Genealogy Chat

Thanks to everyone for adding to my post whilst I have been away.

I have saved all of the links.
I have asked SP for some help and should here back from them in a few days.

The general feeling is that the place, Mains of ? is a defunct farm.
If SP provide me with either a readable image,or,tell me what the place name is.Maybe I will be able to research the farm perhaps finding some records for it.

One of the reason's I want to find some sort of record relating to John Senior,is that my Gran told my Dad that her family originated from the Faroe Islands. I know that family stories should be taken with a pinch of salt,but so far Grans stories etc have proved a gold mine. I'm working through her family lines. I actually think that her Anderson family is the most likely.

Blue1

There is a Mains of Fasque in Aberdeen on Memory Map.

Kath. x

Hi every one who has been helping me.
I have just received an enhanced image of the baptism back from SP
The chap who worked on it says it looks like "Mains of Farlie" on his system.

So some how I need to try and find this place.
A chap who is a member of another Scottish forum says that the baptism place must be in Cruden parish as the minster hasn't specified an alternate parish eg- Ellon for instance.

So, I think I do now have the fathers residence,even though it doesn't appear on any maps of the area.

Can any one suggest any records for the time frame 1790's in Scotland that I should look for please?

Blue1

Bear in mind that " Mains" refers to the Main House of an estate which was (the estate) leased out by the major landowner - often the Church. Other farmhouses on the same estate would be named such as "Nether", "lower" etc.

If you have a clear statement Mains of ?, whatever the ? turns out to be, don't get led astray by a similar Non Mains titles.

I thought Mains of Fortree (1858 map) seemed close enough to Cruden to be feasible, bearing in mind that it could have been spelled Fortrie, Fortie etc by the local minister or recorder. Map makers also accept and label according to how they hear the name. You could search other earlier later maps on the NLS website for the same area and compare.

Thanks Malcolm

I must admit that Fortrie/Fortee/Fortie,seemed the most likely place as nothing else seems to fit at all begining with F.
The name begins with F or a T and I'm assuming ends in ie as I can see a dot above.
The letter after the F/T does look like a small a followed by an r, then we have what looks like a small "l" or a faded small t, in which the crossed bit is faded out.

So, Mains of F/T,? ar, l/t,? ie

The more I look at it the more confused I am.
It does say Mains of, clearly.

I will have to study the whole page I think, understand the Ministers writting,take into account the fading over time and then pick the bones out of it.

His small l's and t's do have the same loop at the top,I've noticed on the entry above for Smith,the small t is very faintly crossed indeed.

I think I'm going to have a very long weekend with it! with maps etc.

Thanks for contributing, I shall look into who the landowner was in the Cruden area,perhaps there is a list of his properties somewhere.

Blue1

Hi

I've just looked at the Horse Tax Rolls for Cruden on "Scotlands places"

http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital_volumes/type.php?type_id=1&place_id=1&p_name=cruden

and the Earl of Eroll seems to be a land owner there.

This is a subscription site,so in order for me to go further I shall have to subscribe.

They have male servant Rolls for 1798 so maybe that's the way forward.

Thanks to all

Blue1

ps If any one should happen to have a sub for this site,I wouldn't mind a look up.
Not very likely I know.

I spent another hour perusing the area. Confusingly old Fortree is now (OS2010 )shown as "Fortrie" (co-ords 395532 / 839431) Ten kilometers south and just south of Ellon town is the area of Fortree where they are offering properties in the name of Fortrie. It seems that the O.S. may have got their names mixed up, or more probably the local council of Ellon decided to change the spellings finally to avoid confusion.

My money's on the Northern one "Mains of Fortree (up to at least 1899)" close to the Village of Anquhadlie. That one seems to have been in the Parish of Cruden at the time your relation was there.

Spelling variants are common the further back you go.

The nice thing is that Mains of Fortrie is clearly still occupied so you can visit. I love to do that and have located many buildings where my tribe used to live.

Thank Malcolm,
It's really very kind of you to take so much trouble.

I have been planning to visit the area for about the last three years,but something always happens to stop me!

I shall add Mains of Fortie to my list. I was going to go to all the little local libraries,sometimes they hold info just for their area.
Also graveyards etc.
The one thing I do have, is John seniors wife Margaret's burial and where she is buried along with their son John,who was the infant baptised.
John juniors brother William became a master stone mason,maybe,with luck he has erected a headstone at Cruden and his father is metioned on it.

Thank again for all your help
Cathie

Hi ,
thought you would be interested to know about some info I found by chance for John Geddes today.

Record of certificates under the Act for providing Relief to the ..

http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/nmsruntime/saveasdialog.asp?lID=33200&sID=15131

In Oct 1802 his wife Margaret was given relief from the Army for herself and children. Husband John Geddes from Cruden was in the Aberdeenshire Malitia at that time.

May be I will find him on a muster roll with his place of birth!

The PDF is downloadable, could be of interest to any one searching for people in this era


Blue1