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| John and Ursilla on their wedding day, 1900 |
history puzzle, I let out an audible, "Ah-hah!" And today that was accompanied by, "I found you! Yeah!"
I've been looking for census records for John McDonald Beattie (1860-1936) and his wife Ursilla Katherine Bruce (1862-1937) (Ella's maternal grandparents), but I was having trouble finding a record for 1901.
I knew that the couple was married in Edinburgh in 1900 and that their daughter, Ursula, was born in Aberdeen in 1904, so I was looking at both locales as possibilities.
Then a particular record seemed to jump out at me. It was one that I had looked at before and dismissed, but I looked at it with closer scrutiny this time.
This is the 1901 Scotland Census in the civil parish of Aberdeen. (See and/or download full document here.)
It lists John Beattie as the head of the household, married, 40 years old; an ironworker, born in Aberdeen, and deaf; living at 35 Broomhill Road, Aberdeen.
His wife is listed as Isabella, 39 years old; born in Shetland, and deaf as well.
We know that John and wife Ursilla were living at 35 Broomhill Road in 1904 when their daughter was born; and all of the other information about ages, occupation, where born, and both being deaf match exactly with what we know about John and Ursilla. This clearly seems like a clerical error with Ursilla's name erroneously recorded as Isabella.
I found you!
..........
As I'm searching and trying to learn more details about the lives of our ancestors, I sometimes smile at the thought that perhaps I'm recruiting guardian angels on my family's behalf. As I'm looking out for them, maybe they're looking out for us?
More details about John and Ursilla in these posts:
