I've answered as best i can - hopefully correctly!
Sorry for delay...still got comptuter problems that aren't going away at all...
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>Re William Lyon/Catherine: ...... [just a wee typo? meant to say William Bruce/Catherine?]
>IGI Batch M119754 William Bruce married Catherine Bruce Glasgow 8th December 1841.
Answer - yet another different William BRUCE.
William BRUCE & Catherine BRUCE
Marriage: 08 DEC 1841, Glasgow.
~some children~
Alison BRUCE - Chr: 12 AUG 1842, Glasgow.
William BRUCE - Born abt 1850, Edinburgh.
1851 cens 685-3 Ed 12 p 4 (Canongate)
30 New St, Edinburgh.
William BRUCE, head, 26, Printers pressman, b Edinburgh, Edins.
Catherine BRUCE, wife, 26, ---------------------b Edinburgh, Edins.
Allison BRUCE, 8, daur, At school, b Glasgow, LKS
William BRUCE, 1, son, ------------b St. Andrews, Edins.
1861 census - they are still in Edinburgh.
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>...so which William is which. Are they one and the same and Mary told lies?? Or are they 2 different people??
Answer - 2 different Williams, and i reckon Mary was telling the truth in saying that she was a widow in 1851.
There doesn't appear to be any more children after wee Margaret was born (abt 1840).
So hubby William Bruce possibly died not long after the 1841 census?
If he didn't, then he's done a good job of disappearing!
My own thoughts are (no proof) that he did die a relatively young man.
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>Who is the William who signed the DC as 'son' to WB in 1861??
Answer - This is his parents,
*William BRUCE (4 Oct 1806 - 13 Dec 1861- parents William Bruce & Lilias Scott)
Janet SMITH........ [probably died pre 1841]
Marriage: 16 JUL 1830, Glasgow.
And this is their son **William (who signed his father's 1861 DC)
**William BRUCE.........[parents are the above *William Bruce & Janet Smith]
Mary LIVINGSTON
Marriage: 17 JUL 1857, Anderston, Glasgow.
1861 cens 644-7 Ed 53 p 3 (Glasgow - St. George)
43 Garscube Rd.
**William BRUCE, head, 30, Engine smith & Iron turner, b Glasgow, LKS
Mary BRUCE, wife, 27, ---------------------b Strathbungo, RFW
~~daur~~
***Mary BRUCE - Birth: 01 APR 1863 Milton, Glasgow
Informant - **William Bruce, father.......[same signature as on the 13 DEC 1861 DC below of *William BRUCE]
>DC *William Bruce millwright, December 13th 1861, Royal Infirmary Glasgow. Of Wallace Ct., Maitland St.
>Married to Catherine Crossan.
>Father: William Bruce engine keeper (dec)
>Mother: Lillias Bruce MS Scott
>signed - **William Bruce, son .............[same signature as on the 1 APR 1863 BC of ***Mary BRUCE]
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Note:
>James Bruce b.March 3rd 1858, 23 Ronald St..F. William Bruce, carter. M. Mary Bruce MS Muir.
>signed William Bruce father......... [this signature is different from 1861 DC *William & 1863 BC ***Mary]
But not surprising it was different - William died in 1860...!
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>Where do Lillias Scott and William Bruce born in 1777 fit in??
Answer - At the moment they too belong to another family, unless the chance that...
William Scott BRUCE (who married Mary MUIR) was in some way related to
William BRUCE (who probably married thrice: ie: Janet SMITH - Marion MARTIN - Catherine CROSSAN)
But as William Scott BRUCE couldn't have been your GF James's father then i suppose it doesn't affect you as such.
Though Wm Scott Bruce & Mary Muir's other children (and their descendants) are related to you.
Their other children are your ½ Great aunts or uncles, and their children your ½ first cousins once removed.
>Who really is James dad (b 1863 or????
Answer - very probably his name will never be known.
It just seems rather doubtful that, after the passing of so many years, anyone today would know.
And perhaps Mary never did tell anyone anyway...
So, sorry to say, looks like you may have hit a brickwall in tracing your GF James's father's ancestors....
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Jack