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Thank you everyone for your help.

This seems to be the current situation regarding finding information about Robert Walker’s parents.  I’m curious what you think:

Robert himself
- from various censuses and other information: born sometime around 1829-1931 in Easdale, Kilbrandon, Kilbarchan (I think this was a mistake), Islay, or Oban.
- Can’t find a record of any Robert Walkers born in Argyll between 1820~1840. - Possibly in Kilbrandon kirk session records, but couldn’t find anything that stuck out.  Maybe I should scour through them.
- is likely the Robert Walker listed in the 1841 census living with the McKay family as a servant in Balvicar
- possibly the Robert Walker listed in the 1851 census living with the Finlay family as a servant in Gimmerscroft, Lanarkshire
- married 1855 in Renfrew, where he lived the rest of his life (however, birthdate, place of birth, and parents aren’t noted on marriage record). - Is the marriage record I saw the only one?  It seems so minimal.


His mother:
- Muir Buchanan (per death record for which Robert was the informant.)
Flora Walker (m.s. Buchanan) as per Robert’s death record (his son James the informant)
Muiraleen Campbell Buchanan as per info passed down in family (no documentation)
- Probably the Muir Buchannan listed in the Old Parish Registers Births and baptisms, 01/09/1793, however her parents are listed as PATRICK Buchannan and Flory CAMPBELL.  (Her death record names her parents as PETER Buchanan and Flora CAMERON) and if born in 1793, she should be about 48 in the 1841 census (although it says she was 36, assuming that’s her).  (She would also be about 36-38 years old at the time of giving birth to her son Robert.)  Then again, the middle-name of Campbell would match up with my family’s record of “Muiraleen Campbell Buchanan”.  Also, according to her death record, she would have been born in 1791 or 1790 (not 1793).
- If she is the Muir Buchanan whose parents are Peter Buchanan and Flora Campbell, then she would very likely be the sister of George Buchanan, whose family tree is found on ancestry.com (I don’t have a subscription, but may do so later.)
- Likely the Muir Buchannan, 36, cottager, living alone, listed in the 1841 census living in Balvicar (although this is about 10 years too young per the birthdate on her death registration)
- Can’t find her in the 1851 census in Argyll or Renfrew
- She doesn’t seem to appear in the Kilbrandon kirk sessions either as getting married or giving birth.  Maybe I have to scour these records.
- Her parents were Peter Buchanan and Flora Buchanan (m.n. Cameron) per her death record
- She was recorded as “single” on her death record, which explains the lack of a marriage record
- According to her death record, her body was buried at the church yard of Kilbrandon.  Unfortunately I couldn’t find any records of her grave on BillionGraves or Find-A-Grave, although of course those sites don’t cover everything.  I also couldn’t find any Walkers in that graveyard on those sites.

His father:
- Robert Walker, cottar (as per son Robert’s death record (his son James the informant))
- Could find entries for 3 Robert Walkers in the Old Parish Registers Births and baptisms in Argyll of ages that could potentially be Robert Jr.’s father - 1813 in Kilcalmonell and Kilberry, 1788 in Kilmartin, 1799 in Campbeltown
- He doesn’t seem to appear in the Kilbrandon kirk sessions either as getting married or being the father of Robert Walker, or anything else.
- Killed in a quarry accident on Easdale Island when his son Robert was still a boy as per info passed down in family (no documentation)
- Can’t find any death records for any Robert Walkers in Argyll 1825-1855
Could find entries for 3 Robert Walkers after that up until 1900:  1858 (69) Tyree, 1878 (80) Kilmeny, 1881 (68) Tarbert


In summary, Robert Walker's early life is unclear.  He was a child (possibly the only child) of a Robert Walker and a Muir Buchanan, who were possibly unmarried.  Muir likely lived her life in the Kilbrandon area of Argyllshire, where she had Robert, who moved down to Renfrewshire while young, where he got married, had several children, and lived to be old.  Robert Walker Sr. may have come from outside of Argyll to work in the slate quarry on Easdale Island.  While in the area, he met Muir and they had Robert Jr.  They didn’t seem to get married, register the birth of Robert Jr. or have him baptised.  Robert Sr. may have died in an accident in the quarry, or otherwise disappeared from Argyllshire.

Quote from: ZerooreZ on Tuesday 12 October 21 01:48 BST (UK)

Quote from: GR2 on Monday 11 October 21 22:29 BST (UK)

It may be worth looking at the minutes of the Kilbrandon Kirk Session for the period to see if anything appears. There are detailed proclamations of banns in the minutes from 1825. I looked 1825 - 1840 and there is no Walker marriage of any kind.

Thank you very much for looking into that.   (This older Walker seems to be a mystery.  Maybe he was a vagabond.  Dropped into town, had a child out of wedlock, got killed in an accident...)

If that is the case, the details should be in the kirk session minutes, which are free to read on Scotlandspeople.

Thanks for the ideas.  I had a brief look at the Kilbrandon records, and I'll look some more.  I didn't even know that this resource was available.  Even without finding anything about my particular ancestors, it's quite interesting.

It may be worth looking at the minutes of the Kilbrandon Kirk Session for the period to see if anything appears. There are detailed proclamations of banns in the minutes from 1825. I looked 1825 - 1840 and there is no Walker marriage of any kind.

Thank you very much for looking into that.   (This older Walker seems to be a mystery.  Maybe he was a vagabond.  Dropped into town, had a child out of wedlock, got killed in an accident...)

Whilst there does not look to be any Walkers in Kilbrandon on the 1841 census, there are Buchanans. Two Buchanan families living in Easdale. This one www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/5a1411c2f4040b9d6ef817fa/george-buchanan-1841-argyllshire-kilbrandon-kilchattn-1791-?locale=en is headed up by George and wife Margaret Stalker. They had a daughter Flora born c. 1818 who died in Easdale in 1902 (other surname Ferguson and aged 84 at when she died). This Flora would be too young to be Robert Walker's mother though. She is fairly consistent on the censuses with a birth year c. 1818 

The other Easdale family in 1841 is this one www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/597e8d13f4040b024a5ba192/william-buchanan-1871-argyllshire-kilbrandon-kilchattn-1826-?locale=en

Both George and William look to have worked in the slate quarries of the area.

Monica

Thank you.  They could be relatives.