Part 583r – Smith Robertson Genealogy – Possible Locations – GGG-Grandparents Thomas and Agnes (née Miller) Robertson – Barony, Scotland

Good Day,

In the search for my ancestry and genealogy I attempt to pinpoint, as close to possible, key locations where my ancestors may have lived… for all, or at least for some part of their lives. And this is the case and effort this morning regarding ggg-grandfather Thomas Robertson.

All-things-being-equal, I know that ggg-grandfather Thomas was born and baptized in 1780 in Oldhamstocks, in Haddingtonshire, now East Lothian, Scotland. (See Part 580r.) At some point he traveled the 90 or so miles, 144 kilometers to Glasgow.

In August of 1804, in Glasgow, he married ggg-grandmother Agnes Miller. (See Part 581r.) And it was ggg-grandmother Agnes who was from Glasgow. This is according to their Marriage Registration, where it states “Agnes Miller, Residenter there.”

Well I just remembered, based on the documentation and information that I have gathered at this point in time, ggg-grandfather Thomas’ youngest brother, ggg-granduncle Robert Robertson was born 7 September 1792 in Glasgow. The brother who I have on record, ggg-granduncle William Robertson was the last to be born in Oldhamstocks 5 August 1786. This of course, translates logically, that the Robertson family, my gggg-grandparents John and Christian (née Dudgeon) traveled from Oldhamstocks to Glasgow, with their five sons sometime between 1786 and 1792. GGG-Grandfather Thomas would have been somewhere between 6 and 12 years old.

Exactly how the Robertsons traveled from Oldhamstocks to Glasgow is beyond me… but accordingly in 1840, 50 years later

“The dominant mode of transport was foot or horse and cart along makeshift roads, or by canal or riverway in wooden barges and ships. The railway system was still in its infancy – there was no rail link between Edinburgh and Glasgow until 1842.” (A History of the Scottish People, W.W Knox, Chapter 10.)

Some road-trip, gggg-grandparents John and Christian and five young sons, (that I have accounted for), between the possible ages 12 years and newborn? (Can you imagine the “Are we there yets?” and how could parents have survived with no SUV with individualized video babysitter/distractors?)

So now I’ve got Oldhamstocks to Glasgow; ggg-grandfather Thomas’ birthplace and the city in where he got married. According to the 1841 Scotland Census, (see Part 582r), in Barony, in the County of Lanark ggg-grandparents Thomas and Agness are living at Drygate Toll. Today, according to what I have read, Barony does not longer exist; it was absorbed by Glasgow. (City planning, of course…)

The above inserted Google map shows the aerial overview of Drygate in Glasgow; the approximate location is at the A marker on the inserted map. The B marker is at East Campbell Street where the Reverend William Watson may have married ggg-grandparents Thomas and Agnes (née Miller) Robertson in 1804. The C marker is at The Barony Hall which today may be, from what I have read, the last and major indication of the name of the Parish of Barony. The walking distance from A; Drygate Toll area to C; East Campbell Street is approximately 10 minutes.

And here is another discerning fact. Check out the name of the street just south of the A marker – Drygate. It is Duke Street. According to my discovery and documented records ggg-grandfather Thomas lived on Duke Street when he passed away on 27 March 1861.

Definitely thanks to Stephen, in Scotland for our discussions and correspondence. Also thank you Steve, in Wales for sending me the references to the Grenada Government Gazette.

Stay-tuned for more.

And I keep searching… and searching.

Enjoy,

Jim