Help needed finding parents of William McKain (d. 1867)

[BMcKain]

Hello! I have been generally very successful putting together a family tree of my Scottish ancestors but have run into one hiccup. I have traced the family back to 1811 with the first proof of William McKain, his marriage record to a Jean Wood in Duddingston Scotland. Here his name was spelled "William McCan". Later his name was spelled as McKain, McKean, MacCain etc.

 I am pulling my hair out trying to find Williams parents. On his death record his parents were listed as a William McKain and Janet Hind, this was recorded by a fellow occupier of a lodge however, so I cannot confirm this. There is also no birth certificate for him or a marriage between William McKain and Janet Hind. I have searched for every possible variation of the last name McKain as well to no avail. McKean, Mcain, mcann, mcun, etc etc.

 I would so much appreciate any help anyone on here could give me. I know from census records and his death records that he would have been born around 1790. He died in 1867 in Lesmahagow Scotland. On every census record he also claimed to be born in Duddingston Scotland. I have a birth certificate for his wife in that same area too, but not his. I am thinking that perhaps he was born in the highlands and has no birth certificate. His son reported as a Gaelic speaker in the 1891 census so that would make sense. I am eager to solve the mystery though. Thank you for any help anyone can give

[Forfarian]

Welcome to RootsChat

But I'm afraid it's not good news.

The first thing to understand is that civil registration only started in 1855, and before that there are no such things as birth, marriage or death certificates, so there is no possibility of finding a birth certificate for him or his wife, or a marriage certificate, irrespective of where they were born or married. The only records before then are the records kept by the churches, which are not comprehensive.

If he says in every census that he was born in Duddingston, and you can't find a baptism record there, then the chances are that the baptism record, if it ever existed, has not survived.

Another important thing is that spelling variations are meaningless until about the beginning of the 20th century. The your best plan, with a name like McKain, is to use the phonetic spelling when searching Scotland's People (and any other web sites enlightened enough to allow this).

I see that William McKean and Janet Wood had a son William in Duddingston in 1818. I take it that this your line?

[Blairvadach]

According to FS

[Blairvadach]

Death of his wife. Found on FS
14 May 1865
Wanlockhead, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, United Kingdom

[Forfarian]

According to FS

This is the FS interpretation from the 1867 death certificate that BMcKain already has - it adds nothing new.

Actually it creates new confusion, because it has Janet Hind's husband and his brother (of the same name) both dying in 1867, and it doesn't say that William born 1790 is her son.

And if she was born in 1777 she wasn't old enough to be the mother of William born 1790.

[Forfarian]

I also note that there is indeed a death in 1833 of a Janet Hind, aged 56, in Bo'ness, though FS doesn't say so. Is there any evidence to prove that this Janet Hind is the wife of William McKain? Or has some clever clogs found only one death of a Janet Hind, and assumed it must be the correct one?

Where was William McKain in the 1841, 1851 and 1861 censuses?

[BMcKain]

I also note that there is indeed a death in 1833 of a Janet Hind, aged 56, in Bo'ness, though FS doesn't say so. Is there any evidence to prove that this Janet Hind is the wife of William McKain? Or has some clever clogs found only one death of a Janet Hind, and assumed it must be the correct one?

Where was William McKain in the 1841, 1851 and 1861 censuses?

I did all the research on the said family search information. The information I put on there was that William McKain and Janet hind must have died before his son died so the date of 1867 for his father just means before 1867. The Janet Hind I put on there also is pure speculation. I am not even sure if these people are his correct parents. I only got Janet Hind and William McKain as they are listed on his death certificate. Also I have all of the census information researched and uploaded on family search, (For the william McKain married to Jean Wood) and have found William McKains that could be his father on the census as well, just nothing concrete.

[Blairvadach]

“Or has some clever clogs found only one death of a Janet Hind, and assumed it must be the correct one?”

Very true! Ancestry has numerous trees with the same information!!!!