Grace Darling Link?

[portybelle]

Family legend has my husband's family related to the famous Grace Darling but I've got a bit stuck trying to prove it.

I have a death record for Janet Park (ms Darling) who died in 1905 aged 80 in the district of Maryhill, Lanark. Her parents are listed as William Darling (mason) and Sarah Darling ms Docherty. This puts her born at about 1825 with her parents possibly around 1800.

I know William Darling is a common name in Grace Darling's family and am pretty sure that this one is not either of her brothers from looking at a genealogy I found online.

So I'm wondering if he may have been a cousin?

But can't find anything else on William and Sarah so am a at a dead end. It would be good to be able to say one way or the other whether my husband can claim famous blood in his ancestry!

[CaroleW]

Grace Darling's father was a lighthouse keeper

The 1841 census for Northumberland has 174 entries for the surname Darling whilst the Scottish 1841 has 682 entries so it was not an uncommon surname

[davidft]

The only way ( I can see) is a step by step approach. You need to establish when and where Janet was born. Get a copy of her  baptism to confirm her parentage (just because they are named on her Scottish death certificate doesn't necessarily mean they are right) . Then look for any other children of the marriage, look for the marriage of the parents and there ages. Find out where they are born etc etc

In short what I am saying is its a long haul and not helped that by having a quick look at the Grace Darling trees on the web I can see a lot have some fundamental mistakes.

[diddymiller]

i had the same problem a while back but was lucky and did find that link - my female ancestor married graces brother Robert. the info that helped me was i knew the occupation of the brides father and this proved to be crucial.

i wsa chuffed because i was not actually looking into the Darling family at all - i came across the marriage by accident and was shocked to see who the husband was!!

Diddy 

[portybelle]

Unortunately all I have to go on is Janet Park's death certificate. I haven't been able to find her birth/christening or any more details on her parents. Was just hoping someone else might have been looking into the line and recognise the names of William and Sarah (ms Docherty) darling.

[davidft]

There are a couple of trees on ancestry that say she (Janet Darling) is born circa 1828 at Strathaven, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

For her father William the 1841 and 1851 census differ as to whether he is born in Ireland (41) or Glasgow (51). Either way that would not appear to tie in with Grace's father or grandfather.

So if there is a connection it could be of quite distant cousins.

[portybelle]

Thanks for looking that up - looks like the family legend could be just that then!!

[diddymiller]

for info:

grace Darlings father William b. 7/2/1786 belford Nbld  d. 1865 bamburgh = Thomasin Horsley

Williams father:  Robert Darling b 11/3/1746 Duns, berwickshire  d. 1815 farne islnds  = Elizabeth Clark

Diddy

[Mofamily]

Hi

I too have a family "legend" that we were related to Grace Darling.

I did find the ancestor who had the surname Darling (i.e. Agnes Darling b: 1803 Lumsden, Berwickshire who moved to Chester-le-Street, Durham with her husband Alexander Forsyth, but that is as far as it goes.

I think everyone just wanted to jump on the "band wagon" and as you say, it is just that, a legend.

Mo