Author Topic: Tracing who lived at a house/farm  (Read 893 times)

Offline Nichy

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Tracing who lived at a house/farm
« on: Thursday 28 September 23 22:08 BST (UK) »
Hi, Is there any way to look at who lived at a particular house/farmstead eg around the 1750s to 1850s? I am interested in Balno a farmstead in Glen Gairn near Ballater. My relative Helen Gray was born there in 1811, and i wanted to find out who had lived there before her, or if any of her family had stayed there after she had left? Her parents were John Gray and Christian Farquharson. I have traced Helen getting married and moving to Aberdeen but can’t find out anything about her parents and whether they stayed at Balno. Thank you

Offline Neale1961

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Re: Tracing who lived at a house/farm
« Reply #1 on: Thursday 28 September 23 22:47 BST (UK) »
Milligan - Jardine – Glencross – Dinwoodie - Brown: (Dumfriesshire & Kirkcudbrightshire)
Clark – Faulds – Cuthbertson – Bryson – Wilson: (Ayrshire & Renfrewshire)
Neale – Cater – Kinder - Harrison: (Warwickshire & Queensland)
Roberts - Spry: (Cornwall, Middlesex & Queensland)
Munster: (Schleswig-Holstein & Queensland) and Plate: (Braunschweig, Neubruck & Queensland & New York)

Offline Alan of Kaslo

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Re: Tracing who lived at a house/farm
« Reply #2 on: Friday 29 September 23 02:59 BST (UK) »
Quote
At the time of the Jacobite Rebellion the tenant farmer was John MacKay, Merchant, Balno

https://canmore.org.uk/site/154833/balno

It seems that John Mackay was there around 1745...



Stewart. Scott. Bruce. McPherson. McMurray. McKibbin . McKay. McCann. Mckrinkine. McClewnan. McCallum. Joss. Ross. Morrison. Chapman. Middlemiss. Robinson. Conlon. Duffy. Dalgarno. Crookshank. Gammack. Ramsay. Mutch. Crawford. Orr. Galbraith. Kerr. Fergusson. Campbell.

Offline Alan of Kaslo

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Re: Tracing who lived at a house/farm
« Reply #3 on: Friday 29 September 23 03:22 BST (UK) »
Helen had a sister Mey Gray born 1818 ... not sure if the birth was at Balno. You could check.

GRAY MEY
   
JOHN GRAY/CHRISTIAN FARQUHARSON FR115 (FR115)
F
13/08/1818
201
10 / 109
Glenmuick, Tullich and Glengairn

Also there is their wedding to check:

GRAY JOHN  / CHRISTIAN FARQUHARSON/
25/05/1800
Glenmuick, Tullich and Glengairn
Stewart. Scott. Bruce. McPherson. McMurray. McKibbin . McKay. McCann. Mckrinkine. McClewnan. McCallum. Joss. Ross. Morrison. Chapman. Middlemiss. Robinson. Conlon. Duffy. Dalgarno. Crookshank. Gammack. Ramsay. Mutch. Crawford. Orr. Galbraith. Kerr. Fergusson. Campbell.


Offline maddys52

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Re: Tracing who lived at a house/farm
« Reply #4 on: Friday 29 September 23 05:42 BST (UK) »
A bit later, but there is this death notice from 1873:

"At Balno, Glengairn, after a long and severe illness, which she bore with christian fortitude, JEAN FARQUARSON, the beloved wife of John Davidson, farmer, aged 74."

Wednesday,  Jan. 22, 1873
Publication: Aberdeen Journal

Offline maddys52

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Re: Tracing who lived at a house/farm
« Reply #5 on: Friday 29 September 23 05:57 BST (UK) »
A couple of other mentions in newspapers:

A James FARQUARSON of Balno mentioned in 1890 at a dinner for tenants of the Morven Estate.
   Wednesday,  Feb. 19, 1890
Publication: Aberdeen Journal

Also this item mentioning an event in 1755 (involving a Helen GRAY of Balno):
Tuesday,  Nov. 10, 1863
Publication: Dundee Courier

Offline Forfarian

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Re: Tracing who lived at a house/farm
« Reply #6 on: Friday 29 September 23 13:08 BST (UK) »
The 1841 census lists the Davidson family at Balnoe: John, 35; Jane, 30; Duncan, 8; Jane, 2 and Ann Ritchie, 9. Jane Farquharson or Davidson, mother's surname Ogg, died in Glenmuick Tullich and Glengairn in 1873 aged 74. John Davidson, mother's surname Davidson, died in Glenmuick etc in 1887, aged 84.

Realistically your best hope for finding out the names of any earlier occupants would be to hope that the rental records of the estate have survived. Start at https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/catalogues-and-indexes

According to the 1855 Valuation Roll the proprietor of Balno was the Marquis of Huntly (and the tenant was John Davidson). This is confirmed by the Ordnance Survey Name Book
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01sp3/

You could also go through the whole of the parish register noting any mentions of people in Baln/Belnoe etc.

The simplest way to do this would be to go to a library where the relevant register is available on microfilm - Aberdeen Public Library should have it, as should the Aberdeen and North-east Scotland Family History Society and the North-East Scotland Library Services HQ in Old Meldrum. There may be others. Or book a day in a Scotland's People Centre.

If you aren't in Scotland and cannot get to any of these places, you will either need to hire a professional searcher - see https://www.asgra.co.uk/ - or go to your nearest LDS Church Family History Centre and arrange to rent the microfilm to be viewed there.

Or you could download all of the parish register at £1.50 per page from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk - the easiest of all, but more expensive.

Never trust anything you find online (especially submitted trees and transcriptions on Ancestry, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and other commercial web sites) unless it's an image of an original document - and even then be wary because errors can and do occur.

Offline maddys52

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Re: Tracing who lived at a house/farm
« Reply #7 on: Saturday 30 September 23 02:12 BST (UK) »
There is a detailed obituary for Duncan DAVIDSON of Balno(e) Glengairn in 1907. In the obit it says he was "born at Balnoe, Glengairn - one of the most compact holdings in the whole Glen, and which, unitl two years ago, had been tenanted by Davidsons for 150 years ..."
Tuesday,  Mar. 19, 1907
Publication: Aberdeen Journal

Offline maddys52

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Re: Tracing who lived at a house/farm
« Reply #8 on: Saturday 30 September 23 02:17 BST (UK) »
There is an advertisement for the farm in 1832, it says it is currently possessed by a James GORDON.
   Wednesday,  Feb. 22, 1832
Publication: Aberdeen Journal