William Halliday & Jessie McMeekan

[elise]

Hi,

I'm looking for any information regarding William Halliday and his wife Jessie McMeekan (possibly other spelling could be McMiken).

They were married 19th March 1822; William was from the Ernambrie Parish and Jessie was from High Creoch.

I have found three children:
John, born 28/12/1822, Girthon Scotland, married Sarah Campbell, died 11/3/1890 Ballarat Victoria Australia. (This is my ancestral line).
Thomas born 26/8/1826, Girthon Scotland.
Samuel born 18/2/1829, Girthon Scotland.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thankyou
Elise

[WilmaM]

Have you found the family in any census records?

I've had a quick look at FreeCen but can find no obvious trace in the 1841 [though I'm not sure how complete that is yet]

Candidate for Thomas in 1851:
Piece: SCT1851/586 Place: Dalmellington -Ayrshire Enumeration District: 1
Civil Parish: Dalmellington Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: Dalmellington
Folio: 0 Page: 47 Schedule: 138
Address: 85 Waterside Huts
Surname First name(s) Rel Status Sex Age Occupation Where Born Remarks
RAORKE Thomas Head M M 27 Miner's Labourer Ireland - -
RAORKE Judith Wife M F 33 Ireland - -
...Plus Others ...
HALLIDAY Thomas Lodger M M 25 Miner's Labourer Kirkcudbrightshire - Girthon HALLIDAY Mary Lodger M F 35 Kirkcudbrightshire - Girthon
HALLIDAY Jessie Lodger - F 9m Ayrshire - Dalmellington

Do you know when John went to Australia? did he marry here or there?
did he come alone or with family?

Lots of questions and few answers - but every little scrap can help build the picture and suggest new places to search.

[nelmit]

There is a Jessie McMichan Halliday born to John and Sarah at Kelton in 1853 but I'm finding it difficult to locate John in 1851.

Do you know John's occupation?

Regards,
Annette

[SandySandilands]

Have you found the family in any census records?

I've had a quick look at FreeCen but can find no obvious trace in the 1841 [though I'm not sure how complete that is yet]

Candidate for Thomas in 1851:
Piece: SCT1851/586 Place: Dalmellington -Ayrshire Enumeration District: 1
Civil Parish: Dalmellington Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: Dalmellington
Folio: 0 Page: 47 Schedule: 138
Address: 85 Waterside Huts
Surname First name(s) Rel Status Sex Age Occupation Where Born Remarks
RAORKE Thomas Head M M 27 Miner's Labourer Ireland - -
RAORKE Judith Wife M F 33 Ireland - -
...Plus Others ...
HALLIDAY Thomas Lodger M M 25 Miner's Labourer Kirkcudbrightshire - Girthon HALLIDAY Mary Lodger M F 35 Kirkcudbrightshire - Girthon
HALLIDAY Jessie Lodger - F 9m Ayrshire - Dalmellington

Do you know when John went to Australia? did he marry here or there?
did he come alone or with family?

Lots of questions and few answers - but every little scrap can help build the picture and suggest new places to search.

I found the same Thomas on the 1861:

Name: Thomas Halliday
Age: 34
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1827
Relationship: Head
Spouse's name : Elizabeth Halliday
Gender: Male
Where born: Girthon, Kirkcudbright
Registration Number: 586
Registration district: Dalmellington
Civil parish: Dalmellington
County: Ayrshire
Address: 8 Old Church St
Occupation: Collier
ED: 4
Household schedule number: 35
Line: 23
Roll: CSSCT1861_84
Household Members:
Name Age
Thomas Halliday 34
Elizabeth Halliday 39
Duncan Cunningham 12
John Cunningham 10
Jessie Halliday

Think this is him on the 1871:

Name: Thomas Halliday
Age: 44
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1827
Relationship: Head
Gender: Male
Where born: Larthon, Kirkcudbright
Registration Number: 608
Registration district: New Cumnock
Civil parish: New Cumnock
County: Ayrshire
Address: Craig Bank Peseweep Row
Occupation: Coal Miner
ED: 5
Household schedule number: 75
Line: 9
Roll: CSSCT1871_114
Household Members:
Name Age
Thomas Halliday 44
Jessie Halliday 11Name: Thomas Halliday
Age: 44
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1827
Relationship: Head
Gender: Male
Where born: Larthon, Kirkcudbright
Registration Number: 608
Registration district: New Cumnock
Civil parish: New Cumnock
County: Ayrshire
Address: Craig Bank Peseweep Row
Occupation: Coal Miner
ED: 5
Household schedule number: 75
Line: 9
Roll: CSSCT1871_114
Household Members:
Name Age
Thomas Halliday 44
Jessie Halliday 11

Lost him after that.

Sandy

[elise]

There is a Jessie McMichan Halliday born to John and Sarah at Kelton in 1853 but I'm finding it difficult to locate John in 1851.

Do you know John's occupation?

Regards,
Annette

Hi Annette,

John's occupation in Australia was a Miner. On his death certificate it states that his father William was a farmer.

Jessie was an illigitimate daughter according to the birth image I downloaded from Scotlands People. It says Jessie McMichan Campbell (illigitimate) baptised 10/4/1853, name of father John Halliday in Australia and mother Sarah Campbell.

[elise]

Have you found the family in any census records?

I've had a quick look at FreeCen but can find no obvious trace in the 1841 [though I'm not sure how complete that is yet]

Candidate for Thomas in 1851:
Piece: SCT1851/586 Place: Dalmellington -Ayrshire Enumeration District: 1
Civil Parish: Dalmellington Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: Dalmellington
Folio: 0 Page: 47 Schedule: 138
Address: 85 Waterside Huts
Surname First name(s) Rel Status Sex Age Occupation Where Born Remarks
RAORKE Thomas Head M M 27 Miner's Labourer Ireland - -
RAORKE Judith Wife M F 33 Ireland - -
...Plus Others ...
HALLIDAY Thomas Lodger M M 25 Miner's Labourer Kirkcudbrightshire - Girthon HALLIDAY Mary Lodger M F 35 Kirkcudbrightshire - Girthon
HALLIDAY Jessie Lodger - F 9m Ayrshire - Dalmellington

Do you know when John went to Australia? did he marry here or there?
did he come alone or with family?

Lots of questions and few answers - but every little scrap can help build the picture and suggest new places to search.

I haven't been able to find any census records for the family.

I can't find the record of when John came to Australia but I am presuming he was alone because he was already in Australia when his wife Sarah gave birth to a daughter, Jessie. She was baptised 10/4/1853 as Jessie McMichan Campbell and the record I found on Scotlands People states she is illigitimate, father John Halliday in Australia, mother Sarah Campbell.
I did find a family tree on the Internet that says Sarah and Jessie arrived in Victoria Australia in 1855 onboard the ship "Shackamaxon"; but as I haven't located the record I don't know how true this is.

[Currie]

Hello Elise,

Search the unassisted passenger list here for passengers on the Shackamaxon in 1855 and you'll find Sarah Halliday, age 21, and Jessie Halliday, age 2.
http://210.8.122.120/indexes/index_sear ... earchid=23

It sounds like John has headed for Australia as fast as he could to join the Great Australian Gold Rush. If that was the case it wouldn't have been before 1851 UK census time even if the child was baptised late. They were digging up huge quantities in 1852. The population of the Colony of Victoria increased from 77,000 to 540,000 in just two years.

The leaving behind of families and bringing them out later when things were a bit more settled was probably fairly common.

High Creoch appears to have been in Girthon Parish, and Ernambrie in Crossmichael Parish, both in Kirkcudbright. Recording of deaths in both parishes appears to have been very patchy.

Alan

[nelmit]

Hello Elise,

snipped...................

High Creoch appears to have been in Girthon Parish, and Ernambrie in Crossmichael Parish, both in Kirkcudbright. Recording of deaths in both parishes appears to have been very patchy.

Alan

1841 High Creoch (brother of Jessie ????)-

James McMiken 55 Ind
Mary McMiken 55
William McMiken 23
Samuel McMiken 21
Jeffrey McMiken 19
John McMiken 95
Margaret Taggart 84
James Maunlton 40
John Mcadams 50
James Mccartney 25
Agnes McClare 20
Agnes Bargess 20

They are still there in 1851.

James died in 1864 and left a 3 page will.

Hopefully you can prove this is Jessie's brother and his death entry will show his parents names.

Do you have this one of Sarah?

1851 King St, Kelton

Susan Campbell 54 Pauper Labourer born Kelton
Margaret Campbell 20
Sarah Campbell 18 Domestic servant born Kelton

Regards,
Annette

[JustJean]

James actually died in 1862.....

1862 MCMIKEN JAMES M GIRTHON /KIRKCUDBRIGHT 866/00 0006

I guess they didn't get the will settled until later on....

MCMIKEN JAMES 29/07/1864 FARMER RESIDED AT HIGH CREOCH, PARISH OF GIRTHON KIRKCUDBRIGHT SHERIFF COURT SC16/41/25

Best wishes
Jean