Christerning records Elgin

[Carol20]

Advice please on where to find  Church of Scotland (St Giles) or the Free Churches, Christerning records for Elgin for abt 1884. I have my Grandfathers birth registration but would like additional info that might be on a Christerning record. He was born in the centre of Elgin his name Frederick Hugh Adams.

Hope someone can guide me in the right direction

Carol

[GR2]

It is unlikely that you would find anything extra in a record of baptism at this period. Usually just the child's name, parents and date. The way to look for church records is to go to the National Archives of Scotland online catalogue and search there.

Some churches issued preprinted cerificates of baptism with the date, place and child's name filled in by the minister. Sometimes the minister wrote a certificate of baptism on the reverse of the child's birth certificate.

Graham.

[prophetess]

A site worth looking at,
 http://www.moray.gov.uk/LocalHeritage/Assets/html_pages/morayheritage.html

You can search the database on there  at this link

http://libindx.moray.gov.uk/mainmenu.asp

Some of it has been submitted, but a lot comes from the records they hold there
if you get in touch with them you will find them very helpful indeed

Good luck
Sybil

[Forfarian]

Advice please on where to find  Church of Scotland (St Giles) or the Free Churches, Christerning records for Elgin for abt 1884.

For a date as late as that, I think you'd need to contact the churches separately. Fortunately there have been so many amalgamations of congregations that there aren't all that many to contact now.

There are two C of S churches in Elgin
Elgin High Church 01343-542449 http://www.moraypresbytery.org.uk/churches/display.php?id=11
St Giles and St Columba's 01343-547208 http://www.moraypresbytery.org.uk/churches/display.php?id=12

There is also a Free Church http://www.elginandforresfreechurch.com/contact_us.htm

[Carol20]

Thanks for all the lines of advice to date. I am living in hope that possible godparents might be a clue to the identity of Frederick Hugh Adams's father, a Hugh Adams (This has worked once before for my research). I have possible candidates, but no evidence to prove positive identity. I have cheacked the National Archives of Scotland online catalogue and they have several records which might be of use

thanks again Carol

[Forfarian]

I am living in hope that possible godparents might be a clue to the identity of Frederick Hugh Adams's father, a Hugh Adams

Hmmm. If Frederick Hugh were legitimate, his birth certificate would tell you the date and place of his parents' marriage, and this, in turn, would tell you the names of Hugh's parents.

So I deduce that Frederick Hugh was illegitimate?

Now, a father's name could only be included on a birth certificate if he actually accompanied the mother to the Registrar's office and signed the certificate; and he would be required to state his occupation and address.

So, what was Hugh's occupation and where did he live?

[Carol20]

Yes you are correct ,Frederick Hugh Adams was illegitimate. His mother was Christina Ross and Frederick was subsequently brought up by his maternal grandparents in Elgin, James Ross and Elspet Ross nee Dallas.  Hugh Adams was along with Christina Ross, the informants on the birth certificate, he gave his address as 17 Grayfriars Street, Elgin, occupation Law Clerk (apprentice). Family rummer has it that Hugh and Christina were sent out to South Africa, Hugh died and Christina returned, however I have been unable to find any evidence of a marriage and Christina subsequently is stated as Spinster on her marriage to Donald Urquhart in1889

Carol

[Forfarian]

Ah. That does make things more awkward. And LIBINDX is silent upon the subject of Hugh Adam(s).

I would have thought it unlikely that a law apprentice in Elgin would have come from anywhere very distant. To be a law apprentice he'd need to be say 16 or 17 at the least, and I think you could exclude anyone born after say 1870.

There's really only one who looks likely in the 1881 census, Hugh Adam, aged 15, born Edinkillie and living in Rhynie. This is Hugh Adam, son of Alexander Adam, tailor, and Isabella Mortimer, born Edinkillie on 4 April 1865. He would have been 17 or 18 in 1883/4, when Frederick was conceived. Just about the right age to be a law apprentice.

The occupant of 17 Greyfriars Street in the 1881 census was Christian Melven, a 60-year-old widow. Maybe Hugh was lodging with her or someone else in the street?

If Hugh died in South Africa, and you have drawn a blank in the South African records (which I gather is quite likely), I think the only way you can do this is to make a list of all the possible candidates using say the 1881 census, and then look at all the deaths to match up and eliminate the ones who did die in Scotland. The one(s) left over, if any, are then your prime candidate(s).

There are 29 Hugh Adam(s) born 1830 to 1870 in the index of deaths from 1884 onwards at SP, and the IGI lists about 33 Hugh Adam(s) born in Scotland between 1830 and 1870, some of whom are likely to have died before 1884.

Of course if one of the deaths describes one of them as a lawyer, you've probably found your man.

[Carol20]

Thank you for all the advice I am intending to check through all those possible candidates over the weekend and luckily I do have a few unused Scotlandspeople credits to use up

carol