McKean/McKen

[sancti]

If your Thomas died prior to 1855 there is no guarantee that he was baptised 1766.

You need documentary evidence that verifies you have the correct Thomas

[Rosinish]

From my Reply #5

"Who was Thomas married to, where & when?

Does the spelling of his name change on any docs, if so, which docs/where & when?

Can you give the names/dates/places born of children in order as he may have used the Scottish naming pattern?"

The children of Thomas please as you have given the children of David.

Annie

[dadumc]

Thomas' baptism is recorded in FamilySearch as Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950
Indexing Project (Batch) Number   C11485-2
System Origin   Scotland-VR
GS Film number   1041953
Reference ID   2:17VP3BN

I then ordered the films from LDS library and photographed the record.

The name stays McKen with David & Margret Laing, then their son Thomas (1766) & Mary Brown, then their son David (1795) and Janet Rankin, married 1815, Stirling.  It changes with David's son, James Rankin McKean (b. 1839, Denny) marries Janet Hill (1864, Glasgow).

I listed the children of the 3 generations: David & Margret, Thomas & Mary, and David and Janet in #8. 

[sancti]

Do you have a death record for David (married to Janet Rankin) after 1855 that confirms his parents as Thomas McKen and Mary Brown?

[dadumc]

Yes, got that one.  Died 9 May 1871, Simpson's Asylum, St Ninian's, Stirling.

[sancti]

What documentary evidence do you have that verifies the names of Thomas McKen's parents?

The baptism record for the correct Thomas may not have been recorded or survived

[dadumc]

In # 11 I said that the familysearch.org led me to LDS films that went from David back to Thomas, and then Thomas back to David.  I took photos of those entries before I had to return the films.

By the way, I'm David Duncan, same as my father.  My grandfather was Duncan Rankin who was James's son.  Duncan Rankin's sons were James, Thomas, Joseph, & David.

[Forfarian]

In # 11 I said that the familysearch.org led me to LDS films that went from David back to Thomas, and then Thomas back to David.  I took photos of those entries before I had to return the films.

What Sancti is trying to ask is whether you have independent evidence other than the baptisms on the films you borrowed from the LDS?

The LDS filmed the surviving parish registers of the Church of Scotland. These registers, however, are incomplete, and the further back you go, the more people are missing from them. So you cannot safely assume that a (or indeed the only) likely-looking candidate is the right one.

It is likely that the line of descent you have identified is correct, but you need to be aware that it may not be. You can be confident that your David who died in 1871 is right because the death certificate proves that the husband of Janet Rankin was the son of Thomas McKen and Mary Brown. So their marriage also is confirmed.

What is not confirmed is that the Thomas baptised in 1766 is the one who married Mary Brown. He probably is, not least because he named his eldest son David, but you need to bear in mind that it is possible that there was another Thomas of similar age but possibly a different spelling whose baptism record has not survived.

[dadumc]

That is good to know.  I probably am assuming too much just based on available records.  Are there other sources that could confirm the line I'm not using?  Again, many thanks to all.