Prain, Kirriemuir

[Tonka]

Hi everyone,

I am searching for a Mr Prain (no christian name available) born c.1905 who owned, or was employed at, a garage in Kirriemuir, Angus around 1930. This is all the information i have to go with and i am looking for advice on what is the best approach on how to find this gentleman. Can anyone help ?

Thanks in advance
Graham

[Anne H]

Hi Graham...and a warm welcome to TalkingScot.

I'ts going to be difficult if you only have a surname to go by. Where did the information you have come from?

On Scotland's People there are 18 male births in the Angus area from 1900 - 1910 and 24 for the same dates in the whole of Scotland but again, if you don't know the christian name or parents, etc. it would be difficult to find the one you're looking for. Did you do some research on the garage and come up empty handed? If you haven't, that would be where I'd start looking.

Maybe someone else can come up with some ideas for you.

Regards,
Anne H

[AndrewP]

Hi Graham

I took the opposite approach from Anne, and looked for a suitable death record. If on ScotlandsPeople you search for the death certificate of someone: surname Prain; male; birth year 1905 ± 10 years; age 16 to 130; year of death 1920 to 2006; you will get 20 results. Some of these died more than 50 years ago, so their death certificates can be viewed on a pay per view basis. The others you would have to go to Glasgow or Edinburgh to view (or order them at the cost of an extract from the records - probably cost prohibitive for speculating). All this to see if you can find one with an appropriate occupation. And that assumes that he kept that occupation for the rest of his days and that went oin the death certificate. It also assumes that he has died - which need not be the case for a birth year around 1905.

If you have any more certainty about the birth year or the year(s) that he was in Kirriemuir, then you may be able to filter out a few of these.

By far the majority of them are in or around Dundee, so geographically it will be difficult to filter the number down.

All the best,

AndrewP

[LesleyB]

Hi Graham
Have you tried sending a request to the local newspaper? Often local knowledge can provide answers. Best way to go about it is perhaps as a "Researching family history" type reqest in the letters page. This looks to be a local paper:
Kirriemuir Herald
117-119 Castle Street
FORFAR
DD8 3AH
(01307) 464899
http://www.kirriemuirherald.co.uk/yoursay.aspx

Not sure how active this site is:
http://www.smartcommunity.co.uk/communi ... id=LC00005

I'd also be having a look at old PO Directories to see what garages were in operation at the time. There are unlikley to be an unmanageable number - perhaps 4, 5 maybe 6?

If you are able to go to New Register House in Edinburgh or Park Circus in Glasgow that would be a good way to go through all the likely candidates - I'd be hoping the chap married in his 20s-30s at which time his occupation will be given (so around about the time he was working at the garage). If going down this route, given that you have no first name, you will need to keep some track of those ones you have checked with a few details so that you can identify them and do not end up duplicating your own effort.

It very much depends on why you are looking and etc. and direct contact may not be appropriate depending on the circumstances, but if you check on the BT site there is a Prain listed in Kirrimuir....perhaps a point of contact. Also one here (I suspect the same one):
http://www.kirriemuiryouthfc.co.uk/team ... +0809.html

Best wishes
Lesley

[nelmit]

Inspired by Lesley and Andrew a check at the telephone directories shows 'Prain Bros. motor Engineers at Bridgend, Blairgowrie in the 1940's.

Regards,
Annette

[JustJean]

Hmmm....well if Nelmit's hunch is going to pay off then narrowing up to Blairgowrie and searching on deaths gives a pageful but most of them are female. There are a couple of males one with first name of Stanley who died there in his 80's and is the only one whose age would fit the approx birth window we're seeking. I've found a marriage for him in Perth and then a birth for him in Blairgowrie which was viewable. His father was Alexander and his mother's maiden name was Berry but dad wasn't into motors...working at the slaughter house instead. Using mum's mn though you find that there are likely 3 siblings all of them deceased. One was the other male of interest but much younger than Stanley named Frank. It appears that these two were born in Blairgowrie and died in Blairgowrie so it's possible they were the Prain Bros of Blairgowrie. If that qualifies them to have worked at a garage in Kirrimuir or anywhere for that matter I'm not sure.......................

Best wishes
Jean

PS and as a bit more probably useless info....Stanley was residing at Scoonie Cottage in Rattray when his dad passed 31 Dec 1944.

[nelmit]

Hmmm....well if Nelmit's hunch is going to pay off then narrowing up to Blairgowrie and searching on deaths gives a pageful but most of them are female. There are a couple of males one with first name of Stanley who died there in his 80's and is the only one whose age would fit the approx birth window we're seeking. I've found a marriage for him in Perth and then a birth for him in Blairgowrie which was viewable. His father was Alexander and his mother's maiden name was Berry but dad wasn't into motors...working at the slaughter house instead. Using mum's mn though you find that there are likely 3 siblings all of them deceased. One was the other male of interest but much younger than Stanley named Frank. It appears that these two were born in Blairgowrie and died in Blairgowrie so it's possible they were the Prain Bros of Blairgowrie. If that qualifies them to have worked at a garage in Kirrimuir or anywhere for that matter I'm not sure.......................

Best wishes
Jean

PS and as a bit more probably useless info....Stanley was residing at Scoonie Cottage in Rattray when his dad passed 31 Dec 1944.

Telephone directory shows a Stanley Prain, Motor Engineers at Blairgowrie!! Living at Blairgowrie in 1971.

Regards,
Annette

Not sure if this post will be edited or not (the info is freely available at Ancestry) but just in case you can PM me Graham and I will give you the info.

Regards,
Annette

[nelmit]

Ancestry shows a Royal Aero Club certificate in 1933 and 1939 for a Stanley Prain, Garage Proprietor, born 10th March 1909 at Blairgowrie. Address in 1939 - Bonvil Cottage, Blairgowrie.
There is a photograph of him too.

So if he's the one that Jean found then he's more than likely to be one of the 'Prain Bros' Motor Engineers but perhaps a bit young to be your Mr. Prain.

Regards,
Annette

[Tonka]

Wow !! Thanks very much to everyone for their help,

Elizabeth Easton 1906-1962 gave birth to an illegitimate child (my father) on 27th July 1930. My father, now deceased, never asked his mother who his biological father was but i have received the Prain information from a 95 years old aunt in Canada !. Mr Prain was allegedly engaged to another woman at the time my father was conceived and that is pretty much all the information i have. Thanks again to everyone.

Regards
Graham

[momat]

Hi Graham,
Scotland's People have a birth for a ****** ****** Easton 1930 in Angus.
I wonder if it has the name of the Father on it.
It is too recent to be available on line.
In the time frames 1905-1906 births for PRAIN there are 4 ,3 in Angus.
1929-1934 there are 11 Marriages for Prain .10 in the Angus area.
Only one Given name matches.
Cheers,