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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Berwickshire => Topic started by: bazza74 on Sunday 29 July 12 03:13 BST (UK)

Title: Johnston/Nisbet
Post by: bazza74 on Sunday 29 July 12 03:13 BST (UK)
Looking for information on the Johnston Family from Coldingham/Cocksburnpath, Berwickshire, Scotland.

George Johnston - DOB?, DOD 18/08/1856, aged 72. Married to, or partner of, Margaret Nisbet - DOB?, DOD 05/12/1829 aged 45.

Children:
•   James DOB 14/07/1807, DOD 01/12/1886, Wife: Margaret Henderson.
Children: George, Helen, Margaret, David, John, & Robert.
•   George DOB 18/08/1811, DOD 30/08/1861, Wife: Elizabeth Henderson.
Children: John, Robert, Jane, Margaret, Janet, plus a son who died in infancy.
•   Alison DOB 08/05/1812.
•   John DOB 15/01/1818, DOD 06/10/1894, Wife: Ann Hudson
Children: Alexander, plus another son named Alexander & a daughter who died in infancy.
•   William DOB 03/09/1821, DOD 15/051906.

William came to Australia in 1846. He married Margaret Bain, DOB 20/06/1835, DOD 28/10/1907, from Dunblain Scotland in 1858.
Children: Andrew, Robert, Alex & one other son.


Thanks for any help I may receive.
Title: Re: Johnston/Nisbet
Post by: MonicaL on Sunday 29 July 12 08:21 BST (UK)
Hi Bazza74

There are a number of online family trees on A/try which include a little bit more info. One of the trees shows that George Snr. died in 1855, the first year of official registration in Scotland. For that year only, death certs ran over two pages of the register and included more info. For deaths, it will show all the children someone had, their ages (as at 1855) and show which children were deceased. For George, it shows:

James 48
Elizabeth 46
George 43
Alison 41
Helen 39
John deceased (date in 1855? hard to read)
Janet 34
William 32

Just filling some gaps from your list, for you to confirm from records. Again, this info is from other people's research:

Elizabeth looks to have married a John Bertram (21 March 1834 in Coldingham). Four children showing for them before her death on 24 Sep 1857 in Prenderguest, Ayton.

Janet is given as having married a Thomas Paterson. At least one child born in Scotland (18 Sept.1841 in Ayton which shows here https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTYL-88K). Her death is down as being on 12 Dec. 1921 in Maitland, New South Wales, Australia.

You likely need to look for marriages for Alison and Helen to find them in the later records given they both show as alive in 1855.

Monica
Title: Re: Johnston/Nisbet
Post by: MonicaL on Sunday 29 July 12 08:30 BST (UK)

William came to Australia in 1846. He married Margaret Bain, DOB 20/06/1835, DOD 28/10/1907, from Dunblain Scotland in 1858.
Children: Andrew, Robert, Alex & one other son.


William and Margaret (Bain) seem to have had a big family (more than the four sons you show)....I'm counting 11  :)

Janet E Johnston 1860 – 1861
George Johnston 1862 – 1879
Margaret Elizabeth Johnston 1863 – 1930
William Thomas Johnston 1865 – 1944
James Johnston 1867 – 1951
Alison Angnes Johnston 1869 – 1944
Andrew Johnston 1871 – 1932
Alexander Johnston 1873 – 1947
Robert Johnston 1875 – 1939
Charles Johnston 1877 – 1967
Ner(?s)bit Johnston 1880 – 1880

Monica
Title: Re: Johnston/Nisbet
Post by: ev on Sunday 29 July 12 09:15 BST (UK)
Hi Bazza74/Monica

Was looking at this as well , the 1841 , 1851 , & 1861 Census of Berwickshire available here -

http://www.maxwellancestry.com/census/default.htm

ev

 
Title: Re: Johnston/Nisbet
Post by: Beckey on Sunday 29 July 12 11:12 BST (UK)
Coldingham, 1857.
By James Johnston, tenant Templehall father George Johnston 18/18/1856 72 yrs, mother Margaret Nisbet 5/12/1829 45 yrs. son David 12/6/1839 4 weeks, son William 17/1/57 2 yrs, dau. Helen 24/1/72 31 yrs. James Johnston, farmer, Fulfordlees 1/12/1886 79 yrs., his wife Margaret Henderson at Fulfordlees 5/9/1890 72 yrs., dau.Margaret 5/9/1900 (?) Maggie Johnston wife of Robert Henderson late of Fulfordlees d. at Santa Anna Texas 19/3/1931 69 yrs.

Hope of some help.
Title: Re: Johnston/Nisbet
Post by: bazza74 on Sunday 29 July 12 12:36 BST (UK)
Hello Beckey, Monica & EV,

Beckey, The info you sent is from a stone in the grounds of The Parish Church of Coldingham & St Abbs.

I had a letter published last week in the "Letters to the Editor" section of The Berwickshire News and East Lothian Herald. I received a responce from a person who lives in Coldingham. He sent me photos and transcript of stones for James, George & John and their families.

Monica, I had no idea that William & Margaret had so many children.  My grandfather was Andrew. Can remember my father talking of Charles.
Interesting to see where Janet married Thomas Paterson. William & Margaret Bain where married at Lorn which a few miles north of Maitland, NSW. A little further north of Lorn is a small town named Paterson. Their marriage took place in the presence of Margaret Paterson and a William Paterson.
You mention there are a number of on line family trees on A/try which include a little bit more info. Don't know what A/try is. Is it an ancestry website you refer to?

ev, I had some info from those census sent to me.


Barry
Title: Re: Johnston/Nisbet
Post by: MonicaL on Sunday 29 July 12 18:50 BST (UK)
Hi Barry

A/try is certainly Ancestry.com (.aus or uk etc.). You do need a subscription to be able to access the members' trees from there.

Monica
Title: Re: Johnston/Nisbet
Post by: barbara13511 on Monday 30 July 12 10:56 BST (UK)
Borders Family History Society also hold trees in their archives which may  have your family.  You can find their website here

http://www.bordersfhs.org.uk/

If you go to the family trees and try and tie up a number with both Johnston and Nisbet?
Barbara
Title: Re: Johnston/Nisbet
Post by: Beckey on Monday 30 July 12 11:28 BST (UK)
Details off M.I.s pre 1855.
The only Bertram M.I. at Ayton is,
Sacred to the memory ofJohn Fishlate of Mansfield tenant of Hutton Hall Barns 7 plumburn who died 16.12.1868 aged 64 yrs.  Also William Fish late tenant of Hutton Hall Bbarns 7 Plumburn who died 6.1.1873 aged 65 yrs. And Jean Bertram his wife who died at Melbourne Victoria 31.3 1888 aged 59 years.
Title: Re: Johnston/Nisbet
Post by: bazza74 on Thursday 02 August 12 11:35 BST (UK)
Today I found a photo I took at Easter of a headstone for Janet (Johnston) & Thomas Paterson. It's in the old cemetery at Cobbra, NSW. William & Margaret are buried there too as are some of their children.

Inscription reads:
Sacred to the memory of
Janet
The beloved wife of
Thomas Paterson of Spring Creek
Died 11th August 1894
Aged 73 years
A tender mother true and kind
A loving wife in heart and mind
A faithful friend she proved as well
While she on earth with us died well
I go and search that lone church yard
And view that lonely sod
My Janet dear is sleeping there
I know she is with God
Also
Thomas Paterson
Died at Spring Creek
8th Dec 1900
Aged 81 years
Natives of Berwickshire
Scotland

Been new to family history, any recommendations for a good software to start recording details, or any other pointers of help.

Thanks

Barry



Title: Re: Johnston/Nisbet
Post by: terianne on Thursday 02 August 12 13:23 BST (UK)
this may sound old fashioned, but pen and paper in still the most secure, however most of the software packages on the market are pretty similar,

I typed my own up using Word and Excel, because a couldn't decided on a suitable software package that was 100% secure from data coruption or crashing my computer.

Researching Family History is easier in Scotland than in England, because the persons name stays the same on official BMD records, especially when tracing women and certificates have more info on them.

In the Scottish Borders we are slightly spoilt, because we have additional available records online than other areas such as the Maxwell Census indexes 1841, 1851 & 1861, lots of publications by History Society like the BFHS MI's (they also have research facilities bas in Galashiels), the area has a Heritage Hub in Hawick.  Also in recent weeks Eyemouth Musuem has started a small History Hub for the local Berwickshire area - (which has links to the BFHS and H.Hub)

Family History has been very popular in the area for over a hundred years - lot of reference books, etc.