My plans to get serious on my redo of my database were hijacked by things that were more fun. I sat down this morning to work on plugging in my Duncan's of Tennessee into my database… read, finally… to drift back to Scotland to my maternal Grandmother's line. I collect clues, put them aside and then promptly forget and then out of nowhere a switch goes off and it is like a gate at a horse race opening, I am off, on it, going to move that brick wall along and out of my way! This was one of those days. Sorry Duncan clan, Saturday morning Is for you, I promise!!
Margaret Anderson, I have posted about her before. Mystery, her son, my great-great-grandfather, John Anderson whose birth record says he is illegitimate. I had a message through Ancestry about a year ago from a nice gentleman that suggested we share the same Margaret Anderson and to take a look at a site he had with the information he had on her. Seriously, it has taken me almost a year to follow up? I have too many lines I am trying to work on, lol. My family history could and would be my full time job if not that I need to eat and pay rent, alas, work once again in the way of my hobbies! It's a crime I tell you! So I finally looked and then slid into ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk to poke around. The thing about Margaret is John's birth certificate. John is her third child, she states she is widowed. So is Anderson her surname or married name? Usually the Scottish records show for example: Elizabeth Dewar Anderson M.S. Spalding. I can not find John's death record which might have more clues. Without the 1911 census I can't pin point him being alive or dead and searching 30 years of John Anderson death records would be hugely expensive, the search comes up with like 94 John Andersons!
But.. I digress, a habit of mine. This information on the site was extremely helpful. The thing is, I can not find any of her event records, or couldn't. The information given to me from this site was hugely helpful. She and George Valentine had a daughter in c. 1847, Elizabeth. I found her death certificate that states her as illegitimate but her father is listed as George Valentine. Interestingly, her death certificate doesn't list her with a maiden surname but her married name, Milne, and her father is listed so I wonder what name she used growing up. I expect Anderson. I suppose I could hunt down her marriage record to kill that curiosity. I have not looked into George, I don't know if he was married or not. So Elizabeth is one of the two children before John. Being 1847 when she was born and 1855 when John was born, I am assuming Elizabeth is the first born, the second in between them I am also assuming is a girl since John has the name of Margaret's father. George Valentine was listed as Elizabeth's father, John's birth record had no father mentioned. So was George his father too? And who is the mystery man, William Cameron, stated as John's father on his marriage record? Later, she married William Nicoll. Her son David is how I found her on the 1891 census. William died before the 1871 census. Margaret was a widow on that. She had a lot of addresses and different jobs, I can not imagine she had an easy life especially when she was with men she was not married to.
So after tracking down her children who are not of my family line, I do have her birth and death records! I can't find a thing that has to do with her and William Nicoll. I do have her birth record. Her maiden surname IS Anderson. All this led me to her death certificate, finally. Her parents are John Anderson and Helen Gibb.
It is the 1861 Census I think will have the most information for me regarding the before William Nicoll period. I can not find it to save my life. Searching it in ScotlandsPeople is not working out. The 1871 Census has her a widow with David Nicoll (18) and a younger son John Nicoll (15) with her. And yikes, a second son named John?? I can't find 1881. 1891 Census she is living with David, he is a widower with 6 children, 5 boys, of course, one named John! Haha.
((Oh wow! I was just proof reading this post and realized that second boy John is my John! He was born in 1855. ~One of my more duh and dense moments here for the world to see, haha.~ Now I am more confused. David is older than John and he is a Nicoll? Or… She and William never had children and David is the third illegitimate child but he used Nicoll whereas John kept his name Anderson, I have census' for him… gads, now I need David's birth record! I am on the hunt again!))
John Anderson Birth Record:
John Anderson, (present), Male, 1855 June Third, 4h 0m A.M.
Greystone, Parish of Monikie, Forfarshire
(Illegitimate)
Margaret Anderson, Widow, Her 3rd Child, 29 years, Brechin
Margaret Anderson, her X mark, mother
John Sturrock, Witness
James Cowper Witness
1855, July 13th At Monikie
(Signed) W.M. Alexander, Registar
His Marriage Record:
1879 on the Twenty Seventh day of June at Laurel Bank, Dundee
After Banns, according to the forms of the Free Church of Scotland
(signed) John Anderson, Railway Pointsman, Bachelor; 24, Victoria Street Carnoustie
(signed) Elizabeth Spalding, Jute Winder, Spinster; 23, 24 Dallfield Walk
William Cameron, Ploughman; Margaret Anderson afterwards Nicoll
James Spalding, Yarn Bleacher (deceased); Elizabeth Spalding, M.S. Dewar (Deceased)
(signed) James Ewing, Officiating Minister
(Signed) William Lindsay Johnson, Witness; (Signed) Maria Spalding, Witness
1879 June 30 at Dundee; Dav(?) Scott, Registar
Elizabeth Anderson/Valentine Milne death:
Elizabeth Milne married to Charles Milne, General Laborer
(Illegitimate)
1909 June first 3 h 0 m A.M., 4 Stonewell Road, Dundee
F; 62 years
George Valentine, Carter (deceased)
Margaret Anderson afterwards married to William Nicoll, Ploughman (deceased)
Cancer of the liver, about 6 months, as best by James H W ? MD
(cant read name), daughter, present
1909 June 1st at Dundee
Jas Murray, Registrar
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