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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Lanarkshire => Topic started by: OmahaBoy on Sunday 07 September 14 23:02 BST (UK)

Title: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: OmahaBoy on Sunday 07 September 14 23:02 BST (UK)
Seeking information about siblings Thomas (sometimes Duncan) and Mary KERR, children of Robert KERR and his wife, Jane McKERROW. Robert and Jane (recorded as Jean McCarry) married Glasgow 9 June 1850. Son Thomas born Fintry, Stirlingshire, 18 November 1851. Daughter Mary born Fintry 7 October 1853. Mother Jane died 26 October 1856. Children are residing with Jane's parents, Thomas and Marion (Pollock) McKERROW, in Glasgow in the 1861 and 1871 censuses. Cannot find in subsequent censuses. Married? Died? Emigrated?
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: MonicaL on Wednesday 17 September 14 16:22 BST (UK)
Hi OmahaBoy

Possible for Mary, still unmarried, in 1881:

Sarah Clark 54
Jessie Chambers 24
Henry Clark 17
William Clark 15
Mary Kerr 25 boarder, winder b. Fintry

Address: 95 Abercrombie St, Glasgow/Calton

Monica
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: MonicaL on Wednesday 17 September 14 17:12 BST (UK)
Odd about the Thomas and Duncan name variations  :-\ What is your source for that?

What happened to father Robert Kerr following wife Jane's death in 1856?

Monica
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: OmahaBoy on Friday 19 September 14 02:18 BST (UK)
Excellent! Thank you very much. The age for Mary is a bit off, but the rest is a good fit. Mary lived with her maternal grandparents in Calton in 1861 and 1871. As for Thomas/Duncan, he is Duncan in the 1871 census.
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: OmahaBoy on Friday 19 September 14 15:30 BST (UK)
As for Robert KERR after Jane's death, I don't know. I haven't uncovered identifying detail for him to know if the Robert Kerrs I've seen later are him or not. His children living with their maternal grandparents isn't a certainty he's dead by then, but could indicate that he is.
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: MonicaL on Friday 19 September 14 15:39 BST (UK)
Another possibility might be that Robert father went on to remarry after the death of wife Jane (with in-laws taking care of children from first marriage). What was his occupation do you know? Age etc. have you found Robert and wife Jane in 1851? We could try searching for him by himself in 1861..

Monica
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: OmahaBoy on Friday 19 September 14 16:00 BST (UK)
Yes. In 1851, he is 24 and a shoemaker. Home is Fintry. His birthplace is Lanarkshire. Nothing in Fintry in 1861. There is a Robert Kerr, age 32, shoemaker in Milton, born Glasgow, with wife Margaret and daughter Janet, age 0, in 1861. This looks like the only possibility with details that match. Would his marriage record for Margaret identify him as a widower?
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: MonicaL on Friday 19 September 14 17:21 BST (UK)
Yes, should do.

Maybe this birth entry for daughter Janet (with the ref to Milton) https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FQQ4-C9C  Also, just in case, this Janet https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FQD6-2BK but different area of Glasgow.

The first couple married in 1858 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XT13-X8Q

One other son, Robert, here https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FQNF-Y9L  Can't see any more children in Scotland after Robert's entry...

Monica

Added: Just for ref...1861 here as transcribed:

Robert Kerr 32 shoemaker b. Glasgow
Margaret Kerr 29
Wm Galbraith 70 mother in law (sic  ::)) b. Glasgow
Janet Kew    5 Months

Address: 62 Old Baein, Glasgow/Milton
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: MonicaL on Friday 19 September 14 17:32 BST (UK)
Can't easily see a death for a Margaret Galbraith/Kerr born c. 1832 (with * for variants and +/- for extra years). Maybe they left Scotland after Robert son's birth? The marriage for 1858 may be the best way to confirm further?

Monica
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: OmahaBoy on Friday 19 September 14 17:58 BST (UK)
Thank you! The 1858 marriage to Margaret Galbraith lists Robert as a widower. He is a shoemaker. His father is James Kerr, Spinner. Mother is Mary. It's not the best image; can't read her maiden name. Both deceased. There are two words on the relationship of parties line I can't read. Usually there is nothing there.
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: MonicaL on Friday 19 September 14 18:06 BST (UK)
Great  :)

Can you post here the tricky bits? Or you can send the cert to me (just send me a pm with your email and we can exchange emails from there...). I can try to help with deciphering or if I fail  ;D I can post the snippets here to get others' opinions.

Monica
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: OmahaBoy on Saturday 20 September 14 02:42 BST (UK)
E-mail via PM. In the meantime, Robert Kerr and the "new" family did emigrate. In 1871, Robert and Margaret, and children Janet, Robert, Joseph, 3, and James, 1 month, are living in Caledonia, Haldimand, Ontario. In 1881, there's another child, Margaret, 3, as well as the others. Janet married Henry Falkal in 1881. She died Detroit, Wayne Co., MI, in 1932, a widow. Robert (Jr.), married Isabella Lyons in 1884. After she died in 1897, he married Rachel Denny. Robert (Jr.) died in 1935 and is buried with his two wives in Woodstock Presbyterian Cemetery, Woodstock, Oxford, Ontario. I see Robert Jr. after the 1881 censuses, but not his parents. And nothing's jumping out for Joseph, James and Margaret. Nothing more is turning up for them online there in Woodstock. There is a private online tree at Ancestry with these families. I've e-mailed the owner. No evidence so far that Thomas and Mary rejoined their father in Canada.
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: OmahaBoy on Saturday 20 September 14 04:51 BST (UK)
Robert Kerr died in Detroit Feb. 15, 1909. Margaret died in Grand Rapids Aug. 13, 1908. They are buried with their daughter, Janet Falkell, her husband and two daughters at Greenwood Cemetery in Grand Rapids.
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: MonicaL on Sunday 21 September 14 20:06 BST (UK)
That is a lot of new info :)

How about this entry for 1841 for Robert and family? Everyone born outside of the county except where showing:

James Kerr 48 cotton spinner b. Scotland
Mary Kerr 48 b. Ireland
Jane Kerr 20
Rachel Kerr 18
Mitchell Kerr 16
Robert Kerr 14
William Kerr 12
Hamilton Kerr 8 b. Stirlingshire
Mary Kerr 6

Address: Village New Town Fintry North Side, Fintry, Stirlingshire

Monica
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: MonicaL on Sunday 21 September 14 20:25 BST (UK)
To be confirmed, but possible second marriage for James Snr. going by 1851. Everyone showing as born in Milngavie, Stirling except for James Kerr:

James Kerr 50 cotton spinner b. Glasgow
Lennie Kerr 40
Hamilton Kerr 18
Mary Kerr 16
Peter Mclaren 18 stepson

Address: Village, Fintry

Monica
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: OmahaBoy on Monday 22 September 14 01:42 BST (UK)
These are good fits. A Mary Kerr died in Fintry January 21, 1846. Husband James. Maiden name Philips. I can see Philips now on Robert Kerr's marriage record to Margaret Galbraith for his mother's maiden name. Also, there is a marriage for James Kerr to Leonard (Lennie in the 1851 census) McCarey Oct. 19, 1849 in Fintry. Robert Kerr's first wife was Jane McKerrow, but written as McCarey on their marriage record. Maybe Lennie's part of the extended McKerrow group And then there's Mclaren as Lennie's prior husband, based on Peter Mclaren as step-son in the 1851 census. All good, but no closer to Thomas and Mary Kerr, children of Robert's first marriage...
Title: Re: Siblings Thomas (aka Duncan) and Mary KERR
Post by: MonicaL on Monday 22 September 14 19:30 BST (UK)
I know  :-\ Thomas and Mary still elude.... :'(

Monica