William Ross 1890 St George Edinburgh

[dippitybix]

Hello,

I'm looking for some assistance regarding William Ross born 27 October 1890 St George, Edinburgh to Daniel Ross (1865-1933) and Jessie Ross nee Maclagan (1863-1951).

I've search SP for death records with MS Maclagan but have not found anything.

I have found William on the 1891 census living with his parents at 25 Dean Park Street, and on the 1901 census now living with his paternal grandfather William and his father Daniel.

His mother Jessie Maclagan was a patient for 60 years in various asylums across Scotland before her death in 1951.

His father Daniel, a tailor, re-married (although I can't find any evidence of his second marriage) to Jessie Kewley, and moved to Liverpool and had more children - but no sign of William.

It would be really interesting to know what happened to William.
There is a tree on ancestry which suggests he moved to Canada however I am suspicious of this as it states his middle name is Alex - he doesn't have a middle name on his birth certificate. The immigration records on the tree on ancestry states he has a sister back home in Edinburgh but as far as I am aware he was the only child of Jessie and Daniel.
He did have half brothers and sisters but I'm not convinced they would have known of his existence whilst his mother was resident in the various asylums and his father had moved away.

Any help greatly appreciated.

[Forfarian]

I've search SP for death records with MS Maclagan but have not found anything.

Originally mothers' maiden surnames were only included in the index from 1974 onwards.

Recently SP has been adding this information to the earlier indexes as and when staff time permits, but there's still quite a gap. People born in the 1890s are quite likely to have died before 1974, so their index listings won't show their mothers' maiden surnames. Yet.

I see that there are at least six Ross children with mother's surname Kewley born in West Derby (Liverpool) from 1900 to 1916.

If Jessie Maclagan or Ross was still living until 1951, then Daniel could not legally have married Jessie Kewley unless he had got divorced. If so, his marriage certificate to Jessie Maclagan should be annotated accordingly.

Daniel and Jessie Maclagan were married in Canongate (Edinburgh) in 1887. Have you looked at that marriage certificate to see if it records a divorce?

If not, then perhaps Daniel and Jessie Kewley moved to Liverpool because they would be unknown there and able to live as husband and wife without any questions being asked?

I see, incidentally, that one of Daniel's children with Jessie Kewley was Gladys Jane, born in the first quarter of 1900 in West Derby, and that Daniel, 36, tailor, born Scotland; Jessie, 28, born Scotland; Elizabeth, 4, born Liverpool; and Gladys, 1, born Garston were living in Garston, Lancashire in 1901.

This does not tally with your statement that in 1901 William was with his grandfather William and father Daniel. Where exactly did you find this William in 1901?

[dippitybix]

I've search SP for death records with MS Maclagan but have not found anything.

This does not tally with your statement that in 1901 William was with his grandfather William and father Daniel. Where exactly did you find this William in 1901?

Apologies I have made an error here. William is living aged 10, with his grandparents and his father's two brothers, David and William.

Name   Wm Ross
Age   10
Estimated Birth Year   abt 1891
Relationship   Grandson
Gender   Male
Where born   Edinburgh, Midlothian
Registration Number   654
Registration district   Rutherglen
Civil parish   Rutherglen
County   Lanarkshire
Address   Wellshot Pl
Occupation   Scholar
ED   37
Household schedule number   29
Line   13
Roll   CSSCT1901_351

[dippitybix]

I have Jessie and Daniel's marriage certificate and there are no annotations associated with it.

I also agree re: the reasons why they moved to Liverpool. Also convenient that his second wife was also called Jessie and born in Edinburgh.

Jessie Kewley was a Tailor's machinist so that must be where they had met.

Jessie Maclagan entered the Edinburgh Royal Asylum a year after the birth of her child William following a suicide attempt. I have been in contact with Edinburgh University Archives who have provided me with a treasure trove of records relating to Jessie's 60 years as a patient.

[softly softly]

Birth registration image records a dob as the 17th October 1890.

SS

[dippitybix]

Birth registration image records a dob as the 17th October 1890.

SS

Thank you, the 17th is stated on the certificate but it was actually incorrect and there is an amendment on the certificate available on SP. The correct date is the 27th.

[softly softly]

Ok.

SS

[Forfarian]

There is a tree on ancestry which suggests he moved to Canada however I am suspicious of this as it states his middle name is Alex - he doesn't have a middle name on his birth certificate. The immigration records on the tree on ancestry states he has a sister back home in Edinburgh but as far as I am aware he was the only child of Jessie and Daniel.

I would always be suspicious of any tree on Ancestry (and any other commercial web site) simply because at least some online trees are load of nonsense.

But it's not unknown for people to acquire in later life a middle name that isn't on their birth certificate, so I wouldn't give too much weight to that.

The sister in Edinburgh is definitely open to question. If there was a sister, where was she in 1891 and 1901? Could she have been staying with one or other set of grandparents? Have you got the Maclagan and Ross grandparents' 1891 census records, and the Maclagan 1901?

Where did he allegedly go in Canada? Does the immigration record give a name for the sister?

[dippitybix]

Jessie Maclagan's parents were Thomas (Tom) Maclagan (1830-1902) and Ann Kyles (1830-1906).

Tom Maclagan (The Great Maclagan as he was known) was a famous music hall star and performed around the country and Ireland, I have full census records for him from 1841 until 1901 he died in 1902. From the census records he was hardly at home.

By 1891 it seems he had split from his wife as in the 1891 census he is living in St Pancras London with his 'wife' Ann aged 38 from St Hellier, Jersey - his real wife Ann Kyles is from Edinburgh and born around 1830. In the 1891 census his wife Ann is at home with their daughter 'Nellie" Helena Kirk Maclagan who was also admitted to various asylums and died in 1915 in the Hawks head asylum.

In 1901 Tom Maclagan is back in Edinburgh, living on his own, his wife Ann is living in the society area of Edinburgh with her daughter Helena's illegitimate child Ernest aged 8.
Ann died in St Cuthbert's Poorhouse 1906.

If William did indeed have the middle name Alex this could come from his great grandfather Alexander Maclagan who was a poet.

https://electricscotland.com/history/other/maclagan_alexander.htm

In regards to the Ross grandparents this is something I need to look into.

In regards to the immigration records, there are two I have seen attached to a tree on ancestry.
One is Canda, Ocean Arrivals (Form 30A)

Name   William A Ross
Gender   Male
Estimated Birth Year   abt 1891
Birth Place   Edinburgh, Scotland
Age   30
Date of Arrival   23 Feb 1921
Port of Arrival   Saint John, New Brunswick

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1588/records/459679?tid=194244452&pid=142582952128&hid=1006682172371&usePUBJs=true

and:

Name   William Alex Ross
Gender   Male
Nationality   Scottish
Marital Status   Married
Arrival Age   36
Birth Date   abt 1891
Birth Place   Edinburgh, Scotland
Departure Place   Liverpool, England
Last Residence Place   Vineland, Canada
Final Destination Place   Vineland, Canada
Residence Place   Canada
Arrival Date   7 Feb 1927
Arrival Place   New York City, Rockdale, USA
Length of Time in US   In in Transit
Intend to be Citizen   No
Complexion   Fair
Eye Color   Blue
Hair Color   Brown
Height   5 Feet 11 Inches
Money   200
Ship   Cedric
Friend   Ross
Person in Old Country Name   Alex. Ross
Person in Old Country Residence Place   Edinburgh
Person in US Name   Mrs. Ross

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/8745/records/3343994?tid=194244452&pid=142582952128&hid=1006351584676&usePUBJs=true