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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Moray (Elginshire) => Topic started by: stuartroxy on Monday 06 April 09 19:01 BST (UK)
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Below is a close-up of the birth certificate of John Slorach; born 12 July 1749 and baptized the next day. IGI has the parents listed as John Slorach and Jean Siveright. I can't find much on SP regarding a marriage of John and Jean; can any of you clever people have a look and point me in the right direction?
Thanks in advance.
Stuart
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The certificate relates to Keith Parish.
I think that it says:
'John lawful son to John Slorach and Jean Siveright in Glen Jurrach(?) was born the 12th & baptized this day witnessed John Sandieson younger(?) in New Mill John Wright Wilson and (?) Jean Slorah (?) and Janet Miller'
I await corrective action!
Stuart
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"Glengerrack" is in Keith, near New Mill. I think that may be the place name you are after.
Strangely it is marked twice on Thomson's 1832 map on the NLS website.
One of them is still on the current OS map, due east of Newmill.
You can see it here
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1192304
There is something written between "John Wright Wilson &" and "Jean" The middle letter appears to be an "i". I can't make it out yet.
Kirsty
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Kirsty,
Thanks very much. I'll investigate Glengerrack.
I agree with you regarding the 'i'. I think that it may end '...son'; but I'm not sure.
Stuart
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I guess that this thread has run it course. Thanks for all your help.
Stuart ;)
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There is something written between "John Wright Wilson &" and "Jean" The middle letter appears to be an "i". I can't make it out yet.
I think it might be Steinson (i.e. Stevenson) but there is still a hieroglyphic between 'Wilson' and 'Steinson' which I can't make out.
Also, this isn't a 'certificate'. It is an extract from the register of baptisms. Certificates didn't exist before the start of statutory civil registration in 1855.
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Forfarian,
Thanks again. I can accept 'Steinson'. I still think that the hieroglyph looks like '&'; but it doesn't seem to fit.
Stuart
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Stuart & co,
This is my late entry:
John Lawfull Son to John Slorach & Jean Siveright in Glen
garrack was born the 12th & baptized this day witnesses John
Sandieson younger in New Mill Johns Wright Wilson & Steinson
Jean Stitchels Janet Milles
Initially I thought it was Stimson (also a version of Stevenson), but I have to agree with Forfarian that it looks more like Steinson, even though the n doesn't match others in the extract; it looks like the writer wasn't sure how to spell it or was worried about going off the edge of the page, so stalled in the middle of the word.
Stitchels (or Stitchils): all I'm confident about are the S, h, l and s. The first vowel seems more like his i than e, but what I reckon to be the second vowel is ambiguous. The other tall letters look slightly more like his uncrossed t than his looped and less vertical l. There is a place called Stichill, near Kelso in Roxburghshire, so that may explain its origin.
I'm pretty sure that's an s on the end of Mille. More importantly, there's an s on the end of John, to save him writing it 3 times: ie Wright, Wilson & Steinson were all called John, which explains the &. (The Scots at this time also have a tendency to put an s on a surname when there are 2 or more the same.) That means there are 4 Johns, not including the father and child; I recently saw a page of Scottish baptisms where almost every witness had the same forename as the corresponding child, so I suggest these Johns were probably all godfathers after whom the child was named, rather than necessarily relatives.
The Oxford Dictionary of English Surnames gives the alternatives Sievwright, Sivewright, Seivwright and Sevewright, but if you're using the Soundex on SP all of these and more should come up anyway. But you've probably done every possible SP search you can think of, so at least you might have an idea whether the families were established in the Keith area. Unfortunately the excellent Lands and People of Moray series of books doesn't seem to have stretched to Banffshire parishes, but the Moray archives in Elgin (their details are on the Moray Council website) will know what documents there are beyond OPR, so well worth contacting them for advice.
These are just my opinions so feel free to criticise, but I hope at least some of the ramble is helpful.
James
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James,
Sorry for my tardy response! Thanks very much. I like the 'Johns' bit; makes a lot of sense.
stuartroxy