Gordon Blair - Mystery? or Not!

[Rosinish]

"1855 Birth Hutchesontown Glasgow"

I feel at this time there was no reason for untruths i.e. his place of birth is likely to be exact on this cert.

Annie

[isobelw]

OK, so my nosiness got the better of me and I checked out a few things.
1855 birth of Jane Blair, daughter of Gordon Blair and Jane Norval - born at 116 Thistle Street, Glasgow on 15th Jan 1855. Father Gordon was age 26, a Clerk, born in Stirling. Mother Jane Blair nee Norval was age 23 born Glasgow. Married 1851 Glasgow ( already not very good with dates as they actually married 1850). In addition to new baby they had one girl living ( Georgina) and two boys deceased ( presumably the first James Gordon born in 1853 and the unnamed child in 1852). Can't make out what it says about how many children Jane had produced in total.
1850 marriage of Gordon and Jane - took place in Glasgow on 7th June 1850. Gordon described as a Clerk in Glasgow and Jane as 'of Glasgow'. They were married by Alexander Wilson, Free Church Minister
1831 baptism of Jean Blair in St Ninians - parents were William Blair and Jean Blair and place of residence was Cambusbarron. It should be remembered that in 1841 We find Jean, Elizabeth and Gordon Blair living at Cambusbarron. There is also a baptism recorded in 1829 in St Ninians for Elizabeth, daughter of William and Jean Blair. From the 1841 census ages it would appear that the baptism of both girls took place much later than their births. The 1841 census indicates that, unlike Gordon, the girls were not born in Stirlingshire. There is a possible entry in 1851 in Logierait,Perthshire for a Jane Kippen, born Logierait, age 28 described as the wife of a joiner. She has a son William age 6 months and James and Jean Kippen had a child called William baptised in St Ninians in August 1851. James Kippen gave his occupation as Wheelwright in 1855 when he emigrated.

1848 marriage of Jean Blair and James Kippen in St Ninians, Stirling. James described as of Dunblane and Jean as of St Ninians

I think Jean Blair/Kippen/Marks is the person that ties everything together.
We know that she went to Queensland with her husband James and two children ( William and Isabella) in 1855 and that her husband drowned shortly after they arrived. She went on to remarry in 1865. Both her marriage and death certificates in Queensland say her parents were William Blair and
Jean Blair and she is also clearly identified as the sister of Gordon Blair in her obituary. This would lead to the conclusion that Gordon is also the son of William and Jean.
This leads us on to the 1882 death of Jane Blair in Ipswich, Queensland. Her death certificate tells us that she was  born in Glasgow around 1800 married to William Blair in Glasgow around 1818 and her parents were John Blair and Jane Dun. She has three living children Jean ( presumably Jean Kippen/Marks as Jane's death is recorded by her grandson William Kippen of Ipswich), Elizabeth and Gordon.
Gordon himself gave the information that his parents were John and Jane - as virtually nothing he has said about himself is true, perhaps we should take this with a liberal punch of salt as all the evidence suggests otherwise. Perhaps the details he gave were those of his grandparents (parents if his mother Jean)
I personally am in no doubt that the Gordon Blair in Ipswich, Queensland was the son of William Blair and Jean Blair and was born in St Ninians and that he was previously married in Scotland to Jane Norval.
Isobel

[isobelw]

Have done a bit more digging to see if I could find who the other sibling, Elizabeth, married. Located three births in the 1840's in St Ninians to Robert Atkin and Elizabeth Blair - Jean 1847, William 1851 and Elizabeth 1853. There is a matching Aitken family travelling out on the William Miles in Jan 1855 - Elizabeth Snr has a year of birth of 1830 in Stirlingshire.
Isobel

[OZScot]

"1855 Birth Hutchesontown Glasgow"

I feel at this time there was no reason for untruths i.e. his place of birth is likely to be exact on this cert.

Annie

I'll get it shortly anyway but usually they don't give the place of birth of the parents on a BC just names, where born or living at the time, job description of father, MS of the mother but sometimes added information.

[isobelw]

The 1855 births did contain all this extra info. Please see the details from the certificate in my previous post.
Isobel

[RJ_Paton]

I'll get it shortly anyway but usually they don't give the place of birth of the parents on a BC just names, where born or living at the time, job description of father, MS of the mother but sometimes added information.

1855 is the Golden year for Scottish Registrations - almost as if they were determined to get everything they could in that first year of Civil registration. Much of the information request was dropped after this as it was far too much work for the Registrars and much of it was deemed unnecessary.

[Rosinish]

From Reply #84

Still wondering about this James, another sibling?, was he born James Gordon & dropped the James?

James Blair b 04 Apr 1826

Parents William Blair & Janet Dun

Born Bothkennar, Stirling

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XT2T-TZ4

Would be good to find what happened to him?

Annie

[sparrett]

Show me where the dots join.

Sue

Hi isobelw
Your reply #109 is very persuasive.

I'm sure your thoroughness and careful setting out of the information will be greatly appreciated by Ozscott when he/she takes time to read it and to acknowledge it properly.

I can see now there is a good definite thread of relationships from the family in Scotland and the group who immigrated, and I agree with you that the KIPPEN link is the one which is a deciding factor.

I for one thank you for your record search.  Primary sources of information will always be the backbone of proper family history research and you have managed in your post to keep it free of speculation and story-telling. 

The dots are joined 

Sue

   

[OZScot]

I'll get it shortly anyway but usually they don't give the place of birth of the parents on a BC just names, where born or living at the time, job description of father, MS of the mother but sometimes added information.

1855 is the Golden year for Scottish Registrations - almost as if they were determined to get everything they could in that first year of Civil registration. Much of the information request was dropped after this as it was far too much work for the Registrars and much of it was deemed unnecessary.

Thanks for the information Falkyrn on the 1855 BC's and also you found a mistake I made about Georgina - she WAS the real 1st da of John Blair and Jane.

I had her named mixed up with the 1st da of Jane Norval, father Henry Schwabe. Jane Drummond Norval was their daughter and proof on her MC to Charles Taylor 1874 it says Henry Schwabe, ship owner, was her father and Jane Norval former housekeeper, afterwards wife of Gordon Blair, law Clerk. Also proof on her DC under the title of - 1911 BLAIR, JANE DRUMMOND it states again that her father was Henry Schwabe, ship owner, deceased, Jane Norval, housekeeper subsequently married to Gordon Blair, Law Clerk.

An odd title seeing she was married to Charles Taylor and he's on the DC as widow and present.
She died cancer of the bowel.
Thanks.