Fleming line from Beith

I've traced my mother-in-law's ancestors to Beith in north Ayrshire in the late 18th century. It's a typical tale of families supporting each other, adapting to circumstances: moving where there is work, early deaths and second marriages and families.

Online tree here Follow the blue markers for the direct line.

Robert Fleming married Margaret Anderson in Beith on 23 August 1805

I think Robert was the one born 25 May 1783 in Beith to Robert Fleming and Margaret Barbour making him 22 at the time of his marriage

Margaret Anderson (1786 -1862) is the daughter of John Anderson and Mary Dunlop born 14 October 1786 in Beith making her 18 at the time of the marriage. Her family farmed at Foreside in Beith parish.

Robert Fleming (1783) and Margaret Anderson have 10 recorded children born in Beith between 1806 and 1826.

We are descended from Samuel Fleming born 2 December 1818 who married Elizabeth Shemons on 3 Jan 1839. Elizabeth was born in Ireland about 1819 and her parents are Hugh Shemons and Elizabeth Jellie; this information from her 1864 death certificate as given by her son.

In the 1841 census Samuel, Elizabeth and baby Janet are at 60 Main St, Beith. He is a cotton handloom weaver.

His grandmother Margaret Barbour is, I believe, still alive in 1841 and recorded at 99 Bunswynd, Beith as Widow Fleming; not much to go on, but her daughter-in-law and 5 grandchildren are present:

Widow Fleming     80 = Margaret Barbour born possibly 1756 (Ages in 1841 are rounded down, so 80 = 80 - 84, assuming the person knows their year of birth!)
Mrs.  Highslop     50 stocking maker  = ?may be daughter Mary
Mary Highslop     15 =?  Cotton Hand Loom Weaver
Mrs. Robt Fleming     50 = Margaret Anderson b1786 Cotton Hand Loom Weaver
Robert Fleming     30 = Robert b 1809 Cotton Hand Loom Weaver
Margt Fleming     25 = Margaret b 1814 Cotton Hand Loom Weaver
Andrew Fleming     20 = Andrew Fleming b 1816 Cotton Hand Loom Weaver
William Fleming     15 = brother b 1823 Cotton Hand Loom Weaver
Thos Fleming     15 = brother b 1826 Cotton Hand Loom Weaver

Margaret Anderson is living in Bunswynd with son William a cattle driver in 1851 and 1861 and dies there in 1862. Her parents names are confirmed as John Anderson and Mary Dunlop.

Samuel Fleming dies somewhere between 1844 and 1847
1844 is the birthdate of his 3rd child Robert (great grandfather) and 1847 is when his widow remarries.

In 1851 census his widow Elizabeth Shemons, with her 3 children Janet, Elizabeth and Robert, is in Auchinleck with new husband coal miner George Rae, an older widower,  and baby Hugh Rae born in New Cumnock in 1850

In 1861 census they are at Kilgrammie in the parish of Dailly with daughter Catherine Rae born in Old Cumnock in 1853.

Elizabeth Shemons dies in 1864 in Dalry aged only 45 of cancer of the uterus. Son Robert Fleming signed the death certificate as Robert Rae. Widower George Rae gets married for a third time to Margaret Bole.

Samuel and Elizabeth's son Robert Fleming (1844-1920) a coal miner marries Marion McFedries(1842-1917) in Dailly later in 1864*. She is the daughter of David McFedries and Isabella McJannet. They name their first child after Robert's stepfather George Rae.
They live in Dailly, then Galston, New Cumnock and settle in Cumnock about 1883 and have eight  children all of whom survived to adulthood (1911 census).
Robert's older sister Elizabeth Fleming and husband David Murdoch and children go out to Australia in 1889 on the Cuzco. Other family members remain in the area.

Grandfather Hugh Fleming was born at Kilgrammie in Dailly in 9 February 1875. He was a coal miner. He married Elizabeth Stillie in 1895 in Cumnock. They had 3 children 2 of whom died before 1900. And Elizabeth herself died in 1900 of tubercular peritonitis aged 35. In 1901 widower Hugh married his cousin Mary Cowan Wilson the daughter of Isabella McFedries and William Wilson. They had seven more children five of whom survived into adulthood including
Isabella McFedries Fleming b 1903 who married David McMeekin.

Mary Cowan Wilson (Mrs Hugh Fleming)

Bel (Isabella McFedries Fleming (1903-1995)  her niece Mina Fleming (1929-1994)  and her mother  Mary Cowan Wilson (1874-1957) taken early fifties in Cumnock

In 1914 Robert and Marion Fleming celebrated their Golden Wedding with a party at their home 6 Glengyron Row.  This is the invitation they sent to their son Hugh which was kept by Hugh's daughter Bel McMeekin who must have attended the party on 7 October 1914 aged 11, just 2 months after the outbreak of World War One.

George Thompson, or is he?

I was contacted this week by a lady whose great grandfather married into my Raes in 1888. She was having trouble finding anything on him earlier. On the marriage certificate in Ayrshire his name is George E Ellerington Thompson, father William Thompson gardener and mother Rachel Thompson, maiden surname Ellerington, deceased.

From the 1891 and 1901 censuses he was born about 1852 in England (big place).

I though with such a distinctive name he would be easy to find. Silly me.

First I looked for his parents' marriage, on the IGI and freebmd. Nothing. Then tried for a birth using various wildcards to account for spelling variations eg Thom*on would include both Thomson and Thompson spellings. Also drew a blank. Asked if she knew what the other E stood for - it was Edgar. He had an earlier first marriage in Ayrshire in 1884. His father William was an engine driver then. Seemed a bit different from gardener. So tried Edgar too. Nothing.

Then concentrated on the mother Rachel Ellerington. I found her in the 1851 census in Yorkshire, working as a house servant. This must have been quite soon before the birth of George. Tried looking in Yorkshire for his birth. Still no luck. Looked for a death for Rachel Ellerington. Nothing. Then looked for a marriage just of Rachel, not William Thomson and found one in 1857 to either Henry Canty or Barnabas Clark Pottle - you just get the names on the page for all the marriages and have to work out the pairings for yourself. I tried Henry Canty first and bingo here they are in 1861 census in Lincolnshire and in 1871 along with an Edgar Canty who is too old to be Henry's son. George Edgar must be illegitimate. I should really have thought of this sooner. But it contradicts the information George gave on both his marriage certificates.
Given that he was known as Edgar in 1861 I tried for Edgar Ellerington and, whoopee, there he was. I also found him in 1861 census as Edgar Ellerington with his Ellerington grandparents.
But where did "George" come from and who was "William Thomson"? Grandfather William Ellerington was a gardener and stepfather Henry Canty was an engine driver. Could William Thomson be made up? And if so, why?

Wondered if Edgar Ellerington had a criminal past. Happily that doesn't seem to be the case.

I still have to locate him in 1881 census. On both marriage certificates he was working as a pit bottomer. In the 1891 and 1901 censuses he was working in a pottery in Cumnock. He died in 1905, only 52. His wife had already died so he left 5 orphans under the age of 16.

I found the death of Rachel (Ellerington) Canty in 1871 aged 37. The previous but one entry was for Rachel Canty age 0. Seems like she died not long after giving birth.

The only hope may be the 1881 census. No Edgar Elleringtons. But lots of William Thomsons - none fit. But who knows what name to search under? Only thing that is definite is he was born in Hornsea in the third quarter of 1853. Any suggestions?

Footnote on 6 Sep: Working on the premise that he knew his father was William Thompson, then WT had to have been around in Yorkshire in 1852 so had a closer look at 1851 census and have found a possible William in Sculcoates (about half an hour from Hornsea) whose father was George. He has emigrated to USA by 1856 which would account for no further sightings of him! Absolutely no way of proving any of this, unfortunately.