Hi Monical
Re your second message, I have been checking through my records to try and make sense of the 1851 census. When William and Mary married in Oct 1842, William was a bookseller. The fact that his POB and the ages and POB are correct for his wife and young Mary make me think that perhaps this is the correct family and that Thomas is in fact Daniel. Daniel did state that he was born Edinburgh when he enlisted in 1860 in Aberdeen. It also puts credence to the fact that William was in fact much older than stated when he married Mary. Though there is no age on the marriage declaration, later censuses and indeed his death cert have his age a bit younger. I just think its all too much of a coincidence.
Still no birth for Daniel/Thomas though even as a Gordon instead of a Taylor. Perhaps he was born before the marriage. Would he have been baptised in such a case?
Jo