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

[climbingthewalls]

Though I suppose, really, that tracing Mary's antecedents is a bit of a red herring when it comes to Isabella's forebears.

Yes this one is a bit of rabbit hole distraction! I did find the census record for this couple though and they had several kids with surname Grierson before 1835 - so it wasnt unusual for them! The couple were born abt 1800 so that would fit with Mary Grierson being born circa 1822.

[Neale1961]

It could be the conflicting surnames is a case of the informant (son James Smith) making an error on the death registration of his father. It does seem odd if he didn’t know his mother’s maiden name – but this is not un-heard of in my experience.
If Phillis had been the informant, the information on Hugh’s death certificate might have been different. Women talked within the household about family and make better informants than men, who don’t tend to discuss names of ancestors, etc.
I think that James Smith then paid for and commissioned the graveyard stone around 1890 and repeated the same information on the inscription, while not remembering the ages at death particularly well. Then I believe that Phillis added to the inscription, the last 2 names – her son William Johnson and her brother James Smith.

ADDED
Have just noticed that when Phillis Smith died in 1913- her mother’s maiden name is recorded on the index as Bridges.
I wonder when she married, who she recorded as her mother?
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/185565858/phillis-johnston

Yes, a distracting conundrum.

[climbingthewalls]

I'm at a loss where the Bridges element comes into all this! Phyllis was born in 1847 and her sister Janet born 1850. Janet died aged 9, and has Mary Grierson as her mother, when Mary Grierson dies she has her mother as Mary Smith - so not sure how Bridges ends up on multiple separate documents. Unless an error has just been perpetuated.

The person I contacted from Ancestry has got back to me, all his information has come from his wifes side and he has sourced his info from scotlandspeople. He also has pictures of Hugh and Jane and various offspring which have been passed down the generations. Some of Phillis line ends up in the Falklands and Patagonia in the mid to late 1800s - another offshoot ends up marrying the Countess of Suffolk! He's give me some more links to follow, but is no wiser than us regards to Isabella being the sister of Hugh (or indeed their parents)

Bizarrely I have several DNA matches in Argentina (Patagonia), but always assumed they were from my Welsh Ancestors ( one of them who marries Isabella's daugher, Isabella in Liverpool) who went over and set up a Welsh community.  They were heavily religious (welsh calvinistic methodists) and I have found some links to say Hugh Smith was involved in presbytarian churches quite heavily in Maxwelltown.

I would love to get as close to 100% on Isabella being the brother of Hugh, there are enough pointers to suggest this is the case - but still no silver bullet yet!

[climbingthewalls]

Hugh Smith

[climbingthewalls]

Mary Grierson

[climbingthewalls]

I've found James Smith marriage certificate. He married 1877 to a Jane Dickson, he has his father as Hugh Smith, mother Mary Grierson.

[Forfarian]

So Bridges appears in three primary places. First on Hugh's death certificate, second on his gravestone, and third on Phyllis' death certificate.

Phyllis was the informant on Mary's death certificate, so she obviously believed her mother's maiden surname was Bridges, therefore it's not surprising that that is what her own death certificate says.

But .... on her marriage certificate Phyllis says her mother was Mary Grierson! So Mary's surname apparently changed between Phyllis' marriage and Hugh's death.

I wonder if Mary's mother could have been born illegitimate, and known by both surnames?

[climbingthewalls]

Getting back on to the McEwan angle for a minute, I started looking at the Kirk Session Minutes in Troqueer for 1810. I came across this entry, can't fully decipher it all, but it looks like a marriage between a John McEwan and an Agnes Smith in 1810. The John McEwan I am looking at was born in 1811, so would tie in.

[Neale1961]

I have searched the 1841 census extensively, for a John McEwan ( various spellings) of approx. the correct age, single, working as a smith in the Troqueer - Maxwelltowm - Dumfries area.
Found nothing, so perhaps he wasn’t working as a smith as early as 1841 OR he wasn’t living in that area.
I did find this possibility, which may be of interest.
https://www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/59034d38e9379091b14930cf/agnes-mcken-1841-kirkcudbrightshire-troqueer-1781-?locale=en