Angelica Harvey Scott - interesting...

[Scottygirl56]

Following my thread about Christian Morrison and her father James Morrison, Annette from this board suggested that Angelica's name came from Angelica Dingwall Fordyce Harvey from Kinnettles, Angus. I noticed that Angelica was born there in 1855 (even though her supposed parents lived in Aberdeen at the time) so realised there was a connection. I did a bit more research and have found that the Harvey family must have known the Scott/Morrison family for a long time. There are too many connetions like:

-Both James Morrison and Angelica Dingwall Fordyce Harvey's son, John, were in the East India Company (and were the same age).
-Angelica Fordyce Harvey's mother was Janet Morison - perhaps related to my James in some way as they are both from Aberdeen.
-Both families had big connections to the West Indies.
-Lewis Scott was an apprentice gardener at Banchory-Devenick, Aberdeen in 1841 - the same time that Angelica Dingwall Fordyce Harvey's uncle (Dr George Morison) was the minister there (I wonder if they knew each other?).
-Angelica Dingwall Fordyce Harvey's other uncle (Dr Thomas Morison) was a a surgeon in the Army and surgeon to His Majesty's hospitals in the West Indies - very similar to my James Morrison, surely they were related in some way!

I decided to dig further and found Angelica's marriage certificate. Now that was interesting!! It turns our she is Angelica HARVEY Scott - born at Kinnettles 1855 and it shows her father as being Lewis Scott, Gardener but her mother as being Elizabeth Scott, M.S. Harvey!! Now I'm thinking that James didn't really get Elizabeth pregnant while he was married to Christian (they married in 1853) but am thinking instead that they adopted a child of Elizabeth Harvery (whoever she was) who had the child at Kinettles and was then taken back to Aberdeen where James and Christian lived.

Are you all with me... complicated I know. Anyway there you have it - you read another certificate and open a can of worms. Your knowledge and thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated!

I have noticed now on three seperate certificates that when a child is born out of marriage they always say the mother's name as if she was married ie, saying that Elizabeth was "Elizabeth Scott" MS Harvey. That in itself answers a few questions about Christian as asked in the previous thread of mine.

Lynda

[SarahND]

Hi Lynda,
If she was born in 1855 she should have a birth certificate... and I'm not seeing it, under any of the possible names She and her husband Robert Blyth moved to Yorkshire between 1891 and 1901 and it looks as though they stayed in England and she died in Nottinghamshire in 1934... so there won't be much information on her death certificate. Quite a puzzle! I don't have much time on the internet these days, but will look forward to seeing what you and others come up with on this one!


Sarah

[Scottygirl56]

Hi Sarah, thanks for the reply - yes, I got her census details tracked down to England and found when she died. It certainly is intriguing - I would say she was adopted by Christian and Lewis because if they were married in 1853 and had no children by 1855 they might have thought they could not have their own.

I suppose in 1855 a girl of high standing would be sent away to have a baby and what better place than to Kinnettles to be with her elderly relative. I did find an Elizabeth Harvey who was born in Jamaica - fits in with the family (the Harvey's) living that way for awhile, even if not the direct family that I can find. The daughter I found was born in 1839 which would make her 16 (if she is the mother). She is Elizabeth A Harvey daughter of William James Harvey b in Elgin, Morayshire. Certainly this family is wealthy and would fit that they would send a daughter to Kinnettles. Lots of assumption going on here by the way!!

I too wondered about no birth certificate but perhaps the family hushed it up? Very intersting anyway.

[Alan SHARP]

Greetings fellow KIWI.

If you have not seen this post by Genealogist, David WEBSTER, you may find it interesting, when researching back that far into Scotland. I know I did.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8604&p=64719&hilit= ... law#p64719

The Latin/Scots law, and how it applies to Irregular Marriages, is not how we would perceive things, by today's way of doing things in New Zealand.

Alan SHARP.

[Scottygirl56]

Hi Alan - yes I've read up a little on this law. I think it certainly applies to the other family member we have, George Pringle, where we can find no evidence of marriage. In the case of Angelica, her parents were married (at a church) and she was bought into the family two years later, before the couple actually had their own children. It is so frustrating to not be able to find marriages though... or births. How did they get away with not registering a birth after 1855?

[nelmit]

snipped................ How did they get away with not registering a birth after 1855?

There is always the chance she was born in 1854 before Statutory Records began.

Another wee interesting coincidence. If I have the correct Arthur.............then Arthur Harvey son of Angelica named one of his daughters Jane Morison Harvey. (Later...I've just realised he probably named her after his granny)

As for an Elizabeth Harvey...I prefer the one who is the daughter of James Harvey and Amelia/Emilia/Emily Milne born around 1824 although I can't find a connection to Angelica. She never married.

I'm becoming obsessed with these Harveys!

Regards,
Annette

[Scottygirl56]

This is all totally crazy as she is not even in my direct line - Angelica would be a GG auntie - but the connections with all of these people seems to be there somehow. Do you agree that an adoption would be written on a death/marriage certificate as if the adoptive father was the real father but with the biological mother's name instead? As I have found three of these in my family tree now, I'm thinking it was standard practice.