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Here's the Freecen version of the 1841 census and the occupation for Alexander matches that given on Mary's marriage registration.

Piece: SCT1841/685 Place: St Cuthbert's -Midlothian Enumeration District: 33
Civil Parish: St Cuthbert's Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: -
Folio: 33 Page: 8
Address: 8 Gibbs Entry

Surname First name(s) Sex Age Occupation Where Born Remarks
SHEPPHERD Alexander M 20 Tailor Journeyman Midlothian
SHEPPHERD Agnes F 20 Midlothian
SHEPPHERD Mary F 3 Midlothian
SHEPPHERD John M 1

Right, Agnes's maiden surname on Mary's marriage registration is Noble.

I think this is the marriage and would fit with Mary's birthplace on one of the census as East Kilbride is near Glasgow.

Name: Agnes Noble
Gender: Female
Marriage Date: 3 Dec 1837
Marriage Place: East Kilbride,Lanark,Scotland
Spouse: Alexander Shepherd
FHL Film Number: 1066591

No, it's her Mum, Agnes. Don't blame you for feeling lost, I feel that way too and they're my family!

I'm a bit lost! Is it Mary Shepp* b 1838c that we are trying to decipher her mothers maiden name?





:-S

Thank you very much. Have sent PM - sometimes I have trouble reading these old documents even when I KNOW what they say!

Philippa if you want me to have a look at it for you attach it to a PM and I'll see if I can decipher it for you.

Unfortunately, I can't make out the maiden surname - really annoying as most of the other entries on that page are very clear!

Now I have found the SP site, I am very happy to have Scots ancestors! Cheaper and easier to trace. Fortunately, I'm more interested in 1850 onwards as my real interest is in finding out as much as possible about those people for whom I have written/oral records or photos and most of this is post 1850, though I have a few handed down stories from the earlier 1800s.

Philippa, if the marriage registration gave Agnes's maiden surname, you can search on SP for her death registration which will name her parents including her mother's maiden surname if the informant knew the details. In Scotland female deaths are indexed under married and maiden surnames so you can search using her maiden name as a cross reference.

Bet you glad to have Scottish ancestry as it is much cheaper to research and a big plus is the fact that Scottish births give the date and place of the parents' marriage. Scottish marriage registrations also name both parents including the mother's maiden surname. The down side is that Statutory Registration didn't begin here until 1855. 1855 registrations contain much more information than later ones. For example, an 1855 death registration for a married adult will list all their children, giving ages and for any deceased will state their age at death and year of death.

Thanks. This looks like her. Just found the original marriage register entry. She was 21 at the time of her marriage in 1859, her parents were Alexander and Agnes and one of the witnesses was John Sheppard, presumably her little brother. Agnes' name is spelled Sheppard, but her parents is spelled Shephard on the same entry on the marriage register!

Maybe 1841?

Name: Mary Sheppherd
Age: 3
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1838
Gender: Female
Where born: Midlothian, Scotland
Civil Parish: Edinburgh St Cuthberts
County: Midlothian
Address: Gibbs Entry No 8
Parish Number: 685/2
Household Members:
Name Age
Alexander Sheppherd 20
Agnes Sheppherd 20
Mary Sheppherd 3
John Sheppherd 1

Here's the Freecen version of above census

Piece: SCT1851/685 Place: Edinburgh -Midlothian Enumeration District: 6
Civil Parish: Old Church Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: Old Church
Folio: 729 Page: 11 Schedule: 51
Address: 284 Canongate Humes Close

Surname First name(s) Rel Status Sex Age Occupation Where Born Remarks
SHEPHARD Agnes Head W F 40 Laundress Midlothian - Edinburgh
SHEPHARD Mary Dau - F 12 Pauper Lanarkshire - Glasgow
SHEPHARD John Son - M 10 Pauper Midlothian - Edinburgh
SHEPHARD David Son - M

Doubt if these children are on their own in 1851, the original image will be on SP

Name: Mary Shephard
Age: 12
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1839
Relationship: Head
Gender: Female
Where born: Glasgow, Lanark
Parish Number: 685/1
Civil Parish: Edinburgh Old Church
County: Midlothian
Address: Hume's Close 284 Canongate
Occupation: Pauper
ED: 6
Page: 11
Household schedule number: 51
LINE: 13
Roll: CSSCT1851_178
Household Members:
Name Age
Mary Shephard 12
John Shephard 10
David Shephard 5

Looking at the births for the children listed on the 1881 census, the Mum seems to be Mary Shepherd but this looks like the parents marriage. Notice the spelling of Mary's surname. This is probably how it appears on the marriage certificate, so select "surname variants" on Scotlandspeople if you are looking for the marriage.

Name: Alexander Scott
Gender: Male
Marriage Date: 16 Dec 1859
Marriage Place: Edinburgh Parish,Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland
Spouse: Mary Sheppard
FHL Film Number: 6035516

Scotland, Select Marriages, 1561-1910 about Alexander Scott
Name: Alexander Scott
Gender: Male
Marriage Date: 16 Dec 1859
Marriage Place: Edinburgh Parish,Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland
Spouse: Mary Sheppard
FHL Film Number: 6035516

Name: Francis Syme Scott
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 5 Feb 1869
Birth Place: Edinburgh Parish,Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland
Father: Alexander Scott
Mother: Mary Shepherd
FHL Film Number: 6035516


Name: Mary Ann Scott
Gender: Female
Birth Date: 9 Apr 1871
Birth Place: Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland
Father: Alexander Scott
Mother: Mary Shepherd
FHL Film Number: 6035516


Name: George Scott
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 17 Mar 1866
Birth Place: Edinburgh Parish,Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland
Father: Alexander Scott
Mother: Mary Shepherd
FHL Film Number: 6035516


Name: Charles Scott
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 9 Jan 1865
Birth Place: Edinburgh Parish,Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland
Father: Alexander Scott
Mother: Mary Shepherd
FHL Film Number: 6035516


Name: John Scott
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 4 Mar 1863
Birth Place: Edinburgh Parish,Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland
Father: Alexander Scott
Mother: Mary Shepherd
FHL Film Number: 6035516


Name: Robert Scott
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 3 Dec 1867
Birth Place: Edinburgh Parish,Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland
Father: Alexander Scott
Mother: Mary Shephard
FHL Film Number: 6035516


Name: William Scott
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 16 Oct 1861
Birth Place: Edinburgh Parish,Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland
Father: Alexander Scott
Mother: Mary Shepherd
FHL Film Number: 6035516


Name: Alexander Scott
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 16 May 1860
Birth Place: Edinburgh Parish,Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland
Father: Alexander Scott
Mother: Mary Shepherd
FHL Film Number: 6035516

Not what you asked for, but here is the family in 1871.


1871 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
3, South Side of Gilmore Street, St Cuthbert Edinburgh, Newington, Midlothian, Scotland

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Household Members
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Alexander Scott Head Married Male 34 1837 House Painter Midlothian, Scotland
Transcription
Mary Scott Wife Married Female 32 1839 - Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Transcription
John Scott Son - Male 8 1863 Scholar Midlothian, Scotland
Transcription
Charles Scott Son - Male 6 1865 Scholar Midlothian, Scotland
Transcription
George Scott Son - Male 5 1866 - Midlothian, Scotland
Transcription
Robert Scott Son - Male 3 1868 - Midlothian, Scotland
Transcription
Francis Scott Son - Male 2 1869 - Midlothian, Scotland



1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Hatters Close, 1, St Cuthbert's, Newington, Midlothian, Scotland

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Household Members
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Alexander Scott Head Married Male 23 1838 House Painter & Paper Hanger (Journeyman) Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
Transcription
Mary S Scott Wife Married Female 21 1840 - Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Transcription
Alexander Scott Son - Male 0 1861 - Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland

On the 1881 census his Mum is Mary S. Scott so perhaps her middle name is Sophia and that's what she was known by.

At least Janet's parents married before her birth so you have a date of marriage for them :-)

Hmm...think I've worked out where there was so much vagueness about Janet's DOB - according to the record, her parents were married in the same month that she was born.

Have found his birth and marriage details, although I can't find him in the Scotland census for 1911 either - wondering if he went to Ireland for a bit? Or maybe if the family were travelling and camped out overnight? One thing that puzzles me though - found the record for Henry & Janet's marriage and his mother is listed as Sophia Shepherd, but on the birth record, it is Mary Shepherd. Both his parents were dead at the time of his marriage, so I wondered if maybe he couldn't remember his mother's name and had to guess?

Wow, £7 for 5 Is cheap, is that all? I was going by the cost of English ones, which are nearly £10 each!