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I haven't actually looked at the image Potty, was just told that Charles was the informant. I'm not sure if this source is just not willing to share or he hasn't got the certificate, but the fact he states Charles is the informant would suggest he does have it... Perhaps I will just be cheeky and ask what the parents are listed.. Thanks Potty.. :-D

Nancy, have you looked at the death registration on scotlandspeople? In 1855 a death entry gave loads of info that later ones didn't, including the names and ages of children.

Oky doky argyllgran, much appreciated. according to another source Margaret Thomsons death in 1855 was registered by her son Charles Hughes. will keep looking for other ways round, there must be other children, Charles Hughes and Mary Mckie must have siblings...

You've been very kind, many, many thanks for all you have done to help. <3

There's no birth record for a Charles Hughes 1800 - 1810 anywhere in Scotland, let alone Wigtownshire, on SP.

And we've already seen that there's no record of Mary McKie's birth with parents either David & Margaret, or Charles & Ann.

There are 18 Mary McKie (or variation) birth records in Wigtownshire 1801-1825 - but not a Murray, McCredie or Douglas in sight amongst the mothers' names.

Without definite birth records for Charles and Mary, I'm afraid we have no way of knowing if Murray or Douglas were family names or not.

Just for interest, this will be the McCredie/McNeil marriage you mentioned, on SP -

02/12/1816 MCCREDIE WILLIAM HELEN MCNIEL/FR119 (FR119) M GLASSERTON /WIGTOWN 885/00 0010 0117

McNiel/McNeil is also a common name.
The daughter Isabella McCredie married a McNeil - in 1871 she and her daughter Mattie are living with widowed William.

From a quick preliminary look -

this is the 1841 for our ref:

1841 Scotland Census about Charles Hughes
Name: Charles Hughes
Age: 35
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1806
Gender: Male
Where born: Wigtownshire, Scotland

Civil Parish: Whithorn
County: Wigtownshire
Address: Craigs
Occupation: Ag Lab
Parish Number: 900
Household Members:
Name Age
Charles Hughes 35
Mary Hughes 35
Margaret Hughes 12
Elisabeth Hughes 10
Robert Hughes 7
Hellen Hughes 3
Isabella Hughes 4 Mo
Margaret Thomson 60

From the image, there's no indication that Margaret Thomson is any relation, not on Ancestry nor SP. Relationships weren't usually given in 1841. She's probably a lodger, farm worker, whatever.

There are three households with Craigs (ie - Craig Farm, still in existence) as their address - Hughes, Whitelaw, and McCredie. The McCredies would be in the main farm house, and the Hughes and Whitelaw households would have been in farm cottages. Charles Hughes was a farm labourer, an employee, and not necessarily any relation to the McCredies.
(Interestingly, there's a Margaret Hughes, age 14, farm servant, in the McCredie household - but as I said, it's a common name.)

Perhaps William McCredie was godfather to the Hughes children with McCredie as their middle name??

That's all very complicated, Nancy!

As you know, not every birth etc was recorded, and the further back you go, the worse it gets. Also, these are not uncommon surnames - McCreadie and Murray, for instance, are common Galloway / Wigtownshire names - and people used a fairly limited range of first names.

But I'll have a look - though maybe not today - and maybe other people will, too.

Argyllgran, could I impose on you just once more on the elusive Charles Hughes and wife Mary Mackie, Mackay M'Kay born c1806 Wigtown. I have gone back to my original question of Mary Mckie, who I believed was the daughter of Charles Mckie and Ann Bold or Boal.. According to the death you found in Massachusetts, her parents were David Mckie and Margaret Stewart!! I know from previous experience that names get distorted and mixed up over time, and who ever wrote the names of the parents may not have always got it correct.

According to the 1841 census, Charles Hughes and wife Mary (who says she's from Stranraer Wigtown) and same on 1851. Charles mother Margaret Thomson aged 60 born Ireland is living with them, she died in 1855.

I have looked for other births in Wigtown between 1805 -1808 and there are 4 Mary Mackays, Mckies In Wigtown.

All of Mary and Charles children have middle names, there is Robert Murray Hughes (and this name is followed on to his sister Isabella's son Robert Murray Telfer. There is William Mccreadie and Isabella Mccreadie Hughes ( I note that the family are living/working on a farm Craig in Wigtown with a family William "farmer" aged 50 wife Hellen Mccreadie and children Mary Alexander Margaret Hellen Matilda and Isabella Mccreadie. I had a look thinking that perhaps this Hellen was related to either Charles Hughes or Mary Mackay, but according to familysearch her surname is Mcniel, although its not coming up on SP. I can see that Charles and Mary have named their children William McCredie and Isabella McCredie Hughes after this family (but why??) and where does the name Murray and Douglass come into it?? I know that in Scotland the traditional thing to do was to name the children after maternal/paternal grandparents etc. but I am not finding this? also they had a child Mary Francis Hughes.. Did they just come up with these names or am I missing something here?

You have been so good to me argyllgran I don't want to waste any of your precious time on this. If its going to be a case of forgetting it and just be happy with what I have, then so beit... :-(

Wow!!! well done argyllgran, couldn't have found it masel!!! How am I missing it??

Nancy
<3 <3 <3

Aha! Here's William's death:


Massachusetts, Death Records, 1841-1915 about William McHughes
Name: William Mc. Hughes (mistranscribed as McHughes)
Gender: Male
Birth Date: abt 1844
Birth Place: Scotland
Death Date: 26 Apr 1889
Death Place: Somerville, Massachusetts, USA
Age at Death: 45
Father: Charles
Mother: Mary
Address: 24 Glen St. (that's his mother's address)
Cause of death: consumption.
Occupation: Blacksmith

Interestingly, although Helen's birth was registered in Scotland, it seems to have also been registered in Massachusetts (found on FamilySearch):


Ellen Gowdy Hughes, "Massachusetts, Births, 1841-1915"
Name: Ellen Gowdy Hughes
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 11 Feb 1870
Event Place: Scotland
Gender:
Father's Name: William M. Hughes

Mother's Name: Mary D.
Reference ID: p 104
GS Film number: 1428073
Digital Folder Number: 4383924
Image Number: 889

Strange how we cant trace adeath for William Mcrcreadie Hughes..

Clever girls...Much appreciated!!!

:-D

No baptisms on familysearch, either.

Mary and all her siblings were born in Mochrum, according to the census record, but there are no birth records for any of them on ScotlandsPeople.

1851 Scotland Census about Jane Edgar
Name: Jane Edgar
Age: 6
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1845
Relationship: Daughter
Father's Name: William Edgar
Mother's Name: Helen Edgar
Gender: Female
Where born: Mochrum, wigtonshire
Parish Number: 892
Civil Parish: Mochrum
Town: Port William
County: Wigtownshire
Occupation: Scholar
ED: 3
Page: 13 (click to see others on page)
Household Schedule Number: 54
Line: 13
Roll: CSSCT1851_216
Household Members:
Name Age
William Edgar 54
Helen Edgar 40
James Edgar 11
Helen Edgar 9
Jane Edgar 6
Mary Edgar 4

Mary's parent's marriage:

Name: William Edgar
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Age:
Spouse's Name: Helen Goudie
Spouse's Birth Date:
Spouse's Birthplace:
Spouse's Age:
Event Date: 18 Sep 1838
Event Place: Mochrum,Wigtown,Scotland


Several births on familysearch that could be William Edgar's.

Can't see a death record for William, between 1870 & 1890.

I can't see the 1895 death you mention (I'm using Ancestry).

There's this death (below) in 1890, which doesn't mention the name Edgar, but otherwise is OK. It says maiden surname Douglass. Born Scotland. Parents William and Ellen (no surname given). Cause of death pleurisy. Death at Massachusetts Hospital, 270 Paris Street. Widow of William.

The informant was J Tinkham - not a relative, as he/she appears as informant for many deaths. So, I guess that if Mary's name was given as Mary Douglas Hughes, he/she just assumed that Douglas was her maiden name, as is the US custom.

Massachusetts, Death Records, 1841-1915 about Mary D Hughes (Douglass)
Name: Mary D Hughes (Douglass)
Gender: Female
Birth Date: abt 1847
Birth Place: Scotland
Death Date: 14 Apr 1890
Death Place: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Age at Death: 43
Father: William
Mother: Ellen
.

I had a look at Mary & William's marriage cert:-

12th November, 1868, at Port William, Parish of Mochrum.
William McCreadie Hughes, bachelor, journeyman blacksmith, age 24, usual residence Hillhead, Kirkinner. Parents Charles Hughes, farm steward, & Mary Hughes, ms McKie.
Mary Douglas Edgar, single, age 22, usual residence Port William, Mochrum.
Parents: William Edgar, fisherman, and Helen Edgar, ms Goudie.

However, I can't see any birth record for her.

She certainly must have been born in Scotland, as she was 3 months old on the voyage over to Canada in 1870. Imagine the upheaval of emigration and a sea voyage with a small baby and a toddler!

1870 HUGHES HELEN GOUDIE F MOCHRUM /WIGTOWN 892/00 0005

You'd have to register with ScotlandsPeople, buy credits, and view the image, to check the exact date of birth.

Wow!! thanks for the additional data Argyllgran, your so clever at this.. I did see a death in 1895 who I thought may have been William Hughes wife, Mary Douglass Hughes, (Douglass was her middle name) although her full name was Mary Douglass Edgar, She was aged 48, parents listed as William and Helen Gouday. Daughter above was Helen Gouday Hughes. I also noted that they baptised Helen Gouday Hughes in Boston in 1870. Although the information says she was born in Boston on closer look at the document it says she was born in Scotland 2 Feb 1870... How confusing... :-0 :-0