Death - Peter Nisbet Cunningham

[Montrose Budie]

Hi Lizzie,

Another PNC that shows up is PNC Wightman, who died in WWI.

From the CWGC:

• Name WIGHTMAN, Peter Nisbet Cunningham
  Rank Private
  Service Number 32472
  Date of Death 23/07/1918
  Age 19
  Regiment / Service King's Own Scottish Borderers
  Service Country United Kingdom
  Grave / Memorial Reference II. B. 6.
  Cemetery / Memorial Name BUZANCY MILITARY CEMETERY

...........snipped............

Curious......

My first thought was that this would involve one of the sisters of Robert, James, Peter, John, and William, - Jane, Eliza, and Catherine, but no such link turns up.

In fact, there's no CUNNINGHAM family connection that I can find.

Peter Nisbet Cunningham WIGHTMAN's father David WIGHTMAN was a steel worker, parents William WIGHTMAN, and Isabella WIGHTMAN MS LOVE, so that I that I can imagine is that Peter Nisbet CUNNINGHAM, the steelworks manager, did something special for the family so that David and Jane (MS BRECKENRIDGE, parents William BRECKENRIDGE, and Agnes McCLELLAND formerly BRECKENRIDGE MS ARNOTT) decided to name their 8th child after him.

mb

[Montrose Budie]

Trish

When doing some searching I found a Peter Nisbet Cunningham, engineer on the Australian electoral roles - only the once - living at Gordon (a suburb of Sydney) NSW - with a Patricia Cunningham in 1954. Found no further trace - perhaps they came here and went back to UK.

......snipped...........

Any indication of his age?

mb

[LizzieS]

The middle name of NISBET goes back to the father's mother, - his 1890 Coatbridge death register entry in the name of Peter Nisbet CUNNINGHAM, a Foreman Engineer, at the age of 63, showing her as Elizabeth CUNNINHAM MS NISBET. .........


mb

Just about to look into all the information that has come in this morning but thought I'd just let you know Elizabeth Nisbet was the daughter of a Peter Nisbet so thats where it all started!

Lizzie

[LizzieS]

Hi Lizzie


Great to hear that you've brought this search to a conclusion.


As I felt that we hadn't paid sufficient respect to 2nd Lieut Peter N CUNNINGHAM, who died in 1917 in WWI, I looked up his details and established that he was the son of William CUNNINGHAM and Mary SCOTT; William being the son of Peter CUNNINGHAM and Jeannie McGHEE, variously Jane/Jean and McGHIE/McGHI. Thanks for finding this. It adds another piece to my Cunningham family story. I knew very little about William and his family.


And then I felt a wee aricle coming on ........ based on the value, but also the problems as regards the naming pattern traditions, as here, i.e. this is a perfect example of several sons, all 5 in this case, naming a son exactly after their father.
and then the next generation, at least in my line, did the same


In the late 1800s there are 5 births of a Peter Nisbet CUNNINGHAM, all of which go back to the sons of Peter CUNNINGHAM and Jeannie McGHEE, - Robert, James, Peter, John, and William. As I've said several times in this thread times there are far too many Peter Nisbet Cunninghams! Naming patterns can be very helpful BUT when there are so many children all calling one of their sons the same name and going through several generation it can cause headaches!


The middle name of NISBET goes back to the father's mother, - his 1890 Coatbridge death register entry in the name of Peter Nisbet CUNNINGHAM, a Foreman Engineer, at the age of 63, showing her as Elizabeth CUNNINHAM MS NISBET. ......... Elizabeth father was Peter Nisbet so thats were it all stems from


QED !


Later entries in the Scottish Birth indexes for a Peter Nisbet CUNNINGHAM are -

1914 CUNNINGHAM PETER NISBET M CATHCART (LANARK) GLASGOW CITY/LANARK 633/0B 091
1915 CUNNINGHAM PETER NISBET M OLD MONKLAND (WESTERN DISTRICT) /LANARK 652/01 030
This is likely one of mine - two of the brothers(sons of Peter Nisbet Cunningham and Elizabeth Main) had sons named Peter Nisbet Cunningham born that year
1918 CUNNINGHAM PETER NISBET M BELLSHILL /LANARK 625/03 014
This is my father, son of youngest brother
1923 CUNNINGHAM PETER NISBET M CAMBUSNETHAN /LANARK 628/00 025
1948 CUNNINGHAM PETER NISBET BR[*] M CONSULAR RETURNS / 171/CL 0339
1957 CUNNINGHAM PETER NISBET S M[*] KELVIN GLASGOW CITY/LANARK 644/07 021

[In relation to the last two entries above, note that the number of characters in the given name field is limited to 16, after which the given name is truncated.]


I'd put serious money on most, if not all, of the above being related.
So some are definitely related so you'd win your bet!. I'm not sure of any of the others. There was also another Peter Nisbet Grant Cunningham b 1920 to the 4th brother. Must have been very confusing to have 4 cousins with the same name.


That written, I have to confess that I've seen some quite weird coincidences in the last


Interesting to note that one of these records, - 'Consular Returns', - was somewhere abroad.


mb

Thanks for all your information. Naming patterns can lead to such confusion but also be so helpful. I'm afraid I've broken the tradition and dropped the Nisbet Cunningham though my sons middle name is Peter!

Lizzie

[LizzieS]

Curious......

My first thought was that this would involve one of the sisters of Robert, James, Peter, John, and William, - Jane, Eliza, and Catherine, but no such link turns up.

In fact, there's no CUNNINGHAM family connection that I can find.

Peter Nisbet Cunningham WIGHTMAN's father David WIGHTMAN was a steel worker, parents William WIGHTMAN, and Isabella WIGHTMAN MS LOVE, so that I that I can imagine is that Peter Nisbet CUNNINGHAM, the steelworks manager, did something special for the family so that David and Jane (MS BRECKENRIDGE, parents William BRECKENRIDGE, and Agnes McCLELLAND formerly BRECKENRIDGE MS ARNOTT) decided to name their 8th child after him.

mb

Nice thought. I have a lot of information about Peter Nisbet Cunningham the steelworks manager and he does seem to have been helpful to people but I've not come across these names at all. Would be nice to know.
Lizzie

[Montrose Budie]

Curious......

My first thought was that this would involve one of the sisters of Robert, James, Peter, John, and William, - Jane, Eliza, and Catherine, but no such link turns up.

In fact, there's no CUNNINGHAM family connection that I can find.

Peter Nisbet Cunningham WIGHTMAN's father David WIGHTMAN was a steel worker, parents William WIGHTMAN, and Isabella WIGHTMAN MS LOVE, so that I that I can imagine is that Peter Nisbet CUNNINGHAM, the steelworks manager, did something special for the family so that David and Jane (MS BRECKENRIDGE, parents William BRECKENRIDGE, and Agnes McCLELLAND formerly BRECKENRIDGE MS ARNOTT) decided to name their 8th child after him.

mb

Nice thought. I have a lot of information about Peter Nisbet Cunningham the steelworks manager and he does seem to have been helpful to people but I've not come across these names at all. Would be nice to know.
Lizzie

Lizzie

Your reference to his having been helpful to folk makes me lean even more to Peter Nisbet Cunningham WIGHTMAN having been named after him.

mb

[Montrose Budie]

.....much snipped.........

So some are definitely related so you'd win your bet!. I'm not sure of any of the others. There was also another Peter Nisbet Grant Cunningham b 1920 to the 4th brother. Must have been very confusing to have 4 cousins with the same name.

......snipped

Lizzie

I see him now, - indexed as 1920 CUNNINGHAM Peter N Grant M BELLSHILL /LANARK

mb

[Montrose Budie]

Lizzie

Regarding the daughters of Peter and Jane, - Jane, Eliza, and Catherine, aged 20, 13 and 2 in 1871, I can readily find details of the marriages and census entries for Eliza and Catherine, but no trace of Jane.

Jemima Catherine Hamilton CUNNINGHAM, Certificated School Teacher, married Samuel J REID in 1900. By 1911 she's a widow, with no children shown as having been born to the marriage. There is a step-son in the household.

Elizabeth Nisbet CUNNINGHAM sadly died in 1893, aged 35, having been married to James Russell ROSS in 1884. The 1891 census shows 3 kids, Jane McG[hee] , aged 5; William, aged 4; and Peter, aged 8m. Peter was 'plain' Peter Cunningham ROSS.

The cause of death is one that I've never seen before - "Insanity of Lactation, 8 days; Melancholia" ........

Incidentally, yet another spelling of her mother's MS, - MAGEE.

mb

[LizzieS]

Lizzie

Regarding the daughters of Peter and Jane, - Jane, Eliza, and Catherine, aged 20, 13 and 2 in 1871, I can readily find details of the marriages and census entries for Eliza and Catherine, but no trace of Jane.

Jemima Catherine Hamilton CUNNINGHAM, Certificated School Teacher, married Samuel J REID in 1900. By 1911 she's a widow, with no children shown as having been born to the marriage. There is a step-son in the household.

Elizabeth Nisbet CUNNINGHAM sadly died in 1893, aged 35, having been married to James Russell ROSS in 1884. The 1891 census shows 3 kids, Jane McG[hee] , aged 5; William, aged 4; and Peter, aged 8m. Peter was 'plain' Peter Cunningham ROSS.

The cause of death is one that I've never seen before - "Insanity of Lactation, 8 days; Melancholia" ........

Incidentally, yet another spelling of her mother's MS, - MAGEE.

mb

How do you know all this

I hadn't traced the marriages of these 3 so thats more great info for me. Thanks.

Jane is sometimes Jean just to confuse the issue!

I have a census for 1881 showing a grandson John Cassells staying with Peter & Jean. I've written he is the son of Jean but I can't find where I found proof of this except that I have a copy of a family tree sent to me some time ago from another descendent and this is where I may have taken it from (I don't usually take any info from others unless I can find proof myself!) but it shows Jean as having been married twice. Firstly to Matthew Cassells, no date given, but a child John b 23/2/1874 at 88 Bank St, Langloan, the home of Peter and Jean. She apparently then married a John Fraser in 1881. The child of Matthew Cassells seems then to be known as John Fraser so may have been adopted by him? Will have to look further into this.

This tree also shows the marriages you have detailed above which I hadn't documented as I hadn't looked them up for myself.

Lizzie

[LizzieS]

A further PS.

The Peter Nisbet CUNNINGHAM who died in 1879 was born 11Sep1878, 98 Bank Street, Old Monkland, parents as above, father a Baptist Minister; married Petrolia, Ontario 07Nov1877.

mb

Hi Mb,

To go back to this - I found the birth of their Peter Nisbet Cunningham on SP though at number 88, which gives the marriage as you have. However I had previously found a marriage in "Ontario Marriages 1869 - 1927 for Robert M Cunningham"
This gives the date as 3rd July 1878 in Petrolia. It must be the same couple as the parents of both are given. Do you have any idea why the dates are so different? Perhaps the marriage wasn't registered until then. It is unlikely to be that date given that their son was born Sept 1878 in Scotland!

Lizzie