My hawkers/pedlars again!.....

[ellenavon]

Hi everyone

I'm still looking for some inspiration to trace my travelling ancestors (if you want the background its on my previous thread on the Census section. I kept answering my own post so have started afresh )

Will detail below what I now know of the (chequered!) life of my great great grandmother.

Still can not trace her marraige to John Stewart - if indeed they did ever marry. Can not find her birth or her alleged parents Michael Aitken and Helen Gowan. And I don't have the first idea where the Somerville name appeared from!

Helen Ai(t)ken or Somerville or Stewart or Taylor


Claims born circa 1843-5 in either Huntly or Gartly, Aberdeenshire

1859 daughter Helen b. in August in Braemar
1861 son Thomas b. in January in Garmouth
1863 daughter Mary b. in March in Keith
1865 daughter Margaret b. in November in Elgin
1868 daughter Jessie b. in April in Elgin

All above children registered surname Stewart born to Helen (Stewart ms Somerville) and John Stewart

1870 daughter Alice b. in October in Banff (illegitimate but Stewart. Mother Helen Stewart)

1871 census Helen is at 10 High Street, Elgin with all of the above

1873 son John b. in April in Nether Buckie (illegitimate but Stewart. Mother Helen Stewart “domicil, Burgh of Elgin”)
1875 son James b. in August in Nether Buckie (illegitimate but Stewart. Mother Helen Stewart)
1877 son William b. in September in Banff (illegitimate, surname Somerville. Mother Helen Somerville, domicil, Back Street, Huntly)

1881 census Helen is in lodgings in Tyrie, Aberdeenshire, with John Stewart snr, Alice/John/James and William.

1891 census Helen is in lodgings in High Street, Forres with Henry Taylor and young William, Helen and William now Taylor.

1894 Helen and Henry Taylor get wed in November at St Nicholas Aberdeen.

1900 Henry dies in November @ 39 Guestrow, St Nicholas, Aberdeen

1901 Helen dies in February @ same address.

Helen, John, Henry and son William were all pedlars.

On the 1841 I have found a couple of interesting families:

George and Sarah Stewart (40 and 35yrs) with sons John 10 and James 8, all born Ireland, living in Hilltown Walkers Land, Dundee.

And Helen Aitken W 64yrs, with daughter Mary 30, a Jute Weaver, and son Thomas, 28, a Hawker, all born Ireland, living at 8 East Hendersons Wynd, Dundee.

Any suggestions/comments????

Regards

Ellen.

[sonofjm]

Hello Helen like you am having the worst time trying to trace my maternal grandmother but you seem to have made much more progress than I have My search too started in aberdeenshire in parish of cairnie near Huntly(1908) but then to Stirlingshire doubtful there in1913 and recorded in my mothers marriage lines as deceased before 1936 but I have no record of her at all except a name on mothers BC Margaret Ash previously Devitt/ms Mclean and there are hundreds of them I dont have any info on her so any birth death or anything as i said brick wall has not got look in Wishing you well with your search______________________Jimmy

[Lhadden]

Hello Ellen
Well, what a revelation to know that you too are searching for my ancestors . Like you, I found the children of Hellen Somerville and John Stewart. All along the Moray seaboard. Many in the Catholic records, so presumably, they were Roman Catholics. I did not find a marriage for them, nor a death for John Stewart, although there are some possibilities here and there.
My Great-grandmother was Maggie Stewart and I have a photo of her and (I think) three of her sisters. As Jessie died young, I presume the others are Alice, Mary and Hellen. I also found that first born, Hellen Stewart (Summerfield/Somerville) lived in Aberdeen and was married to a James Pirie. They were witnesses to Maggie's wedding. Mary married a William Roy.

Hellen Aitken(Somerville/Summerfield/Stewart) was certainly a woman of mystery. I cannot find any of the boys (Thomas, James, John) the latter two who are on the census in Tyrie, Aberdeenshire. There is a Thomas of his age who died at seas - could this be him?
My Gt-Grandmother Maggie married Alexander Crawford. Her daughter, my grandmother was very tight-lipped about her Stewart relation, however, my mother had Stewart as a middle name so not completely forgotten about. Maggie was a domestic servant at fourteen in the village of Broadsea.

[Lhadden]

I have discovered that Alice Stewart married a Mr Hendry and lived in Aberdeen. She had children, Haven't found out anything about her brothers, Thomas, John and James. The picture I have of the Stewart girls came from a New Castle studio and was, of the fashion of the time, two separate photos made into one. Any information would be appreciated.