Aitken - cemetery & MI lookup in Edinburgh

[Jim]

James Aitken (b:1790-d: Oct. 2, 1868) and his wife Margaret Aitchison (d: Apr. 6, 1872); both died in Edinburgh and I assume they're buried there. I'm hoping someone can tell me if there is a data base of Edinburgh cemeteries and if I can find an M.I. for them both. Thanks, JIm

[LesleyB]

hi Jim
Have you any idea which area of Edinburgh they died in?
Many MIs have been published for Edinburgh but they are for separate cemeteries - as far as I'm aware there isn't a central database. If you had an area to work with (from their death entry for instance), it might help us to pin them down a bit.

If you have a precise date of death and place of death, Morton Hall Crematorium may be able to help you as they hold the burial records for the area:
Morton Hall Cemetery & Crematorium
Howden Hall Rd
Edinburgh EH16 6TX

Tel. 0131 664 4314
Fax. 0131 664 2031

Best wishes
Lesley

[AndrewP]

Hi Jim,

I am not sure that the Cemetery Records office at Mortonhall has any indexing of the cemeteries done. They certainly did not when I was researching some of mine there a few years back. They hold a collection of leather bound books in date order. So to find your people, they would have to check the books for each cemetery that cover the time you are asking about.

Another route would be to contact the Edinburgh Room of the Edinburgh Central Library (see the TalkingScot Libraries page - link at the top of the page). They hold copies of newspapers on microfilm and could consult the papers of the days immediately following the death date that you have and see if there is a funeral notice that would give a cemetery name.

All the best,

AndrewP

[Jim]

Thanks for the replies. James died Oct. 2, 1868 at (it looks like) # 2 Hariot Mount, Edinburgh; Margaret Aitchison Aitkin died Apr. 6, 1872 at # 9 Montague Street, Edinburgh. Jim

[AndrewP]

... at (it looks like) # 2 Hariot Mount, Edinburgh ...

That should be 2 Heriot Mount (overlooking the Queens Park towards Arthurs Seat, less than half a mile from Montague Street).

All the best,

AndrewP

[Jim]

In most of the census' they lived at St. Cuthberts. Is that a section of Edinburgh? Jim

[AndrewP]

Hi Jim,

St Cuthberts was made up of the parts of Edinburgh outside of the city centre (which comprised of Edinburgh (or High Church) and Canongate). So it was a large area, almost surrounding the city centre.

That area included what is now loosely known as the "South Side", which included the two streets you mentioned.

All the best,

AndrewP

[LesleyB]

Hi Jim
Following Andrew's suggestion of newspapers I thought the Scotsman digital archive might be worth trying - but it appears to have a technical problem at the moment and is inaccessable, which is a pity.

Important notice: The Digital Archive is not functioning at present. This is due to hardware failure. Our engineers are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. At this time we are not able to give a time or date when the problem will be fixed. If you require a refund then please contact us.
Thank you for your patience during this time. We apologise for the inconvenience.

Best wishes
Lesley

[Val]

Hi Jim,
Does your family happen to have a Samuel Aitken or Mary Aitken in it?
Mary married Thomas Wallace on 8 July 1831 in St Cuthbert's.
Hope you can help.
Cheers from Australia
Val

[Jim]

Hi Val,

I'd love to be able to go back a few more generations. James Aitken & Elizabeth Bell from Falkirk that I'm working on certainly must have been from the same neck of the woods. So far I don't see a connection to your people. I'll let you know if I have a break through. Jim