RootsChat.Com

My name is Hazel Laird and I write on behalf of my husband Gordon Laird.  I would like to thank you very much for this information and am delighted that I found this web site purely by accident.  After a long time trying to find the family history of what happened to Margaret another piece has been found in my jigsaw.  My husbands grandfather was born in Tingwall Shetland in 1898, John William Booth(illegitimate) Mother Lizza Booth.  He was raised by John Stephen and Margaret Stephen, parents of Mary Ann Stephen as their nephew but named them as his parents in all official documents i.e. Wedding certificate and death certificate.  John Stephen (shepherd) had 2 brothers Alexander and William and I believe that William was probably the father of my grandfather but he was already married when my grandfather was born.

My grandfather married Eliza Jane Watson Harrison and they had 2 children Jane Margaret Stephen (my mother) and Bunty Stephen.  John William Stephen died 1920 at the age of 32.

If you have anymore information re this side of the family I would be very interested.

Thanks again
Hazel

James Campbell Stephen,born 25/9/1871,in Aberdeenshire Scotland,sailed to Punta Arenas in 1897.Mary Ann Stephen followed in 1908.They were married in Punta Arenas on 9th October 1908.James's residence is given as Delgada,Patagonia.Their only child,Margaret Stephen was born on 8/10/1910 in Gaiman,Chubut,Argentina.James was a shepherd & died when Margaret was one year old.Mary returned to Strichen,Aberdeenshire with her daughter.Sadly Mary died when Margaret was only 5 years old,& is buried in Strichen graveyard.An inscription on the headstone gives the details (as above) of James's death,although his middle name is wrongly transcribed.I have read books,checked out websites on Patagonia etc. & searched scotlandspeople & English records,overseas deaths,consular returns etc, but cannot find his death recorded.I cannot find S.American newspapers around that period which may have reported his death. What should I do next?
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