Muirhead/Fawcett

[mrs a]

Does anyone have any info on James Muirhead, born June 12 1920 to Marion Fawcett, nee Campbell and James Muirhead, in Blackburn. I have birth certificate drom Scotland’s people but cannot see anything on marriage or death. Could obv still be alive and unmarried !!

[CaroleW]

He would be nearly 103 if still alive so think that’s unlikely😃

Do you have any info that proves he reached adulthood?

Have you checked if he died in WW2?  www.cwgc.org

[Forfarian]

If his father's surname was Muirhead and his mother was née Campbell, how does Fawcett come into it?

[mrs a]

Mother was widowed- married surname was Fawcett, nee Campbell.
I have a photo of him in army uniform.Was told by (deceased) family member that he survived the war.
Could have gone South?

[Forfarian]

In what seems to be the absence of a record in Scotland, Wales or England of a marriage of a Marion Campbell to either a Muirhead or a Fawcett, or of a Fawcett to a Muirhead, does this mean that James Muirhead b 1920 was illegitimate?

This is highly relevant to a search for a death because if he was illegitimate he might use any of the three surnames in later life.

Please tell us all the information that is on the birth certificate.

[mrs a]

Birthdetaila attached

[Forfarian]

Thanks. So he was indeed illegitimate. That clarifies things.

In the 1921 census James Fawcett, aged under 1 year, is in the index in Blackburn, West Lothian, registration district 669/2, enumeration district 3 page 6. With the same reference are five more Fawcetts: Marion, 44; Thomas, 22; Robert, 20; Janet, 16;  Alexander, 14.

James Fawcett, aged 58, died in Glasgow in 1978, mother's maiden name not listed in index. After 1974 mothers' maiden surnames, if known, are always indexed except if the deceased was illegitimate, so this omission suggests to me that he is likely to be your James Muirhead/Fawcett/Campbell.

As it's less than 50 years ago you will need to order a copy of the death certificate to confirm that it's the right person, or get someone who is going to a Scotland's People Centre to transcribe the details for you.

Incidentally another James Fawcett, aged 1, mother's maiden surname Campbell, died in Blackburn in 1914.

[Forfarian]

I see that when James was born in 1920 his father was living at No 10 and his mother at No 18 Westwood Row.

In the index to the 1921 census there is a James Muirhead, aged 47, in Blackburn, in the same enumeration district, page 5 - that is, the page before the one listing the Fawcett family.

It would be worth a look at the original to see what additional information it contains about him.

[Forfarian]

In 1901 there's a Fawcett family in the census in West Calder consisting of Robert, 28; Marion, 24; John, 5; Thomas, 2; and Robert Braind, under 1 year.

This matches the births of Fawcett children, mother's maiden surname Campbell, in West Lothian
Thomas Campbell, 1899, died 1982
Robert Brown, 1901, died 1987
Janet Bruce, 1905
Alexander Tarvie, 1907, died 1981
Katie Campbell, 1909, died 1909
Mary Tervit, 1911; all births registered in West Calder.

Robert Faucett and Marion Lawson Campbell were married in West Calder in 1898. Their marriage certificate will tell you the names of their parents.