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Thanks very much, Mike. Will get in contact with them and see if they can help me locate the graves. I tried to find them last time I was in Ashby, but it's much too big a cemetery to scour without any idea of the location. Wondering if you might also have the following members of the Taylor family (also children of Matilda and Thomas) in the burial records? Elizabeth (b 1830 d 1840), Mary (born 1833, died ?) Elizabeth (b 1841 died after 1861 census)
Also trying to trace anyone by surname Durrant in the area. Matilda's maiden name was Durrant but no luck tracing her any further back.
Thanks again,
Sean (Perth, Australia)

Hi again Jeanette H,
Further to my message of this morning, I've made some interesting headway on the Janet Brown/Agnes Brown link. As you've pointed out, there is a discrepancy between their ages. Janet was born in 1715. Agnes' father was only born in 1708 and her parents only married in 1731. Agnes was born in 1732. I think it exceedingly unlikely they were sisters.
However, they could well have been related. The only Janet Brown baptised in the whole of Ayrshire (according to surviving records) in 1715 was baptised in Kirkoswald - where Agnes Brown's family was from. This Janet Brown's parents were Samuel Brown and Agnes Logie. They had married in 1713.
If Janet Brown and Alexander Hutchison used the old Scottish naming convention whereby the first male child was named after the maternal grandfather and the first female child after the maternal grandmother, we can work out that Janet's parents would have been named Samuel Brown and Agnes. So, this fits quite nicely, both date-wise and name-wise.
However, Kirkoswald's records only date from 1694 and I have been unable to work out whether Samuel Brown was perhaps a brother to Agnes Brown's grandfather (or similar).
I had almost given up, until I found a reference in Scotland's National Library to the Cowie Collection - a famed collection of Burns manuscripts. Among the collection is the following reference: "the marriage contract of Samuel Brown and Agnes Logie, 1713". I can only assume Charles Cowie knew of the relationship....
Hope to hear from you soon.
Sean

Hi Jeanette,
I believe we are related through Janet Brown and Alexander Hutchison. Could you please contact me via personal messages. I'd love to share the information I have with you.
Thanks,
Sean Cowan
Perth, Australia

Hello Jeanette H,
I am a direct descendant of Janet Brown and Alexander Hutchison through their daughter Margaret, who married Henry Cowan. I came across your post last night and was most interested to read that Janet Brown's sister was Agnes Brown - Robbie Burns' mother. Are you able to tell me about the "family documents" you referred to that inform you that Agnes and Janet were sisters. I've been unable to prove that is the case after looking through OPRs tonight myself.
Anyway, I have quite a bit of information on Margaret Hutchison and family. I'd love to share details with you.
I've only just signed up for rootsweb, so cant send any personal messages yet, but will try once I'm able. I also notice you're in Victoria. I'm in Perth. Strange how we all ended up in Australia.
Regards,
Sean Cowan