McFie/ Evans Rothesay

[Peety]

I am currently tracing my wife’s maternal side and have a marriage of James Evans ( 1776- 1856), weaver in Rothesay and Grizal (Grizel, Grizzel….) McFie, daughter of the late James McFie, Taylor, in the parish of Kingarth on the 27th January 1803. Their children:
Job Evans 13th November 1803, Rothesay
James Evans 6th November 1805, Rothesay
John Evans 19th September 1813, Rothesay
Twins Archibald and William Evans 5th March 1817, Rothesay
Grizel Evans 28th June 1820, Rothesay
( I have a feeling there are some missing children!?)

I am , however, confused as most sources give Grizal McFie ( senior) parents as Robert MacFie and Grizel Mackirdy, born 1786, Rothesay , whereas her marriage entry quite clear states father as the late James McFie?

[Forfarian]

If by 'most sources' you mean online tree on some commercial web site or other (like Ancestry, MyHeritage, Geni, FindMyPast etc), this is a classic case of why you should never trust the information on such sites.

If the original marriage record, available only at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, says James, and all the rest say something else, believe the primary record rather than the rest. This is because the information on the primary record was provided by the people involved at the time of the event, not plucked out of the air by someone 200 years later.

What has probably happened is that someone has looked for Grizel's parents, found a baptism that seems to fit, and assumed that she is the right one without checking what the original marriage certificate says. Other sloppy researchers have then come along and just copied plagiarised the incorrect information, again not bothering to check, and the result is a proliferation of trees with the wrong information.

[ColC]

GRIZAL MCFIE   MARRIED   JAMES EVANS   27/01/1803   ROTHESAY
 I note the above marriage and 10 children recorded on SP in Rothesay

I do not see a record for Grizal but there are marriage records for James, none between 1750 & 1769 on Bute.

MCFIE   JAMES   ELSPITH MC KIRDY   30/05/1771   558   30 / 25   ROTHESAY
MCFIE   JAMES   JANET MC FIE   26/04/1777   558   30 / 36   ROTHESAY
MCFIE   JAMES   ISOBELL MC CURRIE   05/07/1770   558   30 / 22   ROTHESAY

Some of the earlier records for McFie, also note MacFie & McFee but still no Grizal.

Maybe the reason this was thought to be the one was because it was the only one 1770-1790 in Scotland. That does not make it correct. The record may not have survived or maybe she was not baptised etc. You could check the Kirk Session Records or what happened to some of children with the father James born in the 1770 - 1785 period

MACFIE   GRIZEL   ROBERT MACFIE/GRIZEL MACKIRDY   F   27/07/1786   558   20 / 138   ROTHESAY


Colin

[MonicaL]

Could this be another daughter? From SP's death index:

Jane Evans or McIntosh
Aged 62
Mother's maiden name McFie
1884
Ref 501 / 198
Old or West Kilpatrick

Monica

[Forfarian]

Scotland's People has Jean's as well as 9 other baptisms of children to James Evans and Grizel McFie. That's four more than in Peety's original post.

So whatever source Peety is using is clearly inadequate.

[MonicaL]

Peety, wondering if this memorial inscription can connect back to the details you mentioned were on the OPR for Grizzel's father at the time of her marriage:

James McFie
Death Age 58
Birth Date 1745
Cemetery    Kingarth Churchyard and Cemetery
Burial Place Isle of Bute, Scotland
Notes: Stone Erected By Daniel and John McFie in Memory of Their Father James McFie, Taylor in Butt? 11.12.1745 - 8.10.1??? Aged 58y. Janet Duncan Lawful Spouse of James McFie 8.3.1742 - 16.12.17?6 Aged ??y - Verse

Source: Scotland, Burial Monument Inscriptions, 1507-2019

Monica

[Peety]

As always thank you all for you contributions.
Monica that is very interesting, and definitely worth following up. There is a Daniel McFie, a widower, marrying in February 1803, also a Taylor in Kingarth.
Monica you mention the source as Scotland Burial Monumental Inscriptions, 1507-2019, is this a searchable resource I can access? ( please forgive my ignorance, this is my first foray into Scottish records)

[MonicaL]

I don't know if you have any subs to the commercial genealogy sites? What I posted came from Ancestry. Not clear where they source the info for this database. There is also a photo of the gravestone included on this listing.

I did check on www.findagrave.com but couldn't see this entry on there.

Monica

[Peety]

Following on from my original question, a very kind man and his wife living near Kingarth Churchyard have cleaned and photographed the headstone.
I think it transcribes as:
“ This stone was erected by Daniel and John McFie in memory of their father James McFie, Taylor in *butt currie. Born December eleventh 1742?  and died October the eighth 179? aged 50 years.
Also Jannet Duncan lawful spouse to James McFie born March the 28th 1742? and died December? 1784? aged 42

* The abode could be Butt Currie
The following is taken from “Deserted Settlements on the Isle of Bute”
21
Butt Currie
NS 101 550
Sm
This butt occupied what is now the northern end of Kilchattan Bay village. The house was probably close to where the Post Office now stands. No remains have been found.

Despite this information I can’t seem to locate birth records for James and Jannet ( I appreciate this may not have been recorded) but also no death or marriage records?