Find Ancestors

Is there anywhere I can look other than Scotland's People? I'm having no luck with two there.

Not that I'm aware of online. Maybe some kind person in Scotland could go to the Records Office on your behalf ? I have seen people offer in the past, but it's not a regular occurance I'm afraid. Good Luck Elaine ;-)

Thanks anyway. I'm afraid online is what I need since I'm in Australia.

Try this forum for Scottish genealogy - lots of help at least I found them great! www.talkingscot(.)com/forum Barbara

Fiona post some names & dates and maybe we can help. Georgina.

I'm in the Inverness area if that's any help. Why not post your details and someone may have some bright ideas? Denis

Fiona, as Georgina says, give us some names and dates and we will do what we can. We WILL help if we can.JJH

Thanks - the main one I'm having trouble with now is James Samson (rope spinner). I have his parents names so I guess it isn't essential but is just awfully frustrating that he disappears. Christened 1788, son of James Samson and Mary McClatchie, in Monkton and Prestwick, Ayrshire. He married Susan Grierson in Ayr, Ayrshire in 1809. When his son Thomas married in 1857, he is still alive, and on the 1861 census, James and Susan were living in Newton, Ayr, both aged 73. Susan Samson died in 1865, and the certificate says married to James Samson, not widow of. The informant was John Samson BIL (and following him through his death certificate in 1880 I got their parents names). And there are no amendments to the sides of the certificate. Thomas Samson, son, died in 1870 and it does not list either parent as deceased, but this certificate does have the volume of RCE listed - for Susan at least since I know she died in 1865 but possibly James? Anyway - James is not on the 1871 census that I can find - he would be about 82-83. I can't find a death for James in that time period - 1861-1871. His brother John was still alive so I would expect a fairly reliable informant. James would have been late 70's when his wife died so he should have died in Scotland - I can see no reason for him to leave Scotland at that time of his life, when he has lived in Ayrshire his whole life. Another thing I tried was doing a general search for all Samson deaths in 1861-1871 for the whole of Scotland. It didn't find him, but more obviously - it didn't find Susan either, and I have her 1865 death certificate. You can find her death on a direct search. I've sent a note to Scotland's People about the indexing in case there is a problem. What am I missing? Fiona

Being a bit tacky but bumping my own thread since I figure I have people awake over there now.

If I was you try putting his date of birth in but give your self a year over but don't put an area in as he might have been took to hospital out with area as I found an Aunt in a mental asylum in Larbert even though she lived in Glasgow

Thanks, but I've searched for any Samson death with birth 1788 +/- 10 for the whole of Scotland and didn't find him in 1861-1871. And searched James and Samson with wildcard * in other years in Ayr. And searched James Samson aged 80 -100 in the 1871 census for the whole of Scotland. I'm sort of at a loss now, unless I've missed something glaringly obvious, lol! And I'm happy for someone to point it out!

try with out putting and see how many come up as sometimes age might be wrong

Hi, don't want to seem to be teaching you to suck eggs but have you tried SAMPSON spelling.JJH

Fiona, John could be right as I found my Gr gran and they had added an A between the MC they put MAC so they could have added a P

It's hard to tell - I'm looking back through my previous searches and I did one search for James S*m*son - to cover Simpsons and Sampsons, with an open age, in 1861-1871 in Ayr - and had 5 results, all aged under 3yo.

There are 86 death matches on scotlandspeople for 1778 +/- 10years for male surname SAMPSON. I've no credits left to help you further.Regards JJH

Thanks fro trying everyone - I just can't see it ALL being wrong - age by more than 10 years, place, surname and first name. A couple maybe - which is why I tried the wildcards J**** S*m*son, but age within 10 years and in Ayr. And James Samson, no wildcards, any age, out of Ayr. Deaths of J**** S*m*son, any age, whole of Scotland 1861- 1880 gives me 1672 matches displayed on 67 pages - you can see why I think at least a couple of details should be correct!