Seeking Birth Info - Thomas Stewart, Perth, 1808

[gshaslam]

Hi, I am having a real difficult time trying to find any information on the birth of my great great grandfather, Thomas Stewart, born 1808, Parish of Kirkmichael, near Blairgowrie, Perth, Scotland.
I have tried the Scotlands People website but it is way too expensive at about $12.00 Canadian just to view an entry that might not even be the correct one. Is there another way for me to find out the actual month and day that Thomas was born and who his parents were?
Any assistance that you can provide would be very greatly appreciated.
Gary S.A. Haslam, Surrey, BC, Canada, gshaslaattelus.net

[LesleyB]

Hi gshaslam
and welcome to Talking Scot.

I'm not sure where you have found the birth year and place that you mention. Was it from IGI? If not the IGI would be the place to start. www.familysearch.org , then Search, then IGI.

How did you arrive at Thomas? Perhaps you have traced him back through one of his children? Did his his children leave Scotland? If so, do you know about when? Who did he marry? When? Where?
The more information you can give us about what you already know and where you found that information, the better we may be able to help.

To see the original birth entry, once you know which one it is, Scotlands People is the only web site to hold that information.

I have tried the Scotlands People website but it is way too expensive at about $12.00 Canadian just to view an entry that might not even be the correct one.

If my arithmetic is correct $12 is about £6, so that would let you see 5 images, not just the one, so maybe not quite as bad as you thought.

Your other option may be to order the appropriate microfilm from your local LDS centre - they charge a small fee for this of about £3, if they need to send off for the film.

Best wishes
Lesley

[Russell]

Hi Gary

I don't need to add anything to Lesley's advice but I also wanted to welcome you to TalkingScot.

We love challenges especially from folks overseas who can't go and read the originals themselves.
Even us homebirds have to pay out to see the originals - but - they are so helpful with the extra information they carry that it is all worth it.
Look at some of the guidance from here and on scotlandspeople itself before you make fruitless excursions into the records. It pays to do the homework first so you are virtually 100% certain that you have tracked down the correct person or family.

Russell

[gshaslam]

Hi Lesley, I know his name because he was my great great grandfather and various things have been passed down over the generations such as photos and documents that state his name. It is also on his grave marker and his military records (69th of Foot) and census records in Canada. He joined the 69th Regiment of Foot May 22, 1826 at the age of 17. He was stationed in various places around the world and ended up in Canada in 1839. He transferred to the Royal Canadian Rifles Regiment (RCRR) April 01, 1841 and was discharged with pension July 27, 1852. He got married and had several kids, he died in 1883. The year 1808 and place of birth is stated in many places including his grave stone but no where is the month or day, not in his military records or his cemetery records or the death certificate. Everything just has an age and when you do the math it always takes you back to 1808 which is stated on his grave stone and other places including his obituary. So, there is no doubt he was born 1808 in the Parish of Kirkmichael, Perth, as there is lots of evidence for this, but the actual day and month and who is parents were remains a mystery. I have searched to figure it out for years but it is difficult for me especially living in Canada and not familiar with the various resources in Scotland. It has been very frustrating for me.

[Jean Jeanie]

Hi Gary

A quick free search for Thomas Stewart/Stuart on www.Scotlandspeople.gov.uk born between 1807 and 1809 in Kirkmichael and/or Blairgowrie produces no results.

Perhaps his parents were not members of the established church and therefore his christening was not recorded.

Sorry, I know this is not much help to you.

Best wishes
Jean

[trish1]

Hello Gary

My Scottish ancestors of the period in question followed without question the Scottish naming patterns when naming their children (despite moving across the world to Australia). This would mean that the 1st son and 2nd daughter of your Thomas, would have the names of his parents. Not guaranteed, but it may help in your search.

Trish

[LesleyB]

Hi Gary

He got married and had several kids, he died in 1883.

I know nothing of Canadian records, so I may be way off here, but do neither the marriage or perhaps the later death in 1883 give the names of parents, or at least a father?

So, there is no doubt he was born 1808 in the Parish of Kirkmichael, Perth, as there is lots of evidence for this,

You may well be right on that one, but bear in mind that when and where people say they were born is not always when & where the event actually took place. It is always better to keep an open mind on these things and use the stated information as a guide to help you find the record. There are a good number of examples of persons in the census, for example, who state they were born in a particular place and they are a certain age because they believe it to be so - it is not a deliberate attempt to mislead in most cases, though it sometimes feels like it! They perhaps are not aware for example that their family moved from one parish to another when they were only a few months old, so the parish they grew up in was not thier parish of birth. Likewise people often state the age they believe themselves to be, which is not always the age they really were - back in the 1800s people were generally not quite as aware of their exact birth date as we tend to be these days, when it seems we need to fill in forms and produce relevant documentation right left and centre!

Best wishes
Lesley

[paddyscar]

Hi Gary:

The OPRs cover births/baptismal records of the established Church of Scotland (with a few exceptions), so unless Thomas's family belonged to that church, it's not likely to be there. If they still exist, they may still be with the parish or church archives.

On the IGI, there are several Thomas Stewart entries, with some from Perth, but not exactly as you have defined, but still they may be worth looking at to see if there might be a connection.

If you found a Thomas, whose parents are names that appear elsewhere in your family line, it may be worth exploring further.

Canadian marriage records were the responsibility of the churches until the 1880s and early 1900s, when the provinces assumed that responsibility. In my husband's family records the earliest Canadian marriage record I have is 1911 and it includes the names of both sets of parents. A church register would have that, or perhaps you could track it down on Ancestry.com, where there are some Canadian marriage records available to view.

Also death records would be with the churches as well, prior to the provincial registrations. The earliest record I have is a death certificate of his great grandfather. He was working away from home at the time and it names only his widow, so a church record may be different.

Other places you could check are the Canadian Genealogy Centre http://www.genealogy.gc.ca/ for military records, immigration records. Locate death records, provincial records department or archives, local genealogy and historical associations can be linked through http://www.islandnet.com/~jveinot/cghl/cghl.html

Hope this helps,
Frances