Lisa, you might try the parish session records [not the marriage records] as there may be a record of him transferring to the parish previous to his marriage. At the time "settlement" was an important concept allowing access to parish funds in the event of need.

There is a John Aiken born at the right time in Renfrew but you would need more evidence to connect him to 'your' man.

Larry,
Nice to meet someone else researching this surname! I'm not sure there's any connection between yours and ours,and I've only just learned that he was born in SCT. thus haven't really researched there as yet. For one thing, I've no idea WHERE to search there. Am going to try to find out a bit more from Cumberland first and see where that leads me. I've heard Quaker records in the USA are very good, but personally have only helped a friend with her Quaker research. I haven't done any of my own yet. Stay in tough, maybe we connect somewhere or can help each other, ya never know :)

Liz & Kurt,
Thank you for that suggestion, I really wouldn't have thought of that possibility of a second marriage, at least not right off. Is it likely he was listed as James in SCT and John in Cumberland?

Liz again,
Sorry Liz, I only just found out about the link to SCT, so haven't done much research in that respect as yet. As for records I have on him, all I have is the marriage record info., and his name from familysearch as father of Robert. and Dalston parish record transcriptions (Cumberland mail list) showing Robert baptised 1809 Novr 12, son of John Aikin of Dalston, dyer, and Mary his wife late Skelton. I have other children's baptisms too, as well as children of Robert & Anne (Ruddick). Any helpful ideas gladly accepted and appreciated!!

Sorry Lisa, I've been a little fuzzy of late...I am finding it hard to focus so sometime's don't see the wood for the tree's so to speak..lol..
There's me saying James when it's John....see ..not focusing.. :)

Awww, it's ok Koczar, I know the feeling well myself. Some days are much better and more productive than others! I appreciate the help and advise, it's always most welcome!
Lisa

;-)x

Hi Lisa
Are you absolutely possitive that the information you got on Rootschat is correct?
Could you ask the person who supplied said info for their sources?
Would it be worthwhile to look at the actual film of the parish register to see if there are extra notes in the margins on the marriage entry or christenings of the children. I see on the IGI that there are 4 christenings but you may have more.
There is a submitted entry on the IGI for a John born 1776 of Dalston, father Richard. This would also be worth following up if possible. I would suggest searching the Cumbria Archives site, Carlisle office and maybe even email them to see if there is a will for Richard Aikin or any others with that surname.

Hi Rosemary,
I didn't get the marriage info from anyone on rootschat, I'd gotten it some time ago, just found then image again, it's just the index image as someone on rootschat suggested, I haven't gotten anyone to actually look and see if there's a records with more info yet, nor have I gotten any films ordered myself. My situation makes that a bit tough, but I'm going to do my best to try.
Some years ago a gentleman was helping me with research in ENG. mainly Durham / Northumberland areas but he got me on the right trail and got me censuses and did some looking in church records for me as well.
Someone on rootschat mentioned the marriage was indexed in the IGI on familysearch, it's the same info as the index image I'm posting. A lady did some looking for me in Cumberland (also some years ago) and helped me with some of the info I now have.
I, too, saw the John with father Richard and it is something I plan to try to follow up on. I am not sure if John came to Dalston on his own, or with parents when younger, but if he came with parents I may be able to find some info on a possible Richard too!! That would be great. And John's son Robert (wife Ann Ruddick) named his son christened 1838 in Dalston Richard! Another James chr. 1833, and Isabella chr. 1835, all Dalston. The remaining children were born in Newcastle and Gateshead.
Cumbria archives didn't have much on any of the various spellings of Aikin in their catalogue search, but there is quite a bit for Dalston in there, so they might be of some help but I can't afford the price they ask for research. I need other options right now.

Betty,
In digging through the Cumbria Archives site I did see mention of settlement certificates (it wasn't Dalston though), but maybe there's something for Dalston in there too, I'm still wading through their catalogue. I haven't found session records as yet.

Hi Lisa,
It's certainly possible that he could be listed with different names in different records. I have frequently seen people with such in my research in Scotland and elsewhere. My biggest Scottish brick wall is someone who went by one name throughout his life but when he died abruptly from an accident, he was listed with what I'd thought was his first name as his middle name in the article in the paper, and the death index only lists the same first name as the paper's. In addition to people sometimes mostly going by their middle name as per above, sometimes someone would just be known by a different name that, at least through the mists of time, doesn't seem to have any specific origin.

Definitely not saying it's for sure the same person - just that it could be, especially with the bride's name matching perfectly. But I'm also not sure how common her maiden name was in England at the time...

[Just to clarify: What I mean is that the death index only lists the first name that the paper listed - no mention of the middle name I'd previously known him by at all. If not for a volunteer lookup person in Scotland finding the article for me, I might never have realized that the death index listing was the same person!]

Today I came across something I thought was a bit odd and I thought I would ask for help/comments/feedback on it.

I was reviewing the entry of My great grandfather's Samuel Christie's brother into the United States.

He arrived in Boston in 1904 and noted that his local contact was John Ruxton of Ludlow Mass.. Which is no surprise because I recently connected the Ruxton name from another great uncles middle name on his Declaration of Intent. Then I found it was the maiden name of my gggf Samuel's 2nd wife Margaret.

To try to keep it short; what I found funny was the amount of other people who entered the same day from Arbroath who listed the same John Ruxton as a cousin. There are 19 people with ten different surnames. This of course will keep me busy for a good while tracing all the names and naturally I wonder if they are all related to the Ruxtons or if some are Christies with different surnames.

I would appreciate any input from folks as to weather they have seen surnames listed below in relationship to the Ruxton, Christie or possibly Bothwell families. Only one Couts looks like I have seen it recently; possibly when I researching burials.

The indiduals are as follows;
Peter Davidson~22
George Macintosh~24
John Couts ~ 30
Joseph & Sarah Meldrum and children~Aggie,Sarah,Lizzie,Lilly.
Ellen Stevenson 42 & daughter? Mary 22
Isabebella Forbes~32
Maggie Watt~18
Jane Eaton~19
Mary Anne & Joseph Meldrum 16 & 17
Maggie Bell~23 and lastly
Mary Buchan or Beechan ~21.

Thank you in advance for your comments and assistance! ~Sherri

Could you add the name Stevenson to your list? Also Law... My grandparents, both born around 1891, George Smith Stevenson and Jessie Law. Emigrated to the USA in 1911 and 1912, George was born in Kilbarchan and Jessie in Kenanay. And that's as far as I've been able to get.

Sherri
If what I suspect is correct John Ruxton wasn't a relation but more of a sponsor.
I have seen this a few times both in emigrants to both America and Britain

Thank you Nicole. Perhaps only one cousin in the group. Much greater probability
of him being a sponsor. It was the first time I had come across this type of entry.
~~~~~~~~~~~
David, I will amend my information. I believe there is a Law on my Christie side but I need to look into it more. Thank you both!

Looking for information on Surgeoner surname in Scotland.

On Scotlands People [ www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk ] a search on the name show from 9-59 people on each census year, 178 births on the Statutory register and 53 marriages in the same period. There is also a will for William Surgeoner, a manufacturer in Ayr in 1900. The figures show it was never a very common name but the numbers should give you a fair chance of reconstructing the family/ies. Hope this helps - good hunting.

Hi, I am trying to find out information on my Great-Great-Great Grandfather and his family. They were the Alexander Manners family. James Manners was my G-G-G-Grandfather. He came to the US in the late 1700s from Edinburgh. I believe they had a store in Edinburgh. I would appreciate any information. Donna

Donna - if you explore http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk you will be able to find the relevant BMD's as well as a number of wills. Look at http://www.scotsfind.org/ and click on Edinburgh burgesses you will find Alexander Manners listed. The codes used are at the end of the document. Happy hunting.

Need Help Looking for the birth of my GGG Grandfather William Tainsh born March 29, 1800 in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Looking for the name of his parents and any siblings.
If any one can help me location this information. Please let me know

Can Any one tell me if anyone is doing Tainsh Family Research.
Let me know.
Thanks

you could try familysearch.org for the Tainish Family

Hello, I am looking for the children, if any, of Thomas Meikle and his wife Wilhemina Meikle (born Dougall). Thomas was born abt 1816 Lossurth Midlothian and was listed in the 1871 census as being a hotel keeper in Edinburgh st George. I beleive my husbands grandmother was named after Wilhemina Meikle, but I need a sons name to make a connection, as no father was listed on her birth certificate

Lois, the Old Parish Records for South Leith and North Leith on Scotlandspeople don't have anyone by the name of Tainsh for 1800. Are you sure he was born there?

April 6th is the official Tartan day set by the goverment too thank the Scots for all they have done for this country. Please think of your Scottish ancestors and thank them for allowing us to live here in a free democratic country.

Further to Carol's comment:
From the Declaration of Arbroath on April 6, 1320, which triggered the birth of democracy, to the immense contributions made by Scots and descendants of Scots to science, culture, sport, the economy and almost every other aspect of the modern world, Scotland has an incredible amount to be proud of. And we are!

PHILIP,CRAIK,LENNIE.My family has these surnames plus a WILSON of which I haven't been able to get back further than 1753.That is a Thomas Wilsom marrying Mary Graves at Tealby,Lincolnshire 3/7/1753.It has been handed down that the family was originally from Scotland.(Gunns) but I have been unable to find the connection yet.

PRACTICAL FAMILY HISTORY, Jun 2010 (English publication), p. 58, has an article for tracing your ancestors in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland.

I am looking for the distaff side of the HOGGAN Family from Dunfermline, Fife Scotland. Some of those family names are: LAW, ELLIS, FLOCKART, BARCLAY, BUCHANAN, BOSWELL, HALKERSTONE and lastly, for the moment anyway, FATHERINGHAME. If anyone has these names in their line (back to the 1500'a) please let me know -- thank you!

Would like to contact any ancestors of John McDonald b 1850, Kilsyth Stirling (son of Malcolm McDonald and Agnes nee Patrick) m 1871 Kilsyth Stirling to Agnes Pringle b 1844 Gorbals, Glasgow City, Lanarkshire (daughter of William Sharp Pringle and Elizabeth nee Grant). Son Andrew John McDonald b 1886 Lossit, Kilsyth Stirling is my grandfather. Believe Andrew's siblings to be Malcolm b 1871, John b 1873, William b 1874, Elizabeth b 1877 and James b 1880. Would appreciate any information. Thank you.

Jan Westcott

Scottish Ancestral Ways

Those of you who are researching in Scotland may be interested in the recently launched website for Scottish War Memorials at http://www.scottishancestralways.co.uk/ancways_01_014.htm . Please consider joining the newsletter on your visit for details of future visits and other useful information.

Scottish Ancestral Ways

Those of you who are researching in Scotland may be interested in the recently launched website for Scottish War Memorials at http://www.scottishancestralways.co.uk/ancways_01_014.htm . Please consider joining the newsletter on your visit for details of future visits and other useful information.

Hi Frances,

'Scottish Emigration to Colonial America, 1607-1785' by David Dobson is a good narrative account (rather than a list of names) if you're looking for some background information. It's published in both the UK and USA so should be quite widely available.

Kirsty

Thanks, Kirsty! I'll see what I can do about finding it here in North America. Very much appreciate this information.

Chazz
Following the Cadwell, Radford, Buckles, Cullison, and Sartain Lines

Looking for information on Litsters. What I have found is that Litsters are in many different places, both with Litster last name and Litster occupation. I am curious to see what people are aware of

Brian, I had never heard of the name Litster before, and yet it appears likely it was in early use in Scotland, deriving from an Anglicized form of the Gaelic "mac an Fleisdeir" meaning son of the arrow-maker. The surname apparently dates back to the late 13th Century. Early recordings include Aleyn le Littester of Edinburghshire (sic).

Whereabouts in the world are you looking for this name?

Frances,
Have you looked in Augusta Cty, Va for your Hendersons? There are tons of them there as early as 1742. Many of them migrated south into the Carolinas. Best source of info for old Augusta Cty is the Chalkley history of the Scots Irish Settlement in Virginia. You can read it online by going to
www.usgenweb.com, find Va, find Augusta cty. You will find all three volumes and they are indexed. It's a treasure trove!

Frances,
If your ancestor is THE Richard Henderson then you have a very prominent figure in the history of the southeast. I keep running across references to him. Seems he did a lot of wheeling and dealing down that way. Good luck.

Hello Intro:
I am happy to be here. The following are my Scottish surnames: Mc usually shown but may acually have been Mac.
Mc Daniel, Mc Kensie, Robertson, Miller, Pressley. The Pressley are right now who I am trying to trace who came to SC from Glasgow.
My other lines that I have been able to find ample info on are the Stewart (Sir James Black Knight, and also the Earl's of Atoll) and Campbell (black duncan) families.
I look forward to meeting many and lerning much more..
Connie

Mr Douglas, I found Litster in the Oxford unabridged dictionary and it means dyer of cloth. I have seen that version of my last name before. Something interesting I have found out is that it is an occupational name and it could be written down as something like John Smith, litster, in records. I am looking for my last name in both England and in Scotland. I have found Litsters in Yorkshire, Edinburgh, and also Crossgates/Dunfirmline, where my immediate ancestors emigrated from in the 1870s. I have tried looking on familysearch.com and have only seen the Litsters go back to the 1680s or so. Any help would be appreciated.

I would be more inclined to rely on Scotlands People than Familysearch.com
Scotlands People are official records whereas Familysearch relies on the input of others and may not always be correct. I have found a number of errors in the information purporting to be on my ancestors, which I've been able to backup with documentation. I think Familysearch has a place in our research as an indicator or suggestion but shouldn't be taken as beeing totally correct.

I am aware and have used scotlandspeople which is really beneficial

Hi Frances, as far as I'm aware, there is no free on-line information on Scotlands People, it's pay to view.

The post registration info on Scotlands People is very accurate but be careful of the OPRs as there are errors in them. If there is no image available for an entry be wary of the accuracy of that entry. If anything has been transcribed there is the possibility for error.

I agree Rosemary. It can also be really difficult to be sure that the person is the actual one you are looking for as there isn't the same amount of information as that on later certificates. I haven't found an OPR yet that wasn't an image of the original page though. Looking at some of them you can really see what the transcribers are up against though!

Re: The accuracy of the OPR indexes on ScotlandsPeople - I think the indexes to baptisms and marriages are pretty good but there are some problems with the burials, for example the occupation being shown as the surname. Also with the Catholic Registers where the original registers are in Latin there are some inconsistencies as to whether they are indexed under the Latin or English form of the name - so if you're looking for a Mary also check under Maria, if you're looking for a James also check Jacob, Jacobus etc.

Can any one recomand a really good book on the Battle Of Worcester, my ancestor Robert Abernathy was in that battle captured then sent to Va. Any help would be most grateful Thank you

Battle Of Worcester

Robin,

I have three books listed in my Bookshop.

I have not read these books, and perhaps I should as the Douglases were also involved. It was not just the battle that is of interest, it is the aftermath. An estimated 2 to 6 thousand prisoners were deported to Colonial possessions in the New World, to work as forced labour. You can read about some of the Douglases involved here>>>

Yours aye,

William
www.douglashistory.co.uk