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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Lanarkshire => Topic started by: hms racker on Thursday 17 December 15 11:23 GMT (UK)
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Hi all
John Thomson married Elizabeth Semple in Barony, Glasgow 1836. They had one son James who was born 1836/38.
Elizabeth was born about 1815 in Renfrewshire and died 1872.
Sorry no other information.
Cannot find John, Elizabeth or James in 1841 or 51 censuses. Any suggestions welcome.
thanks - Sean
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Please dont waste any time on this post. It is a bit of a long shot.
Sean
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Where have you been looking for the 1841 and 1851 census?
Have you seen the original of the marriage record? Does it say which parish(es) the couple lived in at the time of their marriage?
Have you found any of them in the 1861 and/or 1871 census? If so, where do they say that either of the Johns was born, and how old were they in which year?
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Just concentrated on 1841 and 51.
Marriage in 1836 says nothing other than names - oh and John's job cotton carder that is it. Tried looking in counties surrounding Glasgow but found nothing with parents and child.
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Just concentrated on 1841 and 51.
Marriage in 1836 says nothing other than names - oh and John's job cotton carder that is it. Tried looking in counties surrounding Glasgow but found nothing with parents and child.
So it's a reasonable assumption that both were living in Barony parish when they got married, and therefore that they would go on living in Glasgow, for a time at least.
I can think of lots of avenues of enquiry, but I need more of the information you must already have to know which one(s) to pursue.
From the index at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk I see that Elizabeth Semple or Thomson died in Lanarkshire in 1872, aged 52. Subtracting 52 from 1872 gives 1820, so her year of birth (assuming that whoever registered the death got her age right) would have been 1819/20.
- Have you got a copy of Elizabeth's death certificate? And if so
- Where did she die (useful for finding her in the 1871 census)
- Was she married or widowed? (useful for finding her in the census, and her husband's death certificate)
- What were the names of her parents? (potentially useful for finding out where she was born)
- Whom did James marry, and when and where? If in Scotland
- Have you got a copy of James' marriage certificate? and if so
- What was his age on the marriage certificate?
- Where did he live at the time of his marriage?
- Were his parents deceased at the time of his marriage?
- What was his occupation?
- Have you found James in any census? If so
- What was his age in any census?
- Where do the censuses say he was born?
Armed with all this information, you should be able to find Elizabeth in the 1871 census, which will tell you her age and where she was born.
This should help to find her in the 1861 census - I have looked at the Garrity index to the 1861 census of Glasgow, but there are too many candidates (29 Elizabeth Thomsons and 4 Elizabeth Thompsons aged 40 to 50) to know which is the right one.
- Why do you think she was born in Renfrewshire?
- Why do you think she was born about 1815?
- Why do you think her son James was born in 1836/38?
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thanks will follow this up.
Havent seen death certificate for 1872.
More interested in 1841. Will follow your suggestions. Thank you.
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Havent seen death certificate for 1872.
More interested in 1841. Will follow your suggestions. Thank you.
You're missing the point, which is that if you are having difficulty finding them in 1841, you need to approach it from another angle. If you start with a known piece of information, i.e. that death in 1872, and work backwards to the 1871 census and then the 1861, there may be some clues to where they were in 1851 and 1841, such as another child born somewhere else.
I strongly recommend you to go to www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, invest in 30 credits, and get that death certificate and (if he married in Scotland) James' marriage certificate. Once you have those, come back and let's see where they take you.
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From the index at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk I see that Elizabeth Semple or Thomson died in Lanarkshire in 1872, aged 52. Subtracting 52 from 1872 gives 1820, so her year of birth (assuming that whoever registered the death got her age right) would have been 1819/20.
- Why do you think she was born in Renfrewshire?
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Scotlands People has a death for an Elizabeth Thomson in 1872 aged 52 as noted. It also adds other surnames '' Semple- Ewing'' . This took place in High Church District
This equates to a birth in Renfrewshire in 1820 of an Elizabeth Ewing in Paisley Middle Renfrewshire
I would suggest the OP needs to look for a marriage of an Elizabeth Ewing to a Semple :)
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I get your point about 1872
maybe pursue this in 2016 ...
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Got email from relative regarding this. They are already searching this line .... unknown to me. Thanks to all who posted.
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Hello hms racker. I don't know if you are still looking for these Thomsons, but I took a bit of an interest as I am also researching Thomsons. When your Elizabeth Semple died in 1872 it says she was the widow of Alexander Ewing. It named her parents as Peter Semple and Margaret Preston, both deceased. By this you can probably presume that John Thomson had died and she remarried. There is a marriage for a Elizabeth Thomson and Alexander Ewing on 4 Aug 1846, but it is in Rothesay, Bute. The informant on Elizabeths death was her son James Thomson living in Williams St, Cowcaddens, Glasgow. There is also a birth for a Elizabeth Semple in 6 July 1817 in Abbey to a Peter Semple and Margaret Preston as well as a marriage for a Petter Semple and Margaret Preston on 14 Dec 1811 in Abbey. Good luck with your search.
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Excellent. No wonder hms racker could not find her in the 1871, 1861 and 1851 censuses. Nothing like getting the right information :)
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After viewing the 1851 and 1861 Census I am sure that the Alexander Ewing who married the Elizabeth is not the couple you are looking for. That Elizabeth was born in Bute and her last name was actually Thom. From experience I know how hard it is to sometimes find people in Scotland. There are so many of them with the same name. Maybe you need to take Forfarians suggestion and view the marriage of the son James Thomson. It may give you a bit more information
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Hi, me again. After doing a bit more digging I found the marriage of Elizabeth Semple/Thomson to Alexander Ewing. They married in Tradeston, Glasgow on 28 Dec 1857. Elizabeth married under her middle name of Stewart and was listed as a widow. Parents were named as Peter Semple and Margaret Preston. Elizabeth was living at 19 Princes St, Glasgow. As a matter of interest Peter Semple applied for poor relief at the Paisley Poorhouse in 1862. He was aged 67 and said he was married to Margaret Preston and his parents were William Semple and Elizabeth Stewart. He was living at 14 Quarry St and said he was born in Abbey. Hope this helps in your research.