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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Sutherland => Topic started by: marionq on Sunday 31 May 15 12:53 BST (UK)
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I have been searching for my grandmothers sister Catherine for years and finally found her. The problem was poor transcription on Ancestry. This is what I now know and if anyone can add to it I would be grateful.
She married a Thomas Timmons from Ireland in Manhattan in 1898 and two of her children were living with her sister Bella Morrison in Manhattan in the 1910 census. Their names were Edward Donald Timmons and Johanna Timmons. Catherine may have still been alive at this stage but I cannot find them so if anyone has access to records for census or death at this period I would ask them to check on Catherine and her husband.
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Sadly:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WXX-6SJ
Maureen
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Thank you very much Maureen. I wonder if she died in childbirth, so many of her siblings called their first daughters Catherine I suspected she died young.
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It does seem as though she did die as a result of childbirth,doesn't it:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WW1-D37
Maureen
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Once again the name is wrong. Her sister who took the children was Isabella so the baby being called Isabell is a big clue. Thanks so much. I see Edward Donald was called up in 1917 so may have died in WWI.
What is so surprising is that she was never talked about yet every sibling had a daughter Katie or Catherine. Maybe it was all too painful.
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After looking for more info about Catherine I can see she died at the time her daughter Isabelle was born in 1902 so I am left wondering about the following:
Edward Donald Timmons born 1899 and drafted in 1917 to WW1
Joanna Timmons born 1901 and living with Aunt Bella Morrison in 1910 census, Manhattan
Isabelle Timmons born 1902, Manhattan
These three children born to Catherine before she died have never been known in our family in Scotland. Did they die young? Did their father marry again and they lost touch with Aunt Bella. What happened to her after 1910? The Morrison girls habitually gave their ages as five years younger than it really was and the name Timmons is often written in forms as other things such as Timmins, Timmony etc. If anyone has info I would love to add it to the family history
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I think this must be Bella:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W29-VZ7
Johanna and Edward are with her in 1915 but only Edward in 1920 (and 1930).
Maureen
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How interesting. She must have gotten married late in life. Her mother's name was Johan Fraser so that is quite a fanciful version. I am very grateful to you Maureen. I would never have spotted this.
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Marion: Was Catherine's mother Johan Fraser (1846-1900) from the village of Badcall? She was married to Donald Morrison and seems to be the only burial in Eddrachillis where the names match the Family Search record.
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Yes. I have a very thorough history of the rest of the family but these two oldest sisters who went to Manhattan were much harder to research. My Granny was the third sister Mary and a year younger than them so I wonder why they went and she didn't.
There were thirteen children in total and my gt granny Johan died in her early fifties. Not surprising. I am Marion after the youngest sister who went to Canada and Marion Johan for my get granny.
Thanks for all the help from others.
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For the last fifty years of the 19th century the population of the peninsular communities in Sutherland dropped dramatically, mostly due to emigration. Crofting and fishing were only enough to guarantee a bare subsistence so those who could afford to go would leave. As you say, it's not easy at this distance in time to know why one person migrated and another stayed.