Fairley Cousins...
Today I pulled out some papers I'd got in Scotland in April,
and thought... who is this Thomas Fairley aged 10, with his grandparents
on Census night in 1851.
I had obviously thought of this while in Inverness, as the papers included certificates for Thomas' birth and his father John's two marriages.
James Fairley, above, and his wife Agnes Flint are my 4th Great Grandparents, their daughter Mary here in 1851, is my 3rd Great grandmother. Thomas listed as their grandson, had a birthplace of Kirknewton, which is a good starting point.
James and Agnes' address on the 1851 census is Village of Mirrylees, near Abercorn, of which these cottages still remain, in 2019.
From a Baptism of Thomas, and John his twin, in Kirknewton and East Calder district, I read his parents were John Fairley, ploughman at Nethershill, and Janet Muir. Also on the same page of the parish register were baptisms for Agnes Fairley for 1832 and Margaret for 1834, but with a different mother, Catherine Marshall. So that explained my other printouts for two marriages to John Fairley.
So how did this ploughman John Fairley fit it? Could he be the elder brother of Mary, which would fit with it being grandson Thomas. If so, he was born in 1810, while Mary was born in 1830, 20 years between the eldest and youngest siblings. He married Catherine in 1831, they had 5 children before Catherine or Ketty, died in 1842.
and thought... who is this Thomas Fairley aged 10, with his grandparents
on Census night in 1851.
 |
| courtesy Ancestry.com census Index |
I had obviously thought of this while in Inverness, as the papers included certificates for Thomas' birth and his father John's two marriages.
James Fairley, above, and his wife Agnes Flint are my 4th Great Grandparents, their daughter Mary here in 1851, is my 3rd Great grandmother. Thomas listed as their grandson, had a birthplace of Kirknewton, which is a good starting point.
James and Agnes' address on the 1851 census is Village of Mirrylees, near Abercorn, of which these cottages still remain, in 2019.
From a Baptism of Thomas, and John his twin, in Kirknewton and East Calder district, I read his parents were John Fairley, ploughman at Nethershill, and Janet Muir. Also on the same page of the parish register were baptisms for Agnes Fairley for 1832 and Margaret for 1834, but with a different mother, Catherine Marshall. So that explained my other printouts for two marriages to John Fairley.
So how did this ploughman John Fairley fit it? Could he be the elder brother of Mary, which would fit with it being grandson Thomas. If so, he was born in 1810, while Mary was born in 1830, 20 years between the eldest and youngest siblings. He married Catherine in 1831, they had 5 children before Catherine or Ketty, died in 1842.
 |
| ex Ancestry.com 1841 census index |
John remarried in 1845 to Janet Muir, and they had at least 3 more children, Thomas, John and Helen.
I couldn't find them in the 1861 census but looking for Thomas Fairley again, on Ancestry, all these suggested, related records popped up - for New Zealand...
including a death record saying he died in Auckland in 1928.
So little Thomas grew up, came to NZ, while his Aunt Mary married and lived in Bo'ness all her life. It was her granddaughter (named for her) - Mary Fairlie Middleton who married Archibald Wallace, and emigrated to NZ in 1908. My first great grandparents in 1908
Painstakingly checking each Ancestry tree against my Dna matches found a hit, a cousin from Auckland. As well as placing another match, this also gave me a photo....
of Thomas Fairley and his elder half-sister Margaret, circa 1920.
Further searching found the 'possibility' that Uncle John Fairley died about 1853,
his wife Janet died in 1865,
and it looks like most of the children emigrated to NZ.
So there is more info to find, while my cousins could well be
passing me by in the street in Dunedin.
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