Thomson

[hms racker]

Hi all

John Thomson married Elizabeth Semple in Barony, Glasgow 1836. They had one son James who was born 1836/38.
Elizabeth was born about 1815 in Renfrewshire and died 1872.

Sorry no other information.

Cannot find John, Elizabeth or James in 1841 or 51 censuses. Any suggestions welcome.

thanks - Sean

[hms racker]

Please dont waste any time on this post. It is a bit of a long shot.

Sean

[Forfarian]

Where have you been looking for the 1841 and 1851 census?

Have you seen the original of the marriage record? Does it say which parish(es) the couple lived in at the time of their marriage?

Have you found any of them in the 1861 and/or 1871 census? If so, where do they say that either of the Johns was born, and how old were they in which year?

[hms racker]

Just concentrated on 1841 and 51.

Marriage in 1836 says nothing other than names - oh and John's job cotton carder that is it. Tried looking in counties surrounding Glasgow but found nothing with parents and child.

[Forfarian]

Just concentrated on 1841 and 51.
Marriage in 1836 says nothing other than names - oh and John's job cotton carder that is it. Tried looking in counties surrounding Glasgow but found nothing with parents and child.

So it's a reasonable assumption that both were living in Barony parish when they got married, and therefore that they would go on living in Glasgow, for a time at least.

I can think of lots of avenues of enquiry, but I need more of the information you must already have to know which one(s) to pursue.

From the index at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk I see that Elizabeth Semple or Thomson died in Lanarkshire in 1872, aged 52. Subtracting 52 from 1872 gives 1820, so her year of birth (assuming that whoever registered the death got her age right) would have been 1819/20.

- Have you got a copy of Elizabeth's death certificate? And if so
- Where did she die (useful for finding her in the 1871 census)
- Was she married or widowed? (useful for finding her in the census, and her husband's death certificate)
- What were the names of her parents? (potentially useful for finding out where she was born)

- Whom did James marry, and when and where? If in Scotland
- Have you got a copy of James' marriage certificate? and if so
- What was his age on the marriage certificate?
- Where did he live at the time of his marriage?
- Were his parents deceased at the time of his marriage?
- What was his occupation?

- Have you found James in any census? If so
- What was his age in any census?
- Where do the censuses say he was born?

Armed with all this information, you should be able to find Elizabeth in the 1871 census, which will tell you her age and where she was born.

This should help to find her in the 1861 census - I have looked at the Garrity index to the 1861 census of Glasgow, but there are too many candidates (29 Elizabeth Thomsons and 4 Elizabeth Thompsons aged 40 to 50) to know which is the right one.

- Why do you think she was born in Renfrewshire?
- Why do you think she was born about 1815?
- Why do you think her son James was born in 1836/38?

[hms racker]

thanks will follow this up.

Havent seen death certificate for 1872.

More interested in 1841. Will follow your suggestions. Thank you.

[Forfarian]

Havent seen death certificate for 1872.
More interested in 1841. Will follow your suggestions. Thank you.

You're missing the point, which is that if you are having difficulty finding them in 1841, you need to approach it from another angle. If you start with a known piece of information, i.e. that death in 1872, and work backwards to the 1871 census and then the 1861, there may be some clues to where they were in 1851 and 1841, such as another child born somewhere else.

I strongly recommend you to go to www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, invest in 30 credits, and get that death certificate and (if he married in Scotland) James' marriage certificate. Once you have those, come back and let's see where they take you.

[DavidG02]

From the index at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk I see that Elizabeth Semple or Thomson died in Lanarkshire in 1872, aged 52. Subtracting 52 from 1872 gives 1820, so her year of birth (assuming that whoever registered the death got her age right) would have been 1819/20.

- Why do you think she was born in Renfrewshire?
-

Scotlands People has a death for an Elizabeth Thomson in 1872 aged 52 as noted. It also adds other surnames '' Semple- Ewing'' . This took place in High Church District

This equates to a birth in Renfrewshire in 1820 of an Elizabeth Ewing in Paisley Middle Renfrewshire

I would suggest the OP needs to look for a marriage of an Elizabeth Ewing to a Semple

[hms racker]

I get your point about 1872

maybe pursue this in 2016 ...