James McTAGGERT, m. 1904,Master Mariner, Drummore Kirkmaiden, Wigtownshire

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi, Everyone,
I believe this to be the very first time I have posted on this board, and I have several questions which those local to the area might be able to answer for me...
So, I have the individual James McTAGGERT, a master mariner, marrying Maggie McCRACKEN on February 24th 1904 at Drummore, Kirkmaiden.  I have the birth registration of their son William Thomas McTAGGERT on July 4th 1911.
I'm not quite sure whether this is referring to rites of passage at a Church of Scotland church in Kirkmaiden, or in Drummore, or are they one and the same?
And what kind of seafaring goings on might be happening out of Drummore, on the coast, over a hundred years ago?
Might there be any kind of local references to someone like James McTAGGERT because of his status as a seaman?
And final question, are there any legible headstones in that/those churchyard(s) with the McTAGGERT or McCRACKEN family names on them.
Many thanks for any assistance, however small...
Very best wishes, Keith

[CaroleW]

When & where were they both born?

Who were their respective parents?

When & where did their parents die & when & where did James & Maggie die? 

1901 has 28 entries for surname McCracken in Kirkmaiden & none for M*ctagg*rt

[CaroleW]

Son was William James not William Thomas & he died 1913 aged 2 & another son Charles Ross in 1914 aged 1

[Keith Sherwood]

Carole W,
Went to bed straight after I wrote my post, and have just now seen your swift response, and thanks so much for that.  The only piece of evidence that I have in front of me is that William McTAGGERT birth entry on the top of a page of 1911 birth entries for the Parish of Kirkmaiden in the County of Wigtown.  Where his mother and father's details are given too.  If that William did indeed die as an infant then of course he cannot be the father of a Rosemary  McTAGGERT for whose daughter and a close friend of mine I was hoping to delve into her family history.
I must be barking up the wrong tree, so back to the drawing board!
Keith
The next entry down on the three entries page I have the image of is of the child born to the lighthouse keeper in July, but the hand is extremely difficult to decipher.  I can see now that William McTAGGERT's middle name could well be James, and not Thomas, too

[Forfarian]

So, I have the individual James McTAGGERT, a master mariner, marrying Maggie McCRACKEN on February 24th 1904 at Drummore, Kirkmaiden.
I'm not quite sure whether this is referring to rites of passage at a Church of Scotland church in Kirkmaiden, or in Drummore, or are they one and the same?

There was a Free Church of Scotland in Drummore at the time but the Church of Scotland was not in the village.

See https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=54.69064&lon=-4.89402&layers=168&b=1 for a plan of the village and http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB10100 for information about the church building in Drummore.

Until the 20th century it was unusual for a wedding ceremony to be held in the church building.

The usual place for the wedding was in the bride's parents' home or, if she had no parents or was married a long way from home, in the parish manse or in her employer's home.

Where does the marriage certificate say the bride's home was?

There are two Maggie McCrackens of marriageable age listed in the 1901 census as living in Mill Street, Kirkmaiden. I suspect that if I were looking at the original census document, rather than a transcription I know to be defective, it would tell me that this is Mill Street, Drummore, Kirkmaiden.

[Keith Sherwood]

Forfarian
Thanks so much for joining the discussion.  I feel I'm rather floundering a bit, with my ignorance of the location and my inability to properly read the script on that page.  I do not have the marriage certificate to hand  but am relying solely at the moment on the details from the birth entry page, I'm afraid...
Keith
...and perhaps if there is another Maggie McCracken there in the village, then I need to see whether she married and started a family of her own...

[Forfarian]

Ah.

If you have only seen the date and place of the parents' marriage on a birth certificate, it does not normally give the exact address where the wedding took place.

For that, you do need to look at the marriage certificate.

[Keith Sherwood]

Thanks again,  Forfarian,
And that link to the map of the area is extremely informative, fascinating in fact...
Keith

[hmcc]

Maggie Jane McCracken (32) Drummore and James Mctaggart (43) Drummore married on 24/02/1904 at Drummore, Parish of Kirkmaiden.

Maggie McCrackens parents William McCracken (Master Mariner) and Margaret McGaw.
James McTaggarts parents William McTaggart and Janet Clingan.

Their family -  Margaret McGaw McTaggart (1906-1997), James McTaggart(1907-1911), Janet Clingan McTaggart (1909-1999), William James McTaggart (1911-1913), Charles Ross McTaggart (1913-1914).
As you will see from above dates all of the sons died very young.
hmcc.