CALDER's of KIRKINTILLOCH

[Iain J]

Wondering if anyone here may have come across my great, great grandfather. Having difficulty in finding anything other than a mention in my great grandfathers 1871 census entry.
My great grandfather seemingly ran away, as a child, from the Kirkintilloch area, getting onboard a Moray based fishing boat going through the Forth and Clyde Canal. He lived out his days as a fisherman in Moray. It is believed his father came looking for him but he would not return, seeing he was being cared for he left him where he resided.
Gt Gt Grandfather John Calder, his wife was called Margaret nee Foot, he is recorded as a weaver and it is possible that he may have also been a soldier at some point.

[Forfarian]

What was the name of your errant great-grandfather, when and where was he born, and where was he in the 1871 census?

[Iain J]

Hi Forfarian,

He is also called John Calder.
In the 1871 census he is 27 years old, resides in Findochty in the parish of Rathven , Banffshire.
His birthplace is given as Linlithgowshire, Kirkintilloch

[Forfarian]

Kirkintilloch isn't in Linlithgowshire. You really need to look at the original to see whether the error is there or in a transcription.

I don't see any mention of his father in the 1871 census transcription I am looking at. (I wouldn't expect a census to have information about anyone not actually in the household.)

I see that he married Magdalen Thain in 1866. Have you seen that marriage certificate? It should confirm the names of his parents and also tell you whether or not John senior was still living.

Though it does seem that both he and his father are elusive before then.

There is a reference to him in LIBINDX http://libindx.moray.gov.uk/mainmenu.asp which suggests that his father was a soldier.

Can you be certain that John Calder senior and Margaret Foot were actually married? There is a seven-year-old John Foot in the household of William Telfer in Kirkintilloch in 1851 and a 17-year-old John Foot, boarder, in the household of John Quin in Kirkintilloch in 1861, but no John Foot of matching age in any later census.

[Iain J]

Yes, I have the marriage certificate, John Calder is down as father, occupation soldier, Margaret Calder is recorded as deceased. I'm unsure whether her original surname (Foot or Foote) is correct, it was also believed she may have been Irish, I was only verbally told that. It is believed that she was dead before he ran away as the reason for him leaving was his step mother not being particularly nice to him. Again just a family story.
It is reasonable to consider they were never married, there is no evidence they were.