Inches and Hay families.....

[Do]

Is anyone else out there researching the Inches family and/or the Hay family?
Smollet Hay (my husband's gg grandmother) married James Inches 11/02/1828 at St cuthberts Edinburgh. By the 1841 census she is living in India Place Canongate Edinburgh with her 3 daughters Isabella (7) Janet (4) and Wilhelmina (8 m) and her sister Catherine and Catherine’s children. There is no sign of James Inches or Catherine's husband Donald McLaren. As Wilhelmina is only 8 months presumably James Inches could not have been dead / missing for more than a year and a half.

Both Wilhelmina and Janet were born in England (according to the census) but I cannot find their births on the 1837 site, nor can I find the death of James Inches.
On 2/01/1844 Smollett Hay or Inches married William Fraser. When she died in 1861 she is recorded as Smollet Fraser – no mention of first husband James Inches or her parents Alexander Hay and Isabel Craig – perhaps William Fraser who registered her death didn’t have that information. Oddly, when Smollet’s daughter Wilhelmina married James Fleming in 1862 her mother is given as Isabella Inches maiden name Thomson – no idea why. When Isabella Inches married in Dec 1860 (prior to the death of her mother) her mothers name is given as Margaret Inches maiden surname Hay – suggesting the daughters had lost contact with their mother perhaps? However Wilhelmina did name her first daughter Smollet so I am sure I do have the right mother / daughter.

My questions are:

What happened to James Inches?
Why is the mother of Wilhelmina named as Isabella Thomson?

Can anyone shed any light on this for me?

Do

[Sobil]

Hi Do,

Not a clue about anything but the free BMD site has a James Inch dying in quarter ending June 1839 in the Risbridge District (borders of Cambridgeshire, Essex and Suffolk).

Also lists a Joseph Inch born quarter ending March 1840 and a "female" Inch born QE March 1841 both Risbridge District.

Only you will know if this helps!

Sobil

[Do]

Sobil

Thanks for this but I can't see any connection - I think this must have been another Inch family as Joseph was not a family name I have come across before. Perhaps my James Inches simply ran away from home......

Do

[Do]

Hello

I still haven't found any reason why Wilhelmina Inches gave her mother's name as Isabella Inches nee Thomson when she married - when clearly her mother was Smollet Fraser / Inches nee Hay. Or why Wilhelmina's sister Isabella gave her mother's name as Margaret Inches nee Hay (though at least this was the correct maiden name and first married name!).

Does any one have any idea who Isabella Thomson WAS? This one continues to baffle me. Wilhelmina was with her mother Smollet on the 1851 census and her stepfather William Fraser on the 1861 census (Smollet was dead by 1861) so surely she would know her mother's name?

Any help gratefully received.

Do