Jane Townsley in Wigtownshire (born Ireland)

[Joycie]

I'm looking for a piece of information about my 3xgreat-grandmother, Jane Townsley. She appears in the 1841 census in Broompark, Old Luce, Wigtownshire, Scotland-
John Townsley, 47 born Ireland, Metal Caster
Rachel Townsley, 46 born Ireland
Jane Townsley, 28 born Ireland
Elizabeth Townsley, 26 born Ireland
John Townsley, 22 born Ireland, Blacksmith
Ann Townsley, 20 born Ireland
Charles Townsley, 18, born Ireland, Apprentice Blacksmith
Rachael Townsley, 15, born Ireland
Agnes Townsley, 11, born Ireland
Helen Townsley, 8 born Ireland
Easter Townsley, 5 born Ireland
William Campbell, 29, born Ireland, Tinsmith
John Campbell, 23, born Ireland, Tinsmith
Stewart Campbell, 6, born Wigtownshire, Scotland
Rachel Townsley, 5 born Wigtownshire, Scotland

So, a strong Irish connection, then I also know that they were a traveller family and I have come across them travelling around the south of Scotland, specifically in Wigtownshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, Ayrshire and Argyle. 

Jane married a William Mills (born about 1829 in Ireland- Tinsmith) in Leswalt, Wigtownshire, Scotland on 13th September 1849. She was about 36, he was about 20. Yes, an age difference, but this continues throughout the following censuses. Now, the specific piece of information I'd like to find out. Was Jane Townsley married before? On Ancestry in the Irish Records Extraction Database I found a marriage between a Jane Townsley and Stewart Campbell on 4th July 1833 at Kilrea, Co. Londonderry. Is there any way of finding out if this is the same Jane Townsley?

Any advice much appreciated!

Joycie 

[rosie17]

If you have a death certificate it should list if she was married before the name of first husband should be on it ..A tree on Ancestry has a death for this Jane in 1876 do you have a marriage in 1849 for Jane as it should say if she was widower or spinster

[Joycie]

Hi Rosie17, thanks for your quick reply. The death registration doesn't say anything about her being married before. The man she married in Leswalt, Scotland in 1849 (William Mills) left her/ran away/disappeared in the late 1860's but that's another story! The Old Parish Record of Jane's marriage to William Mills is very factual and brief and again, doesn't mention anything about her being married before. This traveller family are certainly very elusive!
Joycie

[rosie17]

Very hard to find especially with the name Townsley they are all over the country 

[Robert777]

Hi Joycie,

My 3xGr Grandmother was Rachel Townsley that married Robert Kennedy.
I believe that Rachel and Jane were sisters. I need to do more research on the Townsley family, and like the Kennedy's it's proving difficult due to them moving continuously. on Rachel's death certificate, it gave her parents as John Townsley and Rachel Ferguson, which I don't think agrees with the info on Jane's death certificate. So that raises another question as there are two Rachel's mentioned in the 1841 census. Did John re-marry, or is my Rachel the daughter of John (the son in 1841 census). So many questions to answer.

Robert

[aghadowey]

According to an online tree (to be treated with caution)...

Elizabeth Townsley (born c1815 Ireland, died 1874 Scotland) married William Campbell & had Stewart, Charles, Rachel, Agnes.

Elizabeth's parents-

John Townsley m. Rachel
1. Jane (c1813-1876) m.(1849) William Mills...
2. Elizabeth (see above)
3. John
4. Ann
5. Charles
6. Rachel m. Robert Kennedy...
7. Agnes
8. Helen
9. Easter

[BonnieM]

Hello!

I just ran across your post, hope you are still following this thread.  In my genealogy journey I have run across the Townsley/Campbell families in this same 1841 census.  Ann Townsley married John Campbell Nov 10, 1841 in Mochrum, Wigtown, Scotland.  They had Esther Anne in 1845 and William John in 1850 (there is question about the date, 1850 is according to his death certificate), both of them in Scotland.  They all show up in the 1851 census in Scotland.  They had a 3rd child, Agnes Jane Campbell that was born, as far as I know, in Montreal Quebec between 1851-1852.  Agnes was my gr-gr-grandmother.  I am yet to find her birth record to confirm date and place. 

I would love to correspond and find out more about the rest of the family...maybe in doing so I'd find out more about their emigration from Ireland (both John Campbell and Anne Townsley apparently were born in Ireland) and then from Scotland to Canada.  You mentioned they were a "travelling" family...maybe you could expand on that for me...I've never heard that terminology before. 
Hope to hear from you soon!
Bonnie Madsen

[Robert777]

Hi Bonnie,

My Gr Gr Grandmother, was Rachel Townsley who married Robert Kennedy. The term "Travelling Family" refers to Scottish Gypsies. My Gr Gr Grandfather Robert Kennedy's line can be traced back another couple of generations and are well known in the Scottish Gypsy circles. The name Townsley is also a common name among Scottish Gypsies and it is known that many Scottish Gypsy families came over from Ireland.

The family lines can be difficult to trace as they tended to change details about birth in census records. Unfortunately, I've not found any records for Rachel and Ann's father after 1841.

Robert

[BonnieM]

Hi Robert,

Thanks for your reply!  Do you know if any of the rest of the Townsley family left Scotland for Canada around 1851-1852?  This idea of "Travelling family" is new to me...I had no idea that existed.  So were they thought of as "lower class" or were they just regular ol' folks?  I'm having a heck of a time trying to locate any birth records for my gr-gr-grandmother Agnes Jane Campbell...I believe she was born in Montreal, but not sure if it was 1851 or 1852.  The family was still in Scotland for the 1851 census, so it would have to have been after that.  Would love to hear more about the family and learn more about their lives.     Thanks, Bonnie