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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Topic started by: Lisasuehelgi on Thursday 30 June 11 04:27 BST (UK)
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Would someone be able to help me find my great great grand father Captain John McNab. From what i understand he left Scotland to go to England where he left his marriage and moved to Canada with a Dora Day. They had a son together John Adam McNab...........My understanding is that my great great grandfather changed his last name from a double bb to one b as there were two Captains with the same spelling and names........I would greatly appreciate it if anyone can help me find information, as i am trying to piece my family together for my Aunt who has no way of searching for herself.......i can also be contacted by email....(*).....thank you to anyone and all who can help. I look forward to hearing
from anyone!!!
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Hi Lisa,
I too, am of McNab(b) descendancy, but don't have any info which may be relevant to your Captain John McNab. My "McNabs" were from Glasgow as from about 1860's, (having come across from Ireland, possibly Co. Tyrone). We used to think that our McNabs were of the "Killin McNabs" - the original clan being from a lovely little town in Central Scotland called Killin, - but it turns out we are more Irish than Scottish. I presume you will have some knowledge of the original McNab history? And of the "McNabs" who a strong presence in your native Canada?
(by the way, we sort of believe that the McNabb with double B was more of an Irish version of the name, but many changed it to McNab after moving over to Scotland - often after the Irish Famine in mid 19th century)..??
Anyway - sorry, I can't offer much help - but wish you all the best in your research.
Maggs
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I will keep asking for more information over here....and researching. i am heading to our BC museum where there is an apparent letter written from my great great grand father, or great grandfather. Will let you know!
Cheers! lisa
The attached picture is my great grand father John Adam McNab.....
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Just linking this to your other thread on this topic:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,522494.0.html#msg3774750
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So ... the other post mentions that his father was an Adam McNab and that John was born in Leith in c. 1844
LDS has an Adam McNab and a Janet McDonald marring in South Leith in Nov 1845, father's name David McDonald
Freecen 1851 has a Jannet McNab, Seaman's Wife with sons John, aged 6 and William, aged 1 living with her parents, David, a tailor, and Catherine (both born Caithness) and her brother John in South Leith ... no mention of Adam!
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From what I am told, this man in the picture was born Adam John McNab and referred to as John.......Adam was a name given to distinguish between his father and himself.........again...i am at the mercy of aging memories.....unfortunately no one in my fathers family thought to write things down and are now coming to me and asking me to link the pieces together........
Very confusing as i have comprehension dyslexia.....and all these names and years and bdays become obstacles of me hahahahaha.....but i am determined to get this story right! .......... Thank you so much for you information!! I really do appreciate it!
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I do not have any information concerning Captain McNab, but I was just doing some research on a writing box that belonged to my maternal grandfather that had the following written inside in pencil:
"Captain McNab
to
M(or N)S Robbins
thru to
Geo O Burton
Nov 8 15"
My grandfather, Edward "Teddy" Morgan, lived in Neyland, Pembrokeshire, Wales, until his death ~1976. I "googled" Captain McNab and up popped this post.
aj
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Captain John McNabb b1732 Dollar Scotland d 1802 London, left a legacy of £60,000 (£10m in todays money) that eventually became Dollar Academy built in 1818. His legacy sustained the education of the local poor for over a hundred years and the school still thrives today. Was this the other Capt John McNabb that your gggg-f changed his name spelling because of? I wonder if you have come across any other reference to him during your research. All we know is he eventually became a wealthy ship owner.
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Wow, since the passing of my grandfather in 2015, i stepped away from my searches, and now have come back to your response Vic!. That is incredible information.......however, being i cannot seem to get anyone in my family on this side to tell me anything about my McNab family....i am at a loss.....Since my last entry here, i am now aware that the man in the picture is my great great grandfather John McNab, merchant mariner, ( I believe his parents may have been Robert and Jane) With his wife Dora Day, son Adam John, baby sister Dorthy, and his older daughter Margaret, (John McNab's daughter from a first, possibly second marriage.) all came to North America in the early 1900's youngest daughter Dorthy died at the age of 29 from an illness. Margaret passed away a few years later and I believe Captain John Mcnab shortly after her passing. . Dora Day ( England) and Captain John McNab were not married at the time of leaving England however did marry in Seattle, before coming to British Columbia.?? I have since been to the resting areas of Dorthy (married name Stevens) in Victoria BC, her sister Margaret, who is with her father in a Vancouver Cemetary, however have not been able to find where my great grandfather Adam John was buried(he remarried a woman name Susan after he and my great grandmother Evelyn Tranter separated. and they both lived and had worked in Victoria BC at the time of his death), nor his mother Dora. I also am told and believe Dora remarried after the passing of my great great grandfather.. As i was quite new to genealogy back in 2011, i can see how i must have been very confusing, however, information given to me was very mixed up. Apologies to those still shaking their heads! :D Thank you so much for you information Vic! i really appreciate any and all help with the mystery that is my family McNab........I am not even sure where Captain McNab was in Vancouver at the time of his death...... ::)
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Found that my great great grandfather, man in the picture, past away April 6th 1915. Of what? i do not know.....and what he was doing at the time of his passing i do not know. I think do to his age? ,he would have been retired....But not sure..His youngest daughter Dorthy was married twice, once to a Howe who past away, and the other Stevenson, Adam John, my great grandfather, married Bessie Evelyn Tranter (born in Ontario, parents Edward, and Christina (Hanneson) Tranter) which ended in divorce, and he then married Susannah Clara Jacobs, in Victoria BC. Margaret (Maggie) seems to have been married as well, seen in a marriage registration listed ast Maggie Gardner...She past away in her early 40's....before or after her father....I am the daughter of John Helgason, son of Grace Clappoff, (McNab), daughter of Adam John McNab. He had a son as well........Jack McNab.Tug boat operator of the Fraser River in BC for many years.....as well as military in his early days.
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Found that my great great grandfather, man in the picture, past away April 6th 1915. Of what? i do not know.....and what he was doing at the time of his passing i do not know.
Here is the death certificate for John McNab
John McNab who passed away 1 April 1915 - New Westminster British Columbia. Cause of death a Gastic Haemorrhage - Cardio Renal Disease.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DTQQ-K5Z?i=852&wc=S62C-YWL%3A1069382601%3Fcc%3D1538285&cc=1538285
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FIND A GRAVE
John McNab - Burial: Mountain View Cemetery Vancouver Greater Vancouver Regional District
British Columbia, Canada
Plot: JONES/*/16/018/0012
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=26254221&ref=acom
Sandra
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This would be John with his wife and 2 children in 1900 Vancouver
John Mcnab 52 Born 18 June 1848. Master Mariner. Imm 1898.
Dora Mcnab 33 Born 11 March 1868 England.
Dorothy Mcnab 6 Born 29 January 1894 England.
Adam J Mcnab 2 Born 19 July 1898 England.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KHVJ-Z45
1911 Vancouver
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:27XY-N3V
Sandra
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I am so appreciative of your help here Sandra!!again thank you so much........:)
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John Adam McNab - born 19 July 1898 Liverpool passed away 13 December 1968 Victoria British Columbia - plumer in ship yards - spouse Susannah Clara Jacobs. Parents John McNab and Elizabeth Dora Day. Informant was his wife.
Cremation 16 December 1968 - Presume Burial of ashes - Royal Oak Victoria BC
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6X2S-3H1?i=1441&wc=S627-2NL%3A1069430901%3Fcc%3D1538285&cc=1538285
Sandra
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Susannah Clara Mac Nab widow born 20 January 1899 passed away 28 September 1983 - Victoria British Columbia. Cremation 3 October 1983 - Royal Oak Crematorium Victoria. Son-in-law E G Harris was the informant.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-XSMJ-33?i=1793&wc=S62H-K68%3A1069459601%3Fcc%3D1538285&cc=1538285
Sandra
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Dora Elizabeth McNab remarried 13 September 1920 to Robert Nowell - Robert Nowel was a miner and a widower - resided 330 - 18 th ave e - Vancouver BC.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-D1KV-G3?i=122&wc=S6K9-ZNL%3A9101%3Fcc%3D1307718&cc=1307718
Sandra
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1921 Census shows Dora and Richard Nowell - Port Alberni (City) Comox BC
Robert Nowell 54 Born England 1867. Miner.
Dar Elizabeth Nowell 54 Born England 1867.
Sandra
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Dora Elizabeth NOwel passed away 23 May 1941 - Vancouver BC - Robert Nowell was the informant.
Her father was George Day and Mother Elizabeth Edwards.
Burial Mount View Cemetery. 26 May 1941
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-69H7-FLS?i=2330&wc=S628-929%3A1069416901%3Fcc%3D1538285&cc=1538285
Sandra
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FIND A GRAVE
Burial Mountain View Cemetery Vancouver Greater Vancouver Regional District British Columbia, Canada
Plot: HORNE2/*/10/008/0005 (89)
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=NOWELL&GSiman=1&GScid=1968309&GRid=26286305&
Sandra
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Husband Robert Nowell norn 1867 Ramsgate England passed away 31 July 1943 - signature of the informant was his step-grandson Donald Earl Howe. Burial Mountain View Cemetery Vancouver 4 August 1943.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-69GS-9HX?i=961&wc=S628-HZ9%3A1069407501%3Fcc%3D1538285&cc=1538285
Sandra
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FIND A GRAVE - Robert Nowell.
Mountain View Cemetery Vancouver Greater Vancouver Regional District British Columbia, Canada
Plot: HORNE2/*/10/008/0005 (89)
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=26328934&ref=acom
Sandra
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UK and Ireland, Masters and Mates Certificates, 1850-1927 - John McNab - born 1844 Leith Edinburgh
issue Port was Liverpool - Cert - 81303 - 25 Nov 1865, 23 Feb 1869, 8 Dec 1875, and 2 March 1880
Sandra
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3 Furness Street West Derby Liverpool -
John McNab 37 Master Mariner. Born Leith Scotland.
Martha McNab 38 Born Liverpool,
Jane McNab 10 Born Wales.
Sandra
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Absolutely fascinating and omgosh!.........so thankful.......i feel like a window just opened.....i didnt know my great great Aunt Dorthy had a child from her first marriage.. thank you so much for your help.....you have no idea!.
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1891 20 Dumbarton Street Walton On The Hill West Derby
Martha McNab 48 Born Liverpool
Janes Margt McNab 21 Born Sling Wales.
Sandra
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What i cant understand is do death certificates start being recorded at a certain time in history? I found the place where i was told my ggreat grandfather John's dad is the son of Adam.........However, a census shows his mother and brother living with her parents and he is not there? Did Adam die? that is a mystery....Where is the best place to look for Scotish genealogy, and are the links only as good as those who kept the knowledge of their family history........is it possible that some people will not find the connections the further they go back..... :-\ another question, did Captain John's first wife die? or did they divorce....
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Looks like the marriage of the parents may have been 10 November 1845 South Leith Midlothian - so were the parents married when John was born - perhaps that's why we not finding him.
Sandra
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Thats a good possibilty.........just searched another site and no results....very frustrating... It is it possible my McNab family was off the grid?........or is there always something to be found?
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What i cant understand is do death certificates start being recorded at a certain time in history?
Statutory recording of births, deaths and marriages became mandatory by law in Scotland in 1855. Prior to that one had what are now called the Old Parish Records (OPRs). Both the Statutory and surviving OPRs are available online at Scotlands People for a modest price.
Prior to 1855 there were no birth records, only the baptismal records kept by the kirks. However, as many as one third of baptisms are estimated not to have been recorded in the Kirk records. For example, one had to pay to be entered in the register so many baptisms are not there as the parents couldn't afford to pay the fee. That doesn't mean the children weren't baptised, just that the baptism wasn't recorded.
Same for marriages. Furthermore, Scotland had a tradition of what the Kirk referred to as irregular marriages and those would not have been entered in the records. There are relatively few deaths recorded in the OPRs.
If you don't find an OPR record for your ancestor, it doesn't mean that he wasn't born, married or died in a parish; just that there is no parish record of him in that parish.
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Interesting i just read that in the Scots Genealogy Society...I had kinda figured.....The thought came up because what i found out during my research on my Icelandic family......In Iceland.....all the families are registered originally the same way, which is continued today with what i am only guessing along with the registrations done today....Making the finding of the family line actually easier.. However, finding interesting stories and historical memories is left to chatting amongst family and what is remembered.....or written down in family journals...
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John McNab (widower) marriage to Martha McGachan (widow) - 13 February 1875
Sandra
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Cheers Sandra!!! What an awesome piece!! How do people find these things!!! THANK YOU!!! Gosh...I need someone to sit beside i thinkllll Oh dear!
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Do you think it is possible that Captain John McNab is related to the McNabs of Nova Scotia? and also......who i cant find is brother William? few years younger......
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Hi Lisa,
I too, am of McNab(b) descendancy, but don't have any info which may be relevant to your Captain John McNab. My "McNabs" were from Glasgow as from about 1860's, (having come across from Ireland, possibly Co. Tyrone). We used to think that our McNabs were of the "Killin McNabs" - the original clan being from a lovely little town in Central Scotland called Killin, - but it turns out we are more Irish than Scottish. I presume you will have some knowledge of the original McNab history? And of the "McNabs" who a strong presence in your native Canada?
(by the way, we sort of believe that the McNabb with double B was more of an Irish version of the name, but many changed it to McNab after moving over to Scotland - often after the Irish Famine in mid 19th century)..??
Anyway - sorry, I can't offer much help - but wish you all the best in your research.
Maggs
If your still searching and have any more information since this was written i would be so appreciative,,,,,,i am loosing my hair trying to figure out how to find my ggg grandfather now Adam Mcnab.......He just seems to drop off after his two boys were very little, and then i get nothing.....no matter what i have read. I think my search may have come to a complete stop, as i have read that many seafarer families didnt have registrations, or even wrote down births/marriages or deaths....uggg.....i cant even get my own father to send me a thought..oh dear! :'(
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I'm not sure if you have checked this one out, but there is an Adam MacNab born 1804, Edinburgh Leith South, to father Adam MacNab and mother Helen Murray on Scotlands People. I've not looked at OPRs for that parish so don't know how detailed they are, but you may be lucky and get some useful details on parents such as occupation.
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I'm not sure if you have checked this one out, but there is an Adam MacNab born 1804, Edinburgh Leith South, to father Adam MacNab and mother Helen Murray on Scotlands People. I've not looked at OPRs for that parish so don't know how detailed they are, but you may be lucky and get some useful details on parents such as occupation.
Thank you for this! I am so appreciative of all help..........I found a few more links for Adam McNab Married to a Catherine Robertson. Their daughter Grizel on the 18th of March 1744?
Then i found a second connection which then confused me........Thomas and Peter McNab (born 1823) sons of Robert Stewart McNab born 1791 in Moulin. One of these boys married to a Catherine Robertson........
Could this be that there is two Catherine Robertsons...? Also I was told that Adam was a rare name for the McNabs.....do any of you find this to be your understanding as well? and if so will that help me keep on track with my family.
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Looking at anything in the 18thC is going a step too far. First you have to establish Captain John MacNab's parents and then work your way back. The OPRs have 1,324 Catherine (and assorted spellings) Robertsons so quite possible that more than one could have married a MacNab.
The Adam MacNab born to Adam MacNab and Helen Murray was one of 5 children to the couple all born in Leith according to Family Search and Scotlands People:
Adam MacNab 1804 (plausible to have a son born 1842)
Elisabeth MacNab 1808
James Johnston MacNab 1815
Mary Smith MacNab 1817
Helen McGeachan MacNab 1821
Quite spread out but that would fit if the father's occupation took him away from home a lot. Any of the second names ring a bell with your Capt. John MacNab's children?
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No unfortunately...........i am really sorry for asking so much, i know you are for support to head in the right direction..........i am about to throw in the towel... I have only gone back so far as to find my gg grandfather Captain John McNab as the son of Adam McNab and Janet (McDonald) with two sons at the time of the census (showing John 6 and William 1) living with her parents....and the father not being there......I am going on the help from others for the further back..and searching for other searches in hopes that i will see my gg grandfather and his dad and mother in theirs. ...i have a marriage certificate and a death certificate for my gg grandfather Mcnab stating his fathers name Adam McNab, and it only says Leith Scotland...I am not genealogy savvy, and i cant seem to wrap my brain around the searches as much as i am wanting and trying....Thank you so much for your direction..........Question..........is there anywhere i can find parishes or is all parish records through Ancestory??
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Before you give up, it might be worth checking out that Adam MacNab 1804. You can get a photocopy of the actual page from the baptismal register in which the baptism was recorded from scotlandspeople.gov.uk and only from Scotlands People. It is a pay per view site but much cheaper than any other source of bmd records in the UK. Also, you can do a lot of searching and narrowing down on the site for free before you actually have to pay. You find the record you are after, buy 30 credits for 7 pounds and then use 6 of those credits (about £1.50) for the copy. It is instantaneously on your computer screen to print off, no hanging around for the post to arrive, and remains in your account permanently. You can get 5 records for your 7 pounds.
These pre-1855 OPRs are hit and miss. At worst you might only get the name of the child, father's name and date of baptism. At best you get parents, address, occupation, witnesses and anything else the registrar might think fit to add. Most are somewhere between the two. Got to be worth a look at the 1804 Adam MacNab in case it gives a father's occupation of "sea captain" which, while not definite, would certainly look very promising.
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Thank you so much for your post and your time! Will check this out for sure, will give it another go, will have to figure out the conversion of pounds to canadian money hahahaha.....J11 you have been extremely helpful, and i really appreciate it!! as I do all of you!! One question What is OPR? Have an amazing day.
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Old Parish Records - pre-1855 kirk records of baptisms, marriages and a few deaths all available on-line at Scotlands People.
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Thank you J11~~~ :D
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Question..........is there anywhere i can find parishes or is all parish records through Ancestory??
Forget about Ancestry. At best it will confuse you, and at worst it will mislead you.
See http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=714261.0
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Thank you for that! I agree........a lot of money waisted trying to figure it out........I thought maybe it was because i am just a family member trying to figure out my roots and not a professional genealogist!...........Glad you sent me this! Cheers!