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I have been trying to put this one to bed for some time - I have been trying to sort out who Thomas Wotherspoon born 1901 in Ballingry, Lochore, Fife, Scotland - married and who their children were. I know but not when, that he definitely moved to the Huddersfield/Sheffield area.

After a lot of time and effort I think I may have identified the marriage, I think he married a Hilda B. Saul in 1931 at Ecclesall Bierlow (Sheffield), and they had two children - Maureen born 1931 and Bryan born 1933 and their births were also registered in Sheffield.

To confirm if I am correct I think I will need to get a copy of the actual wedding certificate for Thomas Wotherspoon - so would appreciate guidance on how I get hold of this and whether or not it will show details of his parents on it.

Apply to the General register office for the cert quoting the reference number given on freebmd.

Cert should show fathers names

Link for GRO:
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/Login.asp

England & Wales, Marriage Index, 1916-2005 about Thomas Wotherspoon
Name: Thomas Wotherspoon
Spouse Surname: Saul
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1931
Registration District: Ecclesall Bierlow
Inferred County: Yorkshire West Riding
Volume Number: 9c
Page Number: 956
Find Spouse: Hilda B Saul Wotherspoon Apr-May-Jun 1931 Ecclesall Bierlow Yorkshire West Riding

It will tell you his fathers name and occupation.

There are several trees for this family on Ancestry and all show the following as parents of Thomas

Allan Wotherspoon born Leslie Fife and Mary Gallagher (both with various dob's) wouldn't take them as gospel because they may have been copied from one incorrect assumption, so i would confirm them from the marriage certificate

You can view the trees on this free link

https://www.mundia.com/gb

Mike & Mel Fairy Godmother - thanks for that, much appreciated, I have registered and ordered a copy of the marriage certificate.

Barry - thanks for that, much appreciated, will have a look on that site as Allan Wotherspoon and Mary Gallagher were definitely my great grandparents.

I received the certificate this morning from GRO for the marriage of Thomas Wotherspoon & Hilda B. Saul that I thought related to my Thomas Wotherspoon born 1901 in Ballingry, Lochore, Fife, in Scotland.

Alas this is not the Thomas Wotherspoon I was looking for, added to that non of the sites on Mundia throw up any information that I don't already have - looks like this one is going to be an insurmountable brick wall for now :-(

get his death cert, the informant could be family

Name: Thomas Wotherspoon
Birth Date: abt 1901
Date of Registration: Sep 1967
Age at Death: 66
Registration District: Leeds
Inferred County: Yorkshire West Riding
Volume: 2c
Page: 375


But he may not have married at all!

Thanks for that Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it - Thomas was my mum's uncle and last time I saw him was in 1952 when he came back to Scotland for his brother, my grandfather, funeral.

I presume he was married as I vaguely remember my mum asking about his wife and son. If my memory serves me right he worked at Storthes Hall Hospital near Huddersfield, not sure why he moved to England although I do know that there was a branch of the Wotherspoon family who were farmers near Rugby in Warwickshire.

I will order a copy of that Death Certificate from GRO - fingers crossed it may be the Thomas I am looking for.

Hi OFITG,

This may seem a silly question but, have you been in contact with the 2 other members on here who have Thomas in their tree?

Also, could he have married in Scotland and then moved to England? There are over 20 Thomas Wotherspoon marriages in Scotland between say, 1920 - 49.


Finally, whilst I can see the marriage of Catherine and James on familysearch, I can't actually find it on Scotland's People - nor a suitable birth for Catherine????
If you have any more details, I have a few spare credits I will use on your behalf.

You say Thomas was born in 1901, how do you know his date of birth?

The only one I can see on ancestry is this one, but his date of birth is 1895:-

1901 Scotland Census about Thomas Wotherspoon
Name: Thomas Wotherspoon
Age: 6
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1895
Relationship: Son
Father's Name: Wm Wotherspoon
Mother's Name: Margaret Wotherspoon
Gender: Male
Where born: Fife, Ballingry
Registration number: 405
Registration District: Auchterderran
Civil Parish: Auchterderran
County: Fife
Address: Westfield Row
Occupation: Scholar
ED: 1
Household Schedule Number: 94
Line: 8
Roll: CSSCT1901_129
Household Members:
Name Age
Wm Wotherspoon 41
Margaret Wotherspoon 37
George Wotherspoon 17
Maggie Wotherspoon 15
Nellie Wotherspoon 11
Thomas Wotherspoon 6
Alex Wotherspoon 2

Is this your man, or is this someone else?

What was your Grandfather's name, if they were brothers then he may be on the census and what was your Grandfather's parents names, do they match with the names on the census?
This should help to confirm, or not, if the census is the correct person.

This may be relevant if it turns out your man was born abt.1894?

British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920 about Thomas Wotherspoon
Name: Thomas Wotherspoon
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1894
Age at Enlistment: 20
Birth Parish: Balingry
Birth County: Fifeshire
Document Year: 1914
Regimental Number: 6325
Regiment Name: Highland Bde RFA Fifeshire Bty RFA
Number of images: 41

Address is given as :-
Born in the parish of Balingry
near the town of:- Lochore

Trade: Miner
Employer: Wemyss Coal Coy Ltd.
Residing: 59 West High Street, (looks like) Buckhares but could be Buckhaven

Are you married: YES

Signed up at: Leven

Date of discharge:- 31/03/1926


Married on 31/12/1912 in Buckhaven but really difficult to read the name of wife.
However, in later pages of his military records it states wife's name is Jane.
Child called Margaret (could be -Beauridge) born 8/12/1916 in Buckhaven

Cynthia - Yes I have been in contact with the 2 other members on here who have Thomas in their tree but they don't know anymore that I do.

I agree that Thomas may have married in Scotland and there were 3 possibilities and I have narrowed it down to 2 as it is definitely not Maggie Watson, the other two have no images to view, so at some point after Christmas/New Year if the Death Certificate from GRO is not the right person, I will need to purchase certificates for the other 2 from Scotlands People.

1938 WOTHERSPOON THOMAS HARRON SARAH AUCHTERDERRAN /FIFE 405/01 0006 No Image

2 1922 WOTHERSPOON THOMAS WATSON MAGGIE DUNFERMLINE /FIFE 424/00 0159 (Image Viewed - Not my Thomasis)

3 1939 WOTHERSPOON THOMAS MCLAREN SMITH MARGARET COWDENBEATH /FIFE 410/01 0058 No Image

As to James Gibson - he married Catherine Wotherspoon on 1st Sabbath of October 1850, Airdrie, New Monkland, Lanark, Scotland but on Scotlands People it has been transcribed as Witherspoon, when I zoom in on the document I read it as Wotherspoon - transcription is this:-

01/10/1850 GIBSON JAMES CATHARINE WITHERSPOON/FR1923 (FR1923) M AIRDRIE OR NEW MONKLAND/LANARK

I have established that this is the birth details for Catherine Wotherspoon who married James Gibson from her Death Certificate, and I am still trying to establish where, if she does, fit into my family:-

27/02/1831 WOTHERSPOON CATHARINE JAMES WOTHERSPOON/ELISABETH JOHNSTON FR1417 (FR1417) F AIRDRIE OR NEW MONKLAND /LANARK 651/00 0060 0145

Thanks for that Catherine - there were a lot of Wotherspoons in Fife at that time - I am still researching many of them, I don't think this is the Thomas I am currently looking for but the information will no doubt prove useful as I work my way through all the Wotherspoons with Fife connections.

He married on 31.12.12 and wife maiden name looks like Anderson..

Could you please give the name of your Grandfather and his date of birth and also his parents names, if you know them, so that we can definately eliminate my 1901 census please.

It may also help to find other info. on Thomas.

.................................................

This is the only other family that I can see living in Ballingry in 1901, so is this the correct family (it does match with parents names given on ancestry)?:-

1901 Scotland Census about Allan Wotherspoon
Name: Allan Wotherspoon
Age: 28
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1873
Relationship: Head
Spouse's name : Mary Wotherspoon
Gender: Male
Where born: Leslie, Fife
Registration number: 408
Registration District: Ballingry
Civil Parish: Ballingry
County: Fife
Address: Back Row
Occupation: Coal Miner Hewer
ED: 4
Household Schedule Number: 36
Line: 15
Roll: CSSCT1901_130
Household Members:
Name Age
Allan Wotherspoon 28
Mary Wotherspoon 24
Allan Wotherspoon 4
Annie Wotherspoon 2

Morning Catherine,

This is the Thomas Wotherspoon I am researching, he was born on 14/05/1901 in Ballingry/Lochore to Allan Wotherspoon and Mary Gallacher

1901 WOTHERSPOON THOMAS M BALLINGRY /FIFE 408/00 0086

This is my grandfather who was born on 31/05/1896 in Bellshill, Lanarkshire to Allan Wotherspoon and Mary Gallacher:-

1896 WOTHERSPOON ALLAN M BELLSHILL /LANARK 625/03 0236

My grandfather Allan appears on this 1901 Scotland Census:-

1901 census transcription details for: Back Row, Ballingry

National Archive Reference:
RG number: RG13
Piece: 408
Folio: 4
Page: 8
Reg. District: Ballingry
Sub District:
Parish: Ballingry
Enum. District:
Ecclesiastical District: Ballingry
City/Municipal Borough:
Address: Back Row, Ballingry
County: Fife
Name Relation Condition Sex Age Birth Year Occupation, Disability Where Born
WOTHERSPOON, Allan Head Married M 28 1873 Coal Miner Hewer
Leslie, Fife
WOTHERSPOON, Mary Wife Married F 24 1877
Motherwell, Lanark
WOTHERSPOON, Allan Son M 4 1897
Bellshill, Lanark
WOTHERSPOON, Annie Daughter F 2 1899
Uddingston, Lanark

However they both appear along with their family on the 1911 Scotland Census residing at 16 Hunter Street, Lochgelly in the Parish of Auchterderran in Fife.

Hello Catherine - with reference to this census you posted, I hve done some further research on that and I have established the family connection.

William Wotherspoon who married Margaret Beveridge on 18/07/1882 at Leslie in Fife, was my grandfather Allan Wotherspoon''s uncle so Thomas Wotherspoon born abt 1895 and his siblings were my grandfathers cousins.

1901 Scotland Census about Thomas Wotherspoon
Name: Thomas Wotherspoon
Age: 6
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1895

Wm Wotherspoon 41
Margaret Wotherspoon 37
George Wotherspoon 17
Maggie Wotherspoon 15
Nellie Wotherspoon 11
Thomas Wotherspoon 6
Alex Wotherspoon 2

Mel Fairy Godmother - can you tell me who this refers to?

He married on 31.12.12 and wife maiden name looks like Anderson

OFITG - I think the marriage Mel refers to is the one for the Thomas whose Army record Catherine posted.

Why did you discount the marriage to Hilda? Was it because the father's name was wrong?