Mary Robb - Whose the parents?

[GEN10]

My 3x ggrandmother Mary Robb poses me a right quandary!
I have a series of questions that I need help with:

Who are Mary's parents?
Who is the father to her first child William Smith?
Why can't I find any records of Mary's birth?
Why can't I find any records of her mother's marriage?

Mary married George Gordon Benzies on the 20th Feb 1862 in the parish of Strichen. On her marriage certificate it states that her parents were, Archibald Robb reputed father, dec? This I presume meant that Mary had no contact with him and didn't know if he was dead or alive. Her mother was Ann Wilson or Willon maiden name Jafferay. It gives her age as 35. This must make her born around 1826, and I can't find a marriage certificate for her either.

On her death certificate it gives her age as 79, this makes her born around 1832. Now I do know that you can't always take the given age for granted. It states that her parent's are Archibald Robb, but her mother is Mary Birnie. I do know that an Archibald Robb and Mary Birnie married in 1849.

When Mary married George Benzies she already had an illegitimate child William Willox Robb (2x g/grandfather) born 1859. On his marriage certificate to Ann Williamson it states that she had been married to Williams father, I know this to be not true, and his name was Robert Smith.

Having run round in circles and totally confused myself, can anyone help me PLEASE!

[Grothenwell]

Hi,

It's all very intriguing, isn't it. There are two (or three) Archibald Robbs.

One married to Mary Birnie in 1849 in Lonmay, and another to Sophia Shirras in 1856 in Strichen.  Even the earliest marriage Mary would only be 13. Was she the offspring of Archibald Robb and Elizabeth Sinclair in Old Deer 1839, even that is too late for both the possible birth dates of Mary. According to the IGI they only had Alexander in 1842.

There is a Mary Ann Yule Jafferay born in Strichen to Ann Jafferay in 1858, but that doesn't fit the dob!

I haven't helped but hopefully someone will come up with the answers or point you in the right direction.

Good hunting,

Grothenwell

[kenjo]

Hi GEN10,
At this stage I haven't had a chance to look for a baby Mary, I feel that she was known as Mary Robb, as we see in the 1841c below....... But she will probably be christened as Mary Jaffrey.
1841 Census
           
 Strichen-Aberdeenshire
Address: New Leeds
 
    Surname   First name(s)   Sex   Age   Occupation   Where Born   Remarks   
    JAFFREY   Robert   M   56   Labourer    Aberdeenshire         
    JAFFREY   Mary   F   63       Aberdeenshire         
    ROBB   Mary   F   10       Aberdeenshire     

Robert and Mary will most likely be the grandparents.

And this will be the death of Marys mother, I feel......

1874 Ann Jaffrey,,,,,,,,other names....Willox and Fraser....
66yrs Strichen aberdeen   241/00    0009.

Tell us how you go with the certificate.
put in the search the hightened words.
regards
kenjo

[GEN10]

Hya Kenjo and Grothenwell thanks for your help.

Kenjo, did what you said using the information that you gave me on Ann Jaffrey. I have the certificate and it gives me alot of answers. Ann's parents were:

Robert Jaffrey   Police constable
Elizabeth Fraser Domestic servant.

Her husband is named as William Willox. Occupation: Mason
Ann died at New Leeds, Strichen.

Now!
Mary Robb was born according to Census material at New Leeds.
 Mary named her Son William Willox Robb.
Mary's father was named Robert and this is the christian name of the said father of William.
I don't know if the Smith surname was as numerous as it is now, so I wonder if she used it knowing it couldn't be traced

Checked out the OPR's for Mary Robb. Checked under Robb, Jaffrey and then last Willox.
I found nothing that had the remotest match for Robb and Jaffrey but I did find:
Mary Willox 15/4/1833 born Lonmay, father William Willox. No mother is not given.
Ann Jaffrey married William Willox on the 3rd of Feb 1833. It's obvious from Mary's date of birth that Ann was pregnant when she got married. I'm wondering if William knew at the time that Mary was not his daughter and married Ann to give the child a legitimate name?

That's another question that I think will go unanswered.
Gen10

[kenjo]

That's great!
I wonder why ?
When Mary got married she put her age up 7 yrs?(is that right)?
How old was George Benzies.

Also you could get the Parish records out for Strchen and Lonmay and she if there was anything wriitten in the church sessions.

Mary's father was named Robert and this is the christian name of the said father of William.

is this an error?
regards
kenjo,
   I'm still a little confused
Modified.................
I wonder.....when Robert Jaffrey was a Policeman? and not a labourer.
and whether Elizabeth fraser is meant to be Mary fraser, or was Ann an illegitimate child of Robert and an Elizabeth frazer, and then he married a "Mary"

this is 1841c

1841 Census
3 Records found
   
 Place: Strichen-Aberdeenshire Enumeration Address: Whitebuts

 ~~~~~~~~
 
    Surname   First name(s)   Sex   Age   Occupation   Where Born   Remarks   
    WILLOX   William   M   35   Mason    Aberdeenshire         
    WILLOX   Ann   F   25       Aberdeenshire         
    WILLOX   William   M   5       Aberdeenshire 

[GEN10]

Hya Kenjo

Mary's father was named Robert and this is the christian name of the said father of William.

What I should have said is:
Mary's grandfatherfather is named Robert. Mary named the father of her illegitimate son as Robert Smith. I wondered if she just thought of the name or was there really a "Robert Smith?"

Gen10

[GEN10]

Hya Kenjo

Mary's father was named Robert and this is the christian name of the said father of William.

What I should have said is:

Mary's grandfather's name is Robert and I wondered if she just pulled the name out of thin air so that her son had a father?

I wonder.....when Robert Jaffrey was a Policeman? and not a labourer.
and whether Elizabeth fraser is meant to be Mary fraser, or was Ann an illegitimate child of Robert and an Elizabeth frazer, and then he married a "Mary"

This is something I will have to do more research on. I do know that My William Willox Robb was not born until 1859, I have the birth certificate, so am I right in presuming that the William Willox on the 1841 Census was Mary's brother or half brother?

Thanks for the extract from the 1841 census. Will now go to SP to see if there are any more Willox's born to the same couple.

I still don't understand why on her death certificate it would say that her parents were Mary Birnie and Archibald Robb. None of her family signed for the certificate it was a neighbour who did that.

GEN10

[kenjo]

 

Sorry darling......just ignore the posting here.....

[GEN10]

Sorry Kenjo

I still don't understand why on her death certificate it would say that her parents were Mary Birnie and Archibald Robb. None of her family signed for the certificate it was a neighbour who did that. ErrorSPAM REPORT THIS POST AS SPAM (Use 'Report to Moderator'). DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS IN THIS POST. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS PERSON.][/color]

I am talking about Mary Robbs death certificate and not Ann's.
GEN10