Children of Mary Jane Smith 1875 to 1947

Looking for Scottish Ancestors

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Elainejayne
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue May 14, 2019 1:04 pm

Children of Mary Jane Smith 1875 to 1947

Post by Elainejayne » Tue May 14, 2019 7:27 pm

My great grandmother was born in Stair, Ayrshire, and orphaned early in life. She lived with her aunt Agnes Osborne Wallace, and her husband Robert Wallace in Tarbolton, then Laggan farm Islay. She left nine illegitimate children in West Cumberland between 1896 and 1912 one of whom was my grandfather Robert Smith. I have found out a lot about my great grandmother, and her brother Robert. ( a lot of Roberts!) but wonder if she left any more children. She had relatives in Twynholm, Dumfriesshire, and Ayrshire. She was related to Osbornes on her mother's side. All farmers. Names of farms, Drumjohn, Whitehill, Sheild, Steel Park, Lane, in Ayrshire. Slagnaw, Miefield, kelton in Kircudbright and Dumfriesshire. For children's names I am missing a David and a Jane after her father and grandmother. Any information would be fab.

WilmaM
Posts: 1870
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2004 10:46 am
Location: Falkirk area

Re: Children of Mary Jane Smith 1875 to 1947

Post by WilmaM » Tue May 14, 2019 7:48 pm

Hi and a very warm welcome to [talkingscot]

Have you checked the census records for her and her various wains?

I can see her in the LDS 1881 census in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire
Dwelling: 66 Kilmaurs Road Mary SMITH Head W 31 F Stair, Ayr, Scotland
Dwelling: 66 Kilmaurs Road Mary J. SMITH Daur 5 F Stair, Ayr, Scotland
Dwelling: 66 Kilmaurs Road Robert SMITH Son 3 M Stair, Ayr, Scotland
Dwelling: 66 Kilmaurs Road Matthew M. OSBORNE Boarder U 22 M Corresponding Clerk Stair, Ayr, Scotland
Dwelling: 66 Kilmaurs Road Harold S. MC NICOL Boarder U 17 M Apprentice Fitter Birkenhead, Cheshire, England
There's a 1891 entry in Tarbolton which is likely her too - these can be downloaded from Scotlands People.

If any of her children were born in Scotland their births [ and her's] can be seen on SP too.

The ones 'missing' perhaps died as babies.
Wilma

Elainejayne
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue May 14, 2019 1:04 pm

Re: Children of Mary Jane Smith 1875 to 1947

Post by Elainejayne » Tue May 14, 2019 7:54 pm

Thank you, yes thats her! The thing is, she kept all her children here in secret. She travelled down to Cumberland to give birth so the only record is on their birth certificates where we have her name and address. She found a fabulous foster mother to bring them up and she paid her to do so and came to see them regularly. But, family lore says there were more and I am just hoping there are more families that might share her very strange story!

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