William Johnston, born about 1829 Ireland to Edward Johnston, and Margaret Moore

[Peggy13]

William Johnston was born about 1829 in Ireland to Edward Johnston and Margaret Moore/Muir who were married July 16, 1814 at Killinchy Presbyterian Church. William is found on the 1851 census with his parents In the parish of Stonykirk Co. Wigtown in Scotland where he is a laborer,  age 22.  Then I can’t find him ever again.
 I have paid for many marriages and many deaths on spec but none were for him except for one possibility of a death age wise in 1853 at 9 Lawn St., Abbey Parish. But no parents are given and there’s no indication if this is the correct William. I would say not because he has a block cutter age 21 years two months and this is a different area.
Can anyone find William after 1851?
Thank you
Peggy

[Peggy13]

William had a brother John born abt 1831 in Comber, Newtonards, Co. Down, Ireland and died Nov 1, 1899 in New Luce, Wigtownshire, Scotland. Perhaps if he has an obituary or writeup, William might be mentioned.
William also had a sister Jane McMaster Scott nee Johnston who died Feb 26, 1872 in the Parish of Stoneykirk, Wigtownshire. Perhaps her obituary or write up would mention her brother William and/or his whereabouts.

[CaroleW]

Have you confined your search just to Wigtown or also considered other counties?

[Peggy13]

I have considered other countries by using FamilySearch and ancestry and searching for Death and marriages, leaving the country blank and just putting in his date of birth and parents, but nothing has shown up. I have searched online trees, using the names of his parents to see if William would show up, but it seems no one has found William past 1851. So I thought maybe obituaries for his siblings might mention him and give us a clue whether he was alive in those years and where he might be.
I personally think he must’ve emigrated since nothing shows up for him in Scotland. The other possibility is that he is named something like Robert William or Samuel William or whatever and switched to the other name in later years.

[Forfarian]

William had a brother John born abt 1831 in Comber, Newtonards, Co. Down, Ireland and died Nov 1, 1899 in New Luce, Wigtownshire, Scotland. Perhaps if he has an obituary or writeup, William might be mentioned.
William also had a sister Jane McMaster Scott nee Johnston who died Feb 26, 1872 in the Parish of Stoneykirk, Wigtownshire. Perhaps her obituary or write up would mention her brother William and/or his whereabouts.

Unless John or Jane had become prominent citizens for some reason or other, the chances of them being commemorated by an obituary (as opposed to a death record or death announcement) are small.

What were the occupations of John d 1899 and of Jane's husband?

[Peggy13]

William’s brother John was an agricultural labourer in 1871, a church officer when he died in 1899, and a Church beadle when his wife Jane nee Bell died in 1902. Not sure what a beadle does.
William’s  sister Jane’s husband, Henry Scott was a farm labourer when he died in 1887, cause of death opthalmia for 14 years.

[Forfarian]

Given those occupations I would not hold out any great hope of finding an obituary at all, let alone one that lists all their relatives, both those still living and those who have predeceased them.

The beadle is just another name for the church officer. It involves light duties about the church and attending to things the minister needs to have done, and it's often done by an older member of the congregation who is no longer fit for physical labour.

I reckon your William either died between the 1851 census and the start of civil registration, or he emigrated.

[Bhj60]

Looking for peggy13 …. Would loke to chat as I am a relative of the people she has researched