Be Brave Enough To Stand Out In A Crowd
I had a marathon research session last night . . . 19 hours . . . but it was so worth it!
You see, something just didn't feel right with this Gordon line based on the trees I was seeing on Ancestry.
The naming patterns didn't match one would expect from a Scotch line.
But people were showing this connection as the right one.
Why?
Likely because the baptism date was the closest they could find to the birthdate given on James Gordon's tombstone.
There Has Got To Be More To It Than That
Nope, it appears that was the only criteria they used.
So, I dug and dug, and dug . . .
And I finally found it.
A death record in 1847 for Jane Morton, the widow of James Gordon, Sr.
Hallelujah!
Oh, It's Not Over Yet . . . Not By A Long-Shot
Getting a wife's maiden name usually makes things so much easier to find in Scotland. Do you know how many James Gordons there are in Scotland that are married to a Jane? Like a gazillion!
Or was it going to be easier?
I looked for this couple, but they weren't there. I couldn't even find any of their kids. A quick note here . . . Scotland has done an amazing job of transcribing and extracting from the old parish registers, so not finding them is actually a BIG deal.
What the heck was going on here?
So, I kept digging some more.
I finally found them! James "Gaedon" married Jean "Monton" in Ormiston on 4 July 1789.
I then found their first daughter, Jean, in 1790, but she was listed under "Morton" instead of Gordon. Go figure!
Then the trail went cold again . . . for now.
When It Rains It Pours
But the story doesn't end there! Oh, yes.
You see, I couldn't find a death record for James at all. I knew he was in Quebec in 1825 as he witnessed a grandchild's baptism, but no death record . . . anywhere.
But, whoa Nellie! Who is this "Robert" Gordon who died in 1838?
Other than this one singular entry, there was no evidence at all of any "elder" Robert running around.
After looking at this entry closer, it became pretty evident that this is almost certainly James, but the clerk made an error and listed him as "Robert". Oh yeah, it happens more than you realize!
Furthermore, "Robert's" death entry gave the name of the village they lived in for a while in Down, Ireland! And they moved there about 1806 based on the children's info in later censuses.
Yay! Mystery solved! (Well, mostly . . . LOL)
So, Defy The Crowd When You Need To
And none of this would've happened had I not listened to my inner voice and ignored the "prevailing wisdom".
Remember this lesson when your inner voice is trying to get your attention.
It will serve you well.
The Reward
So, I found one of Sharon's lines in Scotland in 1789 and followed their path through Ireland and straight to Quebec.
And, who else has this exciting info?
Nobody!
Not a soul!
Every tree, and I mean EVERY tree, on Ancestry has it completely wrong.
Now, once this gets out, everyone will be following my research and lead.
But, that's OK. I'm used to it.
Do you have a line that's driving you mad and what others are saying just doesn't mesh with you? Let me turn that genea-stress into genea-joy!
Drop me a line or give me a call and I'll get started on it as soon as I can?
danny@hallgen.com
(888) 444-3211
Photo Credit:
ID 12019, Pixabay - Thank You!
