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I do love a good puzzle 

And just to round this one off - the elusive son - J Sutherland, who registered his father’s death. James Blackhall Sutherland and Johanna Georgeson Campbell lived at the same address in Aberdeen until James died in 1946. Going through the electoral registers, their son pops up in the 1940s, he was John Hay Sutherland, who was born in 1923 in Aberdeen. He married Lilian Elizabeth Robertson Beattie or Forbes in Aberdeen in 1950. They emigrated to the USA in 1954. John Hay Sutherland died in Snohomish, Washington in 2005, and his wife died in 2002.

Ruth

I think I may have found your James Sutherland - but boy was it a convoluted journey :-)

He was registered as James Sutherland Blackhall on 15 January 1888 in Glasgow, the illegitimate son of one ‘Jane Blackhall, worker in a sausage factory’. Not obviously your Jane Reid, but two additional pieces of evidence point to this, indeed, being her. Firstly, Jane’s mother was Elspet Blackhall, and secondly, there is a Jane Sutherland, sausage maker in the 1891 census at 396 Parliamentary Street, Glasgow - that is the address that both Thomas Sutherland and Jane Reid give as their address when they get married on 23 April 1891.

James is not with his mother in 1891 - he could be the Jas Sutherland lodging with the Smylie family mentioned above. He appears again with Thomas Sutherland, Jane Reid and Thomas Sutherland junior in 1901 in Aberdeen, as we already know.

I next find him as James Sutherland Blackhall in Aberdeen, where he is imprisoned in 1910 - born Glasgow, living at 2 York Place, Aberdeen, occupation: trawl fireman. He then appears, also as James Sutherland Blackhall, trawl fireman, lodging in Marishal Street, Aberdeen. In 1911.

By 1920, he’s calling himself James Blackhall Sutherland. He marries in Aberdeen on 29 December 1920 to Johanna Georgeson Campbell or Hepburn (a widow) - father Thomas Sutherland, trawl engineer; mother Jane Reid. Both James and Johanna are in Aberdeen in the 1921 census with two of Johanna’s children from her first marriage.

James Blackhall Sutherland died in 1946 in Aberdeen. His death was registered by his son - it looks like J Sutherland - although I can’t see an obvious candidate for him - there were a lot of J Sutherlands born in Aberdeen in the 1920s. James and Johanna did have at least one daughter, Edith Bruce Sutherland, born in 1921. She married James Gauld Cowie in Aberdeen in 1948, and died in 2005 in Aberdeen.

Ruth

So, going out on a limb here - as I do - but nothing ventured, nothing gained  I’ve got a bunch of Robertsons in my family, so I was curious to see where this would lead…

There is a John Robertson, aged 4, b. Lonmay in the 1881 census in Lonmay. He's enumerated as the grandson of the head of the household, Jane Robertson - there are also three other children under 10 - Margaret, Joseph and Alexander, who are all children of Jane Robertson.

Following the censuses and Poor Relief registers, this Jane Robertson is Jane Watson, widow of Joseph Robertson (he died in 1880). This couple had at least three other children, including the eldest, a James Watson Robertson who was born in Gamrie in 1862, just before his parents married - he's in Longside with his parents in 1871, and in Peterhead as a farm servant in the 1881 census. He then emigrates to America around 1888 (where he married and had at least 4 children. He died in 1930 in Iowa). His mother died in 1891 in Kininmonth.

If he is John Bruce Robertson's father, he would have been pretty young - 14 or 15 - but it's not beyond the realms of possibility. Having had a look at John Robertson’s marriage to Jessie Napier in 1904, one of the witnesses is a Joseph Robertson, who could be Joseph Robertson, son of Joseph Robertson and Jane Watson - and therefore John Bruce Robertson’s uncle. Unfortunately, the addresses or occupations of the witnesses aren't included, so we can't be 100% certain - this Joseph Robertson was a blacksmith, and in Ellon in 1901.The other witness is James Napier, likely Jessie’s father (she was the daughter of James Napier and Jessie Munro). And just for clarity, the marriage registration says of John’s parents: James Robertson (farm servant) and Mary Bruce (domestic servant) - so no suggestion they were married.

As for Mary Bruce, the mother - looking at the 1877 birth record for John Robertson Bruce in Lonmay - and he is, indeed, the son of Mary Bruce, domestic servant at Mosstown in Lonmay - born 27 Dec 1876. Mary is at Mosstown in both the 1871 and 1881 censuses. She seems likely to be the Mary Bruce who was born to William Bruce and Elizabeth Rettie in Strichen on 10 Apr 1851. She’s with her parents in Strichen in 1861, and, as I say, in Lonmay at Mosstown in 1871 and 1881. Mary had at least one other illegitimate child - Alexander Bruce Ruxton, who was born in 1892 in Strichen - Mary is with Alexander in Strichen in both the 1901 and 1911 censuses.

So I think we can say with certainty, that the child born as John Robertson Bruce in Lonmay in 1876 is the son of Mary Bruce, domestic servant, and the same John Bruce Robertson who married Jessie Napier in 1904 (his place of birth is noted as Lonmay in the 1921 census). Whether James Watson Robertson is the father is, I think, still up for debate, but I’m not seeing any other obvious candidates at the moment.

Ruth

The names Agnes and Anne can be interchangeable.

As an aside, on the interchangeability of Agnes and Ann, I had a friend years ago, who was of French descent (living in Scotland) - she was called Agnès, pronounced, by her at least, An-yes - so you can see quite easily how Agnes and Ann can be variants of the same name...

Ruth

Strange how shes taken her maiden name back (which i doubt a wife would do if husband died)

That's not uncommon in Scotland - women aren't required to give up their maiden names on marriage, so you often see widows using their maiden names after their husbands die. You'll also see married women referred to as 'Firstname MaidenName or MarriedName' on most legal records in Scotland.

Ruth