Brick Wall

[Genie24]

I am trying to help my cousin find some information about his grandmother's sister. His grandmother was Grace Frame Ross born 5th October 1900 Hamilton, Lanarkshire. He knew she had 2 siblings because they lived in New York for a while and they show up on the 1910 census. He believed she had a sister Irene W Ross and brother Andrew F Ross as they are recorded on the census but could not find their births. We speculated that the F was Frame. However, just a few days ago, I found births for Jeanie Whiteford Ross and Andrew Thomson Ross who we now know are  indeed the siblings evidenced by the birth records. Sadly, Andrew died aged just 19 and single so we know there are no children from him but we are desperately trying to find some children for Jeanie.

My cousin always thought that 'Irene' stayed in USA and died in California but it looks like the leads were a red herring. I found a marriage for her to Charles Burnet Hay Reid born 1897 in Hamilton. They married in 1935 in Blantyre. Charles was recorded as being a Master Printer as was his father.  He does not appear in Post Office Directories. We have a potential electoral Roll for them in Glasgow in 1937 in Westmuir Street  or Valuation Roll records for 1935 and 1940 living at 34 Stonefield Crescent,  Blantyre, Lanarkshire where they married. This was a stone's throw from where Jeanie lived in 109 Stonefield Road.

There is, of course, the possibility that they left the country.

Charles had once been a Merchant Seaman and I have details of a medal awarded to him. The strange thing is, he was actually recorded as Charles Hay Reid on his birth record and then it appears that he at some point 'acquired' the Burnet but then  dropped both the Burnet and Hay which is making him impossible to find.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

[Forfarian]

What was the name of Grace, Jeanie and Andrew's mother? Have you tried looking in the deaths index at SP for a death of J*an*, born whatever year plus or minus say 3 years, and mother's maiden surname?

What was the name of Charles' mother?  Have you tried looking in the deaths index at SP for a death of Charles, born 1897 plus or minus say 3 years, and mother's maiden surname?

[Genie24]

Yes, I have already tried that. That is how I found the death for Andrew.

Grace, Jeanie and  Andrew's mother was Harris and Charles' mother was Hay.

There are several births for Reid in Blantyre. I think I put in a search for 1935 - 1955 but the problem is, the Statutory Registers do no give a mother's maiden name. Often the deaths do but not always.

If the 1937 Electoral Roll is correct, then the births would be in Glasgow and that widens the search even more.

[Forfarian]

There are several births for Reid in Blantyre. I think I put in a search for 1935 - 1955 but the problem is, the Statutory Registers do no give a mother's maiden name. Often the deaths do but not always.

Originally none of the indexes included mother's maiden surname.

In 1929 they started adding the mmn to the births index, but because of the 100-year closure rule you can only search using this if you are in a Scotland's People Centre.

In 1973 they started including mmn in the deaths index.

They have been adding mmn to the deaths index for a while, but the process speeded up a lot during lockdown. I expect they will go on doing this until all deaths are covered, and then they'll go back and start adding mmn to the earlier births.

[Genie24]

That is very interesting to know and good to hear that soon more mother's maiden names  will be available to view.

Unfortunately, we do not live near a Scotland's People Centre.

[Kloumann]

For information The 1910 new york census

https://www.familysearch.org/search/ark:/61903/1:1:M5SM-ZNC

[Genie24]

Thanks. We already have the 1910 US census. That is how we have been pursuing an Irene rather than a Jeanie. It is possible that she may have used that name.
We estimate that they went to the US around 1905 and returned some time after the 1911 census as they don't appear to be on that. My cousin's grandmother married in 1925.

[Kloumann]

Robert Ross married Agnes P Harris, 1900, Blytheswood.

[Genie24]

Thanks for that. They were married in Blytheswood but all of the children were born in Hamilton. Agnes Paterson Harris died in Blantyre in 1937. Jeanie married in their house in 1935.
The thing we need to know is where did they go after their marriage and did they have children.