I'm looking for the Blair family of Kirkcudbright (many thanks, by the way, for the link on this board for the 1851 returns).
There were 2 Blair families in Kirkcudbright town in 1851, both headed by Davids... the one I'm particularly interested in is the older David... who I believe was a shoemaker (tho retired and not listed as such in 51). He was 78 in 1851, with wife Margaret (60) and they were living with daughters Jane (30) and Charlotte (28). All were born in Kirkcudbright.
I would expect to find Elizabeth Carson Blair in the household at this time, as she was born 1826-1831... by 1851 she and her sister, Mary, were in Liverpool (but we have a baptism match in 1811 for Mary as daughter of David Blair & Margaret McMonies. Though we don't have Elizabeth's baptism, we know she was Mary's sister and she named her father as David at her marriage).
I've already discovered that this David Blair was the grandson of Hugh Blair of Borgue, whose marriage was annulled by his brother's court action after Hugh's wife became pregnant.... because Hugh was deemed to be unfit to manage his affairs or mentally competent to understand his own marriage... a book was written on the case and the life of the family in 2000, in which Hugh was diagnosed as autistic. The brother wanted to avoid Hugh's expected child inheriting the family estate... which annulment achieved, by rendering the child legally illegitimate.
After the court case in 1748, Hugh moved to Kirkcudbright with his "wife", where they baptised 2 children, the eldest being David, father of the David I mention above.
Any help at all on this family would be much appreciated, or any links to sites I might search.
Impy
