Genealogy Chat

Cath Can only answer one of your questions (possibly): Often Confirmation in Scotland (Probate) is not requested for some time after death. Confirmation is not mandatory & is only required if a financial institution requests Confirmation of the Estate or if a person has heritable estate or stocks & shares as these are not usually transferred into another person's name without Confirmation. I'm assuming that the same rules applied then but I may be wrong. The reason I say that it can be sometime after death is because I have seen cases where a husband or wife has died & all their financial affairs have passed to the surviving spouse but the house has not been transferred & then it can be 3, 5, 10 even 20 years later before anything is done about it - usually when they want to sell the house or they themselves pass on. Caroline

My great great grandfather was CHARLES GRAHAM, who lived in Dumfries from c1808 to his death in 1869. According to census info. he was born in Edinburgh c1792. OPR Nov. 1792 shows “Peter Graham, gentleman servant, Bristo Street and Marg. Dalgliesh his spouse, had a son born 28th ultimo named Charles…….” Scotlands people & IGI both show 3 older siblings for Charles. I can find no more info. re Peter & Margaret BUT I have found a will for a Peter Graham (e) “sometime servant to Major General Stuart who died at Bristo Street near Edinburgh upon the 27th day of July 1793….” The testament dative was given on 19th Sept 1796 by his sister Mary Graham said to be the only executor and next of kin. + Opinions please:- i) Is this the will of Charles’s father – dare I assume ii) Why was the testament 3 years after the death iii) Where was his wife should I presume she had died iv) Why weren’t his children mentioned. v) Charles’s sibling all appear to have remained in Edinburgh but Charles was in the Berwickshire militia stationed in Dumfries in 1808 – guesses as to why please. If anyone has any suggestions/recommendations in answer to theses questions please feel free to give them!!! Thanks for reading this- hope it makes sense to someone out there, Cath.