Part 121s – Smith Robertson Genealogy – 1857 Birth Great-Grandmother Ella Margaret Louise Scott

Morning,

And today I thought I would quickly jump to another country… the Bahamas, for the registration of my great-grandmother Ella Margaret Louise (née Scott) Smith.

Did you know that “the water used at the christening of the Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter, was brought from the river Jordan"?

 

Source: The Nassau Guardian and Bahamas Islands’ Advocate And Intelligencer, 

published the 9th of September 1857

The format of civil registration in the Bahamas for my great-grandmother Ella Margaret Louise’s birth seemed to mirror that of Grenada, which of course makes sense, as they were both a part of the British Empire at the time. I am just at odds trying to understand why the birth registrations were predominantly just a registration of a “human being” and not necessarily an individual. I’ve highlighted the line where I believe her birth, sans nom, is registered.

Sources: The National Archives of The Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas
and Family History Library

The above page of the Civil Registration was located on the microfilm FHL [222934] Births 1854-1857, Birth, marriage and death registers, 1850-1959, Registrar General, Bahamas.

My transcription –

BAHAMAS

BIRTHS IN THE Eastern District of the Island of New Providence DURING THE THREE MONTHS ENDING THE 30th DAY OF September 1857.
No. – 19
WHEN BORN. – 6th September
NAME, IF ANY. –
SEX. – F
NAME AND SURNAME OF FATHER. – Alexander Scott
NAME AND MAIDEN SURNAME OF MOTHER. – Sarah A.R. Scott formerly McKowen
RANK OR PROFESSION OF FATHER. – Episcopal Clergyman
WHEN REGISTERED. – 10th September
SIGNATURE OF REGISTRAR. – C.E. Spenser
BAPTISMAL NAME, ID ADDED AFTER REGISTRATION OF BIRTH. –

And then I went looking through WorldVitalRecords.com. I was able to find a database of scanned images of pages from the Nassau Guardian.

Using the birth and registration dates I thought that I would just check out some scanned pages near that time range. I lucked out. It was a “Eureka Moment!” I discovered a two line Birth Announcement that ties. It has to be the Birth Announcement for my great-grandmother Ella Margaret Louise Scott. And from the information that I have discovered to date, great-grandmother Ella Margaret Louise only had four brothers. I have not been able to find any data referencing any other female sibling. This may be her.

 

Sources: The Nassau Guardian, Nassau, Bahamas
and WorldVitalRecords.com

My transcription –

BIRTH – At Briney?, on the 6th instant, the wife of Revd. Alexander Scott, of a daughter.

Thanks Ray and Dave for your attempts at transcribing the place of birth “At Briney?”. I still not sure exactly what it is, but the Civil Registration above is titled “THE Eastern District of the Island of New Providence”. This would lead me to believe that “Bimini” is not the place, and which is not an actual physical location on New Providence. I just wonder if any of the other or out-islands were included in a “registration district” versus an actual location. If any one has any thoughts, insights, please feel free to comment or email me.

Enjoy,

Jim