Robert Imrie's ancestors.....

[PhilFi79]

I have been trying to track down my G,G,G, Grandfather, Robert Imrie, but up till now it's been pretty hopeless. We think he was born in 1773, possibly in Edinburgh (but not really sure!) He married Janet Fraser on 21st November 1791 in Edinburgh.

We actually have more info about his son Robert, who changed his name to Emery, when he moved to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, again date unknown. Robert "Emery" was born in Canongate in 1794 and married Ann Stuart. He was a very well know printer and Tyneside poet.

I would very much like to find more info on Robert Imrie, his ancestors, and to find out where they all came from in Scotland, if this is even possible. My father and grandfather believed that Robert Imrie hailed from Perthshire and Dundee has been mentioned. Can anyone help me?

[Southpaw]

Can't help with your ggg grandfather's ancestors. However, IGI lists four children for Robert Imrie and Janet Fraser with different spellings of last name: Robert Imry born 1794 Edinburgh, James Imrie born 1796 Edinburgh, Henry Imry born 1800 Edinburgh, and Joseph Emery born 1804 Newcastle-upo-Tyne. Parents of Joseph are shown as Robert Emery and Jennet Frazer. It would seem from this that it was your ggg grandfather who changed the name to Emery and not his son Robert.

Southpaw

[JayPee]

I, too, cannot help, except by throwing out an additional possibility discovered through my own research. One of my wife's long-losts, with forenames "James Henry", has his forenames in the death registry as "James Imray" ... as reported by his son. I wonder if a thick accent caused "Henry" to be interpreted as "Imray"
- JayPee

[PhilFi79]

to Southpaw and Jaypee,

Thanks so much for your input. This is the first I knew about Robert Imrie's brothers, so we seem to be making some headway. Southpaw, you mentioned IGI, pardon my ignorance, I'm new to all this, what is IGI and how can I look into it??

In our family history, we were told that Robert Emery, the son of Robert Imrie, changed his name at the turn of 1800 (approx) when he moved to England. There was still some bad feeling towards the Scots (from the Culloden Marsh days) so to begin a respectable business in Newcastle, he needed to have a respectable English name, hence the change to Emery. If this is incorrect, I'd like to find out why the name was changed.

Any other help would be greatly appreciated for this first year genealogical apprentice. Again, thank you for your time and efforts.

Phil.

[AndrewP]

... you mentioned IGI, pardon my ignorance, I'm new to all this, what is IGI and how can I look into it??

IGI = International Genealogical Index - an index, dominantly of births and marriages - made by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (often abbreviated to LDS), the Mormon church.

As far as Scotland's records are concerned, it is an index going back as far as the birth and marriage records of the Old Parochial [Parish] Records (OPRs). It has the OPRs up to 1854, then from 1855, it has an index of the civil records of births and marriages. The extracting of the civil records stops at 1874-1875.

http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/ ... _form=true

Ireland (and England and Wales; and many more countries) are included on the IGI. I am unclear of the dates of records of Ireland and the others.

As well as the extracts of official records, the IGI includes records submitted by members of LDS. Some of the submitted data may be good, but it can be difficult to verify as fact. Each record tells you whether it is extracted or submitted data.

It may be that your Imrie/Imry/Emery family did not change their name, but it is how the various officials wrote the name into the records. The accent of your people and the understanding of the officials could have led to the various spellings used.

All the best,

Andrew Paterson

[nelmit]

Can't help with your ggg grandfather's ancestors. However, IGI lists four children for Robert Imrie and Janet Fraser with different spellings of last name: Robert Imry born 1794 Edinburgh, James Imrie born 1796 Edinburgh, Henry Imry born 1800 Edinburgh, and Joseph Emery born 1804 Newcastle-upo-Tyne. Parents of Joseph are shown as Robert Emery and Jennet Frazer. It would seem from this that it was your ggg grandfather who changed the name to Emery and not his son Robert.

Southpaw

There is also a John Emery born in Newcastle in 1807 to Robert Emery and Jane Fraser.

Annette M

[MaryE]

This looks like your Robert Emery junior in the 1861 census. The age is a bit out but everything else seems to fit. Perhaps when the ennumerator copied the info from the census form into the book he misread a 7 as a 1 because an age of 67 would fit better.

1861 Census
RG9/3826 - Reg Dist Newcastle upon Tyne - Sub Reg Dist All Saints - Enum Dist 5d - Folio 93 - Page 29

Schedule 151 - 21 Silver Street

Robert Emery - Head - Married - 61 - Printer Compositor - born Scotland
Ann Emery - Wife - Married - 59(?) - born Newcastle
Ann Emery - Daughter - Unmarried - 16 - Book Sewer - born Newcastle
Alexr S Emery - Son - Unmarried - 13 - Scholar - born Newcastle

I can't find any of Robert's brothers in the area and Robert seems to have died before the 1871 census.

Mary

[ckmurray]

Robert Emery was also my ggg grandfather but I'm not sure how we are related. I realise this is a very old post so I hope you have had some luck with your search. I have just found an online article about Robert Imrie being a songwriter