Apologies in advance for the length of this. Hope not to lose you all!
My 3 x Great grandfather James has proved the most difficult and determined brick wall on my tree since starting out. I have in last fortnight made a determined effort to break through, and think I may have had some success, but would appreciate some feedback.
The first definite source I have is the 1851 Census where he is 25 a Journeyman Cooper at Drumblade, living at his place of employment. He was married in nearby Huntly two years later in 1853, (unfortunately just before civil registration started), so no parents details, though the record does confirm the 1851 census, that he was resident in Drumblade at that time. He moved in with 3 x great gran, and her widowed mother at their home 7 Back Street, Huntly, Aberdeenshire and lived there for rest of life, dying in 1892.
His death cert does not give any clue of his parantage as his adult son left the box blank, clearly did not know. So the sources left for him are the census 1851-1891 and his oldest sons 1855 baptism, which being an early one does give an age and place of birth for James. Both the two registration sources, death cert and sons baptism, agree on his age and give an approx birth year of 1823. Four of the five Census put it between 1824-26. Only the last 1891 Census, 18 months before his death, when he was ill and being cared for by a daughter, gives a different later date of around 1830, possibly filled out by his daughter in error, so most likely to be wrong.
As for his place of birth three of the Census he gives Aberdeen City (once stating specificly St Nicholas Parish). However on one he gives Fraserburgh. This alternative is also supported by his sons baptism where he gives Rosehearty (now a suberb of Fraserburgh). The 1861 Census gives Fyvie, but this is the only Census likely not to have been filled out by him, his elderly m-i-law was still head of household. Fyvie is not too far from Drumblade, so i suspect she made a mistake.
So this leaves a likely scenario of a James Gordon born 1823-26, either Aberdeen City or Rosehearty, Fraserburgh.
Now there are 26 James Gordons baptised in Aberdeenshire 1820-1830. If you narrow down to those two places you are left with just three. (I have been through all the other 23 anyway and accounted for them all!). These are:
James Gordon, son of Charles Gordon Elizabeth Sinclair, baptised 21 January 1828, Pitsligo (*note: Rosehearty was in this parish).
James Gordon, son of John Gordon and Mary Ewen, baptised 8 April 1828, Aberdeen City
James Gordon, son of John Gordon and Agnes Duncan, baptised 4 February 1829, Aberdeen City
Forgetting the Census for a moment. The first and last are fairly easily discounted. First married a Mary Trail, lived in Rosehearty all his life, and died there 1914. The last was an Iron Turner. He married a Latticia Benison, and also stayed put whole life, dieing in Aberdeen 1870.
That leaves the son of John Gordon and Mary Ewen. No marriage cert or death cert for him in Scotland.
Now a cousin in America, great grandson of James, who sadly recently died, believed that James was indeed the son of John Gordon and Mary Ewen. This info was given to him by his mother, a grandaughter of James, who emigrated to U.S.A in her twenties.
Initially I accepted this must then be correct...but I'm begining to question this. First the date is on late side, secondly she was only 10 when he died, if his adult son did not have any idea of his parantage, would his 10 year old grandaughter know such exact details? By far the biggest problem comes with the Census. On the 1851 the son of John and Mary Ewen is still living with them, right age 22, a ships carpenter, in Aberdeen City (Greyfriars parish not St Nicholas). My James is in Drumblade, aged 25, working as a journeyman Cooper!
I'm now thinking his grandaughter must have had some early research conducted before the Censi were available. As shown above using just parish records and certs, you WOULD be left with that James as only option. Admittably he does dissapear without trace after 1851, but, as a ships carpenter is it too much of a stretch of imagination to think he went abroad, emigrated?
It is not just the big problem on the 1851 Census that leads me to question the family tale. The 1841 also throws up a much more likely alternative James
George Street, Aberdeen West Parish , Aberdeenshire
GORDON Isabella F 50 Aberdeenshire
GORDON Margret F 20 Aberdeenshire
GORDON James M 17 Cooper Apprentice Aberdeenshire
ROSS Isabella F 1 Aberdeenshire
EWEN John M 1 Aberdeenshire
MATHEWS Elizabeth F 35 Aberdeenshire
I have several reasons for thinking this my James:
1) The age is exact match for the only two registration sources I have for my James, his sons baptism and his death cert. (James son of John Gordon and Mary Ewen never matches any source age wise, either reg docs or census.)
2) The adress George Street is part of the St Nicholas ecclasiastical district of the city. (The adress James, son of John Gordon and Mary Ewen is living at in 1851 is not.)
3) My James is aged 25 and a Journeyman Cooper on the 1851 census and thereafter a Master. Therefore he must have completed an apprenticeship by that point. Boys usually started apprenticeships aged 12-15, so you would expect him, whoever he is, to already be an apprentice cooper in 1841.
4) The 1851 Census shows Isabella living there still, described as a widow, aged 63, birth parish Old Pitsligo. Old Pitsligo is part of Rosehearty. This neatly ties in the two different places of birth given consistently by my James, St Nicholas, Aberdeen City, and Rosehearty, Fraserbugh.
5) A search of Pitsligos registers, show only two or three Isabellas born at that time. Only one Isabella Watt, exactly right age born 1787, was married to a Gordon. She married an Alexander Gordon in Pitsligo 1809 and they have two children in the registers a John, born 1809, and Margaret 1811. They then disappear from the register. (Note the 1841 James the apprentice cooper seemingly does hves an older sibling Margaret, even if age doesn't match exact)
6) There is no death cert for Isabella Gordon. She almost certainly died in the 'black hole' between 1851 Census and start of civil registration in 1855. This means by 1855 the time my James Gordon was married and had first child, James Gordon the apprentice cooper of 1841, would have had both parents dead, and perhaps at best only one sibling, who may or may not have survived either. This offers a plausible explanation for many questions I have with my James Gordon, why he'd moved away from Aberdeen City, why his children had no idea of his parentage, and why none of his family ever appear on any of the records with him. In contrast the 1861 census shows James the son of John Gordon and Mary Ewen, had a mother still alive and several adult siblings. His mother lived until the 1880's.
7) The great grandson in America had the info the family were at the time Episcopslians, non conformist. The obvious question then is why was James, son of John Gordon and Mary Ewen, who they believe our ancestor, and all his siblings baptised in Established church? If true though it would nicely explain the lack of any baptism for James, the coopers apprentice, son of Isabella.
Is my alternate case plausible? Am I right to debunk the family tale?........
My 3 x Great grandfather James has proved the most difficult and determined brick wall on my tree since starting out. I have in last fortnight made a determined effort to break through, and think I may have had some success, but would appreciate some feedback.
The first definite source I have is the 1851 Census where he is 25 a Journeyman Cooper at Drumblade, living at his place of employment. He was married in nearby Huntly two years later in 1853, (unfortunately just before civil registration started), so no parents details, though the record does confirm the 1851 census, that he was resident in Drumblade at that time. He moved in with 3 x great gran, and her widowed mother at their home 7 Back Street, Huntly, Aberdeenshire and lived there for rest of life, dying in 1892.
His death cert does not give any clue of his parantage as his adult son left the box blank, clearly did not know. So the sources left for him are the census 1851-1891 and his oldest sons 1855 baptism, which being an early one does give an age and place of birth for James. Both the two registration sources, death cert and sons baptism, agree on his age and give an approx birth year of 1823. Four of the five Census put it between 1824-26. Only the last 1891 Census, 18 months before his death, when he was ill and being cared for by a daughter, gives a different later date of around 1830, possibly filled out by his daughter in error, so most likely to be wrong.
As for his place of birth three of the Census he gives Aberdeen City (once stating specificly St Nicholas Parish). However on one he gives Fraserburgh. This alternative is also supported by his sons baptism where he gives Rosehearty (now a suberb of Fraserburgh). The 1861 Census gives Fyvie, but this is the only Census likely not to have been filled out by him, his elderly m-i-law was still head of household. Fyvie is not too far from Drumblade, so i suspect she made a mistake.
So this leaves a likely scenario of a James Gordon born 1823-26, either Aberdeen City or Rosehearty, Fraserburgh.
Now there are 26 James Gordons baptised in Aberdeenshire 1820-1830. If you narrow down to those two places you are left with just three. (I have been through all the other 23 anyway and accounted for them all!). These are:
James Gordon, son of Charles Gordon Elizabeth Sinclair, baptised 21 January 1828, Pitsligo (*note: Rosehearty was in this parish).
James Gordon, son of John Gordon and Mary Ewen, baptised 8 April 1828, Aberdeen City
James Gordon, son of John Gordon and Agnes Duncan, baptised 4 February 1829, Aberdeen City
Forgetting the Census for a moment. The first and last are fairly easily discounted. First married a Mary Trail, lived in Rosehearty all his life, and died there 1914. The last was an Iron Turner. He married a Latticia Benison, and also stayed put whole life, dieing in Aberdeen 1870.
That leaves the son of John Gordon and Mary Ewen. No marriage cert or death cert for him in Scotland.
Now a cousin in America, great grandson of James, who sadly recently died, believed that James was indeed the son of John Gordon and Mary Ewen. This info was given to him by his mother, a grandaughter of James, who emigrated to U.S.A in her twenties.
Initially I accepted this must then be correct...but I'm begining to question this. First the date is on late side, secondly she was only 10 when he died, if his adult son did not have any idea of his parantage, would his 10 year old grandaughter know such exact details? By far the biggest problem comes with the Census. On the 1851 the son of John and Mary Ewen is still living with them, right age 22, a ships carpenter, in Aberdeen City (Greyfriars parish not St Nicholas). My James is in Drumblade, aged 25, working as a journeyman Cooper!
I'm now thinking his grandaughter must have had some early research conducted before the Censi were available. As shown above using just parish records and certs, you WOULD be left with that James as only option. Admittably he does dissapear without trace after 1851, but, as a ships carpenter is it too much of a stretch of imagination to think he went abroad, emigrated?
It is not just the big problem on the 1851 Census that leads me to question the family tale. The 1841 also throws up a much more likely alternative James
George Street, Aberdeen West Parish , Aberdeenshire
GORDON Isabella F 50 Aberdeenshire
GORDON Margret F 20 Aberdeenshire
GORDON James M 17 Cooper Apprentice Aberdeenshire
ROSS Isabella F 1 Aberdeenshire
EWEN John M 1 Aberdeenshire
MATHEWS Elizabeth F 35 Aberdeenshire
I have several reasons for thinking this my James:
1) The age is exact match for the only two registration sources I have for my James, his sons baptism and his death cert. (James son of John Gordon and Mary Ewen never matches any source age wise, either reg docs or census.)
2) The adress George Street is part of the St Nicholas ecclasiastical district of the city. (The adress James, son of John Gordon and Mary Ewen is living at in 1851 is not.)
3) My James is aged 25 and a Journeyman Cooper on the 1851 census and thereafter a Master. Therefore he must have completed an apprenticeship by that point. Boys usually started apprenticeships aged 12-15, so you would expect him, whoever he is, to already be an apprentice cooper in 1841.
4) The 1851 Census shows Isabella living there still, described as a widow, aged 63, birth parish Old Pitsligo. Old Pitsligo is part of Rosehearty. This neatly ties in the two different places of birth given consistently by my James, St Nicholas, Aberdeen City, and Rosehearty, Fraserbugh.
5) A search of Pitsligos registers, show only two or three Isabellas born at that time. Only one Isabella Watt, exactly right age born 1787, was married to a Gordon. She married an Alexander Gordon in Pitsligo 1809 and they have two children in the registers a John, born 1809, and Margaret 1811. They then disappear from the register. (Note the 1841 James the apprentice cooper seemingly does hves an older sibling Margaret, even if age doesn't match exact)
6) There is no death cert for Isabella Gordon. She almost certainly died in the 'black hole' between 1851 Census and start of civil registration in 1855. This means by 1855 the time my James Gordon was married and had first child, James Gordon the apprentice cooper of 1841, would have had both parents dead, and perhaps at best only one sibling, who may or may not have survived either. This offers a plausible explanation for many questions I have with my James Gordon, why he'd moved away from Aberdeen City, why his children had no idea of his parentage, and why none of his family ever appear on any of the records with him. In contrast the 1861 census shows James the son of John Gordon and Mary Ewen, had a mother still alive and several adult siblings. His mother lived until the 1880's.
7) The great grandson in America had the info the family were at the time Episcopslians, non conformist. The obvious question then is why was James, son of John Gordon and Mary Ewen, who they believe our ancestor, and all his siblings baptised in Established church? If true though it would nicely explain the lack of any baptism for James, the coopers apprentice, son of Isabella.
Is my alternate case plausible? Am I right to debunk the family tale?........
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