Benholm Kirkyard & OPR

[torrid]

Hi  My ancesters  William hendry and his wife Jean Jack had 10 children  and lived at Muirton house farm Benholm

[428290]

We have a John Bertie died 23.02.1883 by being knocked down by a railway train.  He lived at Benholm and Bervie, might be interested to see if what they found is buried at your churchyard.
Evelyn

[Beckey]

Hi JEANP,

Looking for any MI on a Roderick Ross, 1851 lived Benholm age 56 (b.about 1795), his wife was a Jean Forsyth b. about 1800 and died before 1841 and any others of that family please.
Roderick Ross died Johnshaven 7/1/1864.

Barry

[isobelmacle]

I have a 3rd Great Grandfather James Gove born in Benholm 1776 married a Isobel Watson born 1777 in Laurencekirk married in Benholm 1799 Isobel died in Benholm 1835 they had about 7 children. I have no death date for James does this ring any bells for a Gravestone or a death date.
Also James father  Alexander born again in Benholm in 1752 married a Anne Edward 1775  have no death dates again any info would be appreciated.

[JEANP]

Here are the pre 1855 gravestone entries for Gove;

14 - 1860. And Gove seaman Johnshaven 1.1.1855 75, w Jane Gove 4.3.1851 76, da Eliz 8.9.1863 63

88 - Robt Gove 25.5.1902 90, w Margt Thomson 23.4.1902 83

90 - Wm Gove d Johnshaven 9.3.1875 68, w Margt Wam 27.6.1889 79, s Wm d Australia, two chn d inf, by da Helen

Apart from the above there is a stone for J Gove, unfortunately the stone is damaged and no inscrip[tion remains apart from a date which is either 1811 or 1817.


Jean
 

[isobelmacle]

Thank you so much for that quick reply unfortunately I cant get them to tie in with my Goves. Will keep on trying again thanks so much.

[alisonchristie]

Hello Jean,
I wandered around Benholm Churchyard a few years ago, my father's ancestors lived there in the late 1700's, William Christie and Jean Kemlo.  I have not been able to go further with their lines as they appear to have died pre 1855, and also did not follow the usual naming process most families used.
I doubt if they would have had a headstone as they did not appear to have enough money to register their son David my direct ancestor.  However, I would be interested in the names you do find.  They had other sons, Thomas, George, Hercules and Robertson.  I have info on Robertson, but nothing on Thomas, George and Hercules.
I am researching my mother's side who mostly come from Berwickshire and East Lothian, a group have done a lot of work with names in a Churchyard-I think it's Preston, and have put all the info on CDs, there are photos of the graves etc, I know it is a lot of work but you might be interested in seeing exactly what they have done.
Thank you for your hard work and if you have any relevant info, please contact me.

[aliwaikato]

Hi Jean,

I am a new forum member from NZ and am trying to locate the graves of the following people (GG Grandparents) :

Elizabeth (Betsy) Blews or Blues born 1829 St Cyrus and died 6 April 1857 at Foregate Johnshaven and her husband William Fotheringham b. July 1823 died 22 January 1893

(the source for this information were the old parochial registers of Benholm - 1977 a scots genealogist did some research for my gran).

I would appreciate any help or advice you could give me as I am over here in NZ.

Regards Alison

[alisonchristie]

Hello Alison,
I received a message to say that someone had posted a message on the Benholm thread.
I remember seeing the name Blue/Blues as I was doing my own research, my own family wandered around the Mearns, some emigrating, some heading for Arbroath or Montrose, the two nearest main towns.  Some of my relatives headed for Dundee.  I never came across any who went in the other direction, up north to Aberdeen. Dundee library have info re people in the Montrose / Arbroath area plus Dundee itself.  It would be a main starting point.
If you have no luck there try the North East Family History Society in King Street in Aberdeen; I assume you can get info on line from them, I've just been there in person twice, the people there were very helpful.
Some of my family also headed for Fordoun, it's more inland, and although it's a blink and you are through it place now, there were more people living there in the 1800's.  The nearest Churchyard is in Auchenblae, the old one and the new one.  The old one is really old and I think the graves go into the 1800's, but there aren't that many, I think most people were buried with no gravestone, and I'd love to know where they were buried, because the size of Auchenblae church yard which surrounds the new Church (incorporating the ruins of St Palladius Chapel) doesn't seem to reflect the many people who lived in the Parish over the centuries.
Look up the Angus Family History Society too, on line.
Good luck with your search!