Help in narrowing search

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Gloswegian
Posts: 60
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2009 9:24 am
Location: Gloucester (Ex Glasgow)

Help in narrowing search

Post by Gloswegian » Thu Sep 17, 2009 2:47 pm

This forum has been fantastic in helping me to identify my GGG Grandfather James Robertson and his early demise in a fishing accident in Whitehills in 1839.
I seem to have hit a brick though.

I cannot find his death record on SP so don't have an age or approx year of birth. He never appeared on a census so nothing there.
I contacted Banff registrar office to see if there were any records of his lair which may have had an age attached, but they have confirmed that even though he may well be buried in the Old graveyard in Boyndie, they do not have a record of it.

Because of the number of illegitimate births in the family at the time, I wonder if there may be something in the Kirk Sessions, so have contacted the NAS to confirm that the relevant books are available. It will be a long shot but I might get lucky.

Given that he married Jane Urquhart in 1837 when she was 34, I have searched the SP OPRs for any prospective James Robertsons in the age band 19 to 52 and there are 19 of them.

Getting to the point of my post now, how do I go about narrowing these births down given that I know so little? I cannot afford to view each of them on SP at 5 credits each. Is there something I am missing which could enable me to get an age at death of James?

I know this is a bit far fetched but you guys are the best in the business! [no smiley for "creep creep"]

Gordon

ryan
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:58 am

Post by ryan » Thu Sep 17, 2009 6:39 pm

The OPRs don't give a lot of info. Sometimes its only the persons name. Would probably be to hard to identify. Why does he not appear in the census? I can see him being missed maybe by one or even sp missing one but..........Do you have his wife in the census?

LesleyB
Posts: 8184
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 12:18 am
Location: Scotland

Post by LesleyB » Thu Sep 17, 2009 7:24 pm

Hi Gordon
All the CoS Kirk Session records are able to be viewed using Virtual Volumes on the PCs at NAS. If you are lucky, the Kirk Session records may contain the accounts, which may give monies collected as a result of burials, use of the mortcloth & etc.
Given that he married Jane Urquhart in 1837 when she was 34, I have searched the SP OPRs for any prospective James Robertsons in the age band 19 to 52 and there are 19 of them.

Getting to the point of my post now, how do I go about narrowing these births down given that I know so little? I cannot afford to view each of them on SP at 5 credits each. Is there something I am missing which could enable me to get an age at death of James?
A day or part of a day at the ScotlandsPeople centre or Park Circus in Glasgow would enable you to look at them all and see if any "fit" what you know so far.

Ryan:
Why does he not appear in the census?
He died in 1839.

Best wishes
Lesley

LesleyB
Posts: 8184
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 12:18 am
Location: Scotland

Post by LesleyB » Thu Sep 17, 2009 7:37 pm

In the NAS online catalogue, the Kirk Session is not looking too promising....

Boyndie, Kirk Session 1698-1992
CH2/1507/1 Minutes 1698-1706 and it seems a big gap and nothing until.....
CH2/1507/2 Minutes 1921-1941
CH2/1507/3 Minutes 1941-1953

CH2/1507/4 Accounts 1842-1917 - bother!

Gloswegian
Posts: 60
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2009 9:24 am
Location: Gloucester (Ex Glasgow)

Post by Gloswegian » Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:13 am

Hi Leslie,
Boyndie, Kirk Session 1698-1992
CH2/1507/1 Minutes 1698-1706 and it seems a big gap and nothing until.....
CH2/1507/2 Minutes 1921-1941
CH2/1507/3 Minutes 1941-1953

CH2/1507/4 Accounts 1842-1917 - bother!
That is a surprisingly big gap in the records.

Would the Banff COS Kirk records CH2/1109 possibly cover the Boyndie parish as well?

Am I clutching at straws?

So Park Circus has the same access as Edinburgh? I didn't know that.

Gordon

LesleyB
Posts: 8184
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 12:18 am
Location: Scotland

Post by LesleyB » Sat Sep 19, 2009 9:32 am

Hi Gordon
So Park Circus has the same access as Edinburgh? I didn't know that.
The same access for some things, not all:
Park Circus has access to: ( http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/ ... ogyCentre/ )
  • - Statutory Records (1855-2007) - digitised entries on computer

    - Civil Registration for Births, Deaths and Marriages was introduced in 1855. These are the records of District Registrars.

    - Census Records (1871, 1891, 1901 digitised entries on computer, 1881 index on separate computer system)

    - Old Parochial registers (pre 1855) - Computer/Microfilm

"The fee is £14.00 per day or part thereof (subject to change)"

Scotlands People Centre has the items listed here, some of which are not available at Park Circus:
http://www.scotlandspeoplehub.gov.uk/sc ... cords.html
Fee is £10 per day or part of a day

Best wishes
Lesley

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