GRANT genealogy | 12 Dec 2018 | |
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Grant family tree Grant family summary Grant ancestor chart |
Dr Geoffrey Mann geoff.mann@btinternet.com home page |
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4. Isabella GRANT 1819-1894 |
5 John GRANT | |
| John Walker James Wallace |
1m John WALKER 1843
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Isabella was born in Aberdeen, daughter of John Grant, a baker, and baptised at the Roman Catholic chapel in 1819. She was probably a servant in Silver St, Aberdeen in 1841; nearby was a grocer, John WALKER, and she married him at Aberdeen in 1843. A daughter Isabella was born the next year, but her husband died even before she was baptised. Between 1845 and 1857 Isabella kept a lodging house first in George St and later in Schoolhill where her establishment was listed as a Commercial Hotel. In 1855 however she married James Wallace in Glasgow. James was a law writer, insurance agent and dealer in shares, but had been made bankrupt in 1850 and moved temporarily to Aberdeen. It seems likely that he lodged there with Isabella. Two children, John and Ann were born in Glasgow. But there are no known records anywhere of any of the family between 1858, when Ann was born in Glasgow, and 1871 when Isabella, now a widow, was living back in Aberdeen with her married daughter. Her two Wallace children came with her and she worked as a laundress. Is it possible Isabella and James left the country until the death of James made her return? Her daughter had married George Stevenson, a mariner, and when he moved to London with his wife and family, Isabella moved with them and was there in 1881 aged 62. But she returned to Aberdeen once more where she died in 1894 aged 73 at the home of her other daughter Ann, now married to William Robertson. She was buried in St Peter's Cemetery, Aberdeen Her grandson Frederick Stevenson who grew up with her remembered her as a dour lady who accused him "whaur's that whistling on the Sabbath" |
| age Date JG ER |
EVENT |
|
6Jun1819 |
baptised at Roman Catholic Chapel, Aberdeen, daughter of John and Elizabeth |
PRINCIPAL RECORDS
b=born m=married d=died
C=Christened B=Buried
BIRTH
From the 51 and later census Isabel was born about 1820 in Aberdeen. Her 1843 marriage record names her father as James Grant, a manufacturer in Aberdeen, but no suitable baptism to James Grant has been found, nor any satisfactory record of James in Aberdeen.
Isabel's death certificate however names her father as John Grant a master baker, and her mother as Elisabeth REID. A marriage of John Grant and Elisabeth Reid took place in Aberdeen in 1817 followed by the baptism of Isabella in 1819:
from Scotland OPR
m 9Oct1817 by the Revd Prist Charles GORDON minister of the Roman Catholik Chapel in Aberdeen John GRANT, baker in Aberdeen & Elisabeth REID there, dau of George Reid labourer in Aberdeen after banns in said chapel wit: Alexander INNES cabinet maker in Aberdeen & George GORDON baker there
from Catholic Archive:
C 6Jun1819 Isabel/John Grant Elizabeth Reid Baker George Grant Mr[?] Geo Grant [presumably witnesses]
It seems reasonable certain therefore that Isabella's father was John not James and that Isabella was baptised as a Roman Catholic in 1819. Alexander Innes, a witness to the marriage, married Susan Reid 6 months previously; Susan Reid was almost certainly a sister of Elizabeth Reid. Why was the parish church record of Isabella's marriage incorrect? Did Isabella give the wrong information deliberately - perhaps to hide that she was a Roman Catholic? Or perhaps her husband John Walker gave the wrong information to the minister. Or was it a simple clerical error?
MARRIAGE
from Aberdeen St Nicholas register:
m 9Jun1843 after banns by Rev James FOOTE, minister in Aberdeen
John WALKER, grocer in Aberdeen & Isabel GRANT da of James GRANT manufacturer in Aberdeen
witnesses:James CRAIGEN, shoemaker Aberdeen; James FRASER grocer Aberdeen
Isobel married a second time to James WALLACE, law clerk, as is shown by her daughter’s marriage certificate, in which she is named as Isabella Wallace previously Walker ms Grant; also by 71 census and by birth certificates of her children John & Ann in Glasgow. The Aberdeen Press and Journal carried an announcement of her marriage on 16May1855:
At Glasgow, on the 27th ult., by the Rev Dr Barr, of St Enoch's,
James Wallace Esq., writer, Glasgow, to Isabella Grant, relict of the
late John Walker, grocer, Aberdeen.
The marriage has not been found in the index to the statutory register of marriages, nor was it found by the Scottish registrars who on request searched the original Glasgow registers. All the details in the newspaper announcement are correct and it seems likely that the marriage took place but was not registered as required by the law which came into effect only at the beginning of 1855. St Enoch's in the centre of Glasgow has been demolished and the registers do not seem to have survived. The marriage is not in the OPR index.
DESCENDANTS
from Aberdeen St Nicholas register:
C 2Mar1844 Isabel Joan d John WALKER dec merchant & his spouse Isabel GRANT bap by Rev.David MITCHELL; wit:James FRASER, clerk, James MITCHELL, merchant.
[NOTE: David MITCHELL was minister of free church of Blairdaff (20m inland from Aberdeen) 1843-76]
certificates
b 29Feb1856 1.30am John WALLACE at 12 Salisbury St, Glasgow;
r 20Mar1856 at Tradeston Glasgow by James WALLACE father
father: James WALLACE law clerk; mother: Isabella WALLACE ms GRANT
b 25Mar1858 2.30am Ann Smith WALLACE at 10 Crawford St Glasgow
r 22Apr1858 at Tradeston Glasgow by Isabella WALLACE mother
father: James WALLACE law clerk; mother: Isabella WALLACE ms GRANT
DEATH
certificate
d 8Mar1894 Isabella Wallace 73 at 669 George St, Aberdeen; cause: pneumonia
r 8Mar1894 at Aberdeen, Old Machar parish, by William Robertson son-in-law and occupier
1st m John Walker, grocer; 2nd m James Wallace Advocate Clerk;
father: John Grant, Baker (Master) deceased; mother: Elizabeth Grant, ms Reid deceased
burial
Isabella was buried at St Peter's Cemetery, Aberdeen 10 Mar 1894her grave was later used by Samuel W M ROBERTSON 28Feb1901 and James ROBERTSON 30Jul1903
[probably grandchildren, of her daughter Ann Smith Wallace who married William Robertson]
CENSUS
1841 Aberdeen, Silver St dist21, p7
Marjory LEITH 30 1811 independent y
Isabella GRANT 24 1817 f.s y
This is a little old for Isabella compared with later census (these give a birth year of 1820/21 making her 20 or 21 in 1841), but close by in this census was John WALKER, j.grocer, who is very probably her husband to be; it seems likely therefore that this is Isabella; mistress of house may not have known her correct age
1851 Aberdeen Union St, Ezchange Court Book 18, South Parish 3, p12
Isabella WALKER he wid 30 1821 lodging house keeper Aberdeen ABD
Isabella WALKER da 7 1844 scholar at home Aberdeen ABD
Margaret ROSS se unm 18 1833 general servant Aberdeen ABD
Margaret GRANT lo mar 30 1821 Keith BAN
Helen D GRANT lo ?15m 1850 Aberdeen, ABD
Jessie FRASER vi unm 41 1810 Keith BAN
William M MILLAR lo unm 24 1827 merchant and draper Kilmarnock{?} Kincardine{?}
George M KAY lo unm 21 1830 grocer Dumfriess DFS
John ?SCAIP lo mar 26 1825 tea dealer Carlisle Dumfriesshire
1861 not found
not at Crawford St Glasgow, their address in 1858
1871 Aberdeen, 54 Hardgate, Holburn parish 168b dist20 p25
Isabella STEVENSON he mar 26 1845 Aberdeen
George STEVENSON so 8 1863 scholar Aberdeen
Frederick STEVENSON so 4 1867 scholar Aberdeen
Isabella GRANT mo wid 51 1820 laundress Aberdeen
John WALLACE hb 15 1856 message boy (hb=half-brother) Glasgow
Ann WALLACE hs 14 1857 factory worker (hs=half-sister) Glasgow
1881 Poplar, 85 Blair St, Bromley St Leonards RG11 503 f113
Isabella STEPHENSON wi mar 36 1844 Scotland
George STEPHENSON so unm 17 1863 seaman, ships apprentice Scotland
Frederick STEPHENSON so unm 14 1866 scholar Scotland
Isabella M STEPHENSON da 6 1874 scholar Scotland
Eva M STEPHENSON da 1 1879 Bromley MDX
Jane WALLACE wm wid 62 1819 wm=wife's mother Scotland
1891 16½ East North St, Aberdeen 168/1 16/16
Isabella WALLACE he wid 71 1820 [occupation blank] Aberdeen
OTHER
Aberdeen Directories
1845/6 Mrs Walker, lodgings, 124 George St
1846/7 Mrs Walker, lodgings, 124 George St
1848 Mrs Walker, lodgings, 124 George St
1850 Mrs Walker, lodgings, 24 George St
1851 Mrs Walker, lodgings, 24 George St (not listed in Exchange Court)
1851/2 Mrs Walker, lodgings, 24 George St (Exchange Court, Mrs Walker's lodgings)
1853 Mrs Walker, lodgings, 11 Market St (not listed in Exchange Court)
1853/4 Mrs Walker, lodgings, 8 Schoolhill
1854 Mrs Walker, inn and lodgings, 8 Schoolhill
1855 Mrs Walker, inn and lodgings, 8 Schoolhill
1855/6 Mrs Walker, innkeeper, Commercial Hotel, 8 Schoolhill
1856/7 Mrs Walker, innkeeper, Commercial Hotel, 8 Schoolhill
1857/8 no entry for Mrs Walker, lodgings. (Schoolhill lodgings
listed under Edward Affleck)