Looking for Catherine...

Mo-anne · Post by **Mo-anne** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 9:03 am

I am trying to trace Catherine, mother of Sarah and wife to Richard Wood.

Sarah Johnstone Wood married Walter Stoddart on 14 Nov 1873 : on the marraige certificate, Sarah’s mother’s maiden name is given as „Slight”.

On Sarah’s birth certificate (born 4 Sept 1853 in Dunlop, Ayr) , her mother’s maiden name is given as Catherine Johnstone Sleight ( as with birth certificates of Sarah’s siblings).

Sarah’s death certificate gives no name for her mother.

Catherine married Richard Wood on 23 Sept 48 and the marriage was recorded in the record of the Parish Church of Monimail: Catherine’s name is given there as Catherine Johnston (I don;t know why: I've tried to find a possible earlier marriage but so far no success).

In the census record for 1851 and subsequent censuses, Catherine consistently gives her place of birth as Hutton, Berwick. Her date of birth is c. 1824-8. On her death certificate – death registered by her husband in 1892 – her father’s name is given as David Sleigh and her mother as blank Sleigh, maiden name blank.

SP has three births registered for Hutton in the relevant period to David Sligh and Alison Robertson : Isabella (4 Dec 1822) Margaret (20 Jan 1821) and William (25 Dec 1824)
There is no trace of a Catherine born to David and Alison ( or to David with any other woman.) in Hutton or elsewhere; likewise a search using wild cards and soundex has led me nowhere.

I have tried to find a birth for Catherine Johnstone in Hutton but once again drawn a blank:

Can anyone help me get any further and piece together this ?

Regards Mo-anne

ellenavon · Post by **ellenavon** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 3:16 pm

Hi Mo-anne

Theres a Catherine Johnstone on the 1841 census at Summerhill, Ayton, Berwickshire, a female servant, age 20 (b. c1821), b. Berwickshire. Bearing in mind adult ages were rounded down to the nearest multiple of 5 years in this census, this could very well be her.

Doesn't help in finding her family as she was working away from home.

I believe that this is David and Alison and family in 1851:

At Lennel Hill, Coldstream, Berwickshire

David SLIGH, 49, b. Gavinton Langton, Berwicks, Farm Servant
Alison, 49, b. Coldingham, Berwicks, wife
Margaret, 28, b. Edrom, Bwks, servant, daur
Thomas, 20, b. Edrom, Bwks, Labourer, son
Elenor, 19, b. Foggo, Bwks, Servant, daur
George, 16, b. Gavinton Langton, Bwks, Labourer, son
Alison, 14, b. Edrom, Bwks, scholar, daur
William, 10, b. ENGLAND, Bwks, scholar, son
Mary, 6, b. ENGLAND, Bwks, scholar, daur.

Assuming this is the right family, it looks as though they were across the border in 1841, unless there is or was a place in Berwickshire called England??

So far I can not find them either in Scotland or England on the 1841, but will keep looking.

Regards

Ellen.

Mo-anne · Post by **Mo-anne** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:26 pm

Thanks for this. I suspect that this is Catherine in 1841 as the whole family was in service most of the time.
I'll cross reference the 1851 census info with the other info I have to date.
Many thanks again Mo-anne

ellenavon · Post by **ellenavon** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 10:46 pm

Hi Mo-anne

Patience is a virtue!

Here are David and Alison (Alice) in 1841. Obviously no Catherine with them, so it looks like the Catherine Johnstone previously mentioned is your girl. So is she the product of a dalliance of David Sleight/Sligh/Slight with some one else - ms Johnstone - while he was a married man? Perhaps you might be able to find out from Kirk Session records for the Hutton area if such exist???

Or is her dad another David Sleight/sligh/Slight???

1841 England. Berwick upon Tweed, Durham County.

David Slight, 38, b. Scotland, Ag Lab.
Alice Slight, 38, b. Scotland, wife
Margaret, 20
Isabella, 18
Thomas, 11
Elina, 8
George, 6
Alice, 4
William, 2

All the best

Ellen.

Mo-anne · Post by **Mo-anne** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 5:03 pm

I'm inclined to agree with your suggestion that Catherine's father and mother were not married - but what is fascinating me is why her father's name appears to be known but not her mother's.

Catherine and Richard gave thier eldest daughter the name Johnston - but when Richard registered his wife's death, he could remember the father's name but not even a first name for her mum.
Thanks again for your help in providing more bits for the puzzle!

Mo-anne