Genealogy Chat

Details following of my biggest brick wall. Any ideas appreciated because I've run out! Julie

re JAMES MCDONALD - Scotland. Info I have: 1910 death cert. Married to 1.) Avelia Valentine & 2.) Margaret Robertson. aged 75. Father: DAVID ANDREW McDONALD. Engine fitter. decd Mother: Elizabeth m.s. DAVIDSON. decd 1901 Census. age 67 born Aboyne Aberdeen. wife and kids all correct. 1891 Census. age 57. born Golspie, Sutherlandshire wife and kids all correct. 1883 2nd marriage: age 50. Father: DAVID ANDREW McDONALD. Engine fitter. decd Mother: Elizabeth m.s. DAVIDSON. decd 1881 Census: age 45. born Inverness definitely the right one. 1871 marriage: age 36. Father: DAVID ANDREW McDONALD. Engine fitter. NOT decd Mother: Elizabeth m.s. TURNER (NOT DAVIDSON). decd in the 1871 census there is a James McD right age, right occupation (Colour sergeant in the 93rd Sutherland) born in Ireland! I have looked at almost every David McD. death on SP. Oddly - and frustratingly - most seem to have died in poorhouses so give no wife/parent details. Elizabeth Turner (or Davidson) seems to have died prior to 1855 as I can't find her on Sp at all. I've tried all El* Dav*son/Turner/M*c*don*al*d combos I can think of! I can't find the birth of James anywhere. The death of David Andrew McDonald betw 1871 and 1883. The death of Elizabeth Turner/Davidson. James McDonald was soldier and I have his medals from the Crimea onwards. He was part of the Thin Red Line. I have just paid someone to research his army number at Kew and she found nothing. On the LDS I have found someone who has entered details (wrongly as it happens) for my James. So someone out there is working on the same line! I started my family tree in Jan 2004 and found out all this info in the first week. Since then I have found nothing on this branch! Does any one have any brainwaves about where I can look next? He seems to have been a very brave man and I would love to know more about his parents or siblings, assuming he had some. Any ideas appreciated Julie

Have you ckecked that he haden't popped down to England before/ after he married? Did the wedding take place before or after the census was taken? Did you finf the wife in 1871? Have you found him in 1861 on the census?

The 1871 wedding took place after the census. I have no problems tracking down the family of James' wife. It's just him and his parents! I suspect that the entry for James McD born in Ireland might be mine but as it's in a barracks I can't get any other familial clues. As all the later censuses give totally different places of birth, it doesn't help! With names like James, Elizabeth and David McDonald and no idea of the area (never mind town) it would be impossible to find on SP with their useless search facility. For 1861 there are 27 David M*cDonalds over the age of 48 (a guess due to James' approx dob) and as I have no further names I can't see how i could narrow them down. There are none at all in Invernesshire or Sutherlandshire (Taking Jame's poss birth places as a hint) I've also checked on ancestry.co.uk for David McD's in the 51, 61 and 71 censuses for Scottish, English or Irish births. No likely matches. I was hoping his army number would help - especially as he won so many medals and recieved an army pension until his death. But the researcher couldn't find anything on him at all. I really am stuck! Julie

Sorry I have obviously not been clear - I didn't say I have checked Ireland at all. What I meant to say was that the 1871 Scottish census shows a James McDonald of the right age, in the right Barracks, right regiment and right rank with the birth place of Ireland. As his rank was colour sergeant and not private it narrowed it down. Also that I had checked the English censuses for a David McDonald with an English, Scottish or Irish birth. I can be certain that the census all relate to the same man due to his wife and childrens names as they are all very unusual. Also I have family documentary evidence confirming the addresses. Golspie and Inverness are not that far apart so that is a relatively easy 'mistake'. I suspect that the 'Aboyne' entry is an error as every other person on the page is down as Aboyne and merely dittoed. The only death I have found is James himself (plus his wives and children, who I have traced succesfully) My problem is that I can't find anything for either parents of James or his birth. I wondered if anyone had any ideas where else I could look.

dear julie, just to let you know that im also having a terrible time looking for macdonalds,looking now for over a year for issabella or ella and andrew, keep on looking they will turn up someday suexx

Dear Julie, Have you contacted his regiment and asked for his service records. ? Most regiments have an old comrades web site and can tell you where the records are kept. My ma had success this way,looking for an uncle of hers. Good luck Jay

Julie If his children's names are very unusual, is this because they are 'family' names - if so can you pick up the same names as possibly his siblings or parents in relevant areas?.....well, you did say you were looking for ideas...

Thank you all for your suggestions. Unfortunately all the 'unusual' names come from his wifes side and not his - typical! I had not thought of looking for a lair so I shall try that - thanks. I have written to the regimental museum and they have told me the date he enlisted but that is all they have. However I have sent them a photo of James with his many medals that they are going to put in their museum. So it was worth doing for that alone! I am also going to try to see if he had an obit in the local paper, which I hadn't thought of until the museum suggested it. I'm still surprised that his records couldn't be found at Kew even though I have his regiment and regimental number. Perhaps my researcher was looking in the wrong place - has anyone experience of tracing these types of records? Julie R.