Scott
Ignore my last message re the new Email address. I've decided to use the personal message function of the RootsChat Board. I was concerned that the pictures would be too small but as we can send anything up to 500KB we'll be ok.
Here goes. I started researching my family (every branch, including my wife's) in 1998. So far I have gathered quite a lot about my Scottish ancestors through Internet archives mainly
www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/, newspapers, war records, recollections of my Grandfather (Montrose born), my father and uncles (all Irish-born) and two visits to Montrose - in 1984 and 2010 - where we spoke to living relatives, local historians, library staff, newspaper men etc., etc..
My Smith family is not related to yours, but although our connection is not one of blood, I still have an amount of Morrison history to pass on. When I first posted my message last year I had just discovered that Robt Moir Smith had been best man at the wedding of Anne Birse Smith (my grand-Aunt) to Andrew Morrison. I immediately jumped to the conclusion, because of the Smith name, that Robt Moir was related to her - specifically, her 1st cousin - but I was wrong. The only reason that he acted as best man was because his girl friend/fiancee (Helen Morrison) was a sister of Andrew. So much for the Smiths.
Now for your descent from your gr/gr/grandmother. Because of my Grand Aunt Annie I have done, over the last 12 years, an amount of research about the Morrison family. This is what I have. Please note that the county of Angus was previously known as Forfar.
Your great/great/grandmother Mary Ann Wilkie (born at Logie Pert, Forfar in ca.1840) married Andrew Morrison (an agricultural labourer, born at Cortachy, Forfar in ca.1841) at MARYKIRK, county of KINCARDINE, in 1863. At the 1881 census, taken at Logie Pert, Forfar, they were living at Brae of Pert Cottars (Cottages) and they had the following children, all of whom were born at Brechin, Forfar.
Andrew age 12, Helen age 10, William age 7, Mary Ann age 4 and Jane Ann age 1.
Source: FHL Film 0203495, GRO ref Vol.304, EnumDist 1, Page 5
It should be noted that another son, Alexander, was born subsequent to the census date in 1881. It should also be noted that the dates of birth of Andrew and Mary Ann as calculated from the census differ from what might be inferred from the information on their tombstone.
[see IMG A]
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If you wish to research your ancestry I would suggest, as a first step, that you register (free) with
www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ From that site you can browse (for a small fee) the Old Parish Records (pre 1855) and the Statutory Records from 1855-2009. There is a mine of information to be had there. Andrew and Mary Ann were married in 1863: search the Statutory Records and you will discover who their parents were and their occupations, residence etc. From this information you can then search the OPR for THEIR parents’ marriage etc. They died in 1890 and 1894 – search for their death registers and another door opens.
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The next event in the Morrison family was the marriage of Andrew to my grand-Aunt, Ann Birse Smith (see IMG B). The information on this register is as follows:
1896 on the Fifth day of June at 9 Panmure Row, Montrose after according to the Forms of the Established Church of Scotland Andrew Morrison, Carter, Bachelor, age 27 of 57 Union Street, Montrose. [Where your Morrison Gr/Gr/grand parents lived]
Father & Mother: Andrew Morrison, Railway Plate Layer (deceased); Mary Ann Morrison (M.S. Maiden Surname) Wilkie. [It is curious that Mary Ann is not shown as deceased although the tombstone records her death in 1894]
Ann Birse Smith, Flax Mill Worker, Age 21 of 9, Panmure Row, Montrose
Father & Mother: James Smith, Merchant Seaman (Deceased); Jessie Smith, (M.S. Niell)
Witnesses: Robert Smith, Helen Morrison
(The wedding took place at my grand-Aunt’s home. Ministers of the Church of Scotland [Presbyterian] were allowed to conduct the ceremony at any venue deemed proper and suitable – usually the Bride’s home)
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Here are the details of Plot AV/3, Sleepyhillock Cemetery, Montrose
Robert Moir Smith, Died 16 Dec 1926, Buried 16 Dec 1926, 6yrs old
Andrew Smith, Still-Born child, Buried 8 Feb 1931, Unrecorded
Norman Geddes, Buried 17 Jan 1947, Unrecorded
Helen Ann Smith Morrison, Died 30 July 1948, Buried 2 Aug 1948 [see IMG C] Let me know if you can’t decipher it!
Robert Moir Smith, Buried 16 Feb 1952, Died 14 Feb 1952
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