WHELLANS family - Morebattle

[brina]

Disappointing news from The Kalamazoo Public Library: -


I received your email requesting a record of the marriage of George Taylor and Jane Whellans from 1863.  I checked the Kalamazoo County Index to Marriages checking for the variations on Jane’s surname and found no listing for their marriage.  Sorry that I could not be of further assistance to you in your search.

I feel quite disappointed by this message but on the other hand am determined to find out more.   If you have any ideas please feel free to print them.

[MonicaL]

Hi Brina

  That is disappointing. The clues may therefore have to come from Scotland.

The issue of Jane and Charlotte being sisters and the likelyhood of Charlotte being a Turnbull. There is an approx. 15 year gap between the two 'sisters'. There is always the possibility of different fathers. Perhaps Charlotte's mother remarried a Turnbull and Charlotte was a daughter from that marriage. Although half sister, Charlotte and Jane could have been close in terms of relationship (all guesswork and speculation at this stage in the absence of fact  ). I did see a likely entry for Charlotte Turnbull in the earlier censuses, which I'll go back now and find....

Monica

[MonicaL]

These the main entries for a potential Charlotte Turnbull in the early censuses:

Andw Dods 60, blacksmith
Isabella Dods 60, b. Scotland
John Dods 35
Jannet Dods 20
Jane Dods 20
Charlotte Turnbull 6

Address: Boryedward, Jedburgh

Isabela Dodds 73, kept by her son, b. Eaddon, Berwickshire
Janet Dodds 32, daughter b. Jedburgh
Charlotte Turnbull 16, granddaughter, b. Jedburgh

Address: Bougedward Village, Jedburgh

And then for 1861:

James B Crease 55, Woollen Manufacturer Emplyings 10 Man 16 Boys 18 Wornen, b. Edinburgh
Jane Crease 50
Charles Crease 15
Charlotte Turnbull 23, housemaid, b. Jedburgh
Isabella Turnbull 50, Domestic Cook, b. Crailing Rox.

Address: Bonjedward Keuk (messy transcript!), Jedburgh

If we have the right entry for Charlotte in Lilliesleaf in 1871, she looks to have married in England  post census in 1861, with the children showing as born there (I can't easily see the marriage in Scotland) and then shows in Lilliesleaf in 1871. A check of any of the Scottish born children would help to confirm marriage place and date*

John Falla 34, Blacksmith (master Employing 1 Boy), b. Lilliesleaf
Charlotte Falla 33, b. Jedburgh
William Falla 6, b. England
Jane Falla 3, b. England

Address: Dunstan Hends House, Lilliesleaf


One thought that has just struck me, having done potential census entries chronologically, is that in 1862 we have George Taylor reference of visiting Charlotte, Jean's married sister in Lilliesleaf. John Falla and wife Charlotte Turnbull would have to had married in 1861/2 and be living in Lilliesleaf at that point before England.....all getting a bit stretched without any facts 

Monica

* IGI entry for a child to John Falla and Charlotte Turnbull:

JOHN DODDS FALLA  Birth: 24 AUG 1871  Lilliesleaf, Roxburgh, Scotland

That middle name of Dodds points to those earlier census entries for a granddaughter Charlotte in the Dodds household.
   

[MonicaL]

John Falla, b. in Lilliesleaf in 1837 is potentially working with the Dodds family in 1861 (and probably how he met and married Charlotte you would think). His likely entry in 1861:

John Dodds 55, Blacksmith Employing 3 Men, b. Jedburgh
Christina Dodds 57, wife
John Falla 24, blacksmith journeyman, b. Lilliesleaf
John Cray 20
John Salvail 18

Address: Bonjedward, Jedburgh

Trying to figure out how all of this connects us back to Jean 

Monica

[brina]

Hi Monica,

Thanks for all your help.   I had looked at your earlier information regarding Charlotte and looked at the Census details.   

When Charlotte Turnbull was 6 she was living at Bonjedward in the same house as Jane Dods who was 20 in the 1841 Census.   Now Jane Dods was George Taylor's second wife and I am presuming that this was she.    I wonder if when he wrote his autobiographical memoir he confused his wives sisters.   What do you think?   (I noticed that the spelling can be Dods and Dodds).

Also I notice that the Jean Whealance/Wheelens/Whillans who we have traced in the 41/51 and 61 Census, then disappears,  so we must assume she is the same Jane who left with George Taylor for Kalamazoo.   

He does refer to Jane as "our cousin" and I  wonder if Jane Whellans was a cousin of Jane Dods.   After all they were both born in Jedburgh.   This may be a bit farfetched but who knows!!

Anyway that's my latest idea although I can, so far, find no record of any birth for Jane Whellans.

What a puzzle!!

Brina

[MonicaL]

Brina

You have read the book on George's Travels  Is there any reference to George Taylor's first wife's name. You will laugh....from IGI:

JANE DODDS and GEORGE TAILOR
Marriage: 26 NOV 1841 Jedburgh, Roxburgh

Monica

[brina]

Monica,

I have read the book but have returned it to the library.   However I had noted that George Taylor married Helen Robson 1837, then Jane Dodds 1842, Jane Whellans 1863 and then finally Susan Carter in 1870.

There are two references in SP to marriage.   This was confusing me as George's name was spelt Tailor and Taylor.   Taylor at Eckford, for which I downloaded the details and Tailor in Jedburgh which would have been Jane's church I suppose.   The record for Eckford was really just giving information that the banns were called in Eckford and Jedburgh and they were married in Jedburgh.   It gave the name of the minister but no further details.   No father or mother or witnesses.

Brina

[brina]

I should have mentioned that George provided very little details of his wives.   He appeared to do most of his travelling without them apart from taking wives 2 and 3 to Kalamazoo.

Wife 4 was brought over to Scotland and England for a visit, George's last visit over here, and he made a comment in the book that it was much more expensive travelling with a wife.

[MonicaL]

  So there could be a connection? Didn't realise there was a potential connection to the Dodds name for George.

This looks like the George and Jane from the marriage in 1851 - going by the children showing on IGI:

George Taylor 48, Nurseryman Journeyman, b. Morebattle
Jane Taylor 33, b. Jedburgh
Isabella Taylor 8, b. Eckford, Roxburghshire
Andrew Taylor 6, b. Eckford, Roxburghshire
George Taylor 4, Kelso, Roxburghshire
James Taylor 1, b. Kelso, Roxburghshire

Address: Forrestfield, Kelso

Re George's travel preferences, what can I say