William Robertson married Margaret McKay?

[Forfarian]

Actually, on re-reading this whole thread it seems abundantly clear that Margaret Fraser who was married to William Robertson in Boleskine has nothing to do with the family you are looking for, so it is really completely irrelevant how many times her twins were recorded in the baptism indexes.

I wish to apologise for encouraging you to fish for a complete red herring.

[Forfarian]

Going back to basics.

What we have so far:

I have a death certificate of John Robertson ( married Isabella Noble 1851 Daviot & Dunlichity) John born 1831 to William Robertson & Margaret McKay. Death certificate only states Inverness shire for birth place.

William Robertson and Margaret McKay had five recorded children
John, baptised 7 April 1828, Parish of Moy and Dalarossie, Inverness-shire
Donald, baptised 14 July 1829, Parish of Alvie, Inverness-shire
Margaret, baptised 19 December 1830, Parish of Kingussie and Insh, Inverness-shire
Angus, baptised 4 September 1833, Parish of Kingussie and Insh, Inverness-shire
Mary, baptised 17 April 1835, Parish of Alvie, Inverness-shire

In the 1841 census, at Balblair, parish of Moy and Dalarossie, are
William Robertson 45  Farmer   
William Robertson 14
John Robertson 12
Margaret Robertson 8
Angus Robertson 6
Mary Robertson 4
Margaret Fraser 25  Female servant

Puzzlingly, William Sr and the four eldest children are recorded as not born in Inverness-shire. However, the names and order of birth of the children look right, even if their ages are not quite right; Margaret would have been 10, Angus 7 and Mary 5 on the day of the 1841 census.

Margaret Fraser must just be a coincidence after all. The Margaret Fraser who was married to another William Robertson is listed with her husband and five children in the parish of Boleskine. She was far too busy with her own family to have taken a job as a servant in a different parish.

So we are left with William, who (because adults' ages were supposed to be rounded down to the nearest 5 years in 1841) was born between 8 June 1791 and 7 June 1796.

In 1851, in Balblair, Moy and Dalarossie, are
William Robertson, 55, born Alvie
Margaret Robertson, wife, 42, born Inverness
Mary Robertson, daughter, 15, born Alvie
Duncan Robertson, son, 8, born Moy
George Robertson, son, 6, born Moy
Catherine Robertson, daughter, 4, born Moy
James Robertson, son, 2, born Moy
Donald Robertson, son, under 1 year, born Moy

Noting the gap between Mary and Duncan, I speculate that since 1841 Margaret McKay's widower has married his housekeeper Margaret Fraser, and started a new family. His son James, who registered his father's address, may not have known that his big sister Mary (even if he remembered her at all) was only his half-sister. If so, then this is indeed your William Robertson after all, and two different Margaret Frasers married two different William Robertsons in Inverness-shire, one in 1830 (the Boleskine ones) and the other presumably in Moy and Dalarossie.

Other children : Joseph 1838, Margaret 1844, and William 1846 - all born Leith?

These three are the children of a different William Robertson and his wife Margaret Surrene.

[greeneyedgirl]

Forfarian, when I was looking up the births of children to William Robertson & Margaret MacKay and William with Margaret Fraser I came across one that puzzled me so I didn't include it but your going back to behinning struck a cord. I haven't my notes to hand at moment for exact date but there was a Duncan born to a William Robertson & nó wife listed but where wife's name would have gone it had FRMR which I took to mean former wife. So that plays into the scenario of Margaret Fraser being Williams second wife. Maybe Margaret MacKay died in childbirth with Duncan. In those days not unheard of. Kim

[Forfarian]

I see what you mean.

The age is certainly right for Duncan, who was aged 8 in the 1851 census. But if that was Margaret McKay, why the long gap between Mary and Duncan, and where was she in the 1841 census?

I'd have thought that it was an abbreviation for 'farmer' rather than 'former wife'?

[Forfarian]

Another snippet.

William Robertson's death in 1875 was registered by his son James.

In the 1881 census James Robertson, 32, born Moy, is in Moy with wife Lillias and son William. And sure enough James Robertson, son of William Robertson, farmer, deceased, and Margaret Fraser, married Lillias McBean on 26 December 1877 in Moy.

[greeneyedgirl]

Maybe the first Margaret was ill??? The birth:

Duncan Robertson
Moy & Dalarossie
13 April 1843
father:William Robertson
mother: FRMR 40

This is all there was. Kim

[Forfarian]

That's all that is in the index at SP. The original document would perhaps make it clearer, but unfortunately the link on SP is wrong. I've reported it.

[Forfarian]

Finally ran the 'other' William Robertson and Margaret Fraser down in the 1851 census. They are in Kilmonivaig in Lochaber
William Robertson, 45, Shepherd, born Glengarry, Inverness-shire
Margaret, wife, 40
Jane, daughter, 17, born Boleskine
Hugh, 10, born Boleskine
William, 7, born Boleskine
Daniel, 7, born Boleskine
John, 5, born Kilmonivaig

In 1861, they're in the same place
William, 55, shepherd, born Kilmonivaig
William, 18, born Boleskine
Daniel, 18, born Boleskine
John, 16,  born Kilmonivaig
David, 8,  born Kilmonivaig
William Sr is recorded as married (according to the transcription) but his wife is not at home.

So I think that is enough to prove conclusively that the John born to William Robertson and Margaret Fraser in Kilmonivaig is not the one who married Isabella Noble and emigrated to Australia.

Also that this isn't the couple in Moy and therefore that there were indeed two couples with the same names. 

[greeneyedgirl]

Forfarian, well done. In small communities with naming patterns in use you can see how that could happen & how confusing it can be. Kim