RootsChat.Com

Again, thank you, River Tyne Lass.

According to the Durham Bishops Transcript, I have Barbara Steele IRVINE, born 1816 to John Hennll IRVINE, and wife, Jane, in North Shields. Her father was a Mariner. I believe Jane to be Jane HILL.

I had been searching for IRVINE. Barbara, my 3x g-grandmother, and my gg-grandfather was named John Irvine SIMPSON. So I had been searching the name IRVINE until I found other source information stating the family was IRVIN. Interestingly enough, although Barbara named her son John Irvine SIMPSON, another branch believed the name to be IRVING hence throughout that branch many children had the middle name of Irving. In my branch they all received Irvine for a middle name. I believe the inability to read, is the reason for the mistakes in spelling.

My IRVIN family is a couple of generations before the named Richard IRVIN from the fishing fleet. He would be at least 2 generations down the line, I would think.

I appreciate your help. My aunt, who first mentioned the fishing fleet from North Shields in her writings, has passed now, sadly before I could give her any information regarding this family.

Kind regards
Jeni Simpson

Hi River Tyne Lass

Thank you. I have received some wonderful information from people on this site, some descendants of this family, and the family did, indeed, own a trawling business.

From what I can gather, Barbara Steel IRVINE's father, John Hannell IRVIN, is connected to Richard IRVIN, however, I think he was a couple of generations earlier.

Kind regards
Jeni Simpson

wilros, as you will notice from Donald's birth registration, Donald was born out of wedlock [antinuptial fornicators] on 10 April 1832, to Hugh ROSS and Peggy FRASER of Shinness.  This comes from the OPR for Lairg.  I have searched and searched and friends have looked in New Edinburgh House for a marriage of Peggy and Hugh and we have come to the conclusion there may have been a handfasting for there to be no official marriage notice anywhere.  Of course, we may yet find something.

Peggy and Hugh went on to have children: Janet b c1883; George b 1835; Charles b 1837; John b 1840; Hugh b 1842; Andrew b 1847; Barbara b c1848 and William b c1852. Some also have an Adam b c1845 although this information came from the 1851 census and other researchers believe Adam may, in fact, be Andrew.  This is the only place I have found Adam, so he may also have died early.  In the early days of my research, I had help from people of Lairg or the County Sutherland email list. 

On roots chat, I got information from the Durness Parish Register regarding the DINGWALL family beginning at Alexander, Neil's father.  I have, just recently, been searching on Ancestry to find this family and source documents.  I have also been searching on Scotland's People.  I have Kennina's birth registration image and also have found her birth on the Free Church Records of Durness where she is Kennethina.  In 1881 the family were residing at Midpenny, Lairg, Donald and Kennethina have children Hugh aged 7; Mary A aged 5 and Charles aged 2 along with Jessie DINGWALL aged 34, who was working as a general domestic and presumably a sister of Kennethina, likely Janet.  In 1901 further children, Neelina aged 17; Jessie aged 12 and Robert aged 10 were living with Donald and Kennethina.  The family were living at Achunaern, Lairg.

I do have a document for a Robert Dingwall ROSS b 23 October 1890 who was living in Chelsea, London working as an Engineers Fitter [electric] and he may be a different ROSS-DINGWALL connection.  I will continue to search for more information on Robert today.

I will pm my email address.

Jeni

Lu

Thanks for this information.  I am sure that could well be Victoria who married Joseph SMART.  I wonder whether the GAIN family were all from Waterford.  There is not much information on them that I can find at the moment.  May need to go into town one day soon and check the library ancestry.  Find out the parents and other siblings etc.

I think I might check Joseph's brother mentioned in the article about his death.  Joseph is buried in Linwood Cemetery in Christchurch, near where he resided at the time of his death.  Victoria is buried in Sydenham Cemetery, also in Christchurch.  I haven't found children for them yet, maybe they didn't have any.

Jeni

Found!

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAG19130710.2.24.5?end_date=31-12-1913&items_per_page=10&page=2&query=%22Smart%22+joseph&snippet=true&start_date=01-01-1913

Sad story, and he worked on the Railways at Lyttelton.  Must be the man who was witness to the marriage of Rose Anne GAIN and Richard CHAMPION also Elizabeth GAIN and Joseph PAGE. 

Jeni