Trying to piece together my "orphan" grandfather's story

[carolineasb]

Hi,

Just a wee note, being a Roman Catholic does not stop someone being a Mason.

Also, maybe I have missed something but have you actually got a copy of the original birth registration in 1904 (1903 Birth) on Scotlands People or from one of the Centres/Registry Offices in Scotland?  Just wondered if there was a possible mistranscription of anything from the original entry to the duplicate certificate issued in 1941?  Or possibly anything else noted on the original and missed on the duplicate?

Caroline

[stewrat83]

I may have been getting my masons and my orange orders mixed up. Pretty sure he was a mason, but I just learned it was a James Wilson who formed the orange order so I need to go and find the photos to be sure there wasn't some reference in his naming! My memory is of him marching to church (of scotland) when visiting us in Langholm.

Yes, I do have the original as well as the later extract. There is info on the original that isn't on the extract - but it's things like mother's name etc that I have included here (above). The original looks to me like it says "Jamie" rather than James, but no other clues (though I note she took a full 2 months to register the birth).

[MonicaL]

I have some hope that you may find something on the poor relief notes at the Mitchell Library (ever hopefull me  ). Nothing else will give you the background really to the events surrounding his birth and his early years. You know that official adoption notes are not an option (there is also I think a question mark as to whether he ever was actually adopted inspite of what he shows for possible parents' names on his marriage/death certs).

Actual documents on him that you have mentioned: you have his original birth, his 1911 census entry and then marriage and death certs.

Need always at least one (more is always nice  ) key piece of info don't you...

Monica

[stewrat83]

Yes Monica, that is my next best hope I think.

This is especially frustrating as the rest of my family research has been relatively straightforward and has produced good results from some fairly straightforward work. Relatively regular families, staying within certain localities over the centuries.

Then this more transient situation with a less stable family context and all the confusion around what was deliberate obfuscation, what was mistold, misremembered etc.

But I won't leave it alone ...

I do appreciate the suggestions here Thanks everyone.

Stewart

[Nottinghamian]

My Grandfather was in the same orphanage in Kinloch Rannoch at the same time as your Grandfather. My paternal Grandfather was orphaned out there from Glasgow and worked for the Laird and Lady on the Dunalastair Estate where he was trained to be a Forester. He was born in Milton, Glasgow in 1900. We do not know what happened to his parents. We took him up to Kinloch Rannoch when he was 71. I was 13 at the time. He showed us the cottage where the boys stayed and we went to the derelict mansion house on the Dunalastair Estate where the Laird and Lady lived.