25th: My cup runneth over ...

...with yet more WINE(S).
Thanks to Mike, a descendant of the IRELAND branch of the WINES forest, I've been reviewing where I'd got too on some of the Sth Petherton WINES and related families.
Having tidied up and expanded his particular branch, that of William IRELAND, son of George IRELAND and Anna NAPPER, he added that one of William's siblings had married a Bert HILLARD.
I noticed in passing that one of the earlier generations of WINES had also married a HILLARD and idly searched for Bert's parents to see if there was a connection.
Haven't yet figured that one out as I found Bert's mother was a Susan WINES.
Which trail led me to Windsor Castle, and a census entry I'd extracted some years ago.
When looking for a different Mary WINES, I'd found a Mary WINES of Sth Petherton enumerated as a confectionery maid in Windsor Castle in 1881, on page 5 of the schedule.
Page one began The Queen, Head, widow 61, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and continued with HRH Prince Leopold and Princess Beatrice, occupations listed as prince and princess, then a visitor, 43 year old widow, Eugenie, occupation given as "ex Empress of the French", etc etc etc.
I now believe that this Mary, confectionery maid is the above Susan's sister, and that they are both children of Thomas and Ann (STUCKEY or STACEY) WINES, Thomas being my 3rd cousin 3 times removed (well he was born in 1821 and I wasn't), and the son of Joseph and Jane (HUNT) WINES
Always interesting to find the unexpected places one ends up following leads and hunches in this business.
Next WorldConnect db update will show a few more branches, and several updated dates/places for the above lot.

Another of the FAIRBAIRN DNA kits has made it back to the lab.

May 25, 2008: Solving RIDDELLs

Mostly FAIRBAIRN tidyups of late. A lead from Alison added a RIDDELL branch to the family of Archibald FAIRBAIRN and Mary GRIERSON (I had noted the marriage of an Agnes FAIRBAIRN to a John RIDDELL, but never explored further), and several others have had a few dates/places confirmed/added, including the family of Walter FAIRBAIRN and Agnes HENDERSON.
Another WINES branch has also been brought forward in present day Australia thanks to Gary B., whom I calculate is a 6th cousin.

Aug 29:2007 apples & eggs; Gretna marriage

Simeon WINES apparently stole some eggs, and had previously stolen apples. Ta Jenni for the fuller details of his record.
Still haven't seen proof of his parents however. Has anyone seen it to show which of the Simons of an age born Sth Petherton he is?

The details of the Gretna marriage of James THOMSON and Betty DALGISH didn't help with her identification, but did confirm the 1874 date, albeit 2 days later than they recorded on their children's birth certs.

The Margaret WIGHT mystery from a few days ago has deepened. Jan had also tackled this, but from a different angle. I haven't fully digested her version of events, but it looks like Margaret WIGHT married her shoemaker James WHITE and then took off. Neither of us can find her as WHITE 1851 thru 1881 but James is living in Jedburgh with his Mum and sister in 1851 and 1861, and alone in 1871 & 1881, his dth cert in 1887(?) apparently saying he was a widower (a lie).

Paul R has provided some details about PC Robert RICHARDSON of Blyth, which may get him onto my web pages in the near future, lack of sidetracks willing...

Aug 27, 2007: Non swimmers, non FORTTified wines, ex empress of the French

After all these years I've finally had it pointed out to me that there's a convict in the family. Simeon WINES has been sitting in the db a long time, in Tasmania, but now someone has pointed out he didn't swim and ended up there rather involuntarily, so I've added him to the published family tree. Not that I've seen the final proof that this is the right Simon WINES, the family is quite prolific and there is at least one other candidate of an age.

And so much for finding Mary Ann d/o Jacob married to Richard FORTT. A grandson points out to me that the marriage cert. shows her father to be Jesse, not Jacob. One day I'll figure out where Jesse might fit in.

While fossicking around further to see where else she might have got to I did happen upon a Mary WINES enumerated in 1881 at Windsor Castle: Head of household, Queen Victoria, members of household included John Brown, Queens personal servant, and visitor Eugenie, occupation "Ex Empress of the French".

Also dotted and crossed several is and ts on the family of Agnes Johnston WHITE (she married John HENDERSON at Awamoko). My "family rumour" bits coupled with the Clan Johnston researcher coming at the family from the JOHNSTON end have fitted a plausible theory together that needs a few more bits to clinch things, but is looking good. I should be able to check a couple more things next visit to Wellington.

Aug 26, 2007: Who is James NOBLE? Yet more WINES

GenesReunited Hot matches are to blame for today's sidetrack. They've improved the system somewhat, so I paid more attention this time, and some twigs that have been untouched for years have had some attention. Not that the WINES need more twigs, they're already so prolific, but nonetheless, at least one family has been (mostly) brought forward to 1901, that of Jacob son of James & Rebecca (VAGG) WINES. Who needs more BROWNs in the family? At least the other dtr married into a rarer surname, FORTT (census data & birth index) or FORTH (Marr. index).

After posting the WC updates last night I checked my guestbook and found a renewed contact about the SINTONs who migrated south that I've not been able to conclusively link to mine. In checking where I'd got too on that lot, I was reminded of the link between Carole and my WIGHT/HALL correspondent Jan in Canada. The easier access to Scottish census data led me to reduce some of the duplication in my database and tidy up the family of James WIGHT and Cecilia LAING, who appear in my LornaPotential database (not yet republished).

BUT it left me with a larger mystery about the two Margaret WIGHTs born Bowden around the same time, c. 1811/1814 ish.

Two illegitimate sons exist either one to each of the Margaret WIGHTs, or both to one of them: a James NOBLE, born c 1845 Ancrum and a Thomas WIGHT born Bowden c. 1841. And I thought I had them straight, ie one Margaret WIGHT the dtr of Thomas WIGHT and Elizabeth FISHER, died 1882 Selkirk, informant son Thomas WIGHT, and the other, the dtr of James WIGHT & Cecilia LAING, died 1889 Hawick, informant brother-in-law George HALL (and turned out to be the widow of a shoemaker James WHITE).

James NOBLE is the fly in the ointment. I can only find one of them over the years, but he seems to be associated with both of the Margaret's! Last sighting of him is 1871 by which time he is a cabinet maker in Edinburgh St Cuthberts, with a visitor Margaret WIGHT born Bowden with him. However in 1861 he's shown, at least on Ancestry's index, as son of Margaret at Dunsdale Cottages, Selkirk, as is Thomas. I can't conclusively find the other Margaret in the 1861 census yet, unless she's the cook in Borthwick, MLN.