Multiple marriages?

[Uncle John]

I'm tracing Scottish ancestors for OH's cousin and I've found myself in a multiple marriage scenario.

Working backwards, I have a definite marriage for George PARK to Jean Seath BLAIR in 1918 in Shettleston, Glasgow. The m.c. gives George's parents as William PARK and Jacobina nee THOMSON. That's where cousin's mother's name Ina must have come from.

William PARK (not CLARK as I had originally) and Jacobina THOMSON married in 1875 in East Calder, West Lothian. The m.c. gives William's parents as Andrew PARK and Margaret nee SAMUEL.

I've found Andrew and Margaret with their many children in censuses from 1871 to 1901 (Andrew seems to have died before 1901 but Margaret is still in the same house). All are from the Ancestry transcription but reasonably accurate and consistent. Fortunately Andrew was the manager of a chemical works, which is a distinctive occupation.

BUT William was born circa 1849 and Margaret only circa 1838. Census ages are pretty consistent. I then had a look in my BIVRI discs for births of children of Andrew Park. I found only two that matched my census information - Agnes (b. 1851) and James (b. 1854). They had a different mother, Agnes Simpson.

I then found Andrew and Agnes in 1851 with Agnes No. 1 and in 1861 with the next five children of the 1871 family. The next child, according to the 1871 and 1881 censuses, was born about 1863 but the first name has been mangled. I may have to shell out for the census image off ScotlandsPeople.

This means that around 1862/3 Agnes died (or perhaps didn't!) and Andrew and Margaret married (or didn't!). I can't find a marriage for Andrew and Margaret on SP.

Neither can I find a birth or baptism near to 1849 for William, who claims to be born in Leith or Bathgate, so I'm wondering if Andrew was married before he married Agnes.

Children of Andrew are:

William (c. 1849) in 1861 through to 1901
Agnes (1851) in 1851 (presumably died)
James (1854) in 1861 and 1871 (spanning the change of mother)
Jeanet/Jessie in 1861 and 1871 (ditto)
Agnes (the second) (c. 1858) in 1861 to 1881
Jane (c. 1860) in 1861 to 1881
Calida/Carlile (c. 1863) in 1871 and 1881
Margaret (c. 1865) in 1871 to 1891
Andrew (c. 1868) in 1871 to 1891
John (c. 1870) in 1871 and 1881
Elizabeth (c. 1872) in 1881 and 1891
Robert (c. 1876) in 1881 and 1891
George (c. 1879) in 1881 to 1901

Apart from William, all the children were born in Rutherglen/Cambuslang/Glasgow.

Any ideas please?

[kiterunner]

Can I just check before looking for him, is his name William Clark or William Park?

[kiterunner]

Assuming it's Park, not Clark, there is a Pedigree Resource File entry on FamilySearch giving the date of Andrew Park and Margaret Samuel's marriage as 18 Feb 1842, but it doesn't say where! They also list another child of the couple - Richard Park born about 1847 Bathgate, who married Elizabeth Rae 10th Feb 1865. That marriage is on Scotland's People, in Falkirk, so you could view the image to see if the parents' names are correct.

[kiterunner]

Have you found birth registrations for the later children giving their mother's name as Margaret Samuel? And have you found a marriage between Andrew Park and Agnes Simpson? I'm wondering whether Andrew married Margaret Samuel first, then Agnes Simpson, and then another Margaret?

[Uncle John]

Can I just check before looking for him, is his name William Clark or William Park?

Whoops. I'll go back and correct it to PARK.

[Uncle John]

Assuming it's Park, not Clark, there is a Pedigree Resource File entry on FamilySearch giving the date of Andrew Park and Margaret Samuel's marriage as 18 Feb 1842, but it doesn't say where! They also list another child of the couple - Richard Park born about 1847 Bathgate, who married Elizabeth Rae 10th Feb 1865. That marriage is on Scotland's People, in Falkirk, so you could view the image to see if the parents' names are correct.

This "family" seems to have fallen into my initial trap of not finding the previous marriage to Agnes. But I will risk my £1.20 on the marriage. On William's marriage it's perfectly clear that Margaret was his mother. So maybe Andrew wanted to forget about the death (or whatever) of his first(ish) wife.

[Uncle John]

Have you found birth registrations for the later children giving their mother's name as Margaret Samuel? And have you found a marriage between Andrew Park and Agnes Simpson? I'm wondering whether Andrew married Margaret Samuel first, then Agnes Simpson, and then another Margaret?

Ain't FH devious? I hadn't even considered that scenario.

[Uncle John]

Oo-err. I've found Andrew's will (1893). 37 pages for a fiver. But will it tell me anything new?

[Uncle John]

Right then. Andrew married Agnes on 8 Nov 1850 in Rutherglen. There's an earlier marriage in Rutherglen to Margaret Freebairn on 31 Dec 1846 which would tie up with the birth of William and his possible elder brother. So those 2 marriages may reveal what was going on, assuming the OPR record has enough detail.

[Uncle John]

The mist clears further. There's a marriage to Margaret Struthers in 1866 in Cambuslang. And Margaret Park nee Struthers dies in Cambuslang in 1927 aged 89.
So Margaret Samuel comes first, but I can't find the marriage, then Agnes Simpson (nee Nesbit), then Margaret Struthers.

Now to rearrange the children into the correct marriages.

[kiterunner]

Now I come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that Andrew's death registration should give the names of all his wives (assuming the informant knew them).

[Uncle John]

Now I come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that Andrew's death registration should give the names of all his wives (assuming the informant knew them).

That's interesting. I'll go and check.

I've found the missing marriage to Margaret Samuel on 18 Feb 1842 in Bathgate. The actual register entry has been amended from Park to Pack and that's how it's transcribed by SP and in IGI Batch M116625.

[Uncle John]

The death informant (squiggle Park, son) only knew about Agnes Simpson and Margaret Struthers. Hardly surprising since Margaret Samuel died more than 25 years before the youngest two sons were born, and her (?only) son William had been a coal miner in West Lothian since about 1880.

No wonder the person with the tree got tangled.

Incidentally, Millburn Chemical Works in Camlachie was one of several major polluters in the east end of Glasgow. Its main product was wood alcohol. So it's hardly surprising that Andrew died of bronchitis and pulmonary congestion.

I've now found 50+ new rellies for OH's cousin and taken her maternal side back 3 generations on all lines, all for about £16 and a few days' work. Thank you very much for the inspiration to get to the bottom of it.