STEELE/ STEEL/ STILL? Banffshire

[simbi]

I'd be grateful for any help you might be able to give in identifying ancestors of my great-great-grandfather, James Steele/ Steel. Facts I know about him are as follows:

Born c. 1821 in Scotland. (Possibly born on 9 June 1822 at Banff and baptised James Still on 7 July 1822? Son of Robert Still [born c. 1794] and Margaret Still nee Sims [born c. 1805]).

The 1841 Scotland Census records him as a 20 year-old apprentice blacksmith, James Steel, living with the blacksmith Luther Wilson and his family at Blairshinnoch, Banffshire.

He married Grace Fraser Robertson at Banff on 27 December 1849 (or 6 January 1850 according to one record), and had eight children: Elizabeth (born Oct 1850), Ann (born c. 1852), Alexander (born c.1854), Mary (born c. 1856), Hugh (born c. 1858), James (born 14 Feb 1862), William (born c. 1863) and John (born 9 Jul 1867).

The Parish of Banff records have the following reference to his marriage:

27th December 1849
James Steel, Blacksmith, & Grace Fraser Robertson, both in this Parish, were contracted for the purpose of Marriage, and after public Proclamations in the Parish Church, were married by the Revd Mr Bremner, Minr of Banff.

He lived all his life in Banffshire and died on 25 September 1886, aged 65, of cancer of the tongue, after an illness of three years and six months.

His grave lies in the Banff Cemetery, above the Banff Academy, and his gravestone reads:

In memory of James Steele
Blacksmith Blairshinnoch
who died there 25th September 1886
aged 64 years
Also Grace Fraser Robertson
His wife who died 2nd November 1889
Aged 64 years
Also their son Alexander Milne Steele
Who died 23rd March 1939
Aged 84 years
Also his daughter Elizabeth
Who died 20th May 1912
Aged 27 years
Also his wife Helen McKenzie
Who died 10th March 1944
Aged 84 years

[sandiratch]

Hi - are you still looking - it's been a few years. I'd like to know what you found as I am also researching James Steele. Please look here: https://dearjackhistory.blogspot.com/...ne-steele.html

My mother's cousin still disagrees with me, but I can't imagine why.