Part 893s – Smith Robertson Genealogy – GGG-Grandfather James Smith – The Continued Search

Good Day,

I'm back.

The search never, ever ends. I am still looking for the possible origin of my 3-times great grandfather James Smith.

In the past couple of weeks my cousin made a fantastic discovery. It was a letter penned by a great-aunt to his mother. The discovery is a possible measure of luck which may or may not provide a clue to the search of the origins of our great-great-great-grandfather James Smith. The last sentence of the note/letter is what has definitely piqued our interest.

As transcribed, (thank-you David) –

“Your great grandmother (Ella) Granny Smiths was born in Eng. (York I think) he was an Anglican priest; Rev Alexander Scott- he married Sarah Ann Roseta McKowen, whose father was an Irish D; Mckowen-Mrs. Mckowen was the daughter of a Mrs. McEwen they came from Aberdeen Scotland. Granny Smiths; father & mother went to Nassau when they married. Their children were born there. They then went to Jamaica, where grandfather Scott died & Gran Scott came back to Grenada with 3 children. Ella, Hubert & Percy. Ella (your gran) Hubert lived in Trinidad and died there & Percy died at the age of 92 and is buried here. Ella my mother, & your Gran (Scott) married William James Smith my father whose Grandfather came from Glasgow.”

It is great-aunt Olive’s last sentence

“Ella my mother, & your Gran (Scott) married William James Smith my father whose Grandfather came from Glasgow.”

that provided me with the impetus and motivation to check another path of research.

From my previous research and write-up, Part 347s – Smith Robertson Genealogy – Indenture Research – 1842 James Smith – LWT – Distribution ggg-grandfather James Smith in his last will and testament mentions his sister Betsy (née Smith) La Grenade two times.

Given this fact, ggg-grandfather James had a sister Betsy, and that grandaunt Olive mentions that her father, my great-grandfather William James Smith’s grandfather came from Glasgow, I thought that I may search the FHL Scottish Parish Records for the birth and/or christening records of a brother and a sister born in the area of Glasgow. I increased my search to include the county of Lanarkshire as on older maps Glasgow is found within the area pre-1975. As ggg-grandfather James passed away in Grenada in about 1843 I set the range of my search for the siblings’ records to 1760 through 1800.

These are the parameters of my search –

1. The years 1760 – 1800, first pass.
2. All birth and christening (baptism) records as indexed in the Scottish Parish Records LDS database.
3. All birth and christening records specific to the county of Lanark.
4. All birth and christening records record for a male child named James.
5. All birth and christening records record for a female child named Elizabeth, Elisabeth, Betty and other variations. I did not find a record for the spelling of Betsy. (I did find a site which very nicely charts out names that may be related to that of Elizabeth – Behind the Name ).

To date I have found 72 Elizabeth, et al, records and 146 James records. Now the matching to same/mutual parents begins, if possible.

Here's a sampling of the records I have recorded.

If you have and comment, question, thought, idea please feel free to contact me via email at A Genealogy Hunt.

Regards,

Jim

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Part 888sr – Smith Robertson Genealogy – GGG-Grand Uncle John Robertson – A Poet – Oldhamstocks to Glasgow

Good Day,

It is always a great feeling when I stumble upon a document, a piece of evidence that confirms some detail of the history and account of my genealogy.

 

Two nights ago I just happened upon a couple of pages from an 1893 publication, Minstrelsy of The Merse, The Poets and Poetry of Berwickshire, A County Anthology by the Rev. W.S. Crockett, F.S.A.Scot. I discovered two pages concerning my ggg-granduncle John Robertson - 

Pages 117 and 118.

 

The details in the short write up provides some corroborating evidence about ggg-granduncle John and his Robertson family origination in Oldhamstocks and their move to Glasgow in about 1792.

“he quitted his native village in his fourteenth year, made his way to Glasgow…”

GGG-Granduncle John Robertson was born and baptized in Oldhamstocks 4 March and 12 March 1779, respectively. And 14 years added to 1779 equals 1793…close enough.

My previous work and the collection of baptism registrations indicate that ggg-granduncle John and four of his five brothers, including ggg-grandfather Thomas, lived and were baptized in Oldhamstocks. His youngest brother, ggg-granduncle Robert Robertson was born in Glasgow 7th September 1792.

If you have any thought, idea, question, comment, please feel free to contact me at A Genealogy Hunt.

And remember the details and the facts may change with the discovery of new documentation and writings.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 581r – Smith Robertson Genealogy – 1804 Marriage – GGG-Grandparents Thomas Robertson and Agnes Miller – Glasgow, Scotland

Good-day,

In my search and research I am currently following the life and genealogy of my maternal ggg-grandfather Thomas Robertson. In my previous post, Part 580r I discovered and learned of his 29 June 1780 birth and subsequent baptism at Oldhamstocks in Haddingtonshire.

It is now 1804 and he has now traveled west approximately 90 miles, 144 kilometers to Glasgow, or thereabouts. (See the blue line in the above cut-away map from Scotland.) It is 17 August 1804 and ggg-grandfather Thomas has married ggg-grandmother Agnes (née Miller). Also I have learned that his occupation is that of a Weaver. (From the details I am discovering about my ancestry don’t be too surprised if a loom appears in my house one day.)

I received a copy of the 1804 Marriage Registration extracted from an Old Parochial Register from the General Register Office in Edinburgh, Scotland. Here is the image.

My transcription –

369.

Glasgow 29th July 1804.

Robertson

Thomas Robertson, Weaver in Glasw & Agnes Miller,
Residenter there. Married 17th August by Mr William
Watson, Burgher Seceder Minister in Glasgow

But the question is where in Glasgow were ggg-grandparent Thomas and Agnes (née Miller) Robertson actually married? Was it in a Church? Was it at their home?

An interesting fact is that the gentleman who married ggg-grandparents Thomas and Agnes was one Mr. William Watson, a Burgher Seceder Minister, in Glasgow. My first thought is that if I can find Reverend Watson's congregation and "home church" I may just have an iota of a chance of determining a possible and most-likely location of the actual ceremony.

Stephen and I have been searching and researching documentation and publications specific to Mr. William Watson, a Burgher Seceder Minister. Stay-tuned... Who knows what we will turn up.

Enjoy,

Jim

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