The elusive Janet/Jessie Simpson

[ggrocott]

I have had another go at finding Janet/Jessie's birth or baptism but am still having no luck

[ggrocott]

Marriage George Simson, forger and Isabella Barclay this parish da of Wm Barclay 16 May 1837 Dundee

[bolemo]

I know, no Janet, Jessy, Jessie with those parents to be found… Her birth and/or baptism certificate would help. Maybe she is only George's or Isabella's daughter and the other spouse adopted her.
I have found this with George SIMPSON as a father:

No Date Surname Forename Parent Names No. Sex Parish City/County GROS Data
1 08/06/1834 SIMPSON JANET GEORGE SIMPSON/ISABEL FERGUSON F ALLOA (CLACKMANNAN) /CLACKMANNAN 465/00 0070 0137
2 20/08/1835 SIMPSON JANET GEORGE SIMPSON/ISOBEL BEVERIDGE F EDINBURGH EDINBURGH CITY CITY/MIDLOTHIAN 685/01 0570 0090
3 08/11/1835 SIMPSON JANET GEORGE SIMPSON/JEAN BROTCHIE F DUNNET /CAITHNESS 036/00 0020 0033
4 17/06/1836 SIMPSON JANET GEORGE SIMPSON/CLEMENTINA MINTO F EDINBURGH EDINBURGH CITY CITY/MIDLOTHIAN 685/01 0570 0173
5 01/11/1836 SIMPSON JANET GEORGE SIMPSON/GRACE STUART F INVERAVON /BANFF 157/00 0020 0124
6 08/02/1837 SIMPSON JANET GEORGE SIMPSON/ELIZABETH HAMILTON F GLASGOW GLASGOW CITY CITY/LANARK 644/01 0340 0530
7 09/12/1836 SIMPSON JANET MCLAREN GEORGE SIMPSON/STEWART F AUCHINLECK /AYR 577/00 0020 0235

I am sure that we will find her, we are making progress, a lot! If we can be sure of Isabella… The one I found is very interesting, but she might not be our Isabella. In that case, what about this Isabel FERGUSON? Maybe it is her, also a quick search and I find an Anne SIMPSON, born same place, from same parents in 1831, so not likely to be them… But I will need to check to eliminate her firmly. So many paths to explore…

[ggrocott]

Looking at when George Simson and Isabella Barclay married, if we have the right marriage, and I think we do, and Janet/Jessie's year of birth I was wondering whether she was actually the child of George and Isabella or of just one of them. There are no Janets daughter of Isabel* Barclay or variants that I can find 1830 -1837. And I have the same list for daughters of George. There are 202 matches for Janet daughter of Isabel* however! Will ponder further.

[bolemo]

If we suppose that the marriage we found is the right one, then the Isabell Barclay I found, born 07/06/1821 in Angus is not the right one, because her father is Joseph and not William. Moreover, she would have been 16 years and 3 days old when married, possible, but still young.

Isabell(a) might then be born elsewhere in Scotland…

Found those three:

Isabella Barclay 18/06/1816 New Deer, Aberdeen, Scotland
-> father: William Barclay
-> mother: Martha Dunlop

Isabella Barclay 29/07/1818 Leuchars, Fife, Scotland
-> father: William Barclay
-> mother: Janet Grant

Isabel Barclay 26/01/1825 Cruden, Aberdeen, Scotland
-> father: William Barcley
-> mother: Margaret Cordiner

I find the second one interesting: Leuchars is not that far from Dundee, and the mother's name is Janet.

[ggrocott]

I agree, the second one looks the most interesting, I am sure we will get there eventually.

[bolemo]

Here is what I found so far on this family.
Interesting to note that all births in Dundee before 1855 cannot be find. Maybe one Parish lost their registers?
No connection with Strachan or a name similar, however, in a 1871 Census, the son William Barclay is living at the same address as a Ramsay family (common name though, but interesting).

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William Barclay                       B   c1791 
& Janet Grant                         B   24/03/1798   Kilmany, Fife, Scotland
                                      D   17/02/1847
                                      M   03/07/1816   Leuchars, Fife, Scotland
Dau  Isabella Barclay                 B   22/07/1818   Leuchars, Fife, Scotland
Son  David Barclay                    B   25/07/1820   Leuchars, Fife, Scotland
                                      D   03/03/1883   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     & Mary Clark                     B   13/04/1813   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
                                      D   01/01/1878 
                                      M   03/04/1841   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Son  William Barclay             B   c1841        Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Helen Barclay               B   c1842        Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Catherine Barclay           B   c1843        Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Margaret Barclay            B   c1844        Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Son  David Barclay               B   c1845        Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Marie Barclay               B   c1848        Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Isabella Barclay            B   c1849        Dundee, Angus, Scotland
                                      D   11/09/1849   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Jean Barclay                B   c1851        Dundee, Angus, Scotland
                                      D   16/07/1851   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Susan Barclay               B   c1852        Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Mary Barclay                B   c1855        Dundee, Angus, Scotland
Son  Robert Barclay                   B   30/05/1822   Seggie, Leuchars, Fife, Scotland
Dau  Marjory Barclay                  B   30/09/1824   Seggie, Leuchars, Fife, Scotland
     & William Stewart                B   c1819        Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland
                                      M   30/12/1843   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Son  James Stewart               B   c1844        Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Son  William Stewart             B   c1848        Dundee, Angus, Scotland
?    Dau  Infant Stewart              B   11/04/1853   Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland
                                      D   11/04/1853   Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland
     Son  Thomas Stewart              B   c1854        Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland
     Dau  Agnes Stewart               B   24/04/1856   Anderston, Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland
     Dau  Catherine Stewart           B   10/08/1858   Anderston, Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland
     Dau  Marion Stewart              B   19/11/1860   Anderston, Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland
     Dau  Amelia Stewart              B   17/02/1863   Anderston, Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland
     Son  Stewart                     B   06/04/1865   Anderston, Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland
     Dau  Rachel Stewart              B   24/07/1866   Anderston, Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland
Son  William Barclay                  B   25/12/1828   Seggie, Leuchars, Fife, Scotland
     & Agnes Ritchie Smith            Chr 13/10/1830   St Vigeans, Angus, Scotland
                                      M   06/11/1846   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Jessie Barclay              B   c1847        Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Agnes Barclay               B   c1849        Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Son  William Barclay             B   c1851        Arbroath or St Vigeans, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Hannah Barclay              B   c1854        Arbroath, Angus, Scotland
     Son  George Barclay              B   09/02/1856   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Son  Alexander Barclay           B   03/10/1857   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Son  James Barclay               B   21/01/1861   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Robertina Barclay           B   12/02/1863   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Son  Benjamin Barclay            B   08/01/1865   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Son  Joseph Grant Barclay        B   19/12/1869   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
	? -> 1871 Census: with Ramsay family!
Dau  Margaret Lennox Barclay          B   18/05/1830   Seggie, Leuchars, Fife, Scotland
Son  John Barclay                     B   20/06/1832   Seggie, Leuchars, Fife, Scotland
                                      D   30/05/1845   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
Son  James Barclay                    B   22/05/1834   Seggie, Leuchars, Fife, Scotland
     & Margaret Smith                 B   02/07/1837   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
                                      M   30/04/1858   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Elizabeth Barclay           B   04/02/1859   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Son  James Barclay               B   05/09/1861   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Son  Nicoll Anderson Barclay     B   10/12/1864   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Son  Peter Barclay               B   22/05/1867   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Georginna Barclay           B   02/05/1869   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Son  William Barclay             B   12/09/1870   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Dau  Elizabeth Chalmers Barclay  B   15/07/1872   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
     Son  James Barclay               B   26/04/1874   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
Son  George Barclay (??)              B   c1840        Angus, Scotland

[ggrocott]

William Barclay and Janet Grant -

Another possible daughter Janet 1817 - 1872 married Robert Dewar 1838 Logie, Fife?

Children per 1851 census
Janet Dewar 12
James Dewar 10
Catharine Dewar 8
William Dewar 5
Eliza Dewar 3
Isabella Dewar 1

[bolemo]

Possible, if she was born in Leuchars.

Meanwhile, I did a major breakthrough. The scan of the Marriage Registration for Isabell Barclay and George Simson (forger), shows another marriage, right next to it:
William Simson, forgerman, and Helen Mutch, daughter of Arthur Mutch.
I did some search on them, and got a jackpot: William was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, like George. He got married the same year, in the same parish in Dundee, Scotland. He is living in Northumberland in 1840s, as is George, then moves to Sunderland, as is George, then… Consett in 1851, same street as George!! His son Matthew Simpson is living in 1881 at the same address as John Jackson Harkness, who is the son of Maria Dorothy Harkness, who is the sister of Thomas Henderson, whose grand-daughter will marry Thomas Simpson, son of George.
It is obvious that those two brothers (maybe even more siblings with them) moved together. Another clue: William first son is named Thomas, as George's father (so likely his own father).
Cherry on the cake: William and Helen's (named Ellen or Elanor depending on censuses) first child is named Mary and was born in Scotland; probably Dundee. It appears that she was born around 1838. George Simpson is her uncle… She could be that Mary Strithings in the 1861 Census.
All of that makes a solid case for George and William being brothers, but it reinforces also the fact that this marriage we found, in 1837 is the right one, meaning that Isabella Barcley is Isabell Barclay and her father is William. However, we cannot connect her yet to the Barclays we found (with Janet Grant).

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Helen / Ellen / Elanor MUTCH    B   c1816        Leith, Midlothian, Scotland
& William SIMPSON               B   c1818-1819   Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
                                M   29/05/1837   Dundee, Angus, Scotland
Dau  Mary SIMPSON               B   c1838        Scotland
Son  Thomas SIMPSON             B   c1839-1840   Newcastle on Tyne, Northumberland, England
?Dau  Rebecca SIMPSON           B   c1840
Son  Arthur SIMPSON             B   1841         Bishopwearmouth, Durham, England
Dau  Sarah Hannah SIMPSON       B   1843         Bishopwearmouth, Durham, England
Dau  Harriet SIMPSON            B   1848         Consett, Durham, England
Son  Edwin SIMPSON              Chr 20/10/1850   Shotley-Bridge, Durham, England
Son  Matthew SIMPSON            B   c1855        Consett, Durham, England
     & Phoebe                   B   c1854        Annfield Plain, Durham, England
Son  John SIMPSON               B   c1858        Consett, Durham, England

And now a strange thing: on the register, Helen Mutch's father is named Arthur.
I found an Arthur Mutch, who married a Mary Simpson (daughter of Thomas Simpson)…
Found some registrations for children, in Leith, as Helen Mutch is from, so that could likely be her parents.
I hope that Mary Simpson is not the sister of George and William… If so, Helen Mutch married her uncle… not likely, but they could be related (cousins?), or just the name Simpson was so common…
No trace of George and William Simpson's mother yet…

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Arthur MUTCH
& Mary SIMPSON (daughter of Thomas SIMPSON)
                                M   12/11/1805   Saint Cuthberts, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
Son  William MUTCH              B   01/09/1810   Ratho, Midlothian, Scotland
Dau  Mary MUTCH                 B   06/05/1817   South Leith, Midlothian, Scotland
Son  David MUTCH                B   26/07/1819   North Leith, Midlothian, Scotland

[ggrocott]

Hmm, an interesting aside. Someone on Ancestry has Hannah born 1840 Walker as the daughter of George Simpson and Isabella INNES. They have her married to Henry Charlton. There is a daughter Susannah.

It looks as if William is in the workhouse in Stockton in 1901, born 1819 Sheffield, Yorks, widowed puddler.

Looks as if Harriett Simpson born 184 married Thomas Prosser - scans of her birth certificate and marriage certificate on Ancestry. Daughter of William Simpson iron puddler and Ellenor Mutch