Finneston Lanark?

[shawsboy]

have you tried www.freecen.org.uk i think your sinclairs are on it at west quarter

[sancti]

I wonder if this is Alexander Reid in 1841

Alexander Reid 35 Head Occupation: Cotton H L W
Margaret Reid 30
Alexander Reid 9
Francis Reid 7
Mingo Reid 1

 Address: Westquarter Millar Street Glassford

[twitter]

Hi sancti & shawsboy
Thanks for the replies. According to the Witness statement by my James, Alexander Reid was his next door neighbour and this is confirmed by the 41 census as Alexander comes right after my James and his family. Alexander Reid-25,
Barbara R. -25, Alexander R.-5, William R. -3 and Barbara R.-1. Alexander is describe by all the witnesses as a man of "quick passions" translation he had a "hot temper." Reid who was a weaver's agent and employed a number of weavers on Millar St., accused William of not completing the  cloth he had sent him. William said he would get it soon enough but that he was going with James Sinclair to "hawk' potatoes that day. Well that started it!
As for your suggestion shawsboy I will check it out and get back to you. I had to be away yesterday and  just got back home. All you messages and suggestions are very helpful just keep em coming.

[Forfarian]

I don't think this has anything at all to do with Finnieston in Glasgow where there is the big crane outside the Scottish Exhibition Centre.

You say the 1841 census at Westquarter lists Davidson Sinclair, 35, born in the county. In other words, probably not in the town or parish of Lanark, but somewhere in Lanarkshire. Also ages in 1841 were supposed to be rounded down to the nearest 5 years, so his actual age could have been anything from 35 to 39. Therefore he could have been born any time from 1801 until 1806.

Then you say the 1851 census lists Davidson Sinclair, age 47, and sister Martha in Westquarter in the parish of Glassford, and saying they were born in Glassford. So he was born 1803/4, and in the parish where he was living. This is totally consistent with the 1841 census.

Then in 1861, basically the same information, only saying Finnestown in Lanarkshire instead of Glassford as the place of birth.

As all the three censuses are consistent about his age and his county of birth, it seems unlikely that either of these pieces of information are incorrect.

Therefore the inference I would draw is that Finni/esto(w)n is, or more likely was, a farm or house in the parish of Glassford. However there's no place listed in the 1851 census of Glassford with a name remotely resembling Finnestown, so it must have changed its name, or disappeared, before 1851.

By the way Westquarter is the village now named on modern maps as Glassford.

[sancti]

1841 census has a few Sinclair families in Glassford

Alexander Sinclair 40 Occupation: Cotton H L W
Margaret Sinclair 40
James Sinclair 15
Thomas Sinclair 10
John Sinclair 50 Occupation: Cotton H L W
Jean Thomson 45
 
 Address: Westquarter
All born Lanarkshire


William Sinclair 45 Occupation: Cotton H L W
Margaret Sinclair 40 born Scotland
Janet Sinclair 25 born: Scotland
James Sinclair 20
Ann Sinclair 14
William Sinclair 12
Jean Sinclair 11
John Sinclair 10
Mary Sinclair 6
Peter Barr 2

Address: Westquarter Millar Street
All born Lanarkshire unless stated


Martha Sinclair 40 Born Lanarkshire occupation FS

Address: Westquarter Millar Street



Davidson Sinclair 35  born: Lanarkshire, occupation Grocer & Sp Deal

Address: Westquarter Old Street



James Sinclair 25 Occupation: Ag Lab
Margaret Sinclair 25
John Sinclair 2
Elizabeth Sinclair 4 MO

Address: Westquarter Millar Street
All born Lanarkshire



There is also a 2yr old James Sinclair living with the Shearer family at  Westquarter Old Street

[twitter]

Hi Sancti and Forfarian
Thank you so much for all your help. I have traced all the Sinclair families, back as far as I can go. There were actually 5 Sinclair families in the Westquarter,in 1841, of which three are blood related. I know that David and Martha said they were born in Glassford and later changed it to Finnestown but there are no records on SP to confirm any of that nor William for that matter. No records for an Ann Davidson married to a James Sinclair either on SP or the IGI Index.  I have in my research found out that in the late 1700's the kirk in Glassford began charging 5 pence to record a birth, marriage or death and continued to do so well into the 1800's.  The article indicated that once this fee was charged the number of registrations declined. So all of the above may be true but without the records it's idle speculation.Based on the info I have my James's father is most likely a brother of James Sinclair possibly called John but again that's speculation. With your help I have tried every angle but no go. On the LDS site I have just read that there are no Kirk session records for the Established church in Glassford so finding my James Sinclair's ancestors which has been the object of all of this appears to be sadly hopeless.
Thank you all!
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[twitter]

Info Update
For anyone who read my last post that said via the LDS site that there were no Kirk Session records for Glassford -that information is misleading. The NAS does have them,  so all is not lost. Perhaps,  the LDS site should have stated that the NAS held the records it would have been more useful . Based on that information I had decided to give up my search. But ever hopeful I await them going online.
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[Lodger]

Hi Twitter,
This will give you an idea what has survived of the parochial records of Glassford.

Parish number is 645.

645/1
Baptisms are from 1692 and although the pages have been badly damaged by water the entries are legible. The mother’s name is omitted but place of abode included. Records improve by 1740’s and mother’s name added from 1769. Much easier to read by 1780’s and witnesses added from 1797 until end of book at May 1820.
Proclamations begin at 1692 and are readable; there is a gap from June 1746 until October 1783. Another gap from 1804 until September 1816, the book ends at December 1819. 
Session accounts include mortcloth payments from 1733 and the early ones, although difficult to read, have good information. Accounts for the tolling of the funeral bell for the year 1785 has names. Also list of names from parish collections for 1783 and a list of poor for 1783.
Register of deaths & burials from October 1783 has some good information, ends at December 1807.

645/2.
Baptisms from 1820 but are a scrawl until the 1830’s when they become much better and end at 1854.
Proclamations from 1820 but until 1835 there are sometimes only one entry for each year. After 1835 there are more entries and in a better hand, end at February 1856.
Registrar General says there are deaths in this book but I couldn’t find any.

Lodger

[twitter]

Thank you Lodger!
Yesterday I had given up all hope of finding anything new. I couldn't believe the Kirk Session records for almost 400 years had gone missing, were destroyed or worse never kept. I am hopeful that my James messed up at some point and had to explain himself to the kirk council. You have obviously seen the records and used them for your research so I have hope for mine.
 Question: In Jame's witness statement to the Sheriff he said"I went back to my  own house with the Gil Jug and some person came in and told me that they doubled my Uncle was gone". ( copied exactly as written) What does "doubled" mean and what is a "Gil Jug"?
This statement was made after William's unconscious body was taken off the road to the Shearer's house and after others pull Reid off my James Sinclair who was accosted by Reid for pulling him off his Uncle.
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