John McEwan marries Isabella Smith in Troqueer, 1846 - Help!!

[climbingthewalls]

Yes, I saw this - but as is the way with census records (it appears) their ages jump around a fair bit!  I have done a lot of digging into this and I am not 100% sure if Robert was actually their child.

Well, the original census does say explicitly that he is (John's) son.

There are a few people who think he was son of a Peter McEwan from Barony (Glasgow) so potentially he came down to Liverpool with his Uncle?

Now, I wonder where that could have come from?

There is only one baptism in Glasgow of a Robert whose father's name is Peter: a Roman Catholic record from St Mary's, Glasgow. Date of birth 6 October 1845, mother Euphemia Ruffell (which is a mistranscription of Russell). This Robert is in the 1851 census in Glasgow, aged 5, with his parents and two siblings, so you can confidently eliminate him from your research.

Yes, I thought that was a red herring (hence sceptical of ancestry suggestions), the Robert born in Scotland though disappears off the radar in Liverpool quite early on but can't see any death. I know John the brother died in 1858 aged 10. There is a reference of a Robert McEwan working on Ships that were going between Liverpool and New York for a period where his DOB kind of ties in with what I have so that could be him (as he might have been on the ship when the censuses were taken). I've never found any concrete proof though one way or the other.

[Neale1961]

1861 census for John and Isabella McEwan ( John still working as a blacksmith)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M7GP-4J7


Death
McEWAN, JOHN              age 72 
GRO Reference: 1879  D Quarter in LIVERPOOL  Volume 08B  Page 150

Burial record for Anfield cemetery Liverpool -
John McEwan - 72 years, blacksmith, died workhouse hospital, purchased grave.

[Forfarian]

Good find - I see he's listed as John M Ewan. Not McEwan.

[Neale1961]

Robert might be interesting. Obviously, if he was 8, he was born before the marriage of John and Isabella, so it might be worth a trawl through the Troqueer Kirk Session records to see if there is a record of an illegitimate child to either John or Isabella in 1841/1846.

Troqueer Kirk Session minutes
24 Sept 1843
This is the child of Isabella Smith – named Robert, after his father Robert Coupland of Bushcroft.
(see attachment)

[Neale1961]

Troqueer Kirk Session minutes
5 Nov 1843
Isabella Smith absolved of guilt
(see 2nd attachment)

This will be the father Robert Copeland in 1841 census
https://www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/59034d37e9379091b1492a15/robert-copeland-1841-kirkcudbrightshire-troqueer-1811-?locale=en

[Forfarian]

Well trawled, Neale1961

[Neale1961]

Robert Russell McEwan born abt 1843 Scotland, married Janet Stobo in 1871, Liverpool. He died in 1908, Merseyside.
Is this the same Robert McEwan as the illegitimate son of Isabella SMith?

I wonder where the "Russell" comes from? Is the name a hint / link to his mother's forebears, or is he a red herring?

------------

Have you established any connection between the McEwan family and the Hughson – Clark family from Scotland living in Liverpool? Isabella McEwan (the daughter) is seen with that family in a census record.

[Neale1961]

Post deleted, to avoid confusion, as it was information about unrelated / wrong Smith family.

[climbingthewalls]

Death
McEWAN, JOHN              age 72 
GRO Reference: 1879  D Quarter in LIVERPOOL  Volume 08B  Page 150

Burial record for Anfield cemetery Liverpool -
John McEwan - 72 years, blacksmith, died workhouse hospital, purchased grave.

Many thanks Neale1961 for all the digging you have done, it really is much appreciated.  Re: John McEwan I have the Burial Record which states he was 72 (all the other details are correct) but I have also visited the grave, and on it, it states he was 68 when he died. So not sure which age is correct!!

Re: Robert Russell McEwan - I (like Forfarian) believe this might not be the correct Robert McEwan. I found a thread here where someone has got the marriage certificate of Robert Russell McEwan and  Janet Stobo - and the father is a Peter McEwan, which will be the one shown in Post 17 here. https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=371137.msg2476938#msg2476938

I think having 2 Robert McEwan's with similar ages, being in the same area of Liverpool at the same time has probably thrown a few!! However there is a nagging feeling that they could still be connected (somehow). Isabella lived at one point on Pluto Street in Liverpool and Robert Russell McEwan lived on the next street Vesuvious Street.

There are multiple instances of another Robert McEwan sailing back and forth to New York from Liverpool so my guess he could be the correct one, but will have to do some more digging.

I noticed that Isabella lived with the Hughson ladies as a "Teacher - Unemployed in 1871", but have no information on any links to that family I'm afraid apart from they were also Scottish.

I noticed in the Troqueer Kirk Session records you kindly put up, that Isabella (the mother) was from South Maxwelltown - which fits in with the previously mentioned Hugh Smith being the brother. I've found 2 DNA matches to Hugh - the first matches I've found to any person in that area, so that looks promising.

I couldn't decipher everything in the Kirk Session records you put up, but there is a mention that Isabella was in Newcastle? Not sure if that is a link too?

I will have a look at the other records you have put up to see if I can put more of the jigsaw together. I've messaged the people who have Hugh Smith in their ancestry trees and have James Smith and Mary Reid as his father to see how they got that information. They have the date he died as 12/12/1885 - but not sure how they have got that as they havent referenced a source.

Many thanks again!