[quote author=terryf2010 link=topic=822344.msg6854936#msg6854936 date=1575927520
It would have been nice to find out where John Ferguson would have been from? or Margarets surname, or some more help on information. Do you think this was all the information that was provided on the record at the time?
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In Durham the years where registers were required to have the extra info that snowqueen mentioned were later than this time frame.
http://www.durhamrecordoffice.org.uk/article/10576/Baptisms-and-burials-1798-1812That page explains about it.
Durham Records Online say that the transcriptions for this parish are:
Baptisms & burials are from a combination of the Bishop's Transcript & the parish register, for maximum detail. There were no marriages at Long Newton in 1807 because the parish church was being rebuilt; marriages in that year were celebrated at Elton, Sadberge, or Egglescliffe. Burials after 1841 are solely from the parish register.So I'd guess (but can't know for certain without seeing the original register) that the transcript has been done from the BT and then checked against the PR and if there is any further info it would be included in the transcription.
You mentioned Egglescliffe, there is a marriage in Egglescliffe 10 Dec 1782 for a John Ferguson and Margaret Hutton
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C952-CQMD-5?i=40&cat=1827368and a baptism (on the same page) for a Margaret Ferguson daughter of John and Margaret Ferguson on 28th May 1782. Sadly on the next page it shows that this wee one was buried on 29th May 1783.
Only you can decide but I'd say the marriage is highly likely to be the same people who had the child baptised. That is from the BTs - not the actual register.
Durham Records online have the transcription and they have the names of the witnesses for the marriage and that both parties were 'Of this Parish' - so that entry must be transcribed from the Parish Register. The transcription of the baptism also shows more info than is in the BT as it gives John's occupation as farmer
I can see no other baptisms for a child of this couple in Egglescliffe.
But Durham Records Online have 4 baptisms in Long Newton for children with parents John Ferguson, a farmer, and Margaret (no maiden surname mentioned)
Mary 1784
Robert 1786
William 1789
John 1792
So it is a plausible scenario that John Ferguson married Margaret Hutton in Egglescliffe , had a daughter born and died there, then moved (not far) to Long Newton and had four more children.
Proving it with a paper trail (as you already know) is difficult. No matter how much we'd like it, the records are often lacking the information we want, can't do much about that over 200 years later :-)
- though IF there are wills for either of the parents or possible previous generations you may get lucky and find a mention of something that would lend more weight to the theory. Other parish chest records (poor law etc) may have something but that's a long shot.
Wills are online
http://familyrecords.dur.ac.uk/nei/data/intro.php, parish chest records 'may' be on Family Search and viewable either at home or at an LDS FHC otherwise you'd need to go to the archives. It would take a long time, lots of reading and still not turn anything up.
I know how frustrating it is, I've spent years looking for that tiny snippet I need to confirm/deny a possible scenario - and am still looking. It may yet turn up ! :-)
Boo
