Linking my James Donaldson

Post by **Tracey** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:14 pm

If you can stay with it i would like your thoughts on this please

Trying to find a link to add some research my Gx4 grandfather James Donaldson.
He married Isobel Moggach - more of which is known
27 NOVEMBER 1802 JAMES DONALDSON and ISABEL MOGGACH both in this Parish were matrimonially contracted and after Publication of Banns were married
and I have these seven children for them – fine……………………

James Donaldson 1805 Rathven
Jean Donaldson 1806 Rathven – more is known
Jannet Donaldson 1809 Rathven
Helen Donaldson 1811 Rathven
Jessie Donaldson born 1812 Rathven – more is known
Andrew Donaldson born abt 1815 Rathven – more is known
*William Donaldson 1819 Cullen – much much more is known !

Their son William b1819 Cullen had a son William b1847 - my Gx2
25 APRIL 1847 WM. DONALDSON Darbreich had by his wife MARY SHAW a Son baptized & named WM. Witnesses Wm. Milton & Isobel Milton. [Vol.3 p.98].

So when I looked for him on the census he was with these two in 1851 and 1861

1851 William Donaldson G2
Piece: SCT1851/164 Place: Rathven-Banffshire Enumeration District: 15
Civil Parish: Rathven Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: Rathven
Folio: 123 Page: 10 Schedule: 36
Address: Burnlyvenet
LAWRENCE James Head M M 44 Labourer Aberdeenshire - Dyce
LAWRENCE Isabella Wife M F 44 Banffshire - Portsoy
DONALDSON William Visitor - M 3 Banffshire – Rathven

1861
Name: Wm Donaldson
Age: 14
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1847
Relationship: Visitor
Gender: Male
Where born: Rathven, Banffshire
Registration Number: 164
Registration district: Rathven
Civil Parish: Rathven
County: Banffshire
Address: Burn Branet (Burnlevenut)
ED: 2 Household schedule number: 7 Line: 14 Roll: CSSCT1861_23
Household Members: Name Age
Wm Donaldson 14
Isabel M Lawrence 54 Wife Fordyce Crofters Wife
James Lawrence 52 Head Dyce, Aberdeenshire Crofter of 12 Acres
Jessie Morrison 13 Servant Fordyce Gen Servant
Source Citation: Parish: Rathven; ED: 2; Page: 2; Line: 14; Roll: CSSCT1861_23; Year: 1861.

(i am assuminghe was with them the whole time as later on he is described as being under the guardianship of Mr James Lawrence)

It looked like the above baptism witness Isobel Milton married James Lawrence 27 AUGUST 1839 JAMES LAURENCE in the Parish of Keith & ISABEL MILTON in this Parish were Matrimonially Contracted & after publication of Banns were Married. [Vol.3 p.147]. [Keith entry dated August 17th].

Also next door in 1851 is
Piece: SCT1851/164 Place: Rathven-Banffshire Enumeration District: 15
Civil Parish: Rathven Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: Rathven
Folio: 123 Page: 10 Schedule: 35
Address: Burnlyvenet
MILTON William Head M M 69 Farmer Banffshire - Rathven
DONALDSON Janet Wife M F 78 Banffshire – Deskford

And it could be that the other baptism witness William Milton married Janet Donaldson but i cant find the marriage.
(or it could be a different William and Isabel altgether)

Found death certificate in 1881 for Isabel Lawrence (Miss Milton) birth year app1807 parents John Milton Jane Lawrence – signed James Lawrence widow
Death certificate for William Milton 1856 making birth year app 1781 parents James Milton Elspet Lawrence – signed Isabel Milton niece
Death for Janet Milton (Miss Donaldson) 1859 making birth year app 1773 parents Andrew Donaldson and Margaret Coull signed Isabella Milton nearest relative.

There is no census with my James Donaldson and Isobel Moggach (although there are possibilities for Isobel) and he must have died before 1855. Their children’s death certificates’ names him as James Donaldson - a Tailor. Isabel Moggach was born 1778.
I am seriously clutching at straws here but I was wondering what the likelyhood of Janet Milton (Donaldson) being the sister of my James ?? There are other Donaldson witnesses on other baptisms but none I can link like this or maybe I am wishing too hard on this one and this Jannet did have a brother James !

10 NOVEMBER 1771 JANNET Daughter to ANDREW DONALDSON & MARGARET COUL his Spouse in Westerside of Rannes was baptized. Witnesses Alexr. Grant & James & Jannet Donaldsons there.

10 FEBRUARY 1774 [sic] MARGARET Daughter to ANDREW DONALDSON & MARGARET COUL his Spouse in Braeside of Rannes was baptized. Witnesses William Robertson in Fruichny & James Coul at Rannes.

13 OCTOBER 1775 [sic] JAMES Son to ANDREW DONALDSON & MARG. COUL his Spouse in Braeside of Rannes at Shoar of Buckie Witnesses James Hay at Rathven & James Donaldson in Portsoy. [Vol.1 p.143].

No date recorded] ANDREW DONALDSON in Braeside of Rannes & MARGARET COUL both in this Parish were matrimonially contracted pledges consigned & married February 7th. [Vol.2 p.46a 44a]. (LDS has 07 FEB 1771 Rathven, Banff, Scotland)

(Burnlevenut) is still in the Donaldson family till 1890’s but I cant find the information on it between 1871 and mid 1880’s.

This has been annoying me for a few years now but havnt had the time to get my head round it or put it coherantly - not to say i have done that now but its as clear as im going to get it ! and if isee things i may have missed i will add it to this in blue.

Tracey

Found this quote on the Rathven site which i thought quite interesting and may explain also why some entries are missing
There is a Blank or Vacancy here designedly left for inserting some of the childrens names whose Parents have not applied in due time for registrating them which is a neglect of the Parents too too common in this Parish & noways imputable to the Clerk.

Post by **SarahND** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:58 am

Hi Tracey,
I clicked on View unanswered posts and came upon this saga. So... I settled down for a good read

Here's the hypothetical scenario if I have this right

James Donaldson 1775 and Janet Donaldson 1771 are brother and sister

James marries Isobel Moggach in 1802
Their son William 1819 marries Mary Shaw and has:
William 1847-- he is now Janet's grand nephew

Before 1851 we assume James 1775 and wife Isobel as well as son William 1819 and his wife Mary are all dead. No parents or grandparents to look after the wee lad

In the meantime, Janet 1771 perhaps marries William Milton.
His brother John marries Jane Lawrence and has:
Isabella Milton (abt 1807) who then marries James Lawrence in 1839 (is he her cousin?-- all too many Lawrences about)

Uncle William and niece Isabella are the witnesses to William 1847's baptism, Isabella using her maiden name, because she's in Scotland.
William is the grand uncle (by marriage) to William 1819. No blood relation.
Isabella is no blood relation to William 1819 either, she is his grand aunt's niece by marriage
After over a decade of childlessness, James Lawrence and Isabella Milton take on Isabella's uncle's wife's grand nephew (you can understand why they just put "visitor" on the census form!)

Aunt (grand aunt) Janet hovers next door to supervise the care of her brother's grandson

Is the Isabel who looks after young William the same Isabel who registers all the deaths? This hinges on whether or not she always calls herself by her maiden name.

It could work... but how to prove it?

I don't suppose there are any testaments or kirk session minutes or anything that would give the crucial clue?

I hope I haven't muddled this too badly...

All the best,
Sarah

Post by **Tracey** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 11:57 pm

If you say so

I almost delelted this post last week as i couldnt believe there were over 140 odd views and not one comment - good or bad !

Just quickly

Before 1851 we assume James 1775 and wife Isobel as well as son William 1819 and his wife Mary are all dead. No parents or grandparents to look after the wee lad

James and Isobel probably are dead.
William 1819 died 1874 Mary 1884 and ten more children were born after William 1847 - up till 1864.
So no idea why William was the one who spent his time away from his parents.

anecdotes about Donaldson in "Recollections of Keith Fife- Keith and Newmill" p26-27 by John W Cowie - L 941.223 KEI

“ At the Square end of Chapel Street stood a children’s school. It had been a school from an early date, but more recently it was used as the weekly meeting-place of the Mutual Improvement Society. In a photograph (not included) of the members we find Mr Wm. Donaldson looking quite a boy in Elgin, and if what I have heard is true, he was a very precocious child – so much so, in fact, that he earned for himself the sobriquet of “Moses”. He came early to Keith under the guardianship of Mr. James Lawrence, who in addition to teaching him the art of shoemaking, fostered his ambition for literature and poetry. And no man was better qualified to do so.

The rest of the quote is a bit of a fairy tale - slightly untrue but reads well ! Have yet to find out clues as to why James Lawrence was such a good teacher.

I don't suppose there are any testaments or kirk session minutes or anything that would give the crucial clue?

I am ever greatful to this site and have been working my way through it for a looooong time
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/sheena_charles/genealogy.htm but cant remember anything to add but it may be a good idea if i went through it again

Thank you for looking in Sarah, you are a glutton for punishment

(what ever that means !)

Post by **SarahND** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 1:07 am

Tracey wrote: William 1819 died 1874 Mary 1884 and ten more children were born after William 1847 - up till 1864.

So this explains why they were so willing to pass one of the children over to the childless couple

Although I don't suppose they would have known already in 1851 that they were going to have so many more children. Did Mary have triplets or something around the 1851 census and so William went to stay with the Lawrences to keep out of his mother's hair and then they got used to having him around?

Cheers,
Sarah