Advice RE: finding missing birth certificate

Birth, Marriage, Death

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clairemcgillivray
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2015 10:11 pm

Advice RE: finding missing birth certificate

Post by clairemcgillivray » Fri Sep 21, 2018 9:43 am

Good morning all,

Hope someone can provide advice on the below as I'm rapidly running out of avenues to explore.

Prior to marrying my great-grandmother, my great-grandfather (Robert George Strathdee, 1887 - 1951) was married to Isabella Graham (1882 - 1918) and they had four children. Isabella herself had 3 illegitimate children, but that's a separate mystery for another day.

Isabella and one of the daughters (Margaret Jane Strathdee, 1915 - 1918) both died of the Spanish flu leaving Robert with the remaining three children. In 1921 he married my great-grandmother (Mary Maria Reid, 1895 - 1988) and they lived together with Robert and Isabella three children, Mary's illegitimate son, and then had three of their own children including my grandmother.

In 1923, Robert and Isabella's daughter Mary Isabella Strathdee died of meningitis and her death certificate lists as her being 9 years old at the time. However, I cannot find a birth certificate for Mary anywhere. The only census she would have appeared on is 1921, which is obviously not released yet, although I suspect this would only help me if she was born outwith Scotland which is highly unlikely (poor family, all history contained to Morayshire / Banffshire).

I've searched using all the variations I can think of for her name - both first and last - as I've previously found Strathdee's listed as Strathee and Strathie. I know where she (and her parents and siblings) are buried, but there is no headstone. There is a death notice for her in the Northern Scot but it doesn't provide any information regarding her birth. Luckily Strathdee isn't a particularly common name so I can do a mass search, but searching for all female Strathdee's born between 1912 and 1916 doesn't bring up any likely candidates.

I'm a bit stuck and hoping someone can help. I seem to remember I had a previous issue with not being able to find someone, and one of the lovely gents on the forum who transcribes for Scotland's People found it - it had never been indexed! Highly unlikely it'll happen again, but who knows :wink:

Here's some important points:
- Mary Isabella Strathdee died 26 Mar 1923 in Elgin, Morayshire aged 9
- Parents were Robert George Strathdee (farm labourer / grieve) and Isabella Graham, married 30 Jul 1909 in Aberlour, Banffshire
- All family events (marriage, births and deaths of siblings) happened in Aberlour, Elgin, or Birnie
- Sister Margaret Jane Strathdee was born 23 Jul 1915 in Elgin, meaning Mary Isabella was likely to be born between March 1913 and September 1914. Also worth noting that Margaret's birth was registered as 'Maggie Jane', so it's possible Mary Isabella would be referred to by a nickname.

Any advice on where to look next? All help appreciated.
Interested in: McGillivray (Moray and Aberdeenshire), Alexander (Moray and Aberdeenshire), Strathdee (Moray and Banffshire), Williamson (Moray and Ross-shire) among others.

WilmaM
Posts: 1870
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2004 10:46 am
Location: Falkirk area

Re: Advice RE: finding missing birth certificate

Post by WilmaM » Fri Sep 21, 2018 1:14 pm

have you looked at this one?

STATHDEE MARY BELLA 1913 Elgin 135/ 237

I popped 'fuzzy matching' on for a female Strathdee born 1912 - 1915 it returned Strathdee, Stathdee & Strathie.

I holiday in Portsoy in a house owned by a Strathdee, and it's commonly 'cried Strathie's hoosie'!
Wilma

clairemcgillivray
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2015 10:11 pm

Re: Advice RE: finding missing birth certificate

Post by clairemcgillivray » Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:25 am

Well Wilma, now I feel exceptionally silly because I missed that one! I hardly ever use fuzzy matching, but clearly I should start because it found what name variants couldn't! I'm such a spoon!

Thank you for this, and for reminding me to use fuzzy match in future!

EDIT: Also, interesting about the house! Portsoy is lovely, and since my lot are Moray and Banff it's entirely possible that the homeowners are some relation!
Interested in: McGillivray (Moray and Aberdeenshire), Alexander (Moray and Aberdeenshire), Strathdee (Moray and Banffshire), Williamson (Moray and Ross-shire) among others.

WilmaM
Posts: 1870
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2004 10:46 am
Location: Falkirk area

Re: Advice RE: finding missing birth certificate

Post by WilmaM » Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:42 am

I'd never have thought that it would be the R that was missing either!

The Strathdees I know have been living in North High Street Portsoy for many years - at least 1920 on the Valuation rolls.
I'll be back up in a just a few weeks - ahh for a blast of Moray air!
Wilma

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