"Laings" in Fife and beyond

[Lorand]

Can anyone help with the Laing / Ness connection.  Andrew Laing married Mary Ness 2.4.1908, who was my g- grandmother's sister.  They went to Canada and returned to Fife in 1924.  I would like to know the names of their children and grandchildren if possible and also their occupations.

Thanks
Lorand

[Johnoz]

Evelina
My heart jumped for a moment when I saw Laing linked with Dewar. Reported earlier in this thread I said I had an Elizabeth Laing married to a James Walker whose mother was Catherine Walker nee Dewar b 1835 at Balmerino, Fife.

However I can find no Mary Ann in my Dewar family or links to Robsons or Greens.

regards
John Gourlay

[KirstyG]

Hi Lorand

Do you have years of birth for Andrew and Mary? I see a possible couple in the 1911 census in Ontario, with 2 young sons and a brother John Laing living with them.

Andrew born 1883, Mary b. 1879, John b.1885
Living at 35 Castlefield Ave, North Toronto.

http://automatedgenealogy.com/index.html


There was a Mary Laing, other surname Ness who died in Falkland, Fife in 1959. Her death certificate may have a name of a child if they registered it.

You should bear in mind that their children, and certainly grandchildren may still be alive and rootschat policy is not to post details of living people.

Kirsty

[Chiad Fhear]

JUST HAD TO GET THIS THREAD BACK UP TO THE TOP AGAIN

Hi again Laing 'cousins'

I've got a query for you to resolve for me from an A*******.co.uk find ...

1901 Census for Wemyss, Buckhaven, Fife has JEMIMA LAING, age 30, born Wemyss abt 1861 as STEP DAUGHTER of James age 34 and Janet age 37

I know, from my searches in General Register House in Edinburgh, that 'Janet' was Janet Kinnear and that the other children all correspond - except for James shown as age 72 instead of 12 - right down to wee Thomas aged 5 months.

A search on ScotlandsPeople has no Jemima born in Wemyss (or Scotland for that matter) between 1855 and 1865 but there is one in 1870


Before spending any more credits, do any of you have anything about Jemima in your records?

Regards

Chiad Fhear

[Deb D]

Just to throw a spanner in the works (probably!) ... I have a Thomas Laing, married to Ann Mitchell 1/12/1866 - she was born in Fife in 1847, the daughter of Archibald Mitchell and Ann Dewar.

Thomas and Ann had five children: - Ann, b. 1867, Christian/Christina b. 1870, David b. 1873, Archibald b. 1882, and "Betsey" b. 1889.  Those last couple seem quite a time after the rest of the family, so I'm dubious about who they actually belong to ... however that's beside the point.

The point is ... I don't have any info on Thomas, unfortunately.  Another of my contacts gave me this much information, but for some reason I've had trouble contacting him just lately.  So I don't know whether there's some connection, here ... ?

[Chiad Fhear]

Just to throw a spanner in the works (probably!) ... I have a Thomas Laing, married to Ann Mitchell 1/12/1866 - she was born in Fife in 1847, the daughter of Archibald Mitchell and Ann Dewar.

Hi Deb D

Could this be who you're talking about:

THOMAS LAING was born 11 Jul 1847 in Cupar, Fife, and died 06 Dec 1922 in 14 Castle Street, Cupar, Fife.  He married ANN MITCHELL 01 Dec 1866 in Crail, Fife, daughter of ARCHIBALD MITCHELL and ANN DEWAR.  She was born 06 Jun 1847 in Crail, Fife, and died 08 Feb 1927 in 14 Castle Street, Cupar, Fife.

Between 1881 and 1901 they lived in St Andrews Road, Anstruther Easter; Falside, Carnbee and Lahill Crag, Newburn and they had SIX children - Ann, Christina, David, Archibald Mitchell, Maggie Black and Betsy Lindsay!

Seems we have a common link - so please PM your email address to me and we can compare 'finds' 

Regards

Chiad Fhear

[Deb D]

Done ... will butt out of the thread now, unless someone else finds a connection 

[wendyry]

Hi  MairiD

I am researching the same LAING family as you, maybe we can share notes? At the moment I am trying to find out if there is a connection between John Laing b.1809, the gardener at Pitcairlie house and Robert LAING b.1819 the gardener at nearby Wellfield house. 
James STARK was a groom then butler at Wellfield House. John LAING's daughter Margaret LAING b. 1839 and James STARK's son Peter Manuel STARK b.1842 married and emigrated to New Zealand. Margaret's sister Mary LAING married Andrew Robertson ANNAN, their son Henry David/McDougal ANNAN and his cousin Mary-Ann Munro STARK married and adopted my grandmother Mary ANNAN and lived in Dunedin New Zealand.
There is such a confusion of LAING's around fife and they seem to move around a lot!

Cheers
Wendy
Dunedin NZ

[MairiD]

Hi Wendy,

Am very happy to share notes!
That was interesting about the gardener Robert Laing at Wellfield House.

I could not find a BC to match the details given on Censuses that he was born in Cupar. Cupar however was where the other Laings were born.

On Robert's DC (1893, Collessie) his parentage is not given as the informant stated 'not known' so no help there.

 John Laing's (1809, father of Mary and Margaret,etc.,) siblings were Margaret (1807), Janet (1810) and Jane (1813). Robert's birthdate of 1819 is not far from these dates. One possibility is that he was the youngest of this family but I think there would have been a BC matching those of the others.

A son was born to Robert Laing and Christy Storar in Auchtermuchty and as Robert (b.c.1819) and his wife Margaret Donovan/Denovan ( unclear) named their first child Christian, those parents are another possibility.

I looked at what seems to the previous generation of 'our' Laing line.
Margaret, John, Janet and Jane were born to John (b.c.1780) and Jane/Janet/Margaret(!) Smith.

 David (1778), William (1782) Janet (1788) Elizabeth (1791) and Robert (1796) may have been John's (c.1780) siblings. The youngest, Robert, had a family starting in 1834 ---too late for a Robert c.1819.
 I have not found David and William's marriages and families if any. Perhaps though 'Wellfield Robert' was a cousin of John (1809).
I do think there will be a connection! Finding it is a challenge.

Have you looked at the National Library of Scotland's maps online and seen the fascinating ones showing Pitcairlie? ( I must look again to spot Wellfield House.) Lindores House where Andrew R. Annan worked is quite near. He will have met Mary Laing at that time--c. 1848/9.
Best Wishes,
 MairiD.