Sara MacMillan born Dromore Kirkcudbrightshire between 1877 and 1888

[Sally4x]

My relative Nancy May MacMillan was born in Nottingham in 1910. On her birth certificate her mother is named as Sara MacMillan a domestic servant with no father named. Nancy was then adopted by another family. I have found Sara on the 1901 census in Nottingham as a servant aged 24 so born abt 1877. She is on the 1911 census in Nottingham as a housekeeper birth abt 1881. She is on the 1921 census in Nottingham as a housekeeper born abt 1885. She is on the 1939 register born 24 Nov 1888 as a housekeeper. She dies in Nottingham in 1944 birth year abt 1885. She never marries.

I have tried to find her in Scotland before this and to try and find out her actual age, but haven't been able to. Any help on this would be appreciated.

[Forfarian]

Where did Dromore come from? Is it from a census?

Assuming that this comes from a reliable source, the first thing is to establish which parish Dromore is in. The Gazetteer of British Place Names puts it in the civil parish of Kirkcudbright, so if Sara was born in Dromore one would expect her birth to have been registered in the parish of Kirkcudbright.

There is only one Sara(h) M(a)cmillan registered in the parish of Kirkcudbright before 1900, but she was born in 1894, which is a bit late to be your one.

So could she have been illegitimate and registered under a different surname? There are 20 births of Sara(h)s in the parish of Kirkcudbright between 1875 and 1890, of whom 11 of their mothers' maiden surnames are not in the births index, which may imply that they were illegitimate, or it may just mean that the mothers' surname have yet to be added to the index.

You could make a note of those 11 Sarahs' surnames, and try to eliminate any you can find in the first census after their birth, and then look at the original birth certificates to see if any of them were born on 24 November.

[hmcc]

There is a Sarah McMillan born 1881 in Kirkmaiden parish (mmn Wilson).
Drummore is in Kirkmaiden parish, Wigtownshire.

Drummore is also farm near Kirkcudbright, can't see a birth there.

hmcc

[Sally4x]

Yes Dromore was named as her birth place on the 1911 census. On the 1921 census Kirkcudbright was named as her birth place. I have tried to look for all the Sara(h)s and also any MacMillans that moved to the Nottingham area, but haven't found anything.

[Sally4x]

There is a Sarah McMillan born 1881 in Kirkmaiden parish (mmn Wilson).
Drummore is in Kirkmaiden parish, Wigtownshire.

Drummore is also farm near Kirkcudbright, can't see a birth there.

hmcc

This Sarah seems to be still with her dad as a farm servant in Kirkmaiden on the 1901 census.

[Neale1961]

The place Dromore Kirkcudbrightshire comes from both the 1921 and 1911 census
The 1921 looks as if Sarah herself has written her entry.

1901 census Sarah is a servant for a Surgeon. Her age is 24 – born about 1877.
Had she been born 1888, she would have been 14 on this census. I think the surgeon would be able to tell the difference between  a 14 and a 24 year old.

I suspect the earlier birth date of around 1877 – 1878 might be more likely correct.


I note a birth registered in Bargrennan for a Sarah McMillan WILSON (mother Malcolm)
I haven’t investigated it further.

[Neale1961]

I note a birth registered in Bargrennan for a Sarah McMillan WILSON (mother Malcolm)

No, you can discount her. I have just found her death in 1923

[wivenhoe]

Can you expand the information you are giving please -


  * "Nancy was then adopted by another family."
 What information do you have about the family that raised Nancy?.  These arrangements often   involve extended family.

 * Can you list everything on the birth certificate, 1910.
   There should be a place of birth, name of informant, date and place of registration.

[Forfarian]

Dromore, parish of Kirkcudbright: https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NX6945

is not the same place as

Drummore, parish of Lochrutton: https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NX9074

and this one

Drummore, parish of Kirkmaiden, Wigtownshire https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NX1336 which is also sometimes spelled Dromore

isn't in the same county, never mind the same parish.

See https://sites.rootsweb.com/~sctkkdfc/notes.htm

And there are Dromores, Drummores, Drummuirs etc in several other counties in Scotland, and umpteen in Ireland.