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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => West Lothian (Linlithgowshire) => Topic started by: colliersbairn on Sunday 21 December 08 21:54 GMT (UK)
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I'm doing a cross-post from the Stirlingshire list hoping someone can help with either a m.i. or some background information. My ancestor was William Anderson who married Elisabeth Gray sometime around 1812/1813. They had their family in Slamannan. Their first (I assume) child, Jean was christened 9 Oct 1814 489/ 0020 0216 and she was christened Jean Anderson. I could not find an entry for a William Anderson in either the Old Parish Records or any other record. I went to Scotland's People and obtained his death entry for 4 Mar 1856 (1856 District of Slamannan, county of Stirling, entry #7). It states that his father was John Gillon and mother was Margaret Anderson and that he was christened William Gillon and he was a custom weaver.
William's christening record from the Bathgate OPR's reads 11 Jun 1787 to John Gillon and spouse Margaret Anderson, a son born, baptized 5 July 1787 William Gillon. I then went back to John Gillon and Margaret Anderson's marriage lines in the Muiravonside register 28 Mar 1777 "John Gillon in the Parish of Bathgate and Margaret Anderson of this parish gave up their names to be proclaimed in order to Marriage and were married at Mr. Oliver's (?) the 28th of the month of March said year before these witnesses James and John Anderson" (her father and brother).
I was now looking for a John Gillon from Bathgate. John and Margaret had five known children -
James Gillon 1778, Andrew Gillon 1781, John Gillon 1782, William Gillon 1787, Henry Gillon 1790. I assume from the placing of the names that John was not on good terms with his father. The eldest son was christened James after Margaret's father and the witness at her wedding. The only John Gillon christened in around Bathgate was one John Gillon in Torphichen 26 OCT 1735, "To Andrew Gillon and Agnes Schaw in Wallhouse Loanend a son called John, witnesses John Gillon and John Lermounth." This would have made John forty-two when he married Margaret. The only other Gillon couple having children in Bathgate from 1722 - 1747 was Alexander Gillon, younger of Wallhouse and Elizabeth Muir. There is no record of a son called John born to the couple but there is also rumour they were never married. I did look for a John Muir but nothing. In 1747 there was a disruption in the Presbyterian church and splits occurred in the churches of Bathgate and Torphichen. It is possible there was a birth but the christening has been lost. It is possible that William changed his name to Anderson when he discovered that his father was illegitimate.
I am posting this for two reasons. One is to see if anyone can find a connection for me. I've exhausted the Scotland's People website so I'm hoping there might be an m.i. or a family history out there. The second is to notify those people who might be looking for a James, Andrew, John or Henry Anderson born in Bathgate between 1778 - 1790 and not finding them. They may be Gillons!
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I have done some further research. I found another son of John Gillon and Margaret Anderson who made it to 1855+. John Gillon, born in 1782, married Mary Pollock on the 19 May 1822 in Torphichen. He seems to have kept the name Gillon. He died 1 Feb 1857 in Torphichen of "old age" witnessed by son, R.P. Gillon. Father was John Gillon, labourer and mother Margaret Anderson. According to both the 1841 and 1851 census John was an Ag Lab and lived at Torphichen Chance. The couple had three children, Robert Pollock Gillon b. 4 July 1823; James born 2 Feb 1827, and Walter Gillon born 18 Jan 1830. Robert P. Gillon did quite well in life - in the 1881 census, he is a Master Cooper employing two men and two boys in Linlithgow.
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Hi
There is an MI in Torphichen Churchyard for John Gillon and Mary Pollock.
It reads as follows:-
John Gillon 1.2.1887 aged 75, wife Mary Pollock 22.4.1867 aged 78. Son John 7.7.1873 aged 44. Daughter Jessie 2.3.1894 aged 68. Son Walter 16.10.1906 aged 73.
It looks as if the transcriber has the wrong year for John's death as you say it is 1857.
From experience I know that the number 5 and the number 8 can be easily confused when reading inscriptions on old headstones.
Best wishes
Jean
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Thanks, Jean - I did have most of these dates but not all. I was actually hoping their would be a monument inscription for John Gillon and Margaret Anderson in Torphichen as they are the real mystery in the family.
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Thanks, Jean - I did have most of these dates but not all. I was actually hoping their would be a monument inscription for John Gillon and Margaret Anderson in Torphichen as they are the real mystery in the family.
Have you noticed the info I posted in your other cross-post in the Stirlingshire list.
James.
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I'm so sorry, James. :P I did mean to thank you for that. My husband got a layoff just as you posted and it went right out of my mind. John and Alexander seem to be the names frequently associated with the lairds of Wallhouse and I was not surprised at your posting. I am still trying to see where my John fits in. Is he a brother, second cousin, illegitimate offspring? I've no idea. If he is a son of Andrew Gillon who lived at Wallhouse Loanend, was he a member of the family or hired help? Questions, questions.
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Hi,
I was interested in this correspondence as I have the name Gillon turning up in my family. James Scott married Jean Bell of Slamannan, no date. Jean Bell was the daughter of Henry Bell and Agnes Gray. James and Jean had the following children, all born in Torphichen; Walter 1801, Catherine Gillon 1802, Agnes 1806, Henry 1808, Jean 1810, William Downe Gillon 1812, Janet 1814, Mary 1815, James 1817, Catherine Gillon 1819, Walter and Helen Gillon 1821, Sarah 1823 and Elisabeth 1825. I can't trace any connection to either the Gillon or Downe family though there must be some significance. Does anyone have any information about this family as I'm stuck!
Thanks.
Liz
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Hi Liz,
This is really interesting because my William Gillon married an Elisabeth Gray. They lived in Slamannan but I have no idea if they were married there as there is no record of a marriage. Wiliam Downe Gillon inherited the lairdship of Wallhouse but he would have only been about fourteen or fifteen when your William Downe Gillon Scott was born. I've no idea where the Catherine Gillon came in. I keep feeling there is a tie in somewhere there but the records for that region are so spotty it may be impossible to prove.
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I keep coming back to it but perhaps I'll never find out. Perhaps they named their children after the family of the Laird of Wallhouse? Or perhaps like yours, my ancestor James Scott was really a Gillon?
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Hi Liz,
That was my first thought that they had named their children after the laird and his wife. I can't see them naming their child after a fourteen year old even if he would inherit down the road. I suspect the connection is actually through the Grays. I wouldn't be surprised if my Elisabeth Gray is actually niece to your Agnes Gray. The facts as we know them are - William Gillon is baptised in Bathgate, he marries Elisabeth Gray somewhere in 1812 and his first child is born in Slamannan. Suspect he is the grandson of one of the Wallhouse Gillons. Your James Scott married Jean Bell of Slamannan whose mother is a Gray, and they include the name Gillon in their family. It is quite possible that the Grays worked for the Gillons in some capacity. Our family christian names are the same. John Gillon and Margaret Anderson named their children James, Andrew, John, William and Henry. John's son John Gillon also named a son Walter, and Henry continues in William's side with Henriette. Strangely enough William Downe Gillon went on to marry a Scott.
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I'll have a closer look at my Gray family as I haven't got past Agnes born c1755. My family tree is on GenesReunited and Rootsweb if you are interested.
Liz
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Hi Liz,
I had a look at your tree on Rootsweb. I suspect that Agnes Gray was the daughter of William Gray and Agnes Allen. However, as I said, the records for Torphichen and Bathgate are very bad. There are large swatches that are missing or totally inadequate. I'm going from memory here but I believe there wasn't even a decent marriage register until the 1800's which is why there are so many seemingly unrecorded marriages. Family Search has a neat feature which allows you to see which registers or dates are missing.
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It's been a year but I've answered my own question on who was John Gillon who married Margaret Anderson in 1777 in Muiravonside. On the marriage entry it states John Gillon in Bathgate and Margaret Anderson of this parish. However, on checking Margaret Anderson's birth in Muiravonside in 1752, I found the page contained all the christenings in Muiravonside from 1747 to 1754. It must have been a small community. In it, as both parent and witness were John GLEN. He had a son John christened 26 May 1751 and the witnesses were James Anderson (Margaret's father) and Andrew Stewart. At Margaret's christening 15 Oct 1752 Andrew Stewart is a witness and John Glen was entered but scratched out. I guess for some reason he couldn't attend. I don't have direct proof but I suspect that John Gillon was actually John Glen, the godson of James Anderson and husband to James' daughter Margaret. It really does pay to actually look at the physical page of the Old Parish Registers and not go just on IGI entries. I will cross post to the Stirlingshire list.
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Hi All :)
Just a small update from something I have seen of recent regarding Gillon.
I had a look at The Arthur Family Tree of Torphichen, something strange going on here.
Perhaps this could be evidence that couples in the area of Wallhouse as you have said, are naming their children after the Laird of Wallhouse's family.
133. William Downe Gillon, son of Robert Hay and Magdlane Arthur of Walhouse, baptised March 4, 1804.
135. Robert Hay and Madline Arthur of Walhouse had a son baptised July 28, 1805 called John.
140. Robert Hay and Magdlane Arthur of Walhouse Gate had a son born on October 18, 1807 and baptised November 8 called Andrew Gallon.
149. Robert Hay and Magdalane Arthur of Walhouse Gate had a son born April 20, 1810 and baptised April 30 called James.
Would that make William Downe Gillon, really William Downe Gillon Hay, or later branches
and decendents, are not really Gillon's, but someother surname???? Very confusing
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I think the name was William Downe Gillon Hay. I found the 1841 and 1851 census for a William Hay and wife Agnes with their son Robert in Torphichen. As he named his eldest son Robert, it appears this is the son of Robert Hay. He and his wife did not have many children.