Rutherford birth.....

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 5:14 pm

Is anyone out thtre working on Rutherfords?

My G-grandfather George Oman married Mary Ann Rutherford in 1867. Her parents were Thomas Rutherford (coachman) and Betsy Rutherford nee McMorran.

Their first child Agnes McMorran Oman was born in Hawick in 1868. followed by Isabell b 1870; Jemima b 1872 (my gran); Mary Ann b 1875; Nathaniel b 1877; Margaret b 1879; Hannah b 1881; Georgina b 1884; Kate b 1887.. The first 3 in Hawick. The others in Edinburgh.

On the 1871 census Mary Ann gives Torwoodlee as her birthplace.
On the 1881, 1891 & 1901she says Galasheils. I have been unable to locate her birth in Selkirkshire and have no clues about her parents marriage or birth.

On Mary Ann's Death cert. her mother is given as Agnes Pringle which confused us. Since their first daughter was given the middle name McMorran we tended to discount the death entry as an error.

Some of the Oman story is in the edinphoto.org.uk site - This was where I started my genealogy! I would desparately love to add at least the next generation back. I have almost all other lines back 2 or 3 generations at least.

Any help offered would be most gratefully received.

The McMorran family site gave up no clues at all.

Thanks folks can someone make me

Russell

CatrionaL · Post by **CatrionaL** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 6:41 pm

Good afternoon, Russell

The International Genealogical IndeX gives a birth for a

Margaret RUTHERFORD 12 May 1839 in Galashiels, Selkirkshire

Father Thomas RUTHERFORD
Mother Agnes PRINGLE

It is however a submitted entry not an extracted one.

However the entry makes me wonder. Could Thomas have re-married, this time to Agnes Pringle? Who registered Mary Ann's death? Could the person have simply thought that Agnes was Mary Ann's mother? Was the name Mary Ann clearly written on the Census? Occasionally the shortened form of Margaret "Marg." can be mistaken for "Mary".

Sorry I can only offer you more questions. and no answers

Catriona

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 8:52 pm

Hi Catriona

May I say - a lovely Scots name!

As you rightly say this problem poses more questions than I have answers for.

I have an IGI family group in Sprouston (extracted entry) father- Thomas Rutherford mother Betsy Oliver with son Robert b 1845; dau Janet b 1839;Vilet b 1849 (love the spelling!) Elisabeth b 1854
Another from FreeCen (1841) Thomas & Betsy with Janet aged 2 & Margaret age 1 month. They are in Kersquarter (still in Sprouston parish)
Mary Ann would not have been born then but since her marriage age and census ages don't match up she could have been born before 1845.

It was her son-in law who registered her death so it would not surprise me if he got her name wrong. Pringle was a very common name not just in the Borders but the Lothians too. My uncle -her nephew, married into the Pringle line
Her birthplace (if correct), Torwoodlee, was an estate owned by one line of the Pringle family. I even downloaded Sir John's will to see if Thomas was the 'big hoose' resident coachman. Sir John Pringle never even mentioned any of his staff in his will. Mean old thing that he was!

The Mary Ann name is consistent on SR documents and even on the census.
I have a niggling feeling that one tiny additional clue will open the whole thing up.
Thanks for sharing my head-scratching. One nudge from comments like yours will set me off in a different direction I'm sure.

Russell

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Sun Mar 19, 2006 2:30 am

This thread is now resolved

Someone with sharp eyes and a more retentive memory than mine saw my post, noticed the names on the census she had found for her own gggrandfather and told me about her find.
This has been my only real brickwall for nearly 2 years now each brick has a name on it and has been placed in the family edifice.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to look.

Russell

CatrionaL · Post by **CatrionaL** » Sun Mar 19, 2006 4:33 am

Russell

Delighted to hear of your succes!

Catriona