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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: tms on Monday 02 January 06 21:36 GMT (UK)
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We have hit a brickwall with finding parents of James Lawson born 23 March 1775. Last location Frederick County, Maryland, USA. He has some connection with James Lawson of Banff, Scotland, born about 1690, and his children: Alexander, born 1710; Robert; Sisters: Agnes and Mary. The father, born 1690, may have married a Semple also from Scotland. All the males were mechants in tobacco and cotton as well as other goods.
Any help is greatly needed and appreciated!!
Regards,
tms
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Hi tms,
A very warm welcome to Rootschat :)
Research this far back is very difficult in Scotland due to the patchy nature of records. I'm not wholly familiar with Banffshire records but the General Register of Scotland has the coverage here...
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files/list-of-oprs-120to167.pdf
The techniques I use for this kind of research is to collect and collect and collect some more all the records - you never know where information can come from.
I would suspect that as merchants they could of left probate records?
Scotlandspeople has a free search here...
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
You are given enough information to be sure it is the right will or at least of significant interest. It costs £5 to download the will - which can be pricey. I have found occasions with my Carruther's family where reference is made to relatives in far flung lands.
Another avenue is to search for memorial inscriptions (MI) in Banffshire, many FHS have transcribed and published MI to compensate for the late start of statutory registration in Scotland.
If you want to explore the connection to Banffshire Lawsons it's a hard slog collecting info for resource like Sasines and Kirk sessions may also help.
Sorry it isn't a massively useful answer but I wish you the best of luck.
Pam
;D
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I have to apologize for such a late reply. My cousin and I are doing the research on the Lawson family, and we have had no success. We have now taken DNA, and placed it on several Lawson web sites that post DNA numbers.
Thank you for your help.
Regards,
TMS