Welsh family in Wemyss Parish?

[Jake Drummond]

Has anyone come across mention of the Welsh family in Wemyss Parish, particularly Coaltown of Wemyss, during the 1800's and into the early 1900's?
I have Welsh/Adamson connections married into my Drummond line, all miners.

[JustJean]

Hi Jake

A search of the 1881 Scottish Census turns up 60 persons with the WELSH surname in Wemyss Parish. If you toss out an exact name you're looking for I bet we could come up with all sorts of info on them.

Best wishes
Jean

[Jake Drummond]

In 1880 William Welsh commited suicide by cutting his own throat, on March 22nd at 2.30pm at his home in the Coaltown of Wemyss.

The death was reported by Archibald Welsh (given as son) but "whose father was actually Alexander Welsh and whose mother was Janet Heugh"?", this information from another 'Welsh' connection.
The Fife Free Press report of 27 March 1880 reads thus; "On Monday morning a miner named William Welsh, residing at Coaltown of Wemyss, committed suicide by cutting his throat with a razor. No reason is given for the rash act further than the unhappy man has been in desponding state since the death by accident of his son, which took place some time ago"
His dead son, mentioned above, was Walter Welsh, born 1856 and who died on 29/07/1879, and the Death Certificate gives cause of death as;
"Fracture of pelvis and Internal injuries, the result of an accident in the pit" which was the Victoria Pit.

I have death details of another Archibald Welsh who died in 1910 aged 70 years, father given as John, mother Catherine Cairns.
"Occupation: Coal Grieve, Widowed, Age 70 years.
Died about 10.00 a.m. on 18 May 1910 in Main Street, Coaltown of Wemyss
Parents: John Welsh, miner and Catherine Welsh m.s. Cairns
CAUSE OF DEATH
Bronchitis and heart weakness supervening on injuries sustained by deceased in consequence of his having accidentally fallen from a railway wagon at Coaltown of Wemyss on 30 April 1910.
Per verdict of Jury as Certified by Henry H Brown, Procurator Fiscal
Procurator Fiscal’s Office, Cupar, Fife on 4 July 1910
and by David Laing, Registrar, at East Wemyss 5 July 1910"

Two questions arise from this, which is where I'm stuck, thus my request for help! I might be getting dottery, but I just can't seem to make the link despite repeated attempts to fit the bits of the puzzle together.

(1) Why was Archibald Welsh number 1 given as 'son', and where do Alexander Welsh and Janet Heugh fit in to this?
And, (2) where do I find the relationship with the Archibald Welsh number 2?

[JustJean]

Hi Jake

Well here are a few bits that might help...

1871 census there is a Walter who is son of William and Margaret. This has all the earmarkings of being the Walter who died in the pit accident and the father William who did himself in....

Name: Walter Welsh
Age: 14
Relationship: Son
Father's name: William
Mother's name: Margaret
Gender: Male
Where born: Wemyss, Fifeshire
Registration district: Wemyss
Civil parish: Wemyss
County: Fife
Occupation: Scholar

Household Members: Name Age
Archibald Welsh 16 son
Christina Welsh 12 dau
Margaret Welsh 47 wife
Walter Welsh 14 son
William Welsh 44 head
William Welsh 7 son

All family members are listed as born in Wemyss.

Now for a serach for Alexander Welsh and his wife Janet Heugh....a parent search on the IGI turns up a very likely looking couple and these births (all extracts) to them in Wemyss......but notice the time frame here!

MARGARET WELSH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Christening: 19 DEC 1779 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

ISABEL WELSH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Christening: 14 FEB 1790 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

ARCHIBALD WELSH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 08 FEB 1785 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

AGNES WELSH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Christening: 23 JUN 1787 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

ELSPETH WELCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Christening: 18 JAN 1795 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

GEORGE WELCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 02 JUL 1797 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

EUPHEMIA WELCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Christening: 15 JUL 1792 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

ALEXANDER WELSH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Birth: 09 MAR 1783 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

True they have an Archibald....but the man would have been approaching 100 years of age when registering the death if it were truly him. I suspect that the informant for William's death is truly his own son Archibald who appears with the family in the 1871 census above.

As for a possible link between the Alexander Welsh/Janet Heugh couple and William Welsh? There probably is one since they share the same surname and come from the same parish....but it isn't obvious at the moment. It would be necessary to do alot more to-ing and fro-ing with these families to make it all click.

Does this help yet?

Best wishes
Jean

[JustJean]

Ooops...forgot this was a two part answer....

OK...here we are with the parent search results of John Welsh and Catherine Cairns...

1. DAVID WELSH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Birth: 02 DEC 1849 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

2. MARGARET WELSH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 03 JUN 1855 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

3. CHRISTIAN WELSH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 12 SEP 1844 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

4. ARCHIBALD WELSH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 02 MAY 1840 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

5. CATHARINE WELSH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 19 JUN 1852 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

6. JOHN WELSH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 09 JAN 1842 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

7. JANET WELSH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Christening: 26 MAR 1837 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

8. ALEXANDER WELSH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Birth: 07 APR 1847 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland


Since we can see they were having babies prior to 1855 then it follows the were married in the days of the OPR.....and so a quick look in the IGI to see if it's available as an extract and voila...

Marriages:
Spouse: CATHARINE CAIRNS
Marriage: 26 JUN 1835 Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

and since they have a Margaret registered as born in 1855 (not only being a great year for birth details but also spells out the fact that both parents have survived into Statutory registration for their deaths.)....locating the death of John will hopefully give you his parents names which might help fit some of this together for you.

How are we doing so far?

Best wishes
Jean

[JustJean]

Here's a bit more to help narrow up the field for you....

From the 1861 census this appears to the the John Welsh/Catherine Cairns couple still living so you know to search for their deaths 1861 and upwards....

Name: John Welsh
Age: 51
Estimated birth year: abt 1810
Relationship: Head
Spouse's name : Catharine
Gender: Male
Where born: Coalton of Wemyss, Fifeshire
Registration Number: 459
Registration district: Wemyss
Civil parish: Wemyss
County: Fife
Address: Coalton Of Wemyss
Occupation: Coal Miner

Household Members: Name Age
Alexander Welsh 14 son
Archibald Welsh 20 son
Catharine Welsh 46 wife
Catharine Welsh 8 dau
David Welsh 11 son
John Welsh 51 head
John Welsh 19 son
Margaret Welsh 5 dau

Best wishes
Jean

[Ron Welsh]

I am researching and writing up my Welsh family.
I was searching the Internet and this post on this forum came up.
I thank you for allowing me to join.
I realise that this is an old post but I do have information to add.
My daughter Laura started the research some years ago and now that I am the patriarch she would like it written up.
Laura has tracked us back to Archibald Welsh born Largo, Fife in abt1640.
He married Maizie Weir, also born 1640 at Dysart, Fife an 1659. They had three children Jonat b1662, William b1663 and James b1674.*

Of the three William was born Wemyss and in 1687 at Dysart he married Margaret Harrier(b1663?)
They had three children Archibald b 1688, Elspeth b1690 and Margaret b1692.*

*Note: they may have had more children. These are the only that have been found.

Archibald married Margaret Colleston at Wemyss in 1712 or 1715. (we have two date years that have shown up).
They had a son Alexander b1720 at Wemyss. I find it difficult to believe that they only had one offspring.

Alexander married Margaret Lamb b1725 Markinch at Wemyss 17 December 1746.
They had eight children, Archibald b1747, Jean b1750, George 1752, Margaret 1754, Alexander 1759, Archibald 1761, Elspeth 1763 and Isabel 1766. (the first Archibald may have passed away at a young age.)

Alexander Welsh b1759, New Coaltown, Wemyss married Janet Heugh also born New Coaltown 1759 at Wemyss 21 October 1780.
This is the couple mentioned in a previous post by Jean.
They had eight children, the first being Margaret out of wedlock in 1779. Alexander b1783, Archibald b1785, Agnes b1787, Isobel b1790, Euphemia b1792, Elspeth b1795 and George b1797.

George 1797 married Christian Brown born Methil Hill, Fifeshire 1795 at Wemyss 1815.
They had twelve children. Alexander b1816-1828, Janet b1818, Peter b1820, Christian b1822, Archibald b 1824, George b1826, Alexander b1828, Robert b1830, Margaret b1831, James Gardner Welsh b1833, Christian b1835, Archibald b1838.
Whew, that wore me out.

Peter Welsh 1820- and James G Welsh 1833-1893 emigrated to Australia on the UK 5 quid plan. We believe they were on the 'Mary Ann' and arrived in Adelaide South Australia in 1849.
They would have got of the boat at Adelaide to avoid the landing tax at Melbourne. For their backgrounds as miners it would not have been an easy task to raise the five pounds each for the fares. Peter would have been 29yo and James 16yo. They had obviously come out for the big goldrush in Victoria where we have located them in 1856 working the 'Whitehorse Reef' in Talbot. Peter was the holder of a 'Miner Right' which cost 30 shillings. Not a small sum in those days.
James married Annie Dunnet who was born in New Zealand in 1843. They had 12 children of whom 3 died at an early age.
James worked the mines for a number of years finally ending up in Melbourne as a labourer.

His son Matthew, my grandfather became a guard on the Victorian Railways. My father commenced work with the PMG as a technician and had a very successful career. He was awarded the Imperial Service Medal in 1967. I followed in his footsteps career wise.

My maternal side are Stobie,s which came from Edinburgh and in the main Haddington. I have a letter in my possession dated 1878 from Haddington. You can see the letter on the Lost Haddington facebook page.

I married a Ker and have four children and five grandchildren.

[Russell]

Hi Ron and a warm welcome to
The original poster has not been on the site for three years but if he still has the same e-mail address he will be notified of your post.
We don't consider any post 'old' because the search engines do a brilliant job of finding them and re-awakening interest. Sometimes a researcher comes up against a brick-wall in one line so moves on to more fruitfull lines of enquiry for a month or a year .. or two. We have seen so many family lines clarified by late comers like yourself. It makes our job worthwhile
Use our search facility on some of your other family lines. You might find a treasure from another line of info.

Thanks for your additional info.

Russell

[Ron Welsh]

Thank you Russel. Much appreciated I will use your search facility.

regards Ron Welsh.