Headstone pictures CAMBUSNETHAN CHURCHYARD WISHAW

[KathleenA]

Lodger,

yes this is the family i am looking for. Can you please send me the picture.

[Lodger]

Hi Kathleen, the picture I have is not a good one, I will go to the churchyard tomorrow and try to get a better capture.
There's a little bit of a mystery about this burial plot. It doesn't show up in the old churchyard Plot Book but, the entry in the day register has Robert Thomson as being buried in the old churchyard.

This plot, if my memory is correct, is in a little space between the old churchyard and the area which was set aside for paupers burials. I will go to the churchyard tomorrow and check, plus take pictures.

The day books (or registers) begin when the new cemetery was opened in 1860, including the area mentioned for paupers. Before then, there had been paupers plots placed around the old churchyard, usually in odd corners. In the Day Book for the new cemetery, the paupers were put into plots which were in numerical order, usually about 7 bodies to each plot, depending on the sizes, a tremendous amount of them were children or still births, so more went in.

So, here's the odd thing.
William Thomson aged 4 years was interred in a pauper's grave, recorded as grave number 11, in December 1860. His baby brother James was also interred in grave number 11 in January 1861. No other person was interred in this plot.
In June 1868, Ann Stark, their mother, was interred in pauper's grave number 12. No other person is recorded as being interred in No.12.
By the time Ann died, the numbering of the paupers graves was up in the 200s.

My theory is that Robert purchased these 2 plots from the parish council, perhaps because they were right on the edge of the area and erected a stone. This is something I've never come across before.

See next post please.

[Lodger]

Anyway, here is the information from the cemetery Day Registers.

ROBERT THOMSON, retired joiner, Wishaw. Aged 81 years, widower.
Parents - William Thomson and Betsy Reid.
Interred in the old churchyard on 13th September 1913.

WILLIAM THOMSON, Caledonian Road (Wishaw) aged 4 years.
Parents - Robert Thomson and Ann Stark.
Interred in common ground, plot 11, 10th December 1860.

JAMES THOMSON, Wishaw. Aged 1 year.
Parents - Robert Thomson and Ann Stark.
Interred in common ground, plot 11, 14th January 1861.

ANN THOMSON, housewife, Wishaw. Aged 38 years, married.
Parents - James Stark and Elizabeth Hamilton.
Interred in common ground, plot 12, 2nd June 1868.

I don't have the entry for Jane Thomson who died in 1936 as the Day Books I have end at 1917 but, if there had been a plot book entry in the churchyard book, I could have found her in that!
I will check the stone tomorrow, her name is on that but, as I said, the picture I have isn't good.

I also may have  information on Robert's parents, I'll check.
Also, I noticed interments for John Thomson, a joiner and his wife Isabella McMinn. Could he perhaps be a brother of Robert?

[Lodger]

William Thomson and Betsy Reid.

There is a monumental inscription but I don't have a picture for the stone. It is situated in a part of the churchyard that is now inaccessible due to the poor condition of the old ruined church. There has been a huge chain-link fence erected and sadly, this stone cannot now be seen. It may not even exist any more, the inscription was transcribed in 1983, so it could have been broken or the inscription been eroded in the intervening years. It is a "flat" stone, not an upright one.
The inscription is -

"William Thomson died 11th September 1858 aged (69) years. His wife Elizabeth Reid died 7th July 1869 aged 77 years. Their son Robert died 30th January 1831 aged 10 years. Their daughter Ann died 26th February 1852 aged 17 years".

These are the entries in the churchyard plot book for this plot, not as good as the Day Registers but helpful just the same. All dates are of interment, these plots were usually divided up into 3 compartments or lairs, North, South and Centre.

In the south lair -
J. HAMILTON, aged 2 years. 10th March 1883.
W. THOMSON, aged 66 years. 16th May 1884.
CATHERINE HAMILTON, aged 14 years. 10th February 1890.
In the Centre lair -
ISABELLA HAMILTON, aged 12 years. 15th May 1889.
MARION HAMILTON, aged 31 years. 23rd February 1882.

If I find anything else I'll post it.

[KathleenA]

Thank you for your time on this. I look forward to what you have to give me.

[Lodger]

Another instalment.

This is from the records of the "Private" burial ground which was a small, walled area next to the churchyard, it was opened in January 1861 and the records are excellent.

This is a double plot, numbers 74 and 75. All dates are of interments. This is the family of Marion Thomson, daughter of William Thomson and Betsy Reid.

MARION SMITH, housewife, Carluke, aged 52 years, married.
Parents - William Thomson and Betsy Reid.
Interred in No.74, 9th February 1875.

WILLIAM SMITH, farmer, Wishaw, aged 59 years, married.
Parents - Alexander Smith & Helen Hamilton.
Interred in No.74, 19th April 1892.

HELEN HAMILTON SMITH, East Crindledyke, aged 5 years.
Parents - William Smith & Marion Thomson.
Interred in No. 75, 12th February 1868.

BETSY R. SMITH, East Crindledyke, aged 21 years, unmarried.
Parents - William Smith & Marion Thomson.
Interred in No.75, 22nd February 1882.

HELEN HAMILTON SMITH, Crindledyke, aged 12 years.
Parents - William Smith & Marion Thomson.
Interred in No. 74, 30th May 1884.

ALEXANDER SMITH, mining engineer, Carmyle, aged 36 years, married.
Parents - William Smith & Marion Thomson.
Interred in No.75, 28th September 1901.

STILLBORN FEMALE SMITH, Harestonehill.
Parents - Thomas Smith & Marion Steel.
Interred in No.74, 15th July 1862.

STILLBORN MALE SMITH, Harestonehill.
Parents - Thomas Smith & Marion Steel.
Interred in No.74, 11th August 1863.

[KathleenA]

My husband is a descendent of Thomas Thomson who was a son of William Thomson and Betsy (Elizabeth) Reid. Making him a brother of Robert. I do have a John Thomson also as a brother he died March 1900. I could never find where he was buried. Interesting Thomas married a girl by the name of Margaret Stark. Her parents are James Stark and Jane Hamilton. Margaret was born in 1827. Both Thomas and Margaret are buried here in Canada. Now I am wondering if Ann Stark and Margaret Stark are related in some way....perhaps sisters. I wonder if Elizabeth Hamilton and my Jane Hamilton are the same person. I also have a Marion Thomson....again i could never find what happened to her.
The following are the list of children I have for William Thomson and Betsy Reid. Not sure if they are truly all their children. Working on that now.
Elizabeth 1813- unknown
Mary 1815-1889
William 1817- unknown
Robert 1820-1831
Thomas 1822-1862
John 1825-1900
Helen 1827-1900
Marion 1832- unknown
Robert 1832-1913
Ann 1834-1852

[Lodger]

I also have a Marion Thomson....again i could never find what happened to her.

This is the Marion Smith who died 1875. See my last posting.

[Lodger]

This is the headstone for Robert Thomson and Annie Stark.
It sits right on the edge of the paupers ground and is an anomaly, it wasn't originally classed as being part of part of the old churchyard but, as the photographs show, it isn't really part of the municipal cemetery either. The inscription should be easy enough to read but, just in case - -

"Erected by Robert Thomson and Annie Stark in memory of their two sons. William Thomson died 7th December 1860 aged 4 years. James Thomson died 12th January 1861 aged 2 years. Annie Stark died 29th May 1868 aged 36 years. The said Robert Thomson who died 10th September 1913 aged 81 years. Also their daughter Jane Thomson died 29th December 1936 aged 80 years".

In the last picture of this post, the Thomson stone is in the forefront, behind is the paupers field and in the distance, beyond the ancient yew tree, is the municipal cemetry.

I'll attach a few more pics in the next post.