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William STUART (b c1806)

William Stuart is my paternal great-great-great-grandfather.

William's origins are not at all clear. There are very few clues to the date and place of his birth. He appeared in two censuses of Scotland, 1841 and 1851. In 1841, the census reported that he was age 35 and born in Ireland. I'm inclined to think that both of these facts are unreliable. I suspect the census enumerator was either careless or received information from someone other than a member of the household. As for the place of birth, the birthplace of several people in the census register before William Stuart were recorded as Ireland. Recording William's birthplace as Ireland required only a single stroke in a single column. As to William's age, 35 years seems like little more than a good round number and it was assigned to both William and Janet. The 1851 census record was probably closer to the truth. On 30 Mar 1851, William was said to be age 43, Janet age 42, and both were said to have been born in Neilston Parish, Renfrewshire. The care and specificity with which Neilston Parish was recorded makes me think the enumerator at least received the information from either William or Janet. The full place name was carefully written out. In 1828, the marriage registration for this couple made no reference to their age or place of birth, though it did acknowledge that they were both living in Grahamston within Neilston Parish. The Paisley, Abbey Parish entry recording William's death said nothing of his parents or his place of birth, but his age on 23 Nov 1853 was given as 49 years, suggesting a birth date as early as 1804.

The name William Stuart was extraordinarily common in 19th Century Scotland. Nevertheless, there was only one entry for a birth of William Stuart in the register of Neilston Parish, Renfrewshire between 1800 and 1810, a William Stewart born to David Stewart and Margaret Craig on 16 Jun 1805. The date certainly seems possible, but the names David and Margaret make this a most unlikely choice for parents of our William. Neither name was represented in the names of William and Janet's children.

If one considers the possibility that William might not have been born in Neilston Parish, the number of couples that could possibly be William's parents becomes quickly unmanageable. Relaxing the search of the Old Parish Registers to Renfrewshire as a whole, there are 21 possibilities between 1800 and 1810. Examining the names of the couples who had a child named William in those years, there are only a few likely candidates for William's parents, (1) William Steuart and Agnes Kennedy, 25 Nov 1804, Erskine, (2) William Stewart and Mary Swan, 07 Sep 1806, Paisley Middle, (3) William Stewart and Marion Thomson 08 Nov 1804, Paisley High Church, and (4) William Stuart and Janet Stevenson, 20 May 1806, Kilbarchan.

William Stuart and Janet Stevenson seems one of the better of these options for William's parents. There are six children in the Kilbarchan parish registry for this couple, Janet in 1804, William in 1806, Elizabeth in 1808, Alexander in 1810, James in 1813, and John in 1815. The date of William's birth is reasonable, and there is nothing in this naming pattern to eliminate the couple as a possibility, but the names Susan, Agnes and Matthew have no source in their children's names. The location, Kilbarchan, especially, makes me think this choice unlikely. Kilbarchan is a good distance from Neilston and there is nothing in any later record to connect William to the parish.

The birth to William Steuart and Agnes Kennedy in Erskine in 1804 is also a possibility. The couple had five children whose births were registered in Scotland, James in 1802, William in 1804, Robert in 1814, John in 1817, and Janet in 1819. The names are not especially supportive, and the location of Erskine makes it unlikely.

The birth to William Stewart and Mary Swan in 1805 in Paisley Middle is clearly a possibility. This couple had six children whose births were registered in Scotland, Agnes in 1801, James in 1802, John in 1804, William in 1806, Robert in 1813, and John in 1824. Again, the names are not particularly supportive. The location is certainly possible.

The birth to William Stewart and Marion Thomson in 1804 in Paisley was the only birth recorded for this couple in the parish registries of Scotland so there are no family names to offer support. The date of 1804 would agree with the date calculated from William's age given at his death in 1853 and Paisley is close to Neilston Parish. This birth also seems unlikely to be the one we are searching for.

Of course, it is entirely possible that William's birth was not recorded in the Old Parish Registers. I suspect that the identity of William's parents must remain unknown and the date and location of his birth uncertain.

The earliest official record I can confidently conclude relates to William is the record of his marriage in the parish register of Neilston Parish in 1828. His name on that occasion was spelled Stuart. The record reported that William Stuart and his wife Janet Craig were residents of Grahamston in the Neilston Parish. The record also stated that William's occupation was that of cotton spinner. No ages were recorded.

William and Janet had at least six children. Daughter Janet's birth recorded in 1829 stated that she was the couple's first child, an unlikely fact. The first child of this couple was almost certainly a son, William, born before 1828. There is no record of William's birth in the parish registry, but there are just too many references to son William's parents in official records to seriously doubt that William and Janet were his parents. That William (b c1828) might have been prior to his parent's marriage seems adequate reason for the failure of his birth to be recorded in the church registers.

William and Janet moved from the Neilston/Barrhead area across the Clyde to Duntocher in Old Kilpatrick Parish between 1819 and 1831. The births of daughter Susan in 1831, daughter Agnes McGregor in 1834, and son Matthew Fleming in 1836 were all recorded in the Old Kilpatrick parish records. Only Alexander's birth went unrecorded in the parish registers. In 1841, the family appeared on New Street in Duntocher. Father William was working as a cotton spinner; son William at age 17 was a cotton piecer; daughters Janet (age 14) and Susan (age 12) were both cotton framers. Agnes (age 8) and Matthew (age 5) were too young to be given an occupation. Son Alexander was reported to be only four months old, placing his birth in Feb 1841.

By the time of the 1851 Census, enumerated on 30 Mar 1851, the family had moved across the Clyde River once again and settled in Paisley. The family appeared at 29 New Sneddon Street in Paisley. Head of household William was still working as a cotton spinner, Janet was a housekeeper, and the three children still at home, Susan (age 19), Agnes (age 17) and Matthew (age 15) were all said to be cotton workers. By this time, it was entirely possible that the children were employed otuside the home and in a factory. Five years later, at the time of her marriage, Agnes was described as a millworker. In that census, Robina Lonie (age 25) appeared at the same address. In 1864, she would become son Matthew's second wife. Son William, having married in 1849, was no longer in the household.

Two years later, on 23 Nov 1853, at this same address, 29 New Sneddon Street, William died. His age was given as 49. The cause of death was recorded as asthma.

I have been unable to find any record of daughter Janet in the 1861 Census of Scotland. Also, I have found no other record of son Alexander (b 1841). His birth was not recorded in the parish registers of Scotland and I can find no trace of him in later years, though the task of finding him other than in a census record is daunting. Janet, too, left no trace. She was not in the household in 1851 when she would be age 22. It is possible that she married, but I have not been able to identify a marriage record. Son William married in 1849. Daughter Susan married shortly before her father's death in March 1853. Daughter Agnes married in 1855 and son Matthew in 1857.

A widow for 15 years, William's wife Janet died in Greenock in 1868.

Sources:

1828 Proclamation of Banns for William Stuart (b c1806) and Janet Craig: Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1828/Marriages/572/50/70. Content: The marriage register of Neilston Parish (Renfrewshire), Proclamations in 1828 reads: William Stuart, cotton spinner, Neilston, and Janet Craig, residing at Grahamston both in this parish, gave in their names for proclamation in order to marriage 25 July and gave to the poor 3/6.

1828 Marriage Record for William Stuart (b c1806) and Janet Craig: Citation: The National Records of Scotland. 1828/Marriages/572/50/70. Content: An entry in the 1828 marriage registry for Neilston Parish (Renfrewshire) reads: William Stuart, Cotton Spinner, Neilston and Janet Craig residing at Grahamston in the Parish of Neislton [were married] at Grahamston 08 Aug 1828 by Revd Walter Blair, Minr.

1841 Scotland Census, Household of William Stuart (b c1806): Citation: National Records of Scotland. Census 1841/501/00 008/00 031. Content: The 1841 Scotland Census of the Parish of Old Kilpatrick [Dunbartonshire], Duntocher, New Street on 06 Jun 1841 shows a household composed of (1) William Stewart, male, age 35, cotton spinner, born I[reland] (sic), (2) Janet Stewart, female, age 35, [no occupation], born in Scotland but not in Dunbartonshire, (3) William Stewart, male, age 17, cotton piecer, born in Scotland but not in Dunbartonshire, (4) Janet Stewart, female, age 14, cotton framer, born in Scotland but not in Dunbartonshire, (5) Susan Stewart, age 12, cotton framer, born in Dumbartonshire, (6) Agnes Stewart, age 8, born in Dumbartonshire, (7) Matthew Stewart, male, age 5, born in Dumbartonshire, (8) Alexander Stewart, male, age 4 months, born in Dumbartonshire. [Note: The place of birth for William Stuart, head of household, is almost certainly a simple enumerator error. It follows a household in which all members were born in Ireland.] Note: Robina Lonie and her son James lived next door.

1851 Scotland Census, Household of William Stewart (b c1806): Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1851/Census/573/59/7. Content: The 1851 Scotland Census of Middle Church Parish, Burgh of Paisley [Renfrewshire], 29 New Sneddon Street on 30 Mar 1851, shows a household (34) composed of (1) William Stewart, head, married, male age 43, cotton spinner, born Renfrewshire, Neilston Parish, (2) Janet Stewart, wife, married, female, age 42, housekeeper, bornRenfrewshire, Neilston Parish, (3) Susan Stewart, daughter, unmarried, female, age 19, cotton worker, born Dunbartonshire, Kilpatrick Parish, (4) Agnes Stewart, daughter, unmarrie, female, age 17, cotton worker, born Dunbartonshire, Kilpatrick Parish, (5) Matthew Stewart, son, unmarried, male, age 15, cotton worker, born Dunbartonshire, Kilpatrick Parish.

1829 Birth Registration for Janet Stuart: Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1829/Births/572/40/177. Content: The 1829 Old Parish Register of Neilston Parish [Renfrewshire] (page 255) reads: 1829, William Stuart and Janet Craig, spouses, Neilston/Cotton-spinner and of this parish had their 1st child being a daughter born on 23 Mar and bapt 17 May following, named Janet.

1831 Birth Registration for Susan Stewart: Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1831/Births/501/40/154. Content: An Old Parish Register from the county of Dumbarton, parish of Old Kilpatrick, [Scotland] (p 227) records the name Susan Stewart with the entry Susan, daughter lawful of William Stewart, Spinner at ?Glenbract?, and Janet Craig, his wife, Born 25 April, Bapt June, 1831.

1834 Birth Registration for Agnes McGregor Stewart: Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1834/Births/501/40/202. Content: An Old Parish Register from the county of Dumbarton, parish of Old Kilpatrick, [Scotland] records the name Agnes McGregor with the entry Agnes McGregor, daughter lawful of William Stewart, Cotton Spinner, Duntocher, and Janet Craig, his wife, Born 7th July Bapt 1st Aug 1834 by Revd M Barclay..

1836 Birth Registration for Matthew Fleming Stewart: Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1836/Births/572/40/222. Content: An Old Parish Register from the county of Dumbarton, parish of Old Kilpatrick, [Scotland] records the name Matthew Fleming Stewart with the entry Matthew Fleming, son lawful of William Stewart, Spinner at Duntocher, and Janet Craig, his wife, born 16th May, bapt 17th July 1836 by Revd Matthew Barclay..

1849 Marriage Registration for William Stewart (b 1826) and Isabelle Little: Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1849/Marriages/572/50/322. Content: The Old Parish Register for Neilston Parish, Renfrewshire, Scotland for 1849 (p 336) reads Stewart and Little, William Stewart, Cotton Spinner, Barrhead, and Isabella Little, there in this parish were booked for proclamation of Banns 14th December and being regularly proclaimed and no objection offered were married aat Barrhead the 31st Day of Dec 1849 by the Rev Andrew McEwan, Minster of Levern Churh.

1853 Marriage Registration for Susan Stewart (b c1831) and John Paterson: Citation: The National Records of Scotland. 1853/Marriages/572/2 40 291 Paisley Middle) page 291 of 313. Content: The 1853 record reads: [Running Number:] 840, [Date of Entry:] March 26, [Male Name:] John Paterson, age 19, calico printer, High Parish, 2 Orr Street, [Female Name:] Susan Stewart, age 21, Middle Parish, 29 New Sneddon, [Number of days proclaimed:] 3, [Days of Proclamation:] 20 Mar, 27 Mar, 03 Apr, [Fee:] 1 [shilling]. [There is no entry for date of Marriage or by whom married].

1855 Marriage Registration for Agnes Stewart (b 1863) and Thomas Murdoch: Citation: The National Records of Scotland. 1855/Marriages/573/1 129. Content: The record reads December Thirtyfirst ?1855? at ?56 Canal? Street, Paisley, Marriage (after Banns) was solemized between us according to the Rites and Cermonies of the Established Church of Scotland. [Groom] Thomas Murdoch (his mark), Alexander Rennison, witness, [Current Residence:] 9 Cotton Street, Paisley, [Usual Residence:] 9 Cotton Street, Paisley, age 24, boilermaker (journeyman), widower, 2nd marriage, 1 living child, born July 11th 1827 at Belfast, Ireland, parents: George Mudoch (spirit dealer) and Susanna Murdoch, maiden name, Vance (deceased), [Bride] Agnes Stewart (her mark), Alexander Rennison, witness, [Current Residence:] 4 Cotton Street, Paisley, [Usual Residence:] 4 Cotton Street, Paisley, age 22, millworker, spinster, born May 8th 1833 in the parish of Kilpatrick, parents: William Stewart (cotton spinner, deceased) and Janet Stewart maiden name Craig. Signed Alexander Rennison, Minr of St George's. John Paterson, witness. Lewis W Ranison, witness.

1857 Marriage Registration for Matthew Stewart (b 1836) and Jane Kirk: Citation: The National Records of Scotland. 1857/Marriages/573/3/19. Content: The Parish of Middle Church, Burgh of Paisley record reads: 27 Mar 1857, 5 Albion Street, Paisley married after banns of the Church of Scotland. [Groom] Matthew Stewart, age 21, 6 Albion Street, Paisley, cotton spinner, bachelor, parents: William Stewart (cotton spinner, deceased) and Janet Stewart maiden name Craig. [Bride] Jane Kirk, age 22, 5 Albion Street, Paisley, spinster, parents: John Kirk (joiner) and Jane Kirk maiden name Lindsay (deceased). Mathew signed. Jane made a mark witnessed by Andrew Patison and James Kirk. Marriage performed by James Aitken, Minr North Church. James Kirk, witness, John Kirk, witness. Registered 30 Mar 1857.

1853 Death Registration for Willlam Stuart (b c1806): Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1853/Deaths/559/100/258. Content: The Abbey Parish (Paisley, Renfrewshire) death registry record dated 23 Nov 1853 names William Stewart, 29 New Sneddon Street, [there is no occupation or place of birth recorded], [cause of death:] asthma, [age:] 49y.

1868 Death Registration for Janet [Craig] Stewart (b c1806): Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1868/Deaths/564/1/266. Content: The record of 1868 Deaths in the Middle Parish of Greenock, County of Renfrew, (p 89) reads as follows: Janet Stewart, (widow of William Stewart, Cotton Spinner), [died] 1868 8 Nov 5h pm, 110 Hamilton Street, Greenock. Female, age 62 years. [Father:] William Craig, Footman (dec). Accidental--Coma as cert by A D Stewart MC. Informant: William Stuart [signed], son, [Address:] Cowcaddens, Glasgow. Registered 1868 9 Nov at Greenock. Robert Cambell, Reg. There is a marginal note referencing Sec Reg of Cor Entr Vol 1, p 106, dated 18 Nov 1868.