Looking for my ancestor Margaret Drysdale

[Revolution]

Hi!

Im looking for any baptism, marriage and death information for Margaret Drysdale.

Margaret married Roger Martin and they had multiple children between 1787 and 1799

John  - baptised Clackmannan, Clackmannanshire, Scotland
James  - baptised Torryburn, Fife, Scotland
Roger  - baptised Torryburn, Fife, Scotland
Jean  - baptised Torryburn, Fife, Scotland
Margaret  - baptised Torryburn, Fife, Scotland
John  - baptised Clackmannan, Clackmannanshire, Scotland
Christian - baptised Clackmannan, Clackmannanshire, Scotland

It looks like Margaret was married to Roger Martin before he left for the USA to fight and she had a child with John Muir while working for him in 1782. Margarets marriage to Roger then would have been around 1780/1781.

I have another thread exploring my ancestor John Muir https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=876080.msg7479719#msg7479719:

Compeared upon Citation Margaret Drysdale Spouse to Roger Martine a Soldier who has been Several years in America and Acknowledged that John Muir Cowfeeder in the Parish of West Kirk in whose Service She had been before Martinmas eighty one was the only true father of the Child She brought forth Last year  She declared that the Said John Muir Died in January Seventeen hundred & eighty two And Produced an Extract from the Records of Mortality from the Parish of West Kirk Certifying the above Fact  She also Produced a Paper Dated Portsburgh 28th Febr. 1783 Signed James Somerville Bearing that the Said John Muir at the time of His Death was by Habit & Repute a Married Man

See Torryburn kirk session, Minutes (1777-1848), CH2/355/7  (ScotlandsPeople Virtual Volumes)

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Revolution]

Correction - the date of the KS extract (9 March 1783) and (2) the KS extract does not give Roger Martin’s location as the United States of America.  It states America, which could just as well indicate Canada or the Caribbean.  (British regiments were all over the shop at this period.)

According to the KS extract, Roger Martin has been Several years in America.  As Margaret Drysdale is named as his Spouse, this suggests that she had been married to him for Several years at least.  Assuming that Several years = 3-5 years, this suggests that the marriage took place between 1778 and 1780.   It is unlikely that Margaret was less than 16 years old when she married and she may well have been older. 

As Margaret Drysdale was in service in Edinburgh before Martinmas eighty one, the chances are that, although no record has been found, the marriage took place in Edinburgh.  (There were several military garrisons stationed in and around Edinburgh.)   However, she was called before Torryburn KS and her daughter Ann was baptised there, suggesting that Torryburn, just across the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh, was her home parish.   (It was quite common for young women to go back to their mothers for first births.)

The SP index lists twelve births for a Margaret/Margret Drysdale in Fife between 1750 and 1770.  All are in West Fife (Dunfermline, Tulliallan, Saline, etc) and one is in Torryburn i.e. Margaret Drysdale born 09/06/1763 to William Drysdale and Catharine Cunninghame.  (Ref.458/20/166)

[CaroleW]

Have you already discounted the 1790 marriage Rodger Martin/Margaret Drysdale

Martin/Drysdale baptisms from 1787 seem a long time after a possible 1780 marriage even allowing for him being a soldier

[Revolution]

Hi CaroleW

I cant find it on SP. If that was the right marriage then the first 3 children were potentially illegitimate?

Theres no mention of Roger Marin baptised in 1788 being illegitimate.

[CaroleW]

I'm not surprised you can't find it - my mistake - thought I was searching marriages & it was the 1790 baptism of their son Rodger I found.  DUH🙄🙄🙄