help needed sorting out family tree please

katrina42 · Post by **katrina42** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 10:46 pm

I am trying to sort out my family tree as there appears to be a problem with names of ggggg grandparents,i am trying to find out the name of james muir's parents b c1823 in maybole ayr.james married margaret reid in ayr 1848, but no mention of a father or mother can anyone help,name john muir was suggested to me but dates dont seem right also annie muir as mother ?. regards katrina

Post by **AndrewP** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:08 pm

Hi Katrina,

The best bet is for you to seek the death certificate for James. Hopefully that will include the parents' names and a potential age, thus giving you more clues towards findng a birth OPR.

All the best,

AndrewP

katrina42 · Post by **katrina42** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 12:37 pm

have tried looking for death cert on scotlands people but cannot find one only a marriage cert,opr image no details other than bride and grooms names

Post by **AndrewP** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 12:53 pm

Hi Katrina,

On ScotlandsPeople, the death certificate for Margaret Muir, ms Reid shows up in 1861 in Ayr. James regsitered her death, so was alive at that date. I found three "possibles" for James Muir deaths in Ayr in the right age group / estimated birth year. On looking at two of them, they can be ruled out (wrong spouse). The third one, in 1875, has him listed as a stone mason (was a mason on Margaret's dc). Unfortunately the informant (steward of the asylum) didn't know James' late wife's name, or his parents' names. I am basing this on the assumption that he stayed in Ayr. If he moved beyond Ayr, there are too many James Muirs to guess at. The censuses may help, if prior to going into the asylum he was at the same address as when he was married, or if he had other family members living in the same household as himself.

All the best,

AndrewP

Post by **SarahND** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 3:16 pm

Hello Katrina,
I note that three different birth places are given for James in three different censuses. How did you get the Maybole place and date?

1851
235 High Street, Ayr, Ayr
James Moore, 30, Head, born Ireland, Mason
Margaret Moore, 28, Wife, born Ayr, Ayr
James Moore, 1, Son, born Ayr, Ayr

It looks as though he moved in with his brother-in-law when Margaret died:

1861
237 High Street, Ayr, Ayr
John Reid, 63, Head, born Ayr, Ayrshire, Coal Carter
Sarah Reid, 62, Wife, born Ireland
Agnes Reid, 39, Daughter, born Ayr, Ayrshire, Cotton Sewer
Sarrah McFadden, 3, Niece, born Culton, Ayrshire
James Muir, 38, Brother-in-law, born Ayr, Ayrshire, Stone Mason
James Muir, 12, Nephew, born Ayr, Ayrshire, Schoolar
Jannett Muir, 10, Niece, born Ayr, Ayrshire, schoolar
John Muir, 8, Nephew, born Ayr, Ayrshire, schoolar
Thomas Rodger, 63, Boarder, born Ireland, Gardner

Then, perhaps you're in luck! He married again. On that marriage cert his parents' names should be given.

1871
29 Carrick St, Ayr, Ayrshire
James Muir, 48, Head, born Maybole, Ayrshire, Stone Mason
Agnes Muir, 47, Wife, born Ayr, Ayrshire, House Wife
John Muir, 17, Son, born Ayr, Ayrshire, Apprentice Mason
Mary Muir, 6, Daur, born Ayr, Ayrshire, scholar
Audrey Muir, 3, Son, born Ayr, Ayrshire Later edit: this son's name appears to be Andrew on SP-- another Ancestry.com error
Jane Cowan, 16, Step Daur, born Ayr, Ayrshire, Knitter

Hope I have the right family, but it seems to fit with what Andrew found.

All the best,
Sarah

katrina42 · Post by **katrina42** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:59 pm

hi,that would all make sense as to why i could not trace my james muir c1823,i dowloaded certificates from scotlands people and have been trying to work from there ayr and campbeltown,as some of james muir snr and first wife margaret reid's children were born in ayr and some campbeltown is there anyway i can find out james muir snr c1823's new wifes details and that way i may get parents names of snr james c1823.thank you ever so much.

Post by **Jean Jeanie** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:15 pm

Hi Katrina

From Sarah's post it would appear that the children Andrew 3 and Mary 6 are from the second marriage.

A search of the IGI shows these children as being born in 1867 and 1864. Parents names are James Muir and Agnes McWilliam.

A further search on the IGI shows a marriage for this couple in 1865 in Ayr, Ayrshire.

If this is the correct couple, and I see no reason why this should not be, then you can obtain their marriage cert from Scotlandspeople and this should show James' parents names and Agnes McWilliam's parents also.

Best wishes
Jean

katrina42 · Post by **katrina42** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:58 am

thank you will look that up straight away.

katrina42 · Post by **katrina42** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 1:11 pm

did james muir and margaret reid also have a son john,as he was too old to be agnes mcwilliam's son when they married as he was 17 in 1871 census and margaret died in 1861.

katrina42 · Post by **katrina42** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 1:15 pm

Am also confused as to where exactly james muir snr was born as the first post say's in the census Ireland and the rest all say ayr?