Hi, I wonder if there is anyone out there who has researched the Stuart/Stewart and Murray families of Wigtownshire?
I've hit a bit of a brickwall in finding my ggg grandparents- Peter (Murray) Stewart/Stuart and Elizabeth Laurie/Lawrie.My gg grandfather, James Murray Stewart/Stuart, was born circa 1850/1851 in Newton Stewart (according to census returns - I can't find any birth record). He died in 1903 in Glasgow. On both his marriage (1878) and death certs his parents are shown as deceased.
As 'Murray Stuart' are names which come down through the generations I was drawn to the family of John Stewart (1807-1882) & Janet Murray (1810-1878) of Kirkcowan, Wigtownshire. They had a son, Peter, born 1836 who died in Toronto, Canada in 1872. If this is the correct Peter then he would have only been c14 years old when James was born.
My instinct with this one is I have the correct family but that Peter & Elizabeth weren't married and Peter was sent away to Canada in disgrace. He was on the 1851 census but that is the last mention of him apart from his name on the family headstone in Kirkcowan graveyard. I haven't been able to find any records for Elizabeth Laurie, or find James on the 1861 or 1871 censuses
Can anyone help? Thanks