Tag Archives: Roger Whittredge Smith

Scotch marriage record of my ancestors (my Smith grandfather’s great-grandparents)

 

John Gilchrist-Agnes Christie marriage record.jpg

I am one fourth Scotch through my paternal grandfather Thomas Gordon Smith (1885-1967).

Posted here is the marriage record of my grandfather’s great-grandparents on his paternal grandmother’s side.

My grandfather’s great-grandfather on his paternal grandmother’s side was John Gilchrist of Scotland. John Gilchrist married my grandfather’s great-grandmother Agnes Christie. Their daughter Jane (Gilchrist) Smith (my grandfather’s paternal grandmother) emigrated to the United States in 1872.

The marriage of John Gilchrist and Agnes Christie took place in Paisley, Scotland in 1833. “MC” on the marriage record stands for Middle Church. Middle Church describes the area around a parish and also the religious denomination associated with that area. The couple were Presbyterian.

If any family member ever goes to Scotland, they might want to check out Paisley. The newlyweds John and Agnes lived on North Croft Street in Paisley in the late 1830. They later moved to Niddry Street in Paisley, where they were living as recorded in the 1841 Scotch census.

Paisley is where their daughter Jane, my grandfather’s maternal grandmother, was born in December 1834. She died in Boston, Massachusetts in 1907.

Paisley was at one time famous for its weaving and textile industries. Prior to emigrating, Jane (Gilchrist) Smith, my grandfather’s maternal grandmother, was employed as a “winder of cotton.”

Jane’s father John Gilchrist, whose marriage record is posted here, is described as a blacksmith in early records and later as a “boilermaker journeyman.” He was born 1811 to 1815 (a range of years deduced from ages shown on later records). The year 1811 is likely. There was a John Gilcrhis [sic] baptized to a John Gilcrhis and Jean Cameron on 1 Dec 1811 in Paisley (Abbey). This is probably my ancestor.

 

— posted by Roger W. Smith

   May 2018

 

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See also my post:

“Jane (Gilchrist) Smith (1834-1907)”

Jane (Gilchrist) Smith (1834-1907)

William Handy, Love Swain marriage record

 

 

William Handy-Love Swain marriage record

 

William Handy-Love Swain marriage record

 

William Handy (1762-1856) of Sandwich, Massachusetts — sea captain, whaler, ship owner, farmer — was the grandfather of my mother’s grandfather Henry Thomas Handy (1845-1916). He served in the Revolutionary War.

He married Love Swain (1779-1857) on August 25, 1796 in Sandwich when he was 34 years old and she was about 17 years old. They had nine children. Love (Swain) Handy was a direct descendant of Daniel Swain, one of the founding purchasers of Nantucket.

Posted here is a copy of the marriage record, which I have transcribed as follows:

August 25th, 1796

William Handy and Love Swain both of Sandwich were married by Revd. Jonathan Burr.

Rev. Jonathan Burr was pastor of the First Church of Sandwich and preceptor of Sandwich Academy.

 

— posted by Roger W. Smith

   May 2018

 

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See also my posts:

 

William Handy (1762-1856) of Sandwich, MA

William Handy (1762-1856) of Sandwich, MA

 

“my Revolutionary War ancestor”

my Revolutionary War ancestor

genealogical notes: Hart family of Southeastern Massachusetts

 

Hart family notes

 

Posted here (downloadable Word file above) are extensive notes I compiled over the course of several years on my New England Hart family ancestors. It was a very interesting family to research.

My maternal grandmother Annie C. Handy — nee Annie Congdon Hart — belonged to this family.

A key, but by no means my only, source was an indispensable, exhaustively researched, authoritative Hart family genealogy by James M. Hart that was published in 1903 and which carried the family genealogy right down to the family of my maternal grandmother. Interested family historians will see that I have mined just about every conceivable scrap of documentary evidence I could find in various archives and sources.

This report was compiled for the benefit of a Hart descendant who recently contacted me about a post on this site.

 

— posted by Roger W. Smith

   April 2017

George C. Smith, Sr., obituary

 

George C. Smith, Sr. (1892-1948) was my grandfather T. Gordon Smith’s brother and my father, Alan W. Smith’s, uncle.

He was the son of Thomas Smith, Jr. and Jennie (Wright) Smith.

His full name was George Caldwell (or Colwell) Smith.

George C. Smith, Sr obituary.JPG

my Mayflower ancestry

 

On my mother’s side, I am a direct descendant of three Mayflower passengers — namely, William Brewster (ca. 1566-1644), Francis Cooke (ca. 1583-1663), and Richard Warren (ca. 1578-1628) — and, probably also of Mayflower passenger Stephen Hopkins (ca. 1579-1644).

Attached below as a downloadable Word document is an article about these ancestors.

 

— Roger W. Smith

   November 2015

 

mayflower-1

Elisha Macomber (ca. 1775-1855), advertisement for farm

 

Elisha Macomber (ca. 1775-1855), advertisement for farm, New Bedford Mercury, March 12, 1819

Elisha Macomber farm advertisement.jpg

“Farm at Auction,” New Bedford Mercury, New Bedford, Mass., March 12, 1819