Catherine Bushby (nee Buchanan)

[Tony@1]

I have a GG Grandmother, Catherine Bushby (Born Buchanan) born around 1802 in Ayrshire, Scotland, married to John Bushby, born about 1799 in Scotland. John and Catherine assumedly married around 1840 (John was previously married to Isabella Bates) I have tried everything I can search but cannot find John ,an especially Catherine's parents. It is important to me as the Buchanan name was used as a Christian name through the family line, including my Mother. I would love any assistance I can get.

Cheers
Tony C

[Lesley Robertson]

Welcome to the British Genealogy Forum.
Do you know when/where Catherine died? I've been looking for a death certificate for her (in Scotland it should show her parents), but can't find one based on her maiden and married names.

Also, what was John's occupation? I have only found 1 adult called John Bushby in the 1841 census for Irvine, Ayr. He's shown as aged about 40 (with the 1841, always allow +/- 5 years) , b. Dumfries. He's a sawyer. Ancestry shows him as living in a multi-named household, but a check on Scotlands People shows that their transcriber has missed the indicator that he's in a 1-window house at the bottom of the page, with the rest of the family on the next page. Catherine (40) and 6 children: John 13; Jean 8; William 6; Janet 4; Robert 1.
Son John is a cotton hand loom linen weaver. Nobody in the family was born in Ayr.

[Lesley Robertson]

I used the free search on Scotlands People to check for baptisms. The following children have John Bushby and Isabella Bates listed as parents. The date is for the baptism:
John 1827 Parish St Cuthberts (Edinburgh)
Robert 1824 St Quivox (Ayr)
William 1834 St Cuthberts
Janet 1836 St Cuthberts
Jean 1832 St Cuth
Margaret 1829 St Cuth
Mary 1820 Kirkcudbright (mother spelled Baits)
Isabella 1822 Kirkcudbright (mother spelled Beatson)
Elisabeth 1818 Kircudbright (ms Betts)

The clerk/minister at Kirkcudbright is creative with his spellings, but they possibly had an accent he wasn't used to (or those 3 are not Bates kids). Name spelling was a national sport in 19th century Scotland.

I couldn't see any children registered to John & Catherine.
If the Robert listed here died young, that might explain the 1 year old Robert in the 1841.

(later)
I've bound Isabella's death in the Scotlands People index. 7 Apr 1837 could be her death or burial, you'd need to get a copy of the entry to find out. she was 39. St Cuthberts.

[Pam Downes]

I'm not as expert as Lesley at searching Scotland's People (though I have just found that you can search using 'names beginning' ) and I'm going to ask a stupid question.

If you haven't found a marriage between a John Bushby and a Catherine Buchanan how do you know that the Buchanan name came into the family through her?
Also, have you found John and Catherine in census later than 1841, or had they emigrated to (presumably) Australia by 1851?

Pam

[Lesley Robertson]

I tried searching the 1851 on Bushby, no names, and there was a housemaid, possibly their daughter Jane, and no others. Since Tony is in Oz, I'm wondering whether they emigrated...

The trouble is that Scotland's 19th century flexibility with surname spelling means that I couldn't eliminate the handful of Bushys without paying for the census images... I don't think it's them as they're much too far away.
That 1841 appearance is all that I have found of Catherine - can't find a death or marriage or later census. Tried fuzzy spellings.
It was pretty common in Scotland for a widower with young kids to marry middle aged spinsters (often a relative). The kids often declared wife 2 as their mother (this is all pre-BMD) on their own documents.
Ayr's not so far from the Border that she could have come in from England...

I hate having to trust the 1841!

Just had a thought. The younger Robert must have been Catherine's if Isabella died in 1837... Hmmm...

[Tony@1]

Thank you for all the checks you have done, sorry for not getting back to you earlier. John and Catherine came to Australia in 1849 along with some children from John's first marriage with Isabella Bates and Mary Buchanan Bushby was born well after Isabella's death so assume Catherine Buchanan was her mother. John and Catherine arrived is South Australia, listed on the ship's register as Mr & Mrs Bushby, both subsequently dying in Adelaide South Australia. Mary Buchanan Adey (nee Bushby)married at the home of John and Catherine in South Australia. Any help with clarifying the UK side of this family is greatly appreciated as this in my direct ancestry line.

[Pam Downes]

So when was Mary Buchanan Busby born?
And were the children who emigrated with John and Catherine actually listed on a passenger list? If so, what are their names?
How old were John and Catherine when they died, and are there any details about their parents on their deaths certificates?
Have you searched Trove for any newspaper reports about their deaths/burials?
Ditto re death certificates and newspapers reports for all of the children who emigrated? Sometimes it's easy to overlook the minutest detail which is actually the big clue. Because she was never on the same census as him (though she was with his mother) it took me quite a while to associate the Ruth in the 1881 census as being the Aunt Ruth, my grandfather's half-sister, that I knew when I was young. Felt so stupid once the penny dropped.

Pam

[christanel]

Has this one been considered?
John Busbie
Marriage date 22 March 1839
Marriage place Dundonald, Ayr, Scotland
Spouse Catherine Savage
FHL film 1041340

[helachau]

FMP Scottish Prison Records (transcript only - £45 to view originals)
Summarising the 4 records -

Court date - 18 Jun 1838, name - John Bushby, age 11, son of - John Bushby, sawyer, address - Cowfeeder Row, Edinburgh, offence - theft by housebreaking, habit and repute, and previous conviction, sentence - 7 years transportation.

His court appearance was reported in the Caledonian Mercury, 21 Jun 1838 where he appeared with fellow offender Robert Geggie. The report concludes "One was sentenced to seven years transportation and the other to nine months in Bridewell"

A Robert Geggie was granted his ticket of leave Nov 1843. Suspect John not transported, hence present on 1841 Census?
The Stebonheath arrived South Australia May 1848 and the passenger list published in the South Australian Register reads "Margaret Bushby, John Bushby wife and 3 children".

[grisel]

Has this one been considered?
John Busbie
Marriage date 22 March 1839
Marriage place Dundonald, Ayr, Scotland
Spouse Catherine Savage
FHL film 1041340

This one looks likely! Well found. No other signs of this couple in baptisms, deaths or census records that I can see so far.
Given her age if this is your Catherine she could possibly have been a widow. A likely candidate might be a Catherine Francis married to a Joseph Savage 1829 in Irvine. One child Jean b1830. Unfortunately I can't see any deaths for Joseph or Jean but pre 1855 deaths were not alway recorded.
Of course these Catherines may be nothing to do with your Catherine, just avenues to consider. She could be a Catherine Savage or Catherine Francis or Catherine Buchanan or some other Catherine, b Scotland but not Ayrshire according to 1841. Look at other spellings of Catherine too.
Also although the Buchanan name may be Catherine's, I would not assume it. My mother for example was given the middle name of a close friend's surname, totally unrelated to the family. This was in Scotland.