1851 Census

It has been found that a study of Census returns provides a useful structure on which to base the search for records of births, marriages and deaths. The earliest useful Census is that for 1841.

In the 1851 Census, an Elizabeth Murphy, 18 years old, is recorded as being a House Servant in the household of a John Orr, a merchant, and his family in Steeple Street, Kilbarchan. The marriage record of John and Elizabeth confirms the date and place of marriage. In the 1861 Census are John and Elizabeth with five children at Church Street, Kilbarchan, Renfrew. All were born in Kilbarchan except the mother, Elizabeth, who was born in County Antrim, N. Ireland. In the 1871 Census John and Elizabeth appear, with five children, at Steeple Square, Kilbarchan, Renfrew. Three of the children appearing in the 1861 Census are not there, but there are three others. John is recorded as being a Wool Weaver. They appear in the 1881 Census, with four children, at Cartside Road, Kilbarchan. In the 1891 Census John no longer appears. Elizabeth is there, with four children, still at Cartside Road, Kilbarchan. John’s death record indicates that he died on 16th August 1889 aged 60, and that his parents were John Cameron (deceased) Handloom Weaver, and that his mother, also deceased, had a maiden surname of Mitchell. (The ages of John and Elizabeth are reasonably consistent throughout these Censuses, except that Elizabeth must have been 22, not 18, in 1851. But the enumerators employed at that time sometimes estimated ages.)

John and Elizabeth had twelve children in all, of whom eight survived less than 18 years (four of them less than 5 years). My grandfather, Duncan, was the tenth child of this family, and only one other, Robert, married. Ann survived unmarried at least to age 33, and probably did not marry at all.

Presenting the evidence

The knowledge I started out with, remembered from my mother, is
(1) that her family is descended from the Camerons of Erracht;
(2) that her childhood is somehow connected to a small place called Kilbarchan, in Scotland; and
(3) that she had an Aunt Grace who lived in Scotland.

Indeed I remember meeting ‘Auntie Gracie’ when I was young. I knew my maternal grandparents. Grandad Cameron picked up a nasty foot infection, thought to be from the beach at Bridlington or Scarborough, and had to have a foot amputated. Due to gangrene, several other amputations followed on the same leg, but he died when I was seven years old. Grandma Cameron died when I was twelve.

My mother’s birth certificate, in my possession, gives her parents’ names and mother’s maiden surname, Ferguson, and their date and place of marriage.

The headstone in the cemetary at Lawnswood, Leeds implies a birth year for both of my grandparents of 1870.

The marriage record of Duncan Cameron and Margaret McCrone Ferguson on 25th December 1897 gives their ages as 27, confirming 1870 as the birth year. The marriage took place at 18 Walkinshaw Street, Johnstone, which was noted as the residence of Margaret. The names of the parents of each are given in the record, and those of Duncan are John Cameron (Hand Loom Weaver: deceased) and Elizabeth Cameron, maiden surname Murphy.

The birth record of Duncan indicates a birth date of 16th February 1870, at Kilbarchan, and notes the parents to be John Cameron and Elizabeth Cameron (maiden surname Murphy) of Steeple Street, and that their marriage took place on 16th April 1852 at Kilbarchan

Start of the Blog!

This site has been prepared mainly for the benefit of members of my family who may be interested in finding out who their forebears were, and how they fitted into the historical background into which they were born. Other visitors to the site are welcome and, who knows, there may be information to exchange which would further our mutual searches.

I started my research back in 2000 and created a website to host my research. You can still visit it at www.cameron-site.com but it may look a little outdated. This blog will replace the original site and make the searching of the many pages more interesting and easier ……… hopefully!

Duncan Hartley, Leeds, July 2008