Help reading Sophia Chalmers birth cert.

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:30 am

This is just an update on Sclattie.

I've started trying to sort out my Chalmers relatives again after a nice long break. Today I googled Sclattie again and after finding a couple of family histories which mentioned people living at Sclattie, I found the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments website which also mentioned Sclattie. When I found their reference, this is basically what it said:

Sclaty mansion house--ruinous in 1732, but restored and occupied for a long period by Principal John Chalmers of King's College. The house was removed by 1800. The present Mains of Sclattie was the Home Farm of the manor. Site of the manor house appears to have been destroyed by quarrying.

There also was a Sclattie Cottage which I found in the 1861 and 1881 Census records.

My 2x great grandmother Sophia Chalmers was born at Sclattie in 1898 and her parents James Chalmers and Janet Barclay were married in Newhills in 1779. Now I'm wondering if the Chalmers family wasn't connected with the Principal of King's College earlier on in the 1700's? Another clue, another search!

Carol

Post by **SarahND** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 10:05 am

Hi Carol,
Glad you brought this one to the top

By a coincidence, I have just been googling sclattie, sclaittie, sclatie, etc. trying to find some people by that name and always coming up with places instead

I'm very curious about the name, since there seem to be only a very few on SP and in the IGI-- all, of course, in Aberdeenshire, in the Insch & Rayne area (I'm looking in the mid-1700's). Now, thanks to Archiver's answer to your post, I see that I can get a few more hits with "Slattie"

None of them is the birth I am looking for, but it is clearly the right family, since there is only one at that time

It always pays to look back at old posts!

Sarah

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:54 pm

Hi Sarah,

If you haven't already seen the listing on the RCAHM website (see my other post on the discussion board), take a look at it. They use a book or article from 1934 by J. Cruickshank for a reference. I just glanced at the footnote so I'm not sure and I haven't had my second cup of coffee yet this morning so I'll let you look!

Anyway, this reference seemed to be some kind of history of the area. If it is available, it might have more information for you. Also, try the spelling Sclety. This was in the website listing as an alternate spelling.

My next move will be to try to track down John Chalmers and see what his tenure at King's College was. If I come up with any more Sclattie information, I'll pass it on.

Carol

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:04 pm

Hello Carol,

Have you seen this Google Book
http://www.google.com.au/books?id=k68EAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA78

Alan

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:56 pm

Thanks Alan!

That one came up in my googling, but I hadn't gotten around to reading it yet! It's looking like the Chalmers were as prolific as rabbits. There seem to be thousands of them, but I'm beginning to get some sense of the individual families. If there is a connection between Dr. John and my James Chalmers, it's probably distant. James was a farm overseer and a flesher, not one of the rarified clergy or medical doctors, but who knows?!

Back to the hunt!

Carol

Post by **paddyscar** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:07 pm

Just looking at the certificate, and noticed that Alexander Moir of Slattie also had a son baptized Dec. 26, listed 2 lines below James.

Frances

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:17 pm

Frances,

Thanks for that! I missed it the first time around and it does read Slattie. Now I also have another name to look for on the census records to help pin down the neighbors!

Carol