1898 Crail Lifeboat Coxwain - John WATSON

[sparkle60]

I have a newspaper article which was in the papers of my great grandmother
whose parents were  JOAHAN Walker WATSON and  JOHN Watson BROWN .
The newspaper article is about  a John Watson who in 1898 was Coxwain of the Crail Lifeboat.
Trying to discover the connection between  my family and this John Watson.
Have been  tracing forwards, backwards and sideways no luck so far.
If you are researching either of these families, pleased to hear from you. 

MY FAMILY:
JOAHAN Walker WATSON b 1831  Anstruther Wester, Fife, d 1903 at 27, Nethergate, Crail
Parents were Alexander WATSON  and Margaret PATRICK
Joahan Walker Watson (aka Johanna 1881 census)
married  JOHN Watson BROWN who was b 1837 Kingsbarns, Fife
They married at the Manse, Crail Parish Church
His parents were James Brown and Ann INNES
Marriage Witnesses Alexander Mitchell
and James Wood (b 1891, husband of John's aunt Mary Innes).

THE COXWAIN - how was he connected to the above...?
JOHN WATSON  Birth 1841 in Crail, Fife,  d  1921 Crail, Fife
parents were Alexander WATSON B 1782 Crail and Helen STOBIE b 1797 Crail
He married Jenet/  Janet/ Jessie LAIRD  at Kingsbarns, Fife in 1864.
Here they are in the 1891 census  living at Nethergate, Crail, Fife, Scotland
John Watson    49 b Crail, Fifeshire, occ  Fisherman
Jessie Watson    46 wife, MS Laird
Mary Watson    25
Alexander Watson 17
Jessie Watson    13
John Watson    11
James Watson    7
Davina Watson    5
Robert Watson    3
William Watson 10 Mo

Then 1898 he was Coxwain of the Crail Lifeboat (newspaper article)

[MonicaL]

Hi sparkle60

There is an older post here on RC which I have added:

Hello Harry,
Thanks for your interesting reply yesterday.

You mention Mary Innes and Catherine Innes married James and William Wood respectively
and that James Wood was a widower and his sister-in-law Janet Innes, also born in Kingsbarns,
was his housekeeper.

How fascinating - I have a James Woods as witness to the marriage
of John Watson Brown and Jotana Walker Watson 1862 both of Airdrie, parish of Crail.

John Watson Brown (born 5 April 1839) in Kingsbarns (whose line I am following)
was I believe the third child of James Brown and Ann Innes. I’m still wondering how
he had Watson for his middle name, his bride’s surname also being Watson
which may connect with the following mystery…

I have an old newspaper article passed down in my family papers
through the John Watson Brown line.

It’s about the Crail lifeboat and rough Fife seas of October 1898.
It mentions, 
“John Watson, age 57, coxswain, married, three daughters and five sons...” 

Searching, it seems that this John Watson was born 28 Oct 1841 in Crail
and lived at Nethergate, parents Alexander Watson and Catherine Stobie.
He married a Janet / Jessie Laird I believe, and there were maybe nine little Watsons.
A public tree on ancestry.com provides plenty of names and dates on that.

I suspect there is a connection,
otherwise why would John Watson Brown’s married daughter
and her husband in Kincardine keep the article?

The main thread starts here www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=466290.0 to let you read through from the beginning.

Monica

[sparkle60]

Hi sparkle60 There is an older post here on RC which I have added

Thanks but that's an old thread when I first began researching (user name winnie7). 
My current post - this new thread - is seeking connection between two distinct sets of Watsons.
One set is "My Family", the other set is "The Coxwain" as outlined above.
I'm hoping someone related to John Watson the coxswain (who married Jessie Laird)
may respond so we can work out the connection between our families.

[davaar36]

Hi Sparkle60

Can find neither marriage nor children for Alexander Watson and HELEN Stobie but there is a Marriage in Crail 16 June 1821 for Alexander Watson and CATHERINE Stobie. They are listed on Family Search  as having 6 children born in Crail between 1821 and 1841 (John).
Alexander Watson and Margaret Patrick married 04 Aug 1827 in Anstruther and had 6 children, including Joahan 1831) listed on Family Search between 1829 and 1844.
You may get more information from OPR records on SP.

Dod

[hdw]

You just got in before me, Dod! I was also about to point out that Alexander Watson married Catherine, not Helen, Stobie. The couple had a daughter called Helen.

I've been struggling to find a death for Alexander Watson(Stobie), who was 68 in the 1851 census of Crail and 78 in the 1861 census. But I've just cracked it. Instead of looking on Scotlandspeople for an Alexander Watson dying post-1861, aged 78+, I deleted the first name and just looked for a male Watson dying in Crail at an advanced age. The result was an Adam Watson dying in 1866. From my researches I knew there was no Adam Watson in Crail, and in fact when I downloaded the death-certificate, it was Alexander Watson, the widower of Catherine Stobie. His parents were Robert Watson, fisherman, and - Bowman (first name not known).

As for Alexander Watson who married Margaret Patrick, he died in 1877 aged 71 and was the son of Alexander Watson, weaver, and Margaret Parky (i.e. Parker).

There is no obvious connection between the two families of Watsons. And if you get further embroiled in Crail Watson researches, watch out for the other Watson family there which came from the Sunderland area, via Cellardyke (and were no relation to the Cellardyke Watsons)!

Harry (Watson)

[davaar36]

Yes Harry , errors do exist on SP either because there are errors on the original certificate - especially if it involves elderly people - or errors of transcription in the indexing. Your approach is always worth a try if the straightforward isn't producing results.
Small addition regarding Alexander and missing forename for mother - Alexander Watson Christening Date: 01 Jul 1782  Christening Place: CRAIL,FIFE,SCOTLAND  Birth Date: 29 Jun 1782. Son of Robert Watson and ISOBEL Bowman. Robert Bowman Watson married Isobel Bowman 11 Feb 1772, Crail, Fife, Scotland.

Dod

[hdw]

Just to avoid confusion, you meant to say Robert WATSON married Isobel Bowman.

Harry

[davaar36]

Yes Harry - old-timers disease kicking in unfortunately, I did mean ROBERT.

Dod

[hdw]

This isn't strictly relevant, but as people seem to be interested in things maritime - one of the English Watsons who moved to Crail - Alexander Watson, married to Jane Lyle from Newhaven - became mate on the North Carr lightship, dying on board the vessel on November 13th 1887, aged 48.

Harry