KathNZ
28-11-2015, 3:45 AM
Hello all, I need some help to make sense of one person in this family.
John Murdoch married Ann McIntosh - 12 Dec 1863, Knockando, Moray, Scotland. I have them both on the census in 1861 and earlier.
Their daughter Elspeth Murdoch is born 10 Mar 1864 at Rothes, Moray – I have the certificate.
Sometime before 1866 the family emigrated to Australia where Barbara Anne Laurie Murdoch was born in 1866 in South Australia followed by Chrysostom Duncan Murdoch (later called James Alexander ) in 1869.
The family then moved to Hokitika, New Zealand where 3 more children were born in 1872, 1874 & 1878. I have found Ann and the 2 girls (named as Eliza & Barbara) on a passenger list from Melbourne to Hokitika arriving 21 Jul 1870 on the “Rangitoto”. John presumably came earlier to set up home for the family.
The problem I have is that in August 1883 John Marks married Elspeth Skene, spinster.
John was 46 and Elspeth was 21 which makes her dob C1861. I have the marriage cert. and it gives her birthplace as Rothes, Scotland and her parents as Robert Skene, Millowner and Ann Murdoch formerly Ann McIntosh.
Sadly Elspeth died in April 1884 and her death notice gives no clues but when John Marks died in 1914 his death notice says “deceased was a widower, his wife being a daughter of John Murdoch, of Ross, who predeceased him many years ago”. Other newspaper reports call her Miss Murdoch !
I am trying to find out if Elspeth Skene b C1862and Elspeth/Eliza Murdoch b C 1864 were the same person. I cannot find a birth reg. on Scotland’s people for Elspeth under either Skene of McIntosh c1861. Ditto for Family Search. The photo of her gravestone is hard to read, the age could be 20 and the death reg. entry says 21 years old.
She obviously knew that John Murdoch was not her father by the info given in the marriage cert.
John Murdoch married Ann McIntosh - 12 Dec 1863, Knockando, Moray, Scotland. I have them both on the census in 1861 and earlier.
Their daughter Elspeth Murdoch is born 10 Mar 1864 at Rothes, Moray – I have the certificate.
Sometime before 1866 the family emigrated to Australia where Barbara Anne Laurie Murdoch was born in 1866 in South Australia followed by Chrysostom Duncan Murdoch (later called James Alexander ) in 1869.
The family then moved to Hokitika, New Zealand where 3 more children were born in 1872, 1874 & 1878. I have found Ann and the 2 girls (named as Eliza & Barbara) on a passenger list from Melbourne to Hokitika arriving 21 Jul 1870 on the “Rangitoto”. John presumably came earlier to set up home for the family.
The problem I have is that in August 1883 John Marks married Elspeth Skene, spinster.
John was 46 and Elspeth was 21 which makes her dob C1861. I have the marriage cert. and it gives her birthplace as Rothes, Scotland and her parents as Robert Skene, Millowner and Ann Murdoch formerly Ann McIntosh.
Sadly Elspeth died in April 1884 and her death notice gives no clues but when John Marks died in 1914 his death notice says “deceased was a widower, his wife being a daughter of John Murdoch, of Ross, who predeceased him many years ago”. Other newspaper reports call her Miss Murdoch !
I am trying to find out if Elspeth Skene b C1862and Elspeth/Eliza Murdoch b C 1864 were the same person. I cannot find a birth reg. on Scotland’s people for Elspeth under either Skene of McIntosh c1861. Ditto for Family Search. The photo of her gravestone is hard to read, the age could be 20 and the death reg. entry says 21 years old.
She obviously knew that John Murdoch was not her father by the info given in the marriage cert.