Scotch-Irish-L Archives

From: Gordon Johnson <>
Subject: Re: 2 questions
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1998 14:27:08 +0100

1. in the 1700s in Scotland what was the customary period of time between a
childs birth & their Christening?
**Anything from a couple of hours, if the child was dying and the minister
was nearby, to several months, if the family lived in the hills, or an
island, and getting to church or the minister coming to them was a problem.
Normally, the child would be taken to the first suitable church service on
a Sunday, assuming the father was not away due to his work. It was normally
the father who brought the child to the church for baptism.
The OPR microfilm often gives both the date of birth and baptismal date,
but some ministers/session clerks only recorded the baptism.
and

2. In the Scottish Parish Church records I believe I found someone I was
looking for but the last names are different on her children's birth records
it shows her last name to be Black...yet there was nobody by the name of
Christian Black married to a William Geddes...but at about the correct time I
found a William Geddes married to a Christian Troy...is it common to run
across 2 last names? Or am I just on the wrong path?
*****Wrong path. Many marriages are not recorded, due to laxity on the part
of the session clerk/minister, or through the register being
missing/defaced/damaged/mouse-nibbled/etc.
If the baptismal register is consistent in stating the parents names, and
described Christian Black as the spouse, then the Troy one is not tenable.
You could check out other sources such as testaments indexes, if the family
was well-enough off for someone to have made a will.
Gordon.
******************************
Gordon Johnson, Aberdeen, Scotland.
KinHelp - historical surname searches & genealogical services:
http://www.web-ecosse.com/genes/genes2.htm
Home page with more goodies - http://www.ifb.co.uk/~kinman/
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