Elizabeth Shannon Morrison - Who's her daddy?

Baldie · Post by **Baldie** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 6:48 pm

I'm finding it impossible to trace my g grandmother's father.
She was born 16 July 1894 in Edinburgh. On her marriage certificate to William MILLAR(5 Sep 1918,Edinburgh) her mother is stated as Isabella MORRISON.
On her death certificate(11 Mar 1949,Edinburgh) her mother is Isabella KERR MORRISON.
She also has two sisters named Robina and Agnes. Can anyone help me?

Thanks Bryan

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 6:53 pm

Hi Bryan
Welcome to Talking Scot

She was born 16 July 1894 in Edinburgh

Who is stated on her birth entry as her mother and father? That is likely to be the most accurate documentation.
It may be that no father is mentioned at all, if her parents were not married....the fact that her own surname appears to be the same as her mother's surname my also suggest thits. I'd go check the birth entry to see what it says - there certainly seems to be someone of that name born in 1894 in Canongate on ScotlandsPeople.

best wishes
Lesley

Baldie · Post by **Baldie** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:47 pm

Hi Lesley

Yes I've tried SP and got her birth cert. it doesn't state any father. I've even searched the 1891 census to see if there was a male other than family residing with her mother to no avail.

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 9:22 pm

Hi Bryan

Yes I've tried SP and got her birth cert. it doesn't state any father.

And I take it there is no reference at all to an RCE entry in the left hand column of the birth entry?

She also has two sisters named Robina and Agnes.

And are their birth entries the same - with no father?
If so, did Robina and Agnes have middle names?
Do you know the significance of ELizabeth's middle name e.g. is it her mother's maiden name or can you identity where else in the family it comes from?
In my experience of births under these circumstances, some single mothers left whopping big pointing arrows in the child's name...

Best wishes
Lesley

nelmit · Post by **nelmit** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 9:50 pm

Here is Isabella's birth that shows she had the middle name Kerr at birth although I'm sure you'll have this Bryan.

ISABELLA KERR MORRISON

Event(s):
Birth: 21 JAN 1857 Edinburgh Parish, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland

Parents:
Father: WILLIAM MORRISON Family
Mother: AGNES CRAWFORD

Have you looked at Isabella's death entry just in case there were any other names given.
From the age gap of the sisters it looks likely that there were at least 2 different fathers and no male partners on any census.

Not very encouraging I know but I get my maiden name from my g g gran who had 8 children by at least 4 different fathers. 6 were registered illegitimate (including my g grandfather) in her name. I have her on every census 1841 - 1901 and not once is she living with any male partner.

Like Lesley I wondered if the Elizabeth Shannon might be significant.

Best wishes,
Annette

Baldie · Post by **Baldie** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 9:38 am

LesleyB wrote:Hi Bryan
And I take it there is no reference at all to an RCE entry in the left hand column of the birth entry?

No there's is no RCE indication. However I'm now very certain that her father's surname was Shannon as her sister Robina's middle name was Fisher and her father was David Fisher.

AnnieMack · Post by **AnnieMack** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 8:11 pm

Just a thought, one of mine had seven children to the one man many years before she married him. She had a couple of instances of assistance from the Poor House and the records mention him. I don't know the state of play with the Edinburgh records but it might be worth considering as there may have been times, especially late in her pregnancies when she needed assistance as she couldn't work and they would have asked her about Elizabeth's father.

Annie

Post by **AndrewP** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 12:44 pm

AnnieMack wrote:... She had a couple of instances of assistance from the Poor House and the records mention him. I don't know the state of play with the Edinburgh records ...

My understanding is that a few years back the City of Edinburgh Council's Archives Department sent the poorhouse records to the incinerator.

All the best,

AndrewP