Mary Ward/Stewart - Stirling

[scottishmartin]

Hi All,

Currently researching my family history and hit a bit of a roadblock. Here are the details of the issue:

I can't find her in the 1901 census for stirling but know she died in the Stirling Combination Poorhouse in 1904 of Phthisis Pulmonalis (Tuberculosis) - I've also heard that the workhouse may have been used as the local hospital in the time period she died there, so this might explain why she wasn't there in 1901. Does anyone know where I can get access to her papers from the poorhouse?

I can't find her birth certificate although I know her parents where James Stewart and Ann Stewart m.d Lynch.

She was married to James Ward (Coalminer) although I can't find their marriage certificate either!

The family appears to have moved to Fife after 1912 though, as the death and marriage of James and Mary's son Thomas Ward happened there. (I can't find Thomas's Birth cert either though it should be around 1887, given his age at death and marriage) - Thomas's marriage cert shows their residence to be 40 Upper Castlehill, Stirling, although they are not in the 1911 census under this address.

Any help would be much appreciated, let me know if you need clarification or more information.

Best Regards,

Martin

[Kay99]

From her death cert in 1904 do you have an approximate age for Mary Ward/Stewart?

Kay

[scottishmartin]

From her death cert in 1904 do you have an approximate age for Mary Ward/Stewart?

Kay

Sorry, yes the death cert states an age of 35 at time of death (4 Nov 1904) by my reckoning that would put her birth year as 1869.

Best Regards,

Martin

[Kay99]

Mmm!  Have you found any of them in a census?

Kay

[scottishmartin]

Mmm!  Have you found any of them in a census?

Kay

I haven't been able to find any concrete record of any of them in the census. I have been trying to find at least Thomas or James Ward in the 1911 census just before Thomas gets married in 1912 in Stirling. Both Thomas and James occupation in 1912 (from Thomas's marriage cert) is Coal Miner, I wanted to search by that but ancestry only goes up to 1901 census for Scotland and Scotland's People doesn't seem to provide that function.

[Kay99]

The index on Scotland's People lists Mary as Mary Stewart Ward so maybe the couple never married. As you say the list allows limited search criteria.   

In 1901 the only James and Mary Ward I can see (with James a coal miner) are living at New Cumnock, Ayrshire, as below but there is no Thomas and the age of Mary is out

Edit and in 1891 they had no Thomas

WARD, James 38 Coal Miner b Irvine, Ayrshire    
WARD, Mary 37 bIrvine, Ayrshire    
WARD, John G 10 b Irvine, Ayrshire    
WARD, Jeanie H    8 b Irvine, Ayrshire       
WARD, James 6 New Cumnock, Ayrshire
WARD, Mary H 3 b New Cumnock, Ayrshire
WARD, John Brother    Married 34 Coal Miner b Irvine

[Kay99]

I wonder if Mary's parents could have been from Ireland, which is why there is no marriage for them in Scotland?  Just a thought

Kay

[scottishmartin]

I wonder if Mary's parents could have been from Ireland, which is why there is no marriage for them in Scotland?  Just a thought

Kay

Never thought about it that way, I know James son Thomas married a Sarah McVeigh - I believe there is an Irish connection to Sarah's family.

I think you may be right with James and Mary not being married, As in 1913 I found a marriage cert for a James Ward and Sarah Lamb in Lochgelly, Fife. I also found a death cert for James Ward in 1923 which states married to Sarah Jane Lamb. The key parts to this are that the death cert has him as a Builders Labourer in 1923 and living in Scoonie, Fife. In his son Thomas's death cert in 1959 it has Jame's occupation as Labourer and Thomas also died in Scoonie,Fife. Think this might be them?

[Kay99]

It's certainly a possibilty. When was James born based on the death and marriage cert?  Presumably the death cert also names his parents

Kay