The disappearing McLarty..

[Tom 23]

Hi
I loaded up with some SP credits, hoping to take a family back a few generations, but alas have hit a brickwall and the credits are taking a big hit, for no return..

I have Malcolm and Janet McLarty (nee Duncan) living in Ayr on the 1841 census with children and both give birthplace as Ayrshire.  Malcolm gives his year of birth as 1806 and Janet 1803.

I have managed to trace them both forward from the 1841 census to their deaths, Malcolm in the USA in 1868 and Janet in 1853 in Ayr. 

I have a name variation on the children's birth/baptism records (all in Ayr) as being McClartie, but even trying this has not helped find Malcolm's birth or any likely possibilities for his parents.

Thanks for any help to overcome this.  I am thinking that the birth in Ayrshire could be throwing me and maybe he came from a different region of Scotland or even from Ireland but cannot join the dots!

[ev]

Hi Tom 23 ,

Not sure if you are using Familysearch/IGI as a finding tool -
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/igi

That can help identify possible records before using credits on SP.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTKP-B9C

Records before the start of official registration in Scotland(1855) are far from complete , you may have to accept that certain records don't exist 



ev

[Forfarian]

Malcolm gives his year of birth as 1806 and Janet 1803.

No they didn't actually say that. The UK Census never gives a year of birth. It tells you what the enumerator thought the person said his or her age was on the day of the census. In 1841 adults' ages were supposed to be rounded down to the nearest 5 years, but I see that Janet's is recorded as 38 according to the transcription at http://www.freecen.org.uk/cgi/search.pl. She should have been listed as 35, but no matter.

In the 1851 Janet's age is shown as 53 and her birthplace as Maybole, Ayrshire. So at least one of the censuses is wrong, as she cannot have been 38 in 1841 and 15 years older just under 10 years later! However you don't say that you have been unable to find Janet's birth and parentage, so I assume that you have that information.

You should of course look up the originals of both censuses on SP to check that the transcriptions are accurate.

I don't see Malcolm in the 1851 census, however. It may be that he was somewhere that hasn't yet been transcribed for FreeCEN, or perhaps his name was recorded with some even more creative spelling than McLarty or McClartie.

Interesting to note that there seem to be quite a few McLartys/McClarties listed in Argyll. Is it possible that Malcolm was actually born in Argyll and the enumerator got it wrong?

[MonicaL]

Hi Tom

Malcolm and wife Janet may have used Scottish naming pattern in some order for their children's names (www.halmyre.abel.co.uk/Family/naming.htm).

From their 1841 census entry that you have in the High Street, Ayr :

Malcolm Mclarty 35 tailor
Janet Mclarty 38
Malcolm Mclarty 15
Samuel Mclarty 14
James Mclarty 12
Marion Mclarty 7
David Mclarty 2
Samuel Manson 20 rail porter
Jane Blaese 15 servant

I can't easily see a birth for Malcolm father, but there is this birth in 1796 Ayr https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XY8D-HX2 which given the name of the father, wondered if it could connect to your Malcolm? Another birth in 1792 for a dauughter Elizabeth.

Have you been able to figure out the origins of Janet Duncan?

Monica

[MonicaL]

Malcom's grave in Columbus www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=143761356&ref=acom indicates an earlier birth year for him, c.1800.

Monica

[ev]

Just to note - SP has a baptism in Maybole Ayr for Jannet Duncan 1st July 1797 , parents Samuel Duncan and Marion Binney(one reference has it as Renney).



ev

[Forfarian]

Just to note - SP has a baptism in Maybole Ayr for Jannet Duncan 1st July 1797 , parents Samuel Duncan and Marion Binney(one reference has it as Renney).

That looks pretty good - 2nd son Samuel, 1st daughter Marion, and it fits with the 1851 census listing.

Need to look at the original of the baptism to check the surname. There are two other children of Samuel Duncan and Marion Renny/ie: Edward, baptised 1773, and Edward (again), baptised 1795. That's a long gap so there must surely have been other children whose baptism records have not survived.

[Tom 23]

Wow, I thought the trail had gone cold, how wrong was I!

I had not been able to trace Janet's parents either, so I am really pleased with this progress, I never though to search for a 'Jannet' ... a whole new branch to trace back.

I knew Malcolm had immigrated to the US just before the 1851 census (he went with his son Samuel and neither of them are on the US 1850 census, so this narrowed things down).

Thanks very appreciative with all the new leads.

[Jean Fawcett]

Hi

Malcolm McLarty can be found in a Scotland’s People under McClary!
He’s 18 July 1799.
Mothers name Janet Andrew. Fathers name Malcolm McLarty.
Now, that’s where I’m stuck.  I’m trying to go forward on the idea that the family came from Craignish / Campbelltown Scotland. I have found both names. No marriage though. Is it them!? Who knows.
Malcolm from Ayr High street, left the family in 1850 at the age of 50! All his sons joined him in Wisconsin as they ‘became age’ except one - James (and that is who I am off of)   Best Wishes x