Robert Stirling's birth
James_Craig_(or_Middleton)
John_Smith
Where_Did_The_Malcolmsons_Come_From?
Resolved Problems . Where did Ian’s grandfather’s given names come
from? Where did the middle name Dick come
from? The Birth Place of Jill’s
Grandmother, Elizabeth Smith. The
missing Moores
Outstanding
Robert Stirling (Dick) - where
was he born
We now know that Robert Stirling, Ian's great grandfather, was adopted and his mother may have been Isabella Dick. However I cannot trace any record of his birth. In the 1871 census his age was 12, born in Barony. In the 1881 Census he was aged 22, born Cambuslang. I found the birth record of a Robert Dick, born in Cambuslang. I have the birth certificate. Unfortunately it looks like this Robert Dick was still alive in 1881 at the same time as Robert Stirling. 'Back to the Drawing Board'.
James Craig (or Middleton)
James Craig, born in 1883 in Brechin, Angus, was the g grandfather of Jillian.
Who was his father?
His marriage certificate to Elizabeth Taylor in Fraserburgh in 1913 shows both his surname and that of his mother's as 'CRAIG or MIDDLETON'. Well what was he? CRAIG or MIDDLETON or neither? His mother was Jane (or Jean) CRAIG. So that's the CRAIG bit sorted. Jane was married to William Aberdein Middleton in Brechin and had at least 3 sons by him, David Burgess Cowper in 1875, William A in 1876 and Edward S in 1879. It is uncertain who the father of James born in 1884 is. He was entered as James Middleton, aged 7, in the 1891 Census in Peterculter in the house of Neil McDonald (who Jane later married). On the other hand information from James Craig's daughter, Elizabeth, was that he did not know who his father was and took the name Craig rather than Middleton.
Latest update on the 20th June, 2001 (the plot thickens)
I have obtained the Birth Certificate of the above mentioned James Craig or Middleton. James was born on the 6th October 1883, in Brechin, Forfar (as the old county was known). Reference the father the certificate clearly states - “Joan Smith Craig, wife of William Alexander MIDDLETON, bleachfield worker, who she declares is not the father of the child, he having gone to America on 25th April 1882, and that she has not seen him since.” So we will probably never know who the father is except, the address given was 213 Montrose Street, Brechin next door to where a family with the surname KEDDIE lives (not a misspelling). Jill’s aunt Elizabeth Craig met someone by this name during the war who seemed to know all about the ‘scandal’. Perhaps even after this time a descendant of this KEDDIE family can still tell us something? A cousin believes that the father was someone from high up the social scale, who of course would not allow his name to be put on the birth certificate.
John
Smith
This refers to Jill's gg grandfather. From his son John's marriage certificate
John Smith was married to Margaret Hendrie. This marriage took place
in March, 1843 in Monkton in Ayrshire. It looks like they had at least 7
children between 1844 & 1864. Jill's g grandfather was the 6th, born in
1861. I cannot accurately trace the parents of John (Snr) and Margaret. I got a
transcription of their marriage but unfortunately pre-1855 marriages do not
show the parents of the bride and groom. Also where are all the cousins
descended from the other 6 children?
Latest update on the 20th June, 2001 (but it’s not simple)
Looks like John died young at the age of 43 in Prestwick in 1870. The Death Transcription had no given name for his father but his mother’s name was enterd as Margaret ARMSTRONG (desc). The informant was and Isabella Dunlop of Kik St. Prestwick. No mention of the wife Margaret.
I have also obtained the Death Transcription for Margaret Henry. She died in April 1902 in Prestwick. Father William HENRY and mother Elizabeth ARMSTRONG.
Note that the maiden name of both mothers are the same, ARMSTRONG. Strange, but possible
Where Did The Malcolmsons Come From?
Ian's gg-grandparents were John Crawford Malcolmson and Sarah Malcolmson
(maiden surname also Malcolmson). This information was obtained from a
combination of Sarah's death certificate and son George Crawford's marriage
certificate to Annie Morrison Watson. John Crawford died before his son's
wedding. No trace of his death in Scotland and no satisfactory births found in
Scotland. It is strongly felt that they did in fact come from Ireland.
Johnstone, Renfrewshire where George was married had a very significant
percentage of Irish born residents in the 1881 Census. There is no evidence of
their existence in Scotland in either the 1881 or 1891 Census. So George may have
come to Scotland with just his mother after 1891. He was married in 1897.
Latest update on the 30th April 2002.
I found George in the 1901 Census in Johnstone. To my surprise his place of birth is stated as England. Confusion leads to confusion because a marriage between a Sarah Malcolmson and an Archibald Armstrong n Ulster in 1877. It is known from his mother's death certificate that she re-married. So where did this line of Malcolmsons come from?
Frederick
Hope Pattison Stirling
Frederick was Ian Malcolmson's grandfather. The query was, 'where did the Given
Names come from'. His daughter, Moira said that he said he was named after
somebody in 'the military'. In early 2001, quite out of the blue I was
contacted by someone else whose ancestor has exactly the same Given Names. He
also informed me where he thought the name came from - guess what, a Military
lieutenant called Frederick Hope Pattison.
If you
follow the hyperlink you will find out who he was. There may be more of a
connection to this person that just being named after him. Frederick Hope
Pattison (military man) moved to Old Kilpatrick from Glasgow. Now it just so
happens that his mother's surname is Hart, and the Harts came from Old
Kilpatrick. Top of the Page
Robert Dick Stirling
- where did the middle name Dick come from
Robert Dick Stirling, who went to New Zealand was the brother of Frederick
Hope Pattison Stirling, Ian
Malcolmson's grandfather.
Robert Dick's father's name was also Robert who married Martha Hart in
Glasgow in 1885. At first it was thought that perhaps it came from the
Hart side of the Family. There was a family suggestion that
Robert Stirling Snr was an adopted child. So perhaps the name Dick was is
real mother or father's surname. In fact it looks as though this was his
real mother's name. I found Robert, aged 12, as Robert DICK, relationship adopted,
living with his adopted parents, William and Mary Stirling. Additionally
his mother's name was given as Isabella Dick on Robert's death certificate..
This is Jill's grandmother. The problem with Elizabeth was that despite 'everybody' telling me that she was born and bred in Dreghorn, Ayrshire and knowing her DOB I could not find any trace of a suitable birth record on Scots Origins. I needed her birth certificate to assist me with the ancestry of her parents (also it verifies the family line). I've now got a copy of her birth certificate. It looks like she was indeed born in Dregorn but for some unknown reason the birth was registered in Kilmaurs. Top of the Page
The
Missing Moores
The problem - The Moores are the ggg grandparents of Ian malcolmson. Ian is
descended from Helen Millar Moore born 1865 in Dumfries. There were 3 known
sisters born between 1867 and 1873. Helen was not married until 1888 in
Dumfries. I cannot find any record of the existence of this family in the 1881
Census. Were the missed or were they out of Scotland altogether?
The answer – a significant proportion of the Dumfries Town 1881 Census entries were lost or destroyed. Simple as that.
