Scottish ancestry - running out of ideas!

[Barmaid]

Hello me again

I've been helping the BF trace his ancestry. He is Scottish. I've hit a problem. One of his ancestors Andrew Reid (born 1839) married Jane Wilson. It's Jane I am having the problem with. The birth certificate of their son (David Wilson Reid) records their marriage on 7 December 1860 in Ayrshire. The marriage certificate records Jane was the daughter of Andrew WIlson deceased (ploughman) and Margaret WIlson with an illegible maiden surname - I think it starts "Lam.....". Jane's death certificate (in 1912) records her as the daughter of James Reid - forester and no maiden name for her mother who was apparently called Jane! I am fairly sure I have the right Jane though. The name and occupation of her husband fits as does the fact that her son (David W) registered the death. However, I do realise that WIlson was a common name - I've checked hundreds of them though and this appears to be the only one that fits.

Jane is a bit cavalier with her age - as you move through the Census her age changes and she loses a few years every year!!! In 1901 she is recorded as being 55 (although I wonder if she was actually married under age). On her marriage she was recorded as being 20. On her death, her son had to report a corrected entry and change her age at death from 68 to 72.

The 1861 onwards Census records her birth as being either Eastwood in Renfrewshire or Pollockshaw. However, in 1851 or 1841 I can't find a Jane Wilson that fits.

Does anyone know any other Scottish sources I could try for her birth? I've tried the old parish registers on Scotland's People and keep hitting a blank. I've tried familysearch.org.

[dothawkes31]

It would have been the head of the household who gave the information to the enumerator and that could often mean their best guess sometimes, age was not as precise a necessity and i they didn'r have the familt bible to hand to check the dates of birth then they might well get it wrong. If she was 20 when she married she would have needed her father's permission as she would be under age.
Banns books sometimes help , they would be with the Parish Records, in Scotland they could marry anyewhere though not necessarily a church.
They married before civil registration started in Scotland and so you need to either locate the banns.

Why two quite different fathers names are given is another problem, but bearing in mind her son registered the death, it must have been the information he had, could Jane's mother have remarried? Also, have you looked at any of her siblings marriages to see what they recorded as their parents?

[Barmaid]

Thanks Dot. I can't find any siblings! I can't find a birth or a Jane that matches on the 51 or 41. Mind you, I suppose if I am feeling rich, I could investigate marriages of Wilsons around the same date in the same area (don't you just hate pay per view sites?!)

I did think that either the marriage cert was wrong (perhaps she fibbed?!) or the death cert was wrong - (perhaps her son just couldn't remember the details - if he was anything like my father I can understand his problem).

If her father and mother were dead at the time of her marriage - who would have given permission?

[dothawkes31]

I think a grandparent would be likely, or an older brother.

[Barmaid]

Hmmm, just rechecked the marriage cert - there were four witnesses! Two have signed next to Jane - one is a William, so perhaps I need to look for a William Wilson and see what I can dig up.

[dothawkes31]

There used to be a register of neglected entries for 1801 - 1854 marriage and baptism entries that were known to have taken place but not included in the Old parochial registers.
Have you looked at irregular marriages?

[dothawkes31]

'Irregular Marriages
Bear in mind that 'irregular' marriages, by exchange of promises before witnesses, by betrothal and consummation, or by cohabitation and repute, were forms of marriage recognised by Scots Law, yet may have taken place without any official record of the event. '

[munchie63]

I'd be very surprised if there weren't any other siblings...finding them could cost you a bit though, but if you can narrow your search year and towns down it will help.
Certainly worth doing though, as the tradition was to use the mothers maiden name as a middle name for one of the children...so you could well find your 'Lam....' that way.

[munchie63]

just had a very quick look on scotsancestry site

tried a search for andrew wilson to margaret ---- between 1830-1840 (assuming jane was born 1840) and got 18 possibles.....to view those names will only cost you 1 credit.
Nothing like Lambert etc...but there's a Tait, which with the awkward squiggly L's, F's and T's they had on those records could look like Lam.
Is it a much longer name ?
and do you have any locations for them. Looking for Jane's parents marr on the parish records could be the best way of working back

[emkay0145]

Marriage in Scotland is legal without parental consent from the age of sixteen - hence all those elopements to Gretna Green and other Border towns of couples from England.