Please help me find out just who was Helen[Nellie] Loag's parents

[nelmit]

Well done Monica and Tootsiepie! That is basically what we came up with at TalkingScot.

Here are Mary and Samuel in 1881 (as transcribed at Ancestry)-

Mary Loay     45 (ms Martin born Ireland)
Mary Loay    16
Samuel Loay    13

Living at Castle Street

As you can see Mary senior shaved quite a few years off her age. According to a poorhouse application for education made in 1877 she was born around 1837.

It was the father of wee Nellie that I don't think we managed to resolve.

Regards,
Annette

[nelmit]

Thanks Monica - duplicate post modified.

[MonicaL]

Good to see we all came to same conclusions 

If you go back to your post and click 'modify' you can go back to it and amend. You can't delete it but if you delete the text and put something like 'double post' it will do the trick!

Monica

[nelmit]

I think you've got the right family , Monica.   Mary married William Smith in 1883, and so I wonder if these younger children are really Smiths..and Marys reverted to her maiden name. (Speculation   at this point), and her mother is bringing up children while young Mary works.

Maybe she just named young Nellie with the middle name 'Caw' out of respect.
The other option is  not quite so respectable.

I'd favour 1st option, as she is living in Hugh Caw's house (post Nellie's birth.)

edited to add last line.

Hugh Caw has a William Smith, grandson age 14 with him in 1901.

[tootsiepie]

Thanks Annette,I suspected mother Mary was a tad old for starting a new family.

[sancti]

Mary states that she had no contact with her husband since 1889 and Nellie was born July 1890. Would there have been any reason to state William was not the father if she wanted to claim poor relief?

[Brenda]

Many, many thanks to all who replied to my query.

I have birth / death certificates for Samuel Loag and Mary Ann Muir Murray.
Samuel was indeed Mary's sister. [The mother of Helen /Nellie Loag]  but who was Nellie's father. ?

I'm going to go through all the data I have, there's much confusion but  hopefully all will be revealed!

[nelmit]

Eventually managed to find them in 1901! Info is very confusing.

M Smith     36
David Smith    16 son 
Mary Caw    12 stepdaughter 
Helen Caw    10 stepdaughter 

So...................since she's now calling the 2 girls Caw it might be worth looking at wee Mary's birth entry as she doesn't appear to be William Smith's daughter either.

I had a wee look while I was paying a flying visit to The Mitchell today for any poorhouse applications.

I found one for Mary Martin Caw born 1888. She applied in 1908 - Ref D-HEW 16/13/86 page 12856. Production was finished so I didn't have time to look but you can email them and ask for a copy - It's not very expensive. It might show info on her sister Helen.

Regards,
Annette

[MonicaL]

Certainly is confusing Annette. The other check that might be worthwhile doing is to see who sister Mary Martin Caw gave as parents on her marriage cert (if she married) or her death entry. Always the hope that Mary and Helen may have had the same father....

Monica