Parent Mystery - John Thomson Stewart died 1894 Dumfries

[Boongie Pam]

Hi All,

I don't know if I am losing my touch but I can't work out the parentage of John Thomson Stewart. Here are the snippets I know....

He is on the gravestone of William Thomson and Agnes Coltart/Coultart of Rashgill Dumfries in Tinwald graveyard. He is the last person mentioned.

"John Thomson Stewart died at Locharbriggs 28th Nov 1894 aged 58 years". It does not state the relationship to William and Agnes.

Tracing the death cert, JTS died in an a fall at night into the Locharbriggs Quarry. Terrible business! His parents are listed as James Stewart and Agnes Thomson. The newspaper reports state him as 61 years of age.

The aforementioned William T and Agnes C have a daughter called Agnes Thomson who marries a Walter Stewart (a tailor) - she is also buried in Tinwald graveyard.

In the Census in the home of William T and Agnes C you can find:
1841 - Agnes Thomson (26) and  John Stewart (5)
1851 - Agnes Thomson (40 - dau) and John Stewart Thomson (13 - grandson)
1861 - Agnes Stewart (50 - dau)* and John Stewart Thomson (25 - grandson)

In 1861 Agnes is now married to Walter Stewart and is 10 year's his senior.
In 1871 JST is now married to Henrietta Smith. In the marriage record it states parents are James and Agnes same as the death cert.

So the estmated ages of JST are all consistent.

1841: c1836 - census
1851: c1837 - census
1861: c1836 - census
1863: c1836 (marriage)
1871: c1836 - census
1891: c1836 - census
1894: c1836 (death record) - ignoring newspapers

The mystery is in I can't find his birth at all! I appreciate the records are sparce in some parishes.

I have found a William Stewart born 1835 to a James S and Agnes T in Dumfries but the image isn't the correct one on Scotlandspeople so I have reported it.

My hypothesis is that Agnes is JST's mother but I can't find a marriage or any mention of her being a widow. She is listed as unmarried in 1851. The Stewarts and Thomsons are all within a short radius - Rashgill at Locharbrigg and Tinwald c2 miles. I would not be surprised if it was an illegitimacy but nothing coming up in the paternity records - where as her sister Mary is there with her daughter.

I have lots of newpaper snippets due to the violent death and he was fighting to be a beneficiery of a famous estate in New York. If anyone knows anything about the "Stewart Estate" and where to source legal records for claiments that would at least show who he thought his parents were!

[Forfarian]

You don't say which parish John Thomson Stewart was born in, but if he was illegitimate it's possible that the Kirk Session minutes of whichever parish it was might have reported the case.

The surviving KS records are at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk in the Virtual Volumes section.

[Boongie Pam]

You don't say which parish John Thomson Stewart was born in, but if he was illegitimate it's possible that the Kirk Session minutes of whichever parish it was might have reported the case.

The surviving KS records are at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk in the Virtual Volumes section.

Ha! That would be useful wouldn’t it.

Thomsons are from Rashgill in Dumfries but close to the Tinwald border. Stewarts are in the same area or pop up in Tinwald and Closeburn.

JST or JTS is listed in the census as born Dumfries. Given the tightness of his birth year it wouldn’t take much to go through Kirk Sessions - good shout. The cost would need a trip to the centre though. He’d be in the KS for Tinwald for his parochial school board position- maybe.

SP have been great and sent the right image for the William Stewart born to James S and Agnes T and it does say “lawful son” given how hot they were on this stuff I have to work on the assumption they were married. It matches with James’ occupation (mason) to JST/JTS’s death cert.

I might see if James Stewart appears in criminal/asylum/emigration records. My gut feels like this is an abandonment - no reason to call yourself unwed if you are widowed unless a scandal or something.

[kall]

On the Dumfries St Michaels Kirk sessions 1836 there is a mention of  James Stewart acknowledging being with Agnes Thomson and being the father of her child

[Forfarian]

The cost would need a trip to the centre though.

The KS records on SP are free of charge.

BTW don't assume that the record, if any, will necessarily be near the date of the birth. Sometimes it can take a KS a couple or three years to catch up on a case.

[Boongie Pam]

The cost would need a trip to the centre though.

The KS records on SP are free of charge.

BTW don't assume that the record, if any, will necessarily be near the date of the birth. Sometimes it can take a KS a couple or three years to catch up on a case.

Thank you - just shows how out of the swing of things I am!!!

[kall]

Boongie Pam…did you see my reply

[Boongie Pam]

On the Dumfries St Michaels Kirk sessions 1836 there is a mention of  James Stewart acknowledging being with Agnes Thomson and being the father of her child

Amazing @kall thank you!

William and Agnes (Agnes’ parents) didn’t seem to bother about the niceties of marrying (they were admonished) so I suspected it maybe the case. I’ll go check it out.

[Boongie Pam]

Boongie Pam…did you see my reply

I did - thank you - I was typing as you posted 😀👍