scots, Edinburgh Castle, son of Wm Hawkins Agr Lab & Elizabeth Spear.
Maggie Thom, age 20, Spinster, daughter of John Thom, Joiner journeyman & Helen McRobb

[Forfarian]

The 1875 marriage.... (Used a spare credit)

Robt Hawkins, age 32, Private 1st Royal Scots, Edinburgh Castle, son of Wm Hawkins Agr Lab & Elizabeth Spear.
Maggie Thom, age 20, Spinster, daughter of John Thom, Joiner journeyman & Helen McRobb

Very kind of you to use your own credits, Kloumann.

As the certificate says simply 'Helen McRobb' rather than 'Helen Thom MS McRobb' it looks as if Margaret was illegitimate.

There is a birth of Helen Thom McRobb, mother Helen McRobb, no father named, on 23 December 1857 in Grange. (So she lied about her age on her marriage certificate - she was only 18, not 20, when she married.)

The 1871 census found by Milliepede looks right, and it confirms that George Thom was Margaret/Maggie's uncle, and by inference that her father John Thom was the son of John Thom and Margaret Goodbrand.

In 1861 the family were at Brickfield*, district of Seafield
John Thom, 45, manager tile works, born Banff
Margaret, wife, 45, Cullen
Isabella, 22, Cullen
Margaret, 13, Rathven
Alexander, 10, Rathven
George, 7, Rathven
William, 5, Rathven
Margaret, granddaughter, 3, Grange
*This is next door to Lintmill and Tochieneal, south of the town of Cullen. On this map https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=57.67338&lon=-2.80779&layers=5&b=1 named as Tochieneal Tile Works.

In 1851 they are listed at Lintmill, so in the same place, even though in that year it is listed under Rathven rather than Seafield
John, 33, manager tileworks, born Banff
Margaret, 36, Cullen
Isabella, 12, Cullen
John 10, Cullen
Jane, 7, Cullen
William, 5, Rathven
Margaret, 3, Rathven
Alexander, 2 months, Rathven

There is a family at Sillyearn, Grange in 1861 consisting of
George McRobb, 58, born Glass
Helen McRobb, 59, ?Glenrinnes
Helen McRobb, 21, Keith
William McRobb, 12, Grange
George Connon, grandson, 5
Margaret Stewart, granddaughter, 2
William Proctor, grandson, 8 months

All census information from https://freecen1.freecen.org.uk/cgi/search.pl - you can and should view the originals at Scotland's People.

If I were you I would look at the birth certificate of Margaret Thom McRobb and see exactly where she was born. If it was at Sillyearn, I think that would fully nail her parentage.

There may be other information about the Thom and McRobb families at http://libindx.moray.gov.uk/mainmenu.asp