Michael Lowrie & Agnes McCaa

[Bob Haining]

I'm hoping someone can help. I have a photo of a headstone (from "Find a Grave", 38889163 Phyllis Meyer submitter) taken at Mount Prospect Cemetery, Franklinville, Cattaraugus, New York of whom I presume are my great-great-great grandparents. I've been searching for an obit or newspaper write-up on for either of them to be able to confirm they are my people.

Michael Lowrie - b. about 1786 Ireland, d. July 12, 1852 Franklinville
Agnes McCaa - b. about 1791 Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, d. 1858 Franklinville
They were married June 6, 1811 in Twynholm, Kirkcudbright.

They were still in Girthon, Kirkcudbrightshire in the 1841 census.

Also, I've not been able to find a passenger list or any immigration records.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Currie]

Hello Bob,

Franklinville appears to be in the far west of the state, hundreds of miles from the big city and far from the more populated areas where newspaper digitisation is more likely.

Nevertheless, I’ve been hunting around in any NY State newspapers I could find and getting absolutely nowhere. If they could afford a gravestone there must be a reasonable chance of a newspaper notice somewhere.

There’s a genealogically useful history of Franklinville here that you probably should have a good read of. Note the contact address for Joie Wilson at the bottom. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nycat ... /intro.htm

You could maybe also consider contacting the research centre just a few miles up the road from Franklinville. They should be able to let you know if there are any Cattaraugus newspaper archives that early or what other early records are available without actually charging anything for research. http://www.co.cattaraugus.ny.us/museum/research

Have you tried to find him in the 1850 US census to see what info is there? Maybe he had family with him that you could track forward. For example a Lowrie died there in 1876. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nycat ... athrec.htm

Hope that helps,
Alan

[SarahND]

Bob and Alan,
Someone has put this note up on their family tree at Ancestry. Perhaps Alan has access to the newspaper?

Searching the Dumfries and Galloway Standard and Advertiser 29 August 1852 page 4 column G The death of a Michael laurie aged 70 years found.

Reads as At Franklin Vale (should be FRANKLINVILLE) North America on the 12th alt after a long illness Michael Laurie aged 70 years formerly of Drumwell Cottage Gatehouse.

THERE HAS BEEN AN ERROR IN TRANSCRIBING PLACE NAME IN THE PAPER. Corrected 12 feb 2012 after finding gravestone mount prospect Cemetery Franklinvill Cattaraugus County New York

All the best,
Sarah

[Bob Haining]

Alan, thanks for the sites, I had seen the third one a few months ago, unfortunately, didn't find any connections.
I'll send a note to Joie Wilson and see if he can find any thing. I had e-mailed the Librarian at the Franklinville Library (twice) but didn't receive a reply.

Sarah, I have that copy of that news article from Dumfries and Galloway Standard and Advertiser 29 August 1852 re "The death of a Michael laurie" (Laurie, is/was the popular spelling of the name). Drumwell Cottage Gatehouse is his location in the 1841 census.

I don't doubt that Michael Lowrie is my person, it's just as Alan said, if there was a gravestone, you would think there should be some type of a newspaper obit or article.

[Currie]

Hello Sarah and Bob,

In the 19th Century British Library Newspapers that I can access the only time Franklinville gets a mention by way of a family notice is for someone in Exeter in 1900.

In the British Newspaper Archive pay site, which has many additional newspapers, the only family notices for Franklinville are in the Dumfries and Galloway Standard in 1845 and 1852 plus a couple in an English newspaper near the end of the Century. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.u ... date&d=asc

Wed 09 Jul 1845
' At Franklinville, State of New York, on the 4th ult, 0 Ji sumption, Mary Ewart, relict of the late John Johnston, f° r of Crocketford. S' At Longtown, on the ... ?

Wed 21 Jul 1852
re At Franklinville, State of New York, on tho 16th ultimo, Mrs Isabella Kerr, the beloved wifo of Mr Wm. Corrie, formerly of Crocketford, in the Stewartry. While ... ?

It seems that the only people in Franklinville from the whole of the UK, or at least who ever wrote home to notify deaths in the family, were people who came from Kirkcudbrightshire.

By the way, on the BNA site they are giving 15 free credits to new registrations. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/

All the best,
Alan