Still stuck on Robert Walker's parents

[GR2]

In the distributions of poor money in the Kilbrandon KS records there are two widow Buchanans:

"Widow Buchannan alias Campbell Easdale" gets 3/- on 26-1-1830
"Widow Buchannan Easdale" gets 5/- on 6-9-1832 and 15/- on 17-10-1832

"Widow Buchannan Easdale" gets 5/- on 10-7-1832
"Widow Buchannan Balvicar" gets 2/- on 10-7-1832

There are other entries for them.

[MonicaL]

There is a Mare (or Mure) Buchanan, aged 59 (so, born c. 1792 in Kilbrandon), a wool spinner living in Balvicar on the 1851 census. Looking at a transcript, I think she is by herself and showing as married. You would need to check the original for this. Freecen don't have the 1851 census for Kilbrandon.

The 1793 OPR entry we have for Muir from earlier, this may just be her christening entry not necessarily her birth. Not everyone was christened immediately after their births. Again, this would need to be checked to see if there were any extra details included.

Regarding Muir's death reg., I think son Robert just made a mistake when giving his grandmother's maiden name. For Muir's father, Patrick and Peter naming is not an issue as the name is interchangeable and you can see either/or on documents because of this.

So far as possible siblings for Muir, we do have George and likely also the William we discussed earlier?

George Buchanan and wife Margaret in 1861 www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/5a141891f4040b9d6e007e38/george-buchannan-1861-argyllshire-kilbrandon-kilchattn-1788-?locale=en

Monica

[MonicaL]

This is a great site to check for first name variants:

www.whatsinaname.net

Monica

[MonicaL]

Robert Walker was married to Margaret Watson in West Glen, Houston, Renfrewshire on June 2, 1854.  That and what follows in his life is clear.

- married 1855 in Renfrew, where he lived the rest of his life (however, birthdate, place of birth, and parents aren’t noted on marriage record). - Is the marriage record I saw the only one?  It seems so minimal.

The marriage of Robert and Margaret was in 1854. Official registration in Scotland started the following year, 1855. What you have therefore is an entry from the Old Parish Registers. Very little info was included in these (and you are lucky that you found this entry  ). It is the statutory registers that include great detail.

Monica

[ZerooreZ]

Thanks again GR2 and Monica for the help.

I looked through the Kilbrandon kirk session records’ minutes from 1827~1831 and couldn’t find any mention of a Robert Walker.  I also checked the register of marriages 1825-1848, but couldn’t find a Robert Walker or Muir Buchannan (however, I did find a record for a younger Flora Buchannan’s marriage, and she seems to be Muir’s niece.)

I made a typo in my previous message.  I meant that Robert Walker was married in 1854, not 1855.

I assume the 1841 census record of a Muir Buchanan is the one I’m concerned with, but I wonder why she would be listed as 36 years old, when she should be about 49 at the time.

I’m going to assume that the Patrick Buchannan and Flory Campbell who gave birth to a Muir Buchannan are the same people as the Peter Buchanan and Flora Cameron noted as parents on the death record I have.  I didn’t know that Peter and Patrick were interchangeable in Scotland at the time.  That’s interesting.  I looked at the actual baptism record for Muir in 1793.  She was baptised at Armaddy.  I found her brother George’s family tree on FamilySearch, but there isn’t any documentation for her or her parents (noted as Peter Buchanan and Flora Campbell).  It notes her, but not a husband or children.  I’ll probably check out George’s family tree on Ancestry at some point, but am not currently a member.

It seems like she may be one of the Widow Buchannans (I’m guessing the one in Balvicar) in the Kilbrandon kirk session records.  If so, it seems like she was widowed soon after giving birth to Robert Walker, although I still can’t find any sign of them getting married or of Robert Walker (Sr.)’s death.

I assume the Mure Buchanan on the 1851 census in Balvicar is the Muir I’m concerned with.  That’s curious that she seems to be marked as married as her death record noted her as single (which also makes me wonder about the Widow Buchannan who received money from the church).

The senior Robert Walker is a mystery to me.  Perhaps he and Muir got married and/or had a child whether married or not before the available kirk records started.  However various records of the junior Robert Walker point to him being born 1829~1830.  I wonder if it's possible that his birth, illegitimate or not just wasn't recorded.  His mother seems to have lived her whole life in the same area, so it doesn't seem too possible that she would've given birth to Robert in a different area, where there may or may not be a record of a Robert Walker being born.

[Forfarian]

Hmmm.

I have always been under the impression that 'Widow xxx' meants that the person was the widow of Mr xxx. Does anyone have an authoritative source to confirm this or otherwise?

[GR2]

Hmmm.

I have always been under the impression that 'Widow xxx' meants that the person was the widow of Mr xxx. Does anyone have an authoritative source to confirm this or otherwise?

I have always found this to be the case. The Widow Buchannan at Easdale appears as "Widow Buchannan alias Campbell Easdale" the first time she appears on the poor roll. I would assume she is likely the Flora Campbell married to (the now deceased) Patrick Buchannan.

[Forfarian]

Thanks, GR2. Glad to know I wasn't imagining things.

[Normad]

Hello ZerooreZ
Well, a surprise - I never came across Rootschat until today - and there you are!

I am tracing the family of Robert Watson Walker (1889-1950) who married my great aunt, Agnes Gardner Stark in 1922  and then emigrated to the USA about 1923, ending up in Yonkers, New York. By 1948 when my own parents emigrated from Scotland  to Yonkers,  several more members of both the Walker and the Stark families had settled there, too. I have wanted to know, why Yonkers ? and so have been following the story… I’m pretty old and there is no one in the family to help, so this has been a fun journey.

Robert Walker/Flora Buchanan - Robert Walker (1829-1909)m Margaret Watson (1832  -1894) -
2nd son William Watson Walker (1856-1938) m Isabella Aitkenhead Smith (1862- !949?) - eldest son Robert Watson Walker (1889-1950) m Agnes Gardner Stark (1895-1983)

So the Robert Walker you are looking at is the great-grandfather of my Robert Watson Walker, and I too have been stuck on confirming his parents. But I have followed all the leads that the previous Rootschat folk have supplied and had already ended up in the same position as yourself - all the same documents and records checked except that I had not known about the accident in the mine/quarry.

I wondered about your connection to the Walkers - are you happy to say?
And thanks to everyone who has helped along the way…