McDonalds

Post by **Pandabean** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 6:44 pm

Hi people,

I am new to this site, been looking through my family tree for about a year now but recently I have used SP's website and found far more. However I am having trouble locating a William McDonald in Lanark from around (not sure on the exact date off hand) the late 1800's. I know their parents are Alexander McDonald and a Maggie Adams but I have been unable to find due to about 8 results and I do not wish to waste credits on looking through each one.

Can anyone offer any advice on how to locate this person?

Thanks
Andy

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 7:35 pm

Hi Andy
...and a warm welcome to Talking Scot

Can you maybe give us some ages and dates for the people you are looking for. What event is it you are looking for - a birth, marriage or death or appearance in a census?

If you can give us a few pointers we may be able to help.
Best wishes
Lesley

Post by **Pandabean** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 7:47 pm

Hi,

I can't post dates at the mo at the university at the moment. But I think the birth was in 1888 as for the death I am sure it was in the 50's after the date of the current records available. I will be able to post more precise info tomorrow as I am at uni on the computers.

The search I did turned up 12 William McDonalds and as far as I know he didn't have a middle name.

Thanks
Andy

Post by **Pandabean** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 3:17 pm

Got some dates for William:

Born ~1888 - 4/4/1957
Married in 1912 Bothwell

Any help would be grateful.

JustJean · Post by **JustJean** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 5:10 pm

Hi Andy

In order to narrow up choices it is helpful to find a marriage of the parents before searching the births as that gives you a district to start looking in first. A search for Alexander McDonald to Maggie Adams comes up empty though. Widen this to include Adamson and there is a marriage in Kelvin District. A search for a birth in Kelvin District for William McDonald restricted to the year 1888 return just one and it is to these same parents. I'm still not sure this is your William but the odds are that it is. Do you know of other siblings to William so you can prove this is the right family? Or have you located them on the 1891 or 1901 census? Or do you know an occupation for Alexander?

Best wishes
Jean

Post by **Pandabean** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 6:12 pm

I did do a search for that (Adamson) but I wasnt sure if it was them or not. I have uploaded the marriage cert for William McDonald and Sarah Leitch here:

http://www.talkingscot.com/gallery/disp ... p?pos=-448

I did do a search for a Wm McDonald in 1887 - 1890 in the county of Bothwell and Managed to narrow it down but I didnt have credits to check if this was the person. There is also a couple hits on the census so it may be them I am not sure.

Thanks

JustJean wrote:Hi Andy

In order to narrow up choices it is helpful to find a marriage of the parents before searching the births as that gives you a district to start looking in first. A search for Alexander McDonald to Maggie Adams comes up empty though. Widen this to include Adamson and there is a marriage in Kelvin District. A search for a birth in Kelvin District for William McDonald restricted to the year 1888 return just one and it is to these same parents. I'm still not sure this is your William but the odds are that it is. Do you know of other siblings to William so you can prove this is the right family? Or have you located them on the 1891 or 1901 census? Or do you know an occupation for Alexander?

Best wishes
Jean

JustJean · Post by **JustJean** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 6:30 pm

Hi again Andy

Well...knowing that William states both his parents are still alive when he married in 1912 it gives you a better window to search for their deaths...and using the maiden name feature for his mother but searching to include both Adams and Adamson and everything in between there is one in Dennistoun in 1914....that looks likely as her hubbie is Alexander and he is a pit headman....and the usual address is Bothwell. Since the first couple showed that Alexander as a joiner and the signature on the birth doesn't look like the one on Maggies' DC then it's doubtful the Kelvin match is correct!

Best wishes
Jean

JustJean · Post by **JustJean** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 6:44 pm

HOWEVER.......if you find your family in Bothwell in the 1901 census (and they are very easy to pinpoint)...not only will you discover that William does indeed have siblings...you can track one of these Bothwell born siblings to find where the parents ALexander and Maggie were married....and the answer is!! Drumroll.......12 June 1885 in Kelvin. So...I guess Alexander's handwriting changed over the years!!

Best wishes
Jean

Post by **Pandabean** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 8:25 pm

Thank you very much. Now all I have to do is pay to get some more search credits. Why would it be recorded as Adams rather than Adamson? That is if it is indeed her.

I did a quick census search but there are about 3 results for william in Bothwell at that time. Same goes for Alexander, but there is only one Maggie. Is this them?

JustJean wrote:HOWEVER.......if you find your family in Bothwell in the 1901 census (and they are very easy to pinpoint)...not only will you discover that William does indeed have siblings...you can track one of these Bothwell born siblings to find where the parents ALexander and Maggie were married....and the answer is!! Drumroll.......12 June 1885 in Kelvin. So...I guess Alexander's handwriting changed over the years!!

Best wishes
Jean

JustJean · Post by **JustJean** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 8:46 pm

Hi Andy

I searched for William McDonald in the census as I knew his birth was supposed to be in 1888 so had a more precise age to work with. Based on my parameters there were only 2 Williams....one MacDonald and the other McDonald. I opted for Mc and got lucky. Quite certain it is the correct family as Father, William and the next son all born Glasgow....other siblings all born Bothwell, father a miner as shown on William's MC. The GRO reference for the 1901 census image you want is 625/01 001/01 019.

Best wishes
Jean

ps...as for the Adams vs Adamson....I couldn't really say. Perhaps
William wasn't certain of his mother's maiden name! Be thankful it's something that really comes close!!!!

pps...later correction...(that will teach me to type from memory!) There were two William's born in Bothwell one a Mac and one a Mc...but neither of them are yours!! THere is only one 13 year old William in the census of 1901 in Bothwell...go for it!