OPR - What do you think? .....

Spider-Girl · Post by **Spider-Girl** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 4:17 pm

Good afternoon all. I don't think I am so much looking for advice, as for a general sort of opinion.

Have been on the SP site today tackling the OPR births & baptisms and the banns & marriages. Basically, my great-great-great-grandfather Thomas Martin died in 1870 in Langholm. On his death extract, his death was regisered by one of his sons, Peter, but his parents aren't named. So, from his age at death it works out he was born in 1790/1791. I also know from census extracts that his place of birth is given as Kirkbean (Dumfriesshire, south west Scotland). So I did a search on SP and I found a Thomas Martin born in 1790 in the parish of New Abbey, which is basically right next to the parish of Kirkbean.

Do you think it is fair to assume that this is my Thomas Martin?

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 4:59 pm

Hi Spider-girl

I would probably pencil in his name with a question mark alongside and set out to get corroboration. This could come from a family search on SP where I pinpointed his brothers and sisters from the snippets of evidence you are already finding on Death and marriage Certs and OPR entries. Have you found an OPR entry for the posting of his Banns? The LDS film may give more information than you currently get on SP.
If you find siblings by doing a family search on IGI then grouping the names with the respective parents a naming pattern may emerge which gives further clues.
Have you searched for Kirk Session minutes? We found a relative being turned down as an Elder in the Kirk because he had taken the TEST. Don't know what that means yet but the information about where he lived confirmed it was the right man!
If they were good - or if they were bad their names might turn up in Session or Board meetings.

Did they own land? or did they rent a farm on an estate? The Register of Sassines or Estate manager records might still exist.

There are ways of confirming you have the right man or proving you are following a false trail.

Hope it is the right one

Russell

Spider-Girl · Post by **Spider-Girl** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 3:48 pm

Thanks for the advice Russell. Haven't been able to find the marriage banns as yet. I do know he was married to a Janet Cameron though (this is from his daughter Elizabeth's death certificate). I did a bit more digging and found another Thomas Martin, this time born in Kirkbean in 1793. I am thinking this could be a more likely candidate as the '51 census has Kirkbean as his birth place. Should probably check the '41 and '61 census returns. Ages of Thomas and especially his wife Janet just don't add up when you look at their ages at time of death - I think there has been a transcription error as Janet's age appreas to be ten years out. Something that really startled me was the fact they had EIGHT lodgers with them in 1851!!

Hoping to head up to NRH this coming week or the week after, so think I will leave the Martin family until then!