John Sim/Syme & Isobel Brown

[Asa]

I know nothing outside of the IGI about this couple except that they had the following children, all baptised at Cameron, Fife - Betty 1786, Agnes 1788, John 1790, Robert 1792 and John 1793.

[Shona]

I'm travelling at the moment, so will check my Fife CD for you when I get home.

[Asa]

Thank you Shona - you keep helping me with my Fife ancestors :)

[Shona]

I've found the following burial record in Cameron parish:

John Sime, burial 26 September 1831, age 67. 'wore out'.

If this is him, he was born c1764 and had his first child at the age of about 22.

There is also a burial for John Sime in Cameron on 10 June 1792. This might be a child of John and Isobel as I noticed that they had a child named John in 1790 and then another named John in 1793.

Not had any luck with Isobel, though. The nearest match is Isabell Brown, burial 28 January 1842, age 70, 'general debility', Denhead, Cameron.

I'm not happy with this because it would mean that she had her first child when she was 14. I do have a few of my Fife lot marrying very young, though, so it isn't unknown.

There is a birth for a John Syme in Ceres - 6 July 1762 - parents are John Syme and Agnes Graham, which may be worth looking at as a possible for your chap. The birth date is pretty close to the estimated birth date from the burial record, the names match two of John and Isobel's children and Ceres is one of the neighbouring parishes. This couple had the following children baptised at Ceres Associate Congregation: Thomas (1744), Isabel (1746), William (1748), James (1749), Agnes (1756), Elizabeth/Espet (1761).

This was a dissenting congregation and people came from all over Fife to have children baptised there. However, the Sim family above were Ceres residents.

These so-called Antiburrgher Seceders did tend to 'marry in', so there were quite a few cousin, second cousin, etc, marriages. In the Ceres Associate Congregation records (FFHS have them online), I noticed that William Brown and Isble Sim (Sym/Sime) had a daughter named Isble Brown baptised on 26 Jan 1766. If this is your Isobel, it would mean she had her first child at the age of about 20. May be worth looking into this family either to confirm they are yours or to rule them out. This family lived at Rires in Carnbee parish, which also neighbours Cameron parish.

[Asa]

Thank you for this Shona - I'll take it all down and work through it. Love the Fife FHS site :-)

[Asa]

Shona, I'm sure that's both baptism and burial for my John. That could be Isobel's burial if the age is wrong and it could be her baptism but there isnt much to support it or rule it out at the moment. Thank you.