Garland family from Old Machar Aberdeen

[Geoff Bates]

Hi, just trying to find out any information about the Garland family that lived in Old Machar, Aberdeen in the 1881 census. Thomas Garland, my 2x great grandfather, married Jane Wallace in 1873 at Old Machar Aberdeen. They had 4 children one being my great grandfather, William Wallace Garland. All children were born in Aberdeen according to 1881 census. The family immigrated to Bundaberg, Australia in 1882. The father Thomas was a journeyman cabinet maker also born in Aberdeen in abt 1851 according to the census. His parents names were John and Catherine (nee Brachnee) according to Thomas' death certificate in Qld. However, I haven't been able to locate any record of Thomas' birth in Scotland or his father John's marriage to Catherine Brachnee.
I did find one record of a John Garland in the 1851 census, born in Edinburgh in 1829. He was unmarried and a "lodger" at a house in 3 Paterson Street, St Pauls Lanarkshire. The only reason this record caught my eye was because his occupation was listed as a journeyman cabinet maker, just like the abovementioned Thomas Garland. Could this John be Thomas's father ?
I also found a record on the 1841 census of a John Garland, aged 13, born 1828 in Midlothian Scotland. He lived at Canongate, his mother being listed as Janet, aged 30, his other siblings being William and Jessy.
If anyone recognises this family, I would appreciate any information you may have.
Regards
Geoff Bates, Australia

[StewL]

Hello Geoff

Hopefully you have picked the best forum to search for your Scottish ancestors
I am sure there are people on the forum who are very good at putting people in the right direction.

[Muriel]

Have you looked at Thomas & Jane's marriage certificate? Marriage certificates usually give quite a bit of information including parents names (including the mother's maiden name), father's occupation and whether the parents are deceased at the time of the marriage. You can see certificates from 1855 (the start of Scottish registration) on Scotland's People (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk). It is a pay per view site, but very reasonable & the best place for Scottish ancestry research.

Muriel

[AndrewP]

Hi Geoff,

I can only guess that you have not looked at the 1873 marriage certificate. It can be viewed at http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk on a pay-per-view basis.

It lists the parents of the couple as: John Garland and Christina Black; and Alexander Wallace and Ann Wallace (ms. Barlow). The implication is that John and Christina were not a married couple, otherwise they should have been listed as John Garland and Christina Garland (ms. Black).

In the OPR (Old Parochial Register [up to 1854]) records on ScotlandsPeople, you can find Jane's record of birth and baptism. Also there are records for a brother and sister of hers. In the statutory records [from 1855], there are birth certificates for another sister, followed by two more brothers. These were all found using a parent search on the IGI (International Genealogical Index) at https://familysearch.org/search/collection/igi . All of these births are in Old Machar (Aberdeen) apart from the eldest to be found in Banff (Banffshire).

Ann (Barlow) Wallace died in 1863. Alexander subsequently re-married, and produced at least one child with his second wife. On Ann's death certificate, you get the names of her parents. In the 1871 census, you see Alexander with his second wife, three of the four surviving children from his first marriage, and his child from his second marriage. I see what I believe to be Jane in an aunt and uncle's household in the 1871 census.

That should give you a few things to consider.

All the best,

AndrewP

[nelmit]

Following on from Andrew's info, and although the age is out (a look at the original might be an idea), I wonder if this could be your Thomas in 1861 -

Later...yes it definitely is him as he is still living with Helen in 1871 now age 19 and an apprentice cabinet maker.

Piece: SCT1861/168 Place: Old Machar -Aberdeenshire Enumeration District: 5
Civil Parish: Old Machar Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: Gilcomston
Folio: 0 Page: 15 Schedule: 100
Address: 33 Skene Square

Surname First name(s) Rel Status Sex Age Occupation Where Born Remarks
COWPER George Head M M 54 Flax Dresser Angus - Arbroath 2 rooms
COWPER Hellen Wife M F 56 Aberdeenshire - Newburgh
COWPER Mary R Dau U F 18 Flax Yarn Winder Aberdeenshire - Aberdeen
GARLAND Thomas Boardr - M 7 Scholar Aberdeenshire - Aberdeen
LOWDON James Boardr - M 5 Scholar Aberdeenshire - Aberdeen

Contacting Aberdeen Archives might be useful as a look at the kirk sessions or poorhouse applications might reveal more about this boy.
http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/educatio ... ecords.asp


Regards,
Annette

[Geoff Bates]

Hi,

I'm not sure whether this reply goes to all those people that replied to my post, but I am extremely grateful and quite overwhelmed by all the information you have all provided. Thank you very much. Once I get a chance to follow up on this I will let you all know how I went.

Regards
Geoff

[Russell]

Hi Geoff

Yes all the information is posted so that ALL our members can see it. This is a completely open forum and we encourage folk to show how they found information so that less experienced researchers can pick up hints and tips.
We stick to SP guidelines on posting so that the 100 years rule is observed; however that does not exclude members exchanging information on more recent life events by the PM (private message) system. This allows individuals to swap info e.g. e-mail addresses without posting in the public forum. We all enjoy the challenge of rooting out details but we also appreciate, and get pleasure from any feedback a member gives. Sometimes these additional info posts are picked up by the search engines and draw new people to TalkingScot giving us a whole new set of searches to follow.

Russell

[Geoff Bates]

Hi all,

I have followed up the information kindly provided in the forum in relation to the heritage of Thomas and Jane Garland (nee Wallace). Jane's parents were Alexander and Ann (nee Barlow). Alexander Wallace's parents were George and Ann (nee Gray). The Wallace's were from Banff and the men of this family all worked in the sea/boating/shipping industry. Ann Barlow's parents were James and Jean (or Jane) nee Cruickshank who were from Boyndie or Banff. I intend to follow up more on the Wallace line, but I have turned my focus to the Garland's who are proving to be more difficult to trace.

As previously discovered, Thomas Garland, cabinet maker, married Jane Wallace in Aberdeen in 1873. This marriage certificate is very interesting because it gives hints about the Garlands. I have a question for AndrewP who previously made the comment about the fact that the certificate lists Thomas' parents as John Garland and his mother as Christina Black (and not Christina Garland nee Black). Does this mean that Thomas was an illegitimate child ? This view is supported by the fact that I can't find any marriage record for John and Christina Black. I do however note that the marriage certificate does possibly indicate that Christina's surname Black could have been something longer like Blackee, Blacknee or Blacker, as the name appears to spill out beyond the name column on the certificate. It then becomes a little bit lost amongst the writing in the next column. I tried to upload a copy of the marriage certificate but I'm not sure if it worked ( is there an easy way to insert files into a post ?)

At this stage I haven't found a marriage certificate for John and Christina (probably for the mere fact that they simply did not get married). The other record I can't find is a birth record for Thomas Garland. Is that because his parents were not married? and the church wouldn't acknowledge the birth ? Some of you may have a view on this.

One possible lead in the search for information about John Garland (Thomas' father) is in the 1851 census when a John Garland, aged 22 was living at 3 Paterson St, St Pauls, Lanarkshire. His age of 22 certainly fits in the right range if his son Thomas was born in about 1852. The main reason this record caught my eye was the fact that John's occupation was a journeyman cabinet maker and this was the same occupation of his son Thomas.
In the same census year, there was a Christina Black aged 16 working as a servant at Westerhill , Cadder, Lanarkshire, Scotland. I believe this residence is not far from Paterson Street.
I also found a record in the1841 census of a John Garland aged 13 living at Canongate, 84 High Street, Midlothian. The only reason this record caught my eye was because it lists John as being born in 1828 in Midlothian (same place and year as the John Garland listed in above 1851 record for 3 Paterson Street).

Not sure what anyone thinks of what I've found and whether anyone can suggest my next course of action to possibly find John's birth record.
Regards Geoff

[AndrewP]

As previously discovered, Thomas Garland, cabinet maker, married Jane Wallace in Aberdeen in 1873. This marriage certificate is very interesting because it gives hints about the Garlands. I have a question for AndrewP who previously made the comment about the fact that the certificate lists Thomas' parents as John Garland and his mother as Christina Black (and not Christina Garland nee Black). Does this mean that Thomas was an illegitimate child ? This view is supported by the fact that I can't find any marriage record for John and Christina Black. I do however note that the marriage certificate does possibly indicate that Christina's surname Black could have been something longer like Blackee, Blacknee or Blacker, as the name appears to spill out beyond the name column on the certificate. It then becomes a little bit lost amongst the writing in the next column. I tried to upload a copy of the marriage certificate but I'm not sure if it worked ( is there an easy way to insert files into a post ?)

At this stage I haven't found a marriage certificate for John and Christina (probably for the mere fact that they simply did not get married). The other record I can't find is a birth record for Thomas Garland. Is that because his parents were not married? and the church wouldn't acknowledge the birth ? Some of you may have a view on this.

Hi Geoff,

Yes, if his parents were unmarried, he would have been considered as illegitimate. In Scots law, had his parents subsequently married, and at the time of their son's birth they were in a position to be legally married, then the subsequent marriage would have legitimised the son.

In the years prior to 1855, there was no legal obligation for births (or baptisms) or marriages (or proclamations of banns) to be recorded. Also, it could be that the record was made but didn't survive to be deposited with the registrars after the start of statutory registration. In that sense, the absence of a record is not necessarily a sign of disapproval from the church. There are many births (or baptisms) recorded in the OPRs, often noted as "born naturally to", rather than "born lawfully to"; or more colourfully "begotten in fornication" or the like.

I see now what you mean regarding Thomas's mother's surname - was it something longer than "Black"? See below...

All the best,

AndrewP

Garland-Wallace-1873.PNG

[Geoff Bates]

For anyone who may also be researching this line of the Garland family of Aberdeen.
I found an entry in the 1851 Census for 72 Hutcheon Street, Aberdeen:

Margaret Blachree Head Widow F 43 Born : Ellon, Aberdeenshire
Christian Blachree Daughter Unmarried F 24 Born : Ellon
Mary Blachree Daughter Unmarried F 13 Born: Ellon
Thomas Garlon Grand son M 0 Born: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire

I am certain this is the same Christina (Christian) Blachree that was shown on previous mentioned marriage certificate for Thomas Garland and Ann Wallace, although it was previously difficult to be sure about the surname due to the hand writing. The above census record also confirms that Christina and John Garland were not married and therefore Thomas Garland (Garlon) was an illegimate child.

Further digging has found that Christina Blachree was part of a family from Ellon. Her parents were Margaret (Buchan) and George Blachree who lived at Colhill, Ellon in the 1841 census.
Now, who is Thomas Garland's father John ??

There has always been an understanding within current generations of descendents of Thomas, that the Garland's were from Ardlethen in Ellon. In the 1851 census, the year that Thomas was born, there was a John Garland aged 40 living at Ardlethen, Ellon. I note also that Colhill where the Blachree family lived, is very close to Ardlethen. I now believe that this John Garland of Ardlethen is Thomas' father by way of some form of short term relationship with Christina Blachree. Only DNA testing will absolutely confirm it, but I am pretty sure that I'm on the right track.
As further support for the above, I also discovered through a family tree that is readily accessible on the web(www.bellsite.id.au), that the same John Garland of Ardlethen left Scotland in 1851 with a young girl called Mary Henderson and they were married in March 1852 in London. They then left for New South Wales, Australia and eventually had a large family. Perhaps John had fled Scotland to avoid the fall out from the birth of the illegitimate son. Just a thought but possible. John died in 1892 aged 82, and his obituary states that he was from Ardlethen. His age certainly checks out with the 1851 census, and his departure from Scotland immediately follows the brith of his son Thomas.
This may be helpful to anyone who joins the forum and is researching the Garland's of Ardlethen, Ellon.
Regards
Geoff Bates