JOHNSTON-JOHNSON lost family help

[Vimto]

I have a hunch from what I have seen from general searches that wife Jane's maiden name may be Paxton and might connect to this whole string of posts here http://newsarch.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/SCT-EDINBURGH/2007-05/1179481402

From IGI, a Thomas Johnson married a Jane Paxton on 30 June 1871 Edinburgh Parish, Edinburgh.

Confirmation this hunch is right came from me looking for Peter's birth, the last child and the only one born in England, rather than in Edinburgh like his older siblings.  Well, well - Peter Paxton JOHNSTON was born Q2, 1889, Croydon, vol 2a, pg 275.  His middle name being matched by his elder sister Marion Paxton JOHNSTON. I'm sure there will be others with the same middle name amongst the other children.

As hunched earlier by MonicaL, Thomas JOHNSTON almost certainly married Jane PAXTON in Edinburgh on 30 June 1871 (as cited on IGI). I'll obtain Peter's birth certificate to confirm his mother, Jane's, maiden name and then hopefully the rest will fall into place and I can pursue the intersting link:

I have a hunch from what I have seen from general searches that wife Jane's maiden name may be Paxton and might connect to this whole string of posts here http://newsarch.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/SCT-EDINBURGH/2007-05/1179481402

[MonicaL]

Certainly the Paxton name is helping  The Scots' custom of using important first and surnames for their children's names can be really useful as you are seeing.

I think from the first births we had earlier following the 1871 marriage, possibly two daughters may have died young (Janet b. 19 Oct. 1871 and Catherine b. 10 Dec. 1874)?

There can't be many people with same name with a golfing profession in those times - thinking here of your 'Thomas JOHNSTON, a golf professional born in Musselburgh'

No idea how you research patents and what personal information may be included in applications etc. but would be interesting for you to be able to confirm if your Thomas was indeed the Thomas with the patent. Wishful thinking that the family had kept some of these clubs as I saw yesterday how rare and expensive they are now are 

Monica

[Vimto]

Would be great to think there is a set of his patented clubs gathering dust in a family attic somewhere.

Gravitating from "Carter" in Edinburgh in 1881 to a "Golf Professional" in Surrey in 1891, I'm beginning to think Thomas JOHNSTON's golfing skills was the reason why he moved with his family to England (sufficient for one of his son's to also be employed as a "Golfing Assistant" - which I presume is what we now call a caddy).

I need to try and find out which course he may have played/practiced at (or been employed by) both around Edinburgh and Croydon.

Thanks for all your continuing help and insights MonicaL.

[MonicaL]

I need to try and find out which course he may have played/practiced at (or been employed by) both around Edinburgh and Croydon.

I think you need to dig further into golfing archives and history to make all the links and hopefully get some detail. I know nothing about golf  but perhaps as a start point with a query to them:

• www.scottishgolfhistory.net/leith_links_first_golf_competition.htm (lots of links to different pages/subjects on the top left)
• www.britishgolfmuseum.com/

Given the subject, there are many sites to follow up on 

Monica

[Vimto]

Thanks for the advice and links.

As a result I've now made contact with the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and Royal Musselburgh Golf Course to see if they can yearn some information about Thomas JOHNSTON's golfing background.

Vimto

[Templar75]

Hi Vimto,

             As the popularity of golf began to grow in the latter half of the nineteenth century so individuals turned their minds to golfing inventions. The first patent for a golf club was granted in 1876 to Thomas Johnston who turned to making the heads of golf clubs from a hardened rubber material called vulcanite. Few of these clubs survive today and when offered for auction they often fetch in excess of 5000 British Pounds each. Another 13 years went by before the second patent for a design for a golf club was granted in 1889; this time to Willie Park Jnr for his concave faced lofter which was not dissimilar to all of the concave faced irons that village blacksmiths had been hand producing for several centuries beforehand!

taken from this link http://www.antiquegolfdirectory.com/?q=guttaperchaperiod.

Cheers.

Archie.

[VictoriaLou]

Good morning,
I'm descended from this family also, and have done quite a bit of work on them. In the sibling group you've listed, Janet Johnstone is my direct ancestor.
It's been about a decade since I look at them in great detail, so I'll have to pull up my notes to recall!

The difficulty in going back beyond Thomas and Jane was that their marriage certificate omitted an important detail. Thomas and Jane were actually first cousins, which their marriage certificate attempted to hide by putting the maiden name of Jane's grandmother (Currie) instead of her mother (Paxton). The cousin connection: Thomas' mother was Janet Paxon, and Jane's father was Henry Paxton. They were siblings, and their parents were James Paxton and Margaret Currie.

Thomas and Jane married 30 Jun 1871, District of Newington, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.
Place of marriage: 4 Oxford Street, Edinburgh, Scotland.
After banns in the United Presbytarian Church.
Witnesses George Paxton and William ?.

Thomas was a carter and Jane was a domestic servant.  Usual residence, 135 Westport, Edinburgh (both).

I do have a little information on the descendants of your ancestor Jane also. You're welcome to PM me, and I'll pass these on.

The golf connection is certainly there on the Paxton side. Another of the children of James Paxton and Margaret Currie, James Ferdinand Douglas Paxton (b.1830), you'll find a fair bit of information on. He was a professional golfer, and sadly took his own life.

The mother of Jane Paxton (married to Thomas Johnstone) was Jane Hunter, her mother was Euphemia Ormiston, and the this line goes back into the early kings of Scotland (c1000). Enjoy the journey!

Kind regards,
Victoria