‘Ten green bottles hanging on the wall…’ You know the song, numbers go down to nine, then eight, seven and finally none. Families and surnames may experience a similar decline; some survive, others die out. Someone asked me recently about the Orkney surname Fea which I knew of from history but could not recall anyone | more…
This week I’m writing about sheriff court records to do with a roup sale or auction at a farm in 1827. Background William Moncrieff, a x3 great grandfather married Margaret Sinclair on 19 February 1824 in Orphir, Orkney. He was about 23 at the time, baptised in 1801. They had two daughters, Margaret born 1824 | more…
An American ‘Labor Day’ theme this week for #52Ancestors: work. The vast majority of my ancestors were crofters and farmers, combined in varying proportions with fishing or, less frequently, a trade. This time I’m focusing on James Nic(h)olson, my paternal granny’s father, so one of my great grandfathers. (The ‘h’ creeps into the family name | more…
