View Full Version : William James Burlington -- did he marry his niece?
Now, here's something I've stumbled across and thought looked interesting.
A bit of background:
As part of my Hendry family tree, I have a William James Burlington married to a Mary Jane Hendry -- they had two daughters (one deceased, one still alive) born whilst William was in his late 50s/early 60s.
William's first wife was an Elizabeth Brown. They married in Coleraine, Londonderry in 1895 and Elizabeth died in Glasgow in 1929, age 57. They had at least one daughter (name unknown) and possibly other children, but I'm not sure. I'd be keen to find out. The daughter is almost certainly deceased, as she must have been born c1895 - 1910.
I am actually in contact with William's surviving daughter, who knows nothing of her father's family and says that although she remembers her father's eldest daughter being at his funeral, she never knew her name. I suspect that was the only time they met.
What I find interesting about this story is that, having acquired various certificates from SP and GRONI, I have noticed the following:
- Elizabeth Brown's (the first wife) parents are given as John Brown, labourer (deceased) and Eliza Jane Brown m.s. Major (deceased).
- Mary Jane Hendry's (the second wife) mother was Annie Brown, who died in Glasgow in 1928, age 69. Her parents are given as John Brown, hand-loom weaver (deceased) and Elizabeth Brown m.s. Major (deceased).
- I have a marriage certificate (http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=9904&h=832369&ssrc=pt&tid=84605737&pid=44506848703&usePUB=true) (+ full scan from GRONI) for a John Robinson Brown and a Jane Elizabeth Major, married 3rd June 1850 in Ballymena. Both the bride and groom's parents are listed as weavers. I am fairly sure these are Annie Brown's parents.
So, would anyone here be inclined to agree with me that it looks like Annie and Elizabeth Brown were sisters? If so, this means that William James Burlington married firstly, Elizabeth Brown, sister of Annie Hendry m.s. Brown, and secondly, Mary Jane Hendry, daughter of Annie Hendry m.s. Brown.
I knew that the surname of William's first wife was Brown, but being such a common name it never occurred to me that it would be anything other than coincidence. On seeing John Brown and Eliza Major as parents, though, it seemed a bit strange.
What do you think? Am I trying to put 2 + 2 together and making 5, or does this look like a possible scenario? I'd be interested to see if I could prove this, as currently it's just speculation. Census records, perhaps?
Anyway, I was just curious what the general consensus was.
It all looks pretty possible to me.
My 3xg-grandfather also married his dec'd wife's niece - in his case he had already produced a child with the niece shortly before his first wife's death, plus they were all living in the same house together as the niece was supposed to be looking after her sick aunt. I can't imagine the atmosphere was too great!!
Ha, Merry, William & Mary Jane's first daughter was born before William's first wife's death. :D
Elizabeth died in 1929, and I don't think they divorced. This took a bit of work, as it turns out the first daughter (with Mary Jane) was registered under her mother's name in 1928, but had Burlington as a middle name. It's definitely her, as I've confirmed the details with her sister.
I've no idea who William's daughter with Elizabeth was. I'd be keen to find out, though, so I can work out what the relationships would be.
Well, I've found a 1921 Glasgow marriage certificate for an Emma Burlington - with William & Elizabeth as parents - and a James Milne.
However, I cannot find a birth index for an Emma Burlington on either SP or GRONI, nor is there an Emma Burlington or Emma Milne (other names Burlington) on SP.
Would anyone like to help me find out about her, please?
Another piece of the puzzle is the 1901 Scotland census (http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1101&h=1858461&ssrc=pt&tid=84605737&pid=44506848704&usePUB=true). Here we have William and Elizabeth, along with his mother-in-law Eliza Jane Brown. I also found a death certificate for her on SP, but couldn't find anything for John. I think he probably died in Ireland some years prior.
This strongly suggests that Elizabeth Brown was indeed Annie Brown's sister, and thus William later married his niece.
The 1901 census has a one year-old Emily Burlington as William's daughter, whereas the birth certificate on SP has Emily as being Joseph Burlington's daughter, so I'm not sure what that's about. EDIT: The 1911 census (from SP) has what looks like an 'Emmie' Burlington, aged 11, as William & Lizzie's daughter. It says she was born in Scotland, but on the 1901 census it says she was born in Ireland. The 1911 census also confirms that she was their only child.
Going by her marriage certificate, Emma Burlington must have been born about 1900, but I've no idea where, or what happened to her after she married James Milne.
The 1901 census has a one year-old Emily Burlington as William's daughter, whereas the birth certificate on SP has Emily as being Joseph Burlington's daughter, so I'm not sure what that's about.
According to the 1901 census on Ancestry, there are two Emily Burlington's of about the right age.
Here is a transcript of the two households:
256 Garngad Road, Dennistoun, Glasgow Townhead
William J Burlington, 30, head, b Ireland, tramcar driver
Lizzie Burlington, 27 wife, b Ireland
Emily Burlington, 1, dau, b Ireland
Lizzie J Brown, 70, mother-in-law, b Ireland
James Brown, 30, boarder, b Ireland, labourer on railways
John Burlington, 32, boarder, b Ireland, labourer in (warchman?)
115 Clydesdale Buildings, Clydesdale Road, Holytown, Lanarkshire
Joseph Burlington, 28, head, b Ireland, stoker in iron works
Matilda Burlington, 5, dau, b Bellshill, Lanarkshire
Thomas John Burlington, 4, son, b Bellshill, Lanarkshire
William James Burlington, 2, son, b Glasgow
Emily Burlington, 2 mo, b Mossend, Lanarkshire
Jane Burlington, 55, mother, b Ireland, annuitant
It looks as if the birth record you have looked at on Scotland's People is for the Emily Burlington who is part of the second household. However, given the repetition of names and the fact both households are Irish or of Irish extraction, then they could be connected.
Have you looked at the Valuation Rolls to search for the family? You can check the 1913/1914 for free on the Glasgow Story website:
http://www.theglasgowstory.com/valuation-rolls/
Garngad or Garngadhill weren't incorporated into Glasgow until the early 1900s for BMDs, btw.
Thank you very much, Shona.
Yes, I've seen the certificate for Joseph's daughter Emily. I have seen William's 1901 census, and I have it linked to him on my Hendry family tree on Ancestry. I am fairly sure that Joseph and William were related somehow, as a W.J. Burlington is an informant or witness on another certificate I have, which is someone from Joseph's family. I can check that later.
I had thought that this (http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gss=angs-c&new=1&rank=1&msT=1&gsfn=William+James&gsfn_x=NN&gsln=Burlington&gsln_x=1&cpxt=1&cp=8&MSAV=1&uidh=yke&pcat=34&h=4442414&recoff=5+7&db=FSIrelandCivRegDeath&indiv=1&ml_rpos=11) William James Burlington may have been a son of William & Elizabeth Brown, but I viewed the scan on GRONI and he's actually Joseph's son. They are from the same town, though, so they must surely be brothers or cousins. It seems Joseph and Matilda had a number of children born in Bellshill, and that (IIRC) their Emily was one of them.
I have a copy of the 1911 census from SP, which lists William, Elizabeth and Emily, and she is confirmed as their only child. I don't think the 1911 census transcripts are up on Ancestry yet, though. That census has her born in Scotland, whereas on the 1901 census it says Ireland -- I've not been able to find anything yet. Her name looks to be 'Emmie Burlington' but the handwriting is tiny and very squiggly. The address is 109 [something] Street, but I can't read it.
There is a second Emma Burlington marriage on SP, to an Arthur Smith in Glasgow in 1941. Emma's first marriage was to James Milne in 1921, and I wasn't able to find a record of divorce on the same site Kate found the Hendry - Broadley divorce last week. Presumably if James had died then the marriage would have been an Emma Milne, so I'm querying that one. I can't view the certificate to double-check, anyway.
After 1921 it's anyone's guess; I can find no record of any Emma Burlingtons, Milnes or Smiths (with Burlington as a maiden name) dying in Scotland.
If you search SP for surname Milne, forename Burlington, there is a 1935 (?) birth, but I've run out of credits now. It's possible that is a child of Emma & James, with Burlington as a middle name.
Playing around with the Northern Irish Burlingtons, I have put together the following.
Births in Ballymoney reg district to parents Thomas Burlington and Clark(e) - married in Ballymoney in 1864:
Mary, 15 May 1865, Kilrea, Derry
Emily, 25 Nov 1866, Derry
William James, 13 March 1869, Derry
Mary (or Margaret), 5 March 1871, Kilrea, Londonderry
Joseph Clarke, 15 May 1873, Kilrea
Sarah Anne, 21 May 1876, Kilrea
Charlotte Mina, 1877
John, 6 June 1879, Kilrea
Elizabeth, 21 March 1881, Craigavole, Londonderry
Kilrea is in Co Londonderry about 15 miles from Coleraine.
There is a the birth of a Joshua registered in Ballymoney in 1876 to Sarah Burlington.
Thomas Burlington died in Q4 1899, aged 59, Ballymoney. Poss the family moved to Scotland after his death?
So it looks as if the heads of the two Burlington households with daughters named Emily were brothers.
- William James Burlington married Lizzie Brown in Ballymena in Q3 1895.
- Joseph Burlington married Ellen Picket in Coleraine in Q1 1894.
There are other Burlington births in Roscommon, Dublin North and Dublin South.
Yes, William's parents were Thomas Burlington and Jane Clark, so it doesn't surprise me that Joseph would be his brother. I remember William being 'uncle' on one of the certificates he is on, which I think was probably the death of one of Joseph's children.
That Thomas Burlington will be their father, indeed.
Unfortunately, if Emma Milne/Smith left Scotland (as seems likely) that I don't think I will be able to find her =/
William James Burlington and Joseph Burlington were brothers, I believe (see above).
Can you post a scan of the 1911 census for WJB, please? So we can hlp to decipher it. There are, as far as I know, no plans for the 1911 census to be transcribed on Ancestry. SP have the monopoly.
Many Scottish women would remarry using their maiden surnames, if they were widowed. They may even use their maiden names on census records after they have been widowed.
What about the death of William James? It should mention both of his marriages on that record.
Thanks for your help, Shona. :)
Here (https://i.imgur.com/s3Kb0ob.jpg) is the 1911 census. Is the quality good enough for you?
On William's death certificate (22/04/1952) it says '(Married to Elizabeth Brown and Mary Jane Hendry)' and lists his parents as Thomas Burlington, gardener (deceased) and Jane Burlington m.s. Clark (deceased). The informant is 'M.J. Burlington, widow (present)' who is obviously Mary Jane.
Just to add some background colour to the 1901 census, here is some info on Garngad...
The Garngad, in the north-east of Glasgow, was originally part of the town's medieval common lands. However from the 1770s the construction of the Monkland Canal allowed coal and iron to be brought direct to the city from Lanarkshire and determined the district's future as a centre of heavy industry. Enterprises were developed on a large scale. The St Rollox Chemical Works, founded in 1799 by Charles Tennant (1768-1838), employed over 1,000 people by the 1840s. The Garngad was often called "Little Ireland" because of the ethnic identity of many inhabitants, but locals wryly referred to their community as "The Good and Bad".
The "bad" qualities related overwhelmingly to the industrial environment. Extensive 19th century concerns such as the Millburn Chemical Works and the Tharsis Sulphur & Copper Works corroded the Garngad's atmosphere with incessant smoke and fumes. While there was mounting municipal concern about the menace of the "smoke fiend", the Provan Gas Works, opened by Glasgow Corporation in 1904, did nothing to help the cause of environmental improvement. Industry provided employment for Garngad residents, but pollution undermined health standards, contributing to extraordinarily high levels of respiratory and pulmonary diseases. Moreover, the scale of industry seriously constrained the community's expansion, leading to housing shortages and gross overcrowding.
The address on the 1911 census is Wishart Street, Wellpark, Dennistoun.
As an aside, Tennent's brewery was in Wellpark. Pic here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/7410351.stm
Well, working on the assumption that it was the same Emily/Emma Burlington who married Arthur Smith in 1941, I looked for a James Milne death before then. Putting in an 1899 +/- 1 year DOB, I found what looked to be a good candidate, and thankfully it was. (I hate wasting credits on the wrong certificates!)
He died in January 1939, aged 40, and Emma Burlington is his wife and informant.
I can't find a death for her in Scotland using Smith/Burlington. I've tried a few criteria and don't get any results that look right. I suspect she may have died in either England or Ireland, so that will make things much more difficult.
Any ideas?
kiterunner
02-12-15, 18:20
Are you saying we're looking for an Emma Smith death? If you can get her exact date of birth, then if she died after dob was added to the England & Wales death index, she might come up that way.
Well, I think we are, yes.
As I said before, there are two marriages on SP for an Emma Burlington: 1921 to James Mline, and 1941 to Arthur Smith. Because of the latter's date, I can't view the certificate online, so I can't view Arthur's details.
Because James Milne died in 1939, I would imagine the second marriage is also her, and there are no Milne/Burlington deaths on SP.
Sadly I can't find a DOB because I have not been able to find an entry for an Emily or Emma Burlington on GRONI, irishgenealogy.ie or SP -- well, there is an Emily Burlington on SP, but it's the wrong one. I think she was a first cousin with the same name, but it's definitely not her. As Shona earlier pointed out, they are on separate census records with different parents.
I suppose if we could find a birth index for her then that'd be a good start, but I can't find anything. If you could help with that I'd be very grateful. I've been through all the Burlingtons on GRONI.
EDIT: If you search Ancestry, you may find an Emily Burlington b.1901 on a public family tree. I've already messaged the owner, on the off-chance it could be her. I very much doubt it is, though.
kiterunner
02-12-15, 22:17
I suppose you would need to order a copy (an "extract") of the Arthur Smith marriage cert to make sure it is the same Emma, and if so, to get more information about Arthur so we can try to trace them forwards.
The guy from Ancestry got back to me, by the way. It looks like the Emma Burlington in his family tree is the cousin from Holytown.
Unfortunately I'm still completely in the dark regarding this elusive Emma/Emily Burlington, daughter of William James Burlington & Elizabeth Brown.
I did find this: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FBJD-C2F
...but someone on RootsChat told me that:
'There was an Ena Elizabeth Burlington baptised early 1899 in Dublin for parents William Charles and Marie Louise Burlington, she was born on 12 November 1898, so maybe not.'
If she was registered under a totally different name (I've had no luck with any variation of Burlington) or not registered at all, then obviously it's going to be very difficult.
I do think I've managed to trace a daughter of Emily's (now dead) which I was able to do on SP a while ago:
(birth)
1942 SMITH LILIAN MCFARLAN F COLLEGE GLASGOW CITY/LANARK 644/07 0388
(marriage)
1962 MARSHALL ROBERT SMITH LILIAN MCFARLAN BRIDGETON GLASGOW CITY/LANARK 644/02 0015
(death)
2003 SMITH LILIAN MCFARLAN BURLINGTON MARSHALL MILNE F 61 KIRKINTILLOCH AND LENNOXTOWN /DUMBARTON 508/00 0333
Obviously it could be a red herring, but I suspect she may have been a daughter of Emily & Arthur Smith, but I'm not sure how I could proceed from here anyhow. The fact both Burlington (mother's maiden name) and Milne (mother's original married name) are used is a very strong indicator.
I'm very keen to find out who Emily was and where/when she was born, as so far I've been hitting brick walls. If possible, I'd like to see if any of her surviving children/grandchildren would be interested in getting in touch with Emily's half-sister, who I am in contact with (she's my grandmother's cousin) and lives in Australia.
kiterunner
28-03-16, 14:02
Did you follow my suggestion in post #17, James, and if so, what were Arthur's details?
What does it say about Lillian's parents on the images on SP?
Well, I've not been able to find anything using the new Irish records, but perhaps a second pair of eyes may help...
I'm still trying to find a birth for an Emily or Emma Burlington. She is 1 on the 1901 census and 11 on the 1911 census (both Glasgow), and her parents were William James Burlington and Elizabeth Brown. I've been over this ground before, but it was before the new Irish records went up.
I did do a search a few days ago but couldn't find anything. However, I know a lot of you are much better at this kind of thing than me, so I'm hoping a sliver of evidence comes to light. I would really like to solve this little mystery if possible. :(
There is an Emily Burlington born c1900 in Holytown, Glasgow. That isn't the girl I'm looking for; it's her cousin, the daughter of one of William's brothers.
I wouldn't be surprised if nothing turned up as I am beginning to think the birth may not have been registered, but of course it's always possible I've overlooked something. However, I am almost certain that she will have been born in Ireland.
When/where did her parents marry?
kiterunner
22-09-16, 12:33
I had a look last week (or the week before?) with no luck, but I thought maybe she was adopted and registered in her birth name.
When/where did her parents marry?
17th August 1895, Ballymena. That record is available to view.
Just to recap, on her first marriage certificate (to James Milne) in 1921:
Emma Burlington
Shop Assistant
(Spinster)
21 y/o
29 Man St.
Glasgow
William James Burlington
Tram Car Motorman
Elizabeth Burlington
m.s. Brown
kiterunner
22-09-16, 13:16
I meant to ask before, James, have you traced the other Emily forwards? (The cousin)
I meant to ask before, James, have you traced the other Emily forwards? (The cousin)
I believe she ended up in Canada, as I did contact a chap on Ancestry last year when trying to establish whether the Emily on his family tree was William's daughter or niece. I believe that chap has a marriage for her, and there's a travel record somewhere with Emily and her husband on.
Incidentally, they both exist on separate census records.
Having just checked my Ancestry messages, looks like the husband was named Robert Watson. They had children named Helen Hume Watson and Isaac Watson.
I have her birth certificate from SP, which I obviously assumed may have been William's daughter Emily. Her DOB is 20 January 1901.
kiterunner
22-09-16, 13:33
I have a few in my tree who are listed twice on the same census, but if you have established that the other Emily got married and went to Canada I guess that rules her out. My best guess is that your Emily was adopted, though, but it would have been before the adoption laws came in.
kiterunner
22-09-16, 13:54
I note that on the 1911 census, "Lizzie" is age 38, married 16 years and only 1 child born alive to the marriage, although she is still with her husband. It would be pretty unusual in those days not to have had more children as effective contraception was not available. I can't find a way of searching the 1911 census by number of children and length of marriage to check exactly how rare it was! But it does make me think that Emily was adopted.
Yeah, I suspect you're right, Kate. It's a shame we'll probably never know for sure the details of the adoption (if that's what happened), but it would suggest Lizzie didn't want or couldn't have children. William had two daughters with his second wife, the youngest of whom is still alive. I'd been hoping to find out more about her half-sister for her, but I've run into all sorts of brick walls.
I'll get Emma's second marriage certificate (1941, to Arthur Smith) when it's available on SP, but because I can't find a record of her birth I don't know of a way to find her DOB, and therefore her death certificate is looking very elusive indeed -- particularly as she very likely died in England (I've trawled SP for anything Burlington, Smith or Milne), in which case I'd have to order no end of Emma Smith certificates. Needle in a haystack, clearly.
It's very unfortunate.
kiterunner
22-09-16, 14:17
Yeah, I suspect you're right, Kate. It's a shame we'll probably never know for sure the details of the adoption (if that's what happened), but it would suggest Lizzie didn't want or couldn't have children.
"Not wanting children" didn't make much difference in those days!
My first mother-in-law had one child when she was 20, a few months after her wedding, and another when she was 42 with no contraception in between!
My mother had a friend in the '50s who was told by her husband-to-be the day before they married that there would be no sex because he didn't want any children. They still got married and there were no children.
My great-grandmother told her OH she only wanted two children and that's what happened (1880s) until she 'accidentally' became pregnant with a third around 8 years after her second child. She then had a fourth a year later so the third would have someone to play with and then no more (info from the third child as an old lady).
Having said all that, of course I have selected these three from thousands of families on my tree - most of the rest had a child every couple of years of marriage until the woman was either widowed or reached her mid-40s.
By the way, I just want to say again that I really appreciate your help and interest. You've both been absolutely wonderful over the past year or so and it really does mean a great deal to me. Thank you.
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