Gone fishing.

I've added a new database to my WorldConnect account - LornaFishing.
It joins:

• LornaHenderson - the known relations (mostly those) no longer with us, and their connections and inter-connections
• LornaPotential - those researched for potential connections
• and some RUNCIMAN data there.

LornaFishing consists only of families I have researched because of DNA matches in the hope of finding yet another descendant of the family who has tested and whose absence or presence of a match will help pinpoint that the researched line is indeed where the match belongs.

Of particular interest:

• Elizabeth CHRYSTAL of Kippen's family - because of a dna match to a descendant of Duncan ROBERTSON and Margaret MILLAR
• John MITCHELL & Elizabeth WILSON of Edinburgh - because of the triangulated dna match to a segment I've inherited from Archibald and Alison (CROSSER) FAIRBAIRN - see prior post
• Some descendants of Matilda Edmonstone TURNER nee McKENZIE - to see if this pinpoints the match to the LEOV extended family - having seemingly ruled out the earlier LEOV/SULLIVAN family  
• The GRAHAMs of Botetourt (VA) - see even earlier posts
• the family of John LOCKHART and Elizabeth JOHNSON marr. 1828 St Ninians, STI

I've still to transfer into LornaFishing some of the families previously researched and published in  LornaPotential as I've decided to separate out general research from DNA match targetted research.

Identically named trees exist on both Ancestry.com and on MyHeritage, for exactly the same purpose, and I make no pretence that the three trees contain the same set of people, but the purpose is identical in all instances.
Fishing.
So if you spot an ancestor in any of the above trees and  have tested your autosomal DNA, do let me know, I'd love to swap notes and compare DNA to see if a match holds up on the lines suspected.

2nd: Where the Huttons led & what else I've learnt recently

Linda and I may not yet have fully confirmed Linda's suspicion that the Robert and Catherine (MITCHELL) HUTTON family she found emigrating to NZ is Robert, brother to the James married into our HENDERSONs, but we've had a lot of fun trying to find out.
As part of that trail I tracked down and contacted a descendant in Dunedin who has put us in touch with several others.
A chance comment along the way has led us to realise that she taught at my secondary school (Columba College), albeit several years after I'd left. I was amazed to hear that some of my teachers from some mumble years ago are still alive, although in their 90s, particularly as, of course, I thought they were about that age back then!

A separate interesting exercise has been a further attempt at unravelling Edinburgh FAIRBAIRN booksellers.
The Scottish Book Trade Index on the NLS site has a helpful lot of info on the assorted John FAIRBAIRNs but seemed to be lacking in some vital info.
I've convinced myself that the John, bookseller of 9 Hunter St actually married twice, both to Katherines, firstly BARCLAY, secondly ALEXANDER (relict of James PARLANE).
His second marriage has interesting connections in that Katherine ALEXANDER's niece Catherine WALKER married Jean Francois COINDET, who appears to have a noted place in medicine for treating goitre with iodine, with his son Dr Jean Charles Walker COINDET turning to psychiatry and having patients such as Richard Wagner and Liszt's mistress.
Haven't found any reference to the other son as yet, John Fairbairn COINDET other than in Katherine FAIRBAIRN alias ALEXANDER's 1811/1816/1822 will.

13th: Michigan marriages a good find

Well, that serendipity from yesterday was a wonderful sidetrack.
Along the way I've found another son of David FAIRBAIRN and Charity WALKER married in Michigan (William E) and got sidetracked onto trying, unsuccessfully, to figure out who an Isabella Elliot FAIRBAIRN was, born Ontario 1850, married the Rev James Anderson Ross DICKSON (somewhere, possibly London Ontario), and lived Galt Ontario.
And it reinforced how useful it can be to squirrel away information that just might come in useful later.
William E, the son of David and Charity married a Rosa KUHNLE, who sounded a bit familiar. Sure enough, I'd found and saved, and obit for Rosa FAIRBAIRN nee KUHNLE last year.
While trying to solve who Isabella Elliot FAIRBAIRN was I also stumbled upon the baptism of an Isabella MITCHELL, dtr of an Agnes FAIRBAIRN and Alexander MITCHELL baptised in Chatham, Ottawa River Canada East by the same Minister who married David FAIRBAIRN and his first wife Prudential ARNOLD.
Haven't figured out who this Agnes is either, anyone know?

Feb 3, 2008: BENNETT birthdays

January gone already?
Flurry of activity on the family of Edward BENNETT and Betsy DAWE, prompted by a descendant (grddtr) of Mabel VIGUS finding me. What's more she has supplied me with transcripts from two birthday books, so I've been having fun trying to identify everyone. Managed to do so for most, but not all. Several BENNETT children obviously belong in the generation after the 1901 census, and as they were born prior to the birth index showing the mother's maiden name, I don't know which BENNETT son they are likely to belong too (apart from the one whose parents have hopefully given the game away by including SLOWMAN in his forenames).
Brief DAWE chart updated, as is the fuller one on the main pages.
And with a number BDMs exact dates supplied, and registration places now checked, I'll probably do another WorldConnect update soon too.
This brings the surnames from the DAWE/BENNET marriage to: ASH, LISLE, SLOWMAN or SLOMAN, VIGUS, BLATCHFORD and MOON, with the next generations down having: BAKER, WIDDICOMBE, JENKINS, BORRETT, MITCHELL, NANCARROW, GOWING. It also adds another Australian family into the mix, Edith Mary BAKER nee ASH dying in Sydney at age 94.