Mairi,
My Ness line runs through Janet Ness, daughter of William Ness and Mary Robertson. So from what you have on Peter they would have been brother and sister.
I have Janet's birth record. She was born Dec. 31, 1821 and baptized Jan. 6, 1822 in Aberlady. Witnesses were Joseph Ness and Thomas Robertson. I always assumed they were fathers of William and Mary.
Janet died in Aberlady of senile decay. Her death record in 1901 shows her name as Janet Robertson Ness, age 78, father: William Ness, tailor, deceased ,and mother: Mary Robertson, deceased. Although Janet had several children, she never married.
1851 census for Aberlady has William Ness age 60, tailor born Preston Pans, East Lothian, Mary, wife, age 60 out worker, born Aberlady, **Janet, daughter, age looks like 41, which would be wrong, out worker, born Aberlady, William, son age 19 shoe maker, born Aberlady, Mary Murphy, granddaughter, age 4 (or 6, not sure) born Aberlady, John Purves, grandson, age 2 born Aberlady. ** Janet should be 30 years old.
1861 census for Aberlady has William Ness, widower, age 67, tailor, born Prestonpans, Haddington, **Janet, daughter, age 30, farm worker, born Aberlady, John, grandson age 13, farm worker born Aberlady, William, grandson, age 11 born Aberlady, David, grandson age 2, born Aberlady
Again Janet's age is wrong, but then census records are not always to be relied on for ages. She should be 40.
In 1871 Aberlady census William, widower, tailor is age 77, born Preston Pans, Haddington, Janet, daughter, age 49 (finally a right age for her), unmarried, housekeeper, born Aberlady, William, grandson age 21, flesher, born Aberlady, and David, grandson age 12, scholar, born Aberlady.
Janet had a daughter Margaret who was my g-g-grandmother. I have had no luck in finding her in any census records before her marriage. She married James Kilgour in 1865, Aberlady. Her mother is shown as Janet Ness. Father's name is left blank.
My gr-grandfather Thomas Kilgour wrote out a family tree back in the 1950's which he gave to one of his grandchildren. In this tree he lists Janet Ness as Margaret's mother and William Ness as her grandfather. He also lists Margaret's siblings as Bill, David and John.
These three brother's names match with the names in the 1861 census.
When Margaret married in December of 1865 she was shown as age 22 which would make her birth about 1843. In 1851 she would have been about 6 or 7 depending on her birth date which I do not know.
So I am wondering if she is the Mary Murphy with the Ness family in 1851 and if the John Purves is the John Ness of 1861. He is right age. I am wondering if Janet first called them by their fathers' surnames and later changed them to Ness???
This is the only explanation I can come up with for why there is no John Ness or Margaret Ness in 1851 and why this Mary and this John would be with Ness family and listed as grandchildren if they are not Janet's children.
Does that make sense to you? Have you come across anything in your research on this family that would explain this?
I have William's death record for 1877.
That is as far as I have gone. On this death record it has parents as Joseph Ness and Margaret Paterson.
You have shown parents of Joseph as being William Ness and Marion Ponton/Punton who married in 1759 North Berwick.
Do you have a birth record for Joseph? Do you know where he was born - Dirleton? North Berwick? or elsewhere?
I appreciate any help you can give me and would be happy to share what little I hae on this family.
Carolyn L.
