Thank you AnneM

sarone · Post by **sarone** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 12:56 pm

Hi, I hope you remember me, I was looking for Jane Pirie Johnston, my grandmother's ancestry in Aberdeen Scotland a few months ago.
After much deliberating, I finally requested her Marriage certificate and you were correct! her parents were Robert Johnston and Williamina (Willemina) Pirie
Thank you Anne M!
Now I would like to go to the next step and find out their parents, birth and death dates, etc.
Also if my grandmother had any siblings. I wonder how many cousins etc my mother actually had. She was told nothing and passed away 37 years ago never knowing. It would be nice to find the pieces of this puzzle.
I have a few old pictures of family members in Aberdeen Scotland, and thought that perhaps someone may recognise the people in the pics.
They would be long passed, but perhaps someone would remember if they were a relative, or even have the same photos in their possession.
My grandmother must've corresponded to her family and they sent her these photos which I now have.
Could you please guide me in how I go about finding anything more?
I am lost at this point.

Thanks once again for your help so far.

Wendy

nelmit · Post by **nelmit** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 6:35 pm

Hi Wendy,

Glad Anne's advice proved fruitful. If you follow the next piece of advice she gave this should give the names of your g grandparents who you can then find on census records -

Hi again Wendy

The good news is that, if that is your Jane, her parents get married in 1908 in Old Aberdeen, which gives you the names of all four grandparents. Go for it!!

Anne

You will find the marriage entry at Scotlands People.
She was also able to find Robert on a census. Have a wee look at your original postfor details.

Siblings may be a bit more tricky to find. I don't have a lot of knowledge of searching passenger lists but it would be worth finding out who travelled with Williamina and Jane to Australia.

Regards,
Annette

Post by **AnneM** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 6:54 pm

Hi Wendy

Glad my guess turned out to be right. Hope you are making progress. Robert's family is very easy to trace indeed back to C18. At that period in history siblings for your grandmother would be very difficult to find at least until the 1911 census comes online in 2011 or 12. Johnston is too common a name to look for all the births but as you know where the family was in 1907 and 1908 you could make an educated guess as to the names of other sibs e.g using names of grandparents and might just strike lucky. I would be prepared to take a bet on your finding an Isabella and a Robert and possibly an Alexander or a Williamina.

Just to help you on your way, here is Robert and family in 1901.

Westerton, South Loirston, Nigg, Kincardineshire

Robert Johnston Head 46 Farmer born Aberdeen
Isabella Johnston Wife 45 Nigg
James Johnston Son 18 Farmer's Son Nigg
Robert Johnston Son 16 Farmer's Son Nigg
George Johnston Son 13 Scholar Nigg
Charles Johnston Son 11 Scholar Nigg
Isabella Johnston Daur 6 Scholar Nigg
Thomas Johnston Son 3 Nigg

Also with the family are 2 servants Georgina and Mary Chalmers aged 18 and 16 respectively and both born in Methlick and a boarder called Adam McLeod aged 11 born Aberdeen. If I were you I would have to find out who he was just to see if he was any relation.

In 1891 they are as follows:

Again in Westerton, South Loirston, Nigg, Kincardineshire

Robert Johnston Head 37 Farmer born Aberdeen
Isabella Johnston Wife 36 Nigg
William Johnston Son 10 Scholar Nigg
James Johnston Son 8 Scholar Nigg
Robert Johnston Son 6 Scholar Nigg
George Johnston Son 3 Nigg
Christena Walker MI 77 Portlethen
John Richie Nephew 24 Farm Servant Nigg

There are also 2 servants in the household.

Hope this starts you off to finding all the ancestors on that side you want.

Anne

Sorry.Being stupid!! Any sibs of your grandmother would be born inside the 100 year period so would not be available for you to look for online.

Anne

Post by **AnneM** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 7:44 pm

Hi again Wendy

There's undoubtedly a wealth of certificates on Scotland's People for you to view, including marriages of both sets of great great grandparents.

Did you notice that your great grandmother Williamina Pirie or Johnston lived until 1961 and it also seems likely that Robert survived her and lived until 1962 or 1971. If you are serious about finding siblings for your grandmother I'd be sorely tempted to send for her death certificate and if you are lucky one of her surviving children may have been the informant.

Anne

sarone · Post by **sarone** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 2:48 pm

Thank you so much again Anne for that valuable information.
I have tried to recover information from the same site, but have had technical difficulties in retrieving the correct registration documents. Maybe I don't know how to navigate the site properly, but have been in contact with the administrators for some help. My credits keep disappearing without gaining much success!
I have managed to find only 1 sibling. My Grandmother did tell me that she had a brother named James.
A James Pirie Johnston was born in 1910 and perhaps in the same area. So I think she may have had only the one sibling. There were other "Pirie Johnstons" born, but in different areas in Scotland.
I think James Pirie Johnston died in 1992. If this is her brother, He outlived my Grandmother by 3 years or so.
Yes, I did manage to work out that Williamina died in 1961. My grandmother never mentioned anything about that to my mother (who would have been 30yo then) or to my brother or I.
I do distinctly remember Grandmother telling us that her father was "blonde and looked more like a Dutchman than a Scot" and that he died when she was young, but when, how and where is a mystery.
My grandmother's death certificate would not reveal anything, as my Uncle Ted provided the details and knew nothing of her family in Scotland either. Ted died just a few years after her at the age of 49.
The confirming news that the census reveals is that there was a Tom Johnston, Robert's youngest brother). We know for sure that he emigrated to Australia and was living a few streets away from where my brother now lives. (his GG Nephew). Sadly, my brother only found out about him after Tom had passed way years before.
Once again, you have been amazing!

Regards,
Wendy

Post by **AnneM** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 9:54 pm

I was thinking of the death certificate for your great grandmother. Admittedly that would cost the equivalent of around £8 but might well put you on the track of another sibling for your grandmother. It is unlikely that they had only one other child but stranger things have happened.

Some of the looking up is a New Register House job because the price would be way too high otherwise but unfortunately I'm not going there as far as I know for a while.

I hope you manage to get proper access to SP shortly because there is so much there for you.

Anne

sarone · Post by **sarone** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 8:55 am

Hi again Anne,

After discussing your information with my brother, there was a vague recollection and you have jogged our memories back to 1971.
We both independently recalled that around the time of our mother's death in 1971, our grandmother, Jane, did mention that her father had passed away in Scotland that same year.
I guess our own trauma at the time overshadowed anything else.
So you are right once again!
The father that died young must've been from our step-grandfather's side!
There are 12 entries for Robert Johnston death registration for the year 1971. Yet you knew it was there! You are truly amazing!
My brother John thanks you also

Wendy