Brown/Abercrombie

[Callsher]

Yes, I have used Freecen and Family Search.

Mary/Margaret was baptised as Margaret but in her marriage is listed as Mary.I found Mary/Margaret's birth alongside that of her brother and sister. Parents of these are: Alexander Abercrombie and Catherine Moyes (Katherine Mois in their marriage record). The children are Margaret b 1771, Isabella b 1774 (died 1861) and James b 1780 all in Auchterderran.  I have her sister Isabella's will. It does not mention Mary/Margaret but lists her children ie Isabella's niece and nephews. I also have her daughter Catherine's will and this ties in beautifully with her aunt's will listing the monies (£200) received from Isabella and the amount and this allowed me to link them all. Isabella and James were both unmarried. They were tenants of Powmill Farm in Auchterderran. I have them both in the 1841 and 1851 census and Isabella in the 1861 census.

David Brown married Mary/Margaret on 18 August 1798 in Auchterderran. They have three children: Catherine born 1799 in Auchterderran and who married James McGregor in Gorbals, Glasgow on 10 June 1825. Catherine died 6 November 1862 in Tradeston, Glasgow. The second child was David Brown born 4 September 1801 in Auchterderran - I have no other information on him apart from that he is mentioned in his Aunt Isabella's will but only receives £10 and only if he turns up to collect it! He does not seem to be a favourite. The third child is Alexander Brown born 18 February 1804 in Auchterderran. He married 1. Christian Penman on 25 October 1828 (no children found) and then married 2. Janet Waddell on 18 March 1843 in Auchtertool. They had 8 children. Alexander received £500 in his aunt's will and was an executor.

Mary/Margaret is not mentioned in her sister's will (1861) and neither is David Brown her husband. I suspect they were both dead by then. I have a will for a David Brown dated 1804. This will states that David is a tenant in Wester Colquhally and has a son David Brown who is a Writer in Edinburgh but it is only 1 page long and discusses a debt of £10 due to a man called Henry Kilgour. I checked with Scotland's people that there wasn't pages missing but it was complete. I have been unable to make a link to my David Brown and the one in the will.

I had hoped to find a death certificate for David Brown, nephew of Isabella as he does appear at a meeting to discuss the will after the aunt's funeral so I know he was alive in 1861. I sat in Scotland's People centre for several days checking deaths for David Brown but as yet I have not found him.

In Catherine's death certificate her father is a ploughman but in Alexander's he is listed as a shoemaker. I found the census for David Brown with the younger woman but can't prove anything.

It is the David Brown's brick wall I want to demolish!

TY for listening :-)

[Rosinish]

Callsher,

Thanks for the added info. as it all helps others when researching.

I apologise for all the questions etc. but the reason I mentioned the deaths for a 'Margaret' with no age given could have confirmed her husbands name (if she'd been the widow/married) of/to David & the informant may have been another clue?

There are so many ways of going about trying to confirm things.

The 'Shoe Maker' seems an indication the one on the 1841 census could be your man?

It may be worth pursuing this in an effort to establish David Snr's whereabouts at a later date i.e. 1851 or not?

What were the names of the children of dau Catherine & son Alexander (in order) as this could help in establishing his parentage?

Annie

[Rosinish]

Piece: SCT1851/422 Place: Dalgety -Fife Enumeration District: 1
Civil Parish: Dalgety Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: Dalgety
Folio: 0 Page: 5 Schedule: 17
Address: Crossgates

All Brown surname & all b Inverkeithing, Fife (I do note it isn't Auchterderran but errors occured)

David (Head) 48 Tailor (b c 1803), a possible?
Catherine (Wife) 46

Chidren;
David Jnr. 21
George 19
Jean 17
Adam 15

It may be worth checking out David i.e. his marriage witnesses although if David Snr. did remarry, David Jnr. may have got on well with his step-mother & she may be named on his death as his mother rather than Mary/Margaret as it’s possible the informant would only have known of a/the step-mother?

This one stands out?

BROWN DAVID & CATHARINE GLEN 03/02/1826
432/40 168 Inverkeithing

Annie

[Callsher]

TY. I had found those census returns and have kept them meanwhile but found no link.
Children of Alexander Brown and Janet Waddell
1. Magdalene b 8 February 1844 in Auchtertool (Maternal Grandmother was Magdalene)
2. Mary b 6 Dec 1845 in Auchtertool (after her paternal Grandmother?)
3.David Brown b 31 October 1849 in Arngash, Fife (paternal grandfather).
4. James Abercrombie Brown b 3 September 1853 in Auchterderran (Mary's grandfather was James Abercrombie)
5. Isabella Abercrombie Brown b 29 June 1855 in Auchterderran (after Mary's sister?)
6. Alexander Brown 1 June 1858 in Kinghorn (after his father)
7. Janet Brown b 1 September 1860 in Kinghorn (after her mother)
8. Thomas McGregor Brown b 16th August 1863 (one of Catherine's children was Thomas McGregor)

Children of Catherine Brown and James McGregor
1. James Cook McGregor b 21 May 1826 Gorbals Glasgow (Cook probably comes from a close friend of Isabella's, he is named in her will)
2. John McGregor b 5 October 1828 Gorbals
3. David McGregor b 26 June 1831 Gorbals (after his maternal Grandfather)
4. Alexander McGregor b 25 August 1833 Gorbals
5. Thomas McGregor b 24 Jan 1836 Gorbals
6. Robert McGregor b 19 August 1838 Gorbals
7. Mary Abercrombie McGregor b 21 Feb 1841 Gorbals (maternal grandmother)

TY again :-)

[Rosinish]

I had found those census returns and have kept them meanwhile but found no link.

When you say you've found 'no link' do you mean you've researched that David & Catherine to discover there's no link?

Sorry if I'm not understanding.

Annie

[Rosinish]

Looking at the names for the g/kids could Thomas be a possibility for David's father as both Catherine & Alexander have used the name?

Annie

[Rosinish]

There's a corresponding Ref. of death on SP for...

GLEN CATHERINE/BROWN CATHERINE 80
1871
422/ 14 Dalgetty (Fife)

This should give details of whether her hubby David was still alive or already deceased which may help find his death with his parents named?

Annie

[Callsher]

There's a corresponding Ref. of death on SP for...

GLEN CATHERINE/BROWN CATHERINE 80
1871
422/ 14 Dalgetty (Fife)

This should give details of whether her hubby David was still alive or already deceased which may help find his death with his parents named?

Annie

For this Catherine - she was listed as a widow on her death certificate so he predeceased her. I have checked every Statutory David Brown in Fife and Glasgow and not found him (yet lol)

Thanks again for trying - I've been at this one for many years but it is good to have someone challenge my thinking.

[Rosinish]

For this Catherine - she was listed as a widow on her death certificate so he predeceased her. I have checked every Statutory David Brown in Fife and Glasgow and not found him (yet lol)

it is good to have someone challenge my thinking.

We have them in 1851 together, have you found them together in 1861 & 1871 as you don't say when in 1871 Catherine died?

It's quite possible he may have emigrated in the 1850s as many did but it would be interesting to know if they were together in 1861 or if he's awol to know what her status was then?

That's a good way to describe it I suppose but I'm not challenging anything, just lateral thinking as I can't tell what you've covered 

Annie

Add...You're not alone as I have one who I can't find a death for yet although his wife remarried as a widow. There are births of children outwith the privacy years which may/may not be his & he's too distant a relative for me to spend £s on full certs.