HILL PATTERSON BRYSON Glasgow, Lanarkshire

[Linda Robb]

On my great grandfather's death certificate it says grand-daughter J Bryson 420 Matheson St Glasgow. His name was John Hill and he died in Lochgilphead in 1935. I just wondered how a Bryson came into the family. Presumably one of John's daughters married a Bryson. Can you help?

[Lesley Robertson]

What was his wife called? And how old was he when he died?

[Lesley Robertson]

I didn't feel like waiting, so used Scotlands People HERE (http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/) to look for a female Hill/male Bryson marriage between 1880-1935 (since I had no idea about ages). There is only 1 in the whole of Scotland - Jane Rae Hill m James Johnstone Bryson in 1933 in Cambusnethan, Lanark.

Scotlands People is a pay to use site. There are notes on how to use it HERE (https://www.british-genealogy.com/threads/79790-Scotlands-People). Once you've bought some credits, you can download a copy of that marriage certificate, which will give you the parents of the happy couple. There is a message on how to use BMD certificates HERE
(https://www.british-genealogy.com/threads/79826-The-Basics-Statutory-Records-(BMDs-etc)), and other How To guides in the same area of the General Scottish forum.

John Hill Is a pretty common name, but if you know his birth year (approx) and the name of his wife, you should be able to find the couple in one or more census and work out how many children they had, and who they were. The 1911 census is only available on Scotlands People, but sites including Ancestry and Find My Past have the others. Again, they're pay to use sites but you can sometimes find them in libraries or obtain a limited time free subscription.

I've just noticed where you are. The cheapest and easiest way to make substantial progress would be to treat yourself to a day in Edinburgh at the Scotlands People Centre (http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/visit-us/scotlandspeople-centre). You pay a flat rate to get in and for the use of a terminal, then you have free access all day to the records, you just pay for printing.

[Linda Robb]

I have checked out the marriage you suggested but it was not the one. I use Scotland's People quite a lot (also subscribe to Find my Past) and have found that 3 of his 5 children listed in the 1981 census do not appear in the births, even using wild cards! Were they just careless? Anyway he was born in 1842 and died in 1935 and his wife's name was Margaret Kerr.

Linda

[Lesley Robertson]

Well you have 2 possibilities. Either one of his daughters married a Bryson, or one of his granddaughters did... The latter makes things complicated, because you'll have to identify all the children's marriages as it could be the daughter of a son or a daughter...

I must admit that I'm having trouble finding births for the children after Margaret & Catherine.

I think that I have them on the 1891 on Anc. John is not there, but Margaret describes herself as "married", "not widowed".
There's a 6th child called Frank Kerr Hill, b. 1891. Anc. shows a few possible other records for a target and clicking on "select births & baptisms" took me to Francis Kerr Hill, child of John Hill and Margaret Kerr Hill 17 Dec 1890.

(can you tell that I'm supposed to be marking reports?)

In 1901, John is home, and listed as a ship's fireman. In 1881, an "engineer on steamer".

I wonder whether the family travelled with John in earlier days and the later children were actually born elsewhere (or even on board), but just listed on the census as having been born where they were resident in Glasgow.

(can you tell that I'm supposed to be marking reports?) ;)

[Linda Robb]

Hi Lesley

You are obviously an enthusiast - reports aside. John Hill was an engineer on inshore steamships carrying coal, slate stone etc. and not the sort of ship a wife would go on or have babies on so the mystery remains. I will probably hve a day at Scotland's People and just play around.
Thanks for all your help.
Linda