Family missing from OPR

[GordonFindlay]

I've been unable to find birth details for the children of a 3G-grandfather and -mother in Arbroath.

The parents:
 - Robert Smith (bapt 15 Sep 1814, Auchmithie; d. 26 Feb 1894, Arbroath).
 - Elizabeth Smith (that is her maiden name) bapt 25 Aug 1815, Arbroath; d. 9 Jan 1884, Arbroath). Commonly known as Betsy.

They were married 18 Dec 1835, in Arbroath.  I have copies of all these details from SP.

Census and death returns record these 8 children, with calculated years of birth. But with the exception of the last (Mary) I can find nothing more.

1: Jessie/Jessy cal 1837 (her death cert. records the parents; 1851 and 1861 census. She was probably with a relative in 1841: John and Jean Smith living in the same street.)
2: Charles cal 1838 (1841 census)
3: Jean cal 1840 (1841, 1851 census)
4: John cal 1841 (1851 census)
5: Thomas cal 1842 (1841, 1851 census)
6: William cal 1843 (1851, 1861 census
7: Betsy cal 1846 (1851, 1861 census)
8: Mary 30 Mar 1857. (1861, 1871, 1881 census)

[Initially I thought Mary was likely a granddaughter been brought up by grandparents.  But I do have the statutory registration of her birth, and Robert is recorded as her father; Betsy as her mother.]

None of the children appear in OPRs from anywhere in Angus. Conceivably the parents didn't bother with church registration at all.

Any advice about finding better birth dates?

[GR2]

There was no compulsion to have births/baptisms recorded and a large number were not. If they were members of the Church of Scotland and don't appear on Scotland's People, you won't find them elsewhere. I take it you have also tried looking with the "other churches" option, just in case something comes up. There might be records of another denomination.

[GordonFindlay]

Thanks - yes I've checked all the other denominations.

Slainte
Gordon

[hdw]

You've done well to assemble all that information about the family and, quite frankly, as you know so much about the children already, it's immaterial whether or not you have details of their birth and/or baptism. I've often come across people, in my own family-tree or other people's, who are only visible in the later records because they married and died, but their birth pre-1855 was never recorded.

I had Smith ancestors myself in Auchmithie, as well as Spink, Swankie and Cargill, and Lawsons who were originally from Ethiehaven in Inverkeilor parish. I looked up your Robert Smith who died in 1894 and I see that he was the son of Peter Smith and Jean Swankie. That couple have a headstone in St. Vigeans churchyard. The inscription gives Peter's year of death as 1855 so his death-certificate will be very informative. Peter and Jean had many children, including a daughter called Campbell, so I suspect that Jean Swankie was a sister of my 3 x great-grandmother Campbell Swankie who married David Spink. They lived at 19 Auchmithie. Campbell's parents were William Swankie and Margaret Lawson.

When Campbell Spink/Swankie died, her children registered her name as Camilla, obviously thinking that Campbell was rather crude for a woman! (she had a sister called McKay Swankie).

Harry

[GordonFindlay]

Hi Harry

yes, I have Jean (or Jane) as a sister of that Campbell. you can see my tree at http://gordonfindlay.x10host.com/ if you're interested.

Was Campbell becoming Camilla a transcription error, or in the original registration?

Slainte
Gordon

[hdw]

It's written as Camilla, but that might have been the registrar's understanding of what they were telling him.

Do you belong to the Auchmithie Roots forum? You can learn a lot from the posts there.

Harry

[MonicaL]

Gordon, does this death connect to your family?

JAMES SWANKIE SMITH
Age 0
Mother's maiden name SMITH
1858
272/ 108
Arbroath

Monica

[GordonFindlay]

Gordon, does this death connect to your family?

JAMES SWANKIE SMITH
Age 0
Mother's maiden name SMITH
1858
272/ 108
Arbroath

Monica

Hi Monica

thanks for looking, but I haven't (yet) encountered that particular lad. Almost certainly connected in some way - Swankies and Smiths are very common, and tightly linked.

Slainte
Gordon