McFedries was my mother-in-law's middle name so I was interested in where it came from.
It was her maternal grandmother's maiden name. Interestingly, it was also her paternal grandmother's maiden name. Could her parents be cousins? Oh yes. Isabella McFedries b 1839 and Marion Mcfedries b 1842 were both born in Dailly to David McFedries and Isabella McJannet.
David was born in Eaglesham, in Renfrewshire in 1803 to David McFedries of Girvan (not so far from Dailly) and Margaret Hunter of Eaglesham. The couple were married in Eaglesham in 1800. What David was doing in Eaglesham which is a fair distance (50 miles) from Girvan is a mystery. He was a cotton weaver; presumably he was there for work.
Girvan David's father was David born in Dailly about 1757 and I think, by process of elimination, his father was Gilbert born Dailly 1725. There was another David born in 1759 but I traced him. He was an unmarried shoemaker and died in Kilmarnock in 1868.**
The name McFedries had a number of variant spellings: McFedreis, McFedris, McPhedris, McFaedres, McFeadrie, McFaries, McFadrish, McFeatherish, not to mention bad transcriptions of bad handwriting: McLudres, McFeddelo, McFedrio even McJedrics!
Eaglesham David McFedries here
Any McFedries researchers/descendants, please get in touch!
** a reader has pointed out the discrepancy here. The David who died in 1868 was born in 1790 - maths was never my strong point - so back to the drawing board re David's birth somewhere around 1758. It's quite possible that it was never recorded!
Tuesday 17 September 2013
Monday 16 September 2013
Recurrent family names
A way of being sure you have the right family is from descendants sharing grandparents names. The downside is that more than one grandchild can end up with the same name! They are cousins, for example:-
I have 2 Elizabeth McMeekin McKays 1890 and 1898 and 2 Amelia Clarey Burleys 1902 and 1903.
This weekend I worked out who these people were from their descendants.
I came across some Sievwrights in Brechin in the 1841 census via ancestry.co.uk (I know, they are a bit of an obsession)
1841
Cadger Wynd, Brechin
Helen Sievwright 35 linen HLW (handloom weaver) born Scotland (but not Angus)
Joseph Sievwright 13
Andrew Sievwright 3
Jane Sievwright 70
Jess Porter 20 linen HLW
others all born Angus
The 1841 census does not give relationships. The original available on scotlandspeople would tell me whether or not they were married, but I hang off spending any more money!
I find some of them in 1851 census at the same address
Helen Seivwright 46 born Edinburgh
Joseph Seivwright 22 journeyman tobacconist b Brechin
Jean Seivwright 83 receiving parochial relief b Brechin
I pursue Joseph as the ladies appear to have died before 1855 (statutory registration begins then).
In 1861 he is a hotel keeper age 32 in Edinburgh. In the summer of 1861 he marries Alice Tonge an English girl of 20 who was working at the hotel in 1861.
I find her in Liverpool at the Bull Hotel, Dale Street in 1871 but Joseph has died in 1870. He left a fair bit of money, at least. Two of their children are called Helen Porter Sievwright and Jean Carr Sievwright. Are they named after the ladies in the earlier censuses?
I get the 1861 marriage cert to be sure. Joseph's parents are Helen Porter and George Sievwright, weaver. I find their marriage in 1834 and there is a marriage of Jean Carr to Andrew Sievwright in 1801.
I deduce that Jean is Helen's mother-in-law and Joseph's granny. Joseph also had a son who died a few months old called Joseph Andrew Norman Sievwright in 1870. I think Andrew could be a son of the Rev Norman. Andrew's wife Jean Carr was born about 1768 (from the 1851 census). Andrew could be the seventh child born in 1767 from John Garden's letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Whatever his parentage, he is bound to be related!
Joseph on my tree
I have 2 Elizabeth McMeekin McKays 1890 and 1898 and 2 Amelia Clarey Burleys 1902 and 1903.
This weekend I worked out who these people were from their descendants.
I came across some Sievwrights in Brechin in the 1841 census via ancestry.co.uk (I know, they are a bit of an obsession)
1841
Cadger Wynd, Brechin
Helen Sievwright 35 linen HLW (handloom weaver) born Scotland (but not Angus)
Joseph Sievwright 13
Andrew Sievwright 3
Jane Sievwright 70
Jess Porter 20 linen HLW
others all born Angus
The 1841 census does not give relationships. The original available on scotlandspeople would tell me whether or not they were married, but I hang off spending any more money!
I find some of them in 1851 census at the same address
Helen Seivwright 46 born Edinburgh
Joseph Seivwright 22 journeyman tobacconist b Brechin
Jean Seivwright 83 receiving parochial relief b Brechin
I pursue Joseph as the ladies appear to have died before 1855 (statutory registration begins then).
In 1861 he is a hotel keeper age 32 in Edinburgh. In the summer of 1861 he marries Alice Tonge an English girl of 20 who was working at the hotel in 1861.
I find her in Liverpool at the Bull Hotel, Dale Street in 1871 but Joseph has died in 1870. He left a fair bit of money, at least. Two of their children are called Helen Porter Sievwright and Jean Carr Sievwright. Are they named after the ladies in the earlier censuses?
I get the 1861 marriage cert to be sure. Joseph's parents are Helen Porter and George Sievwright, weaver. I find their marriage in 1834 and there is a marriage of Jean Carr to Andrew Sievwright in 1801.
I deduce that Jean is Helen's mother-in-law and Joseph's granny. Joseph also had a son who died a few months old called Joseph Andrew Norman Sievwright in 1870. I think Andrew could be a son of the Rev Norman. Andrew's wife Jean Carr was born about 1768 (from the 1851 census). Andrew could be the seventh child born in 1767 from John Garden's letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Whatever his parentage, he is bound to be related!
Joseph on my tree
Wednesday 11 September 2013
My brick wall
Solomon Sievwright is my great, great, great, grandfather born about 1776 in Angus, probably in Brechin. You'd think with such a distinctive name he would be easy to track!
The first record I can find for him is his marriage in 1816 to Martha Burnett in Brechin.
In 1841 Solomon 65 is a linen handloom weaver in Cadger Hillock in Brechin. Nothing out of the ordinary, so far.
Their son, my ancestor Colin, was born in 1819. He was a weaver but strangely also a published poet so must have had some education.
One of his sons went to New Zealand and a cousin there sent me a copy of a letter dated 1886 which outlines his family line for his grandchildren. His father Solomon was an officer in Nelson's navy on a man o' war. His father was John a lawyer and his grandfather was Rev Norman Sievwright an Episcopalian minister in Brechin. This ties in with what my granny told me. The Scottish Episcopalian Church is part of the Church of England.
The problem is Colin doesn't mention Solomon's mother. He is too old to be the son of John's marriage to Helen Lowe, so either John was married before or Solomon was illegitimate. I think it must be the latter since if he was the oldest son and heir he would have been mentioned in the will of Helen Lowe who survived husband John the lawyer and died in 1838. She was very wealthy while Solomon was working as a weaver just along the road.
Buying him a commission in the navy would have got him out of the way but I can find no record online for him as an officer in the navy. His return to marry in 1816 fits in with the end of the Napoleonic war.
I found another letter tying him in to the line of Rev Norman Sievwright. His great grandson had his ordination papers. I wonder if Solomon was brought up in his grandfather's household. There he would have got an education. Rev Norman was an esteemed scholar, but was not in the least wealthy. I found some correspondence from 1767 which said he had £40 a year and the Archbishop of Canterbury sent him £10 to help out.
The family wealth came from John the lawyer and his wife Helen Lowe.
I would love to find some earlier reference to Solomon, a birth, a mother, naval record, a burial. He died in 1843 according to Colin's letter to New Zealand. This is before statutory records began in Scotland, so no help there.
Solomon on my tree
Any suggestions as to next steps appreciated!
Update April 2016
Findmypast has released Royal Navy pension and service records and I found Solomon mentioned in 10 records. Most of them are paybook entries.
He served for 15 years and 1 month in the 1st DRM division of Royal Marines and was pensioned out in 14 Sep 1815 when he was 39 years old. The last record has a date of 25th June 1844 and I reckon this was his date of death after which the pension would cease. Son Colin had said in the 1886 letter that he died in 1843 so this seems right.
http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/british-royal-navy-and-royal-marines-service-and-pension-records-1704-1919?_ga=1.58663018.1364849508.1435153211
Update 2018
A cousin found this blog and had a note of Solomon's birthdate on his old family records. The value of sharing information online!
The first record I can find for him is his marriage in 1816 to Martha Burnett in Brechin.
In 1841 Solomon 65 is a linen handloom weaver in Cadger Hillock in Brechin. Nothing out of the ordinary, so far.
Their son, my ancestor Colin, was born in 1819. He was a weaver but strangely also a published poet so must have had some education.
One of his sons went to New Zealand and a cousin there sent me a copy of a letter dated 1886 which outlines his family line for his grandchildren. His father Solomon was an officer in Nelson's navy on a man o' war. His father was John a lawyer and his grandfather was Rev Norman Sievwright an Episcopalian minister in Brechin. This ties in with what my granny told me. The Scottish Episcopalian Church is part of the Church of England.
The problem is Colin doesn't mention Solomon's mother. He is too old to be the son of John's marriage to Helen Lowe, so either John was married before or Solomon was illegitimate. I think it must be the latter since if he was the oldest son and heir he would have been mentioned in the will of Helen Lowe who survived husband John the lawyer and died in 1838. She was very wealthy while Solomon was working as a weaver just along the road.
Buying him a commission in the navy would have got him out of the way but I can find no record online for him as an officer in the navy. His return to marry in 1816 fits in with the end of the Napoleonic war.
I found another letter tying him in to the line of Rev Norman Sievwright. His great grandson had his ordination papers. I wonder if Solomon was brought up in his grandfather's household. There he would have got an education. Rev Norman was an esteemed scholar, but was not in the least wealthy. I found some correspondence from 1767 which said he had £40 a year and the Archbishop of Canterbury sent him £10 to help out.
The family wealth came from John the lawyer and his wife Helen Lowe.
I would love to find some earlier reference to Solomon, a birth, a mother, naval record, a burial. He died in 1843 according to Colin's letter to New Zealand. This is before statutory records began in Scotland, so no help there.
Solomon on my tree
Any suggestions as to next steps appreciated!
Update April 2016
Findmypast has released Royal Navy pension and service records and I found Solomon mentioned in 10 records. Most of them are paybook entries.
He served for 15 years and 1 month in the 1st DRM division of Royal Marines and was pensioned out in 14 Sep 1815 when he was 39 years old. The last record has a date of 25th June 1844 and I reckon this was his date of death after which the pension would cease. Son Colin had said in the 1886 letter that he died in 1843 so this seems right.
http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/british-royal-navy-and-royal-marines-service-and-pension-records-1704-1919?_ga=1.58663018.1364849508.1435153211
Update 2018
A cousin found this blog and had a note of Solomon's birthdate on his old family records. The value of sharing information online!
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