Cant find Christina McLain.

[castanea1985]

I have a Christina McLain marrying Alexander Richardson in Dec q 1884 at Glendale district, Northumberland.

I can't seem to find her before this? She was about 27 when she married, so I wonder if she was married before. I've looked for her, but can't find any trace of a previous marriage or any sign of her in the censuses?

Can anyone trace her?

[Elaine ..Spain]

Have you found her on the census after her marriage - if so what does it give for place and year of birth.

[herky]

Hi,
Have you tried the alternate spelling of - McLEAN?
There is a Christina H MACLEAN b c 1861 living in Lancashire in the 1881 census.
In 1871 there is a Christina McLEAN - b 1853, Northumberland, working as a servant.

[castanea1985]

Elaine,
She died in 1887, giving her approx birth as 1857 - So haven't found her in any of the censuses.
Thanks for that, Herky - the northumberland one - she couldn't write when she got married so I guess McLain could have been miss-transcribed from Maclain, Maclaine, Mclean, Maclean etc.
Tracy

[castanea1985]

Have found a Christina MacLean married to Alexander Maclean in 1881 census
living at 12 Dundas Street, Bonnyrigg, Midlothian. She was born c.1857 in Dunshaet, Fife.

Is there anywhere I can find her maiden name? Is there a BMD site for Scotland?

[herky]

Mclean is quite a common name in Scotland.

What about this one in the 1881 census - Christina is wrongly spelled as CRISTINA.

She is in Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, a schoolmistress b Scotland c 1853 - so the age i out again!!!

RG 11
P 1573
F 10
P 13

[castanea1985]

Is she married, Herky?
I'm hoping that my Christina was married to a Mr. Maclean/ Mclain etc.
I'm hoping to find Christina's maiden name will help solve a mystery... so its really finding a marriage for her.

[herky]

oopps - sorry, single

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Glendale district, covers quite an area, what is basically the main route from Morpeth to Coldstream and shares a lengthy boundary with Scotland.

The only real way of tackling her pre census is via the marriage cert in the hope of finding a name/occupation for her father. It's a common surname with several variants and she could easily have come from over the border.

If she were born in Scotland then it's possible she could have been born in two or three counties that join the Northumberland area. Scotlandspeople would be the site for the bmd records for Scotland, but you really need to know the pre marriage census details first to give a place of birth.

Check the wiki pages for Scotland info, there is quite a bit there and some useful Scotland sites are listed too.

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

If the 1884 marriage is for your girl then judging by the "possible" chance she may have been married previously (given what you posted re the 1881) then the cert would be the only way to go as far as i can see. Until you have the info from that known event everything else is pure guesswork.

[castanea1985]

If the 1884 marriage is for your girl then judging by the "possible" chance she may have been married previously (given what you posted re the 1881) then the cert would be the only way to go as far as i can see. Until you have the info from that known event everything else is pure guesswork.

Thank you, Glen. You're right, I think sending for the marriage cert is the only way that I can determine whether or not she was married before.
Many Thanks.